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Soldiers & Leaders
The men who fought it: commanders and privates, regiments and brigades, careers traced through the records they left behind.
Featured in Soldiers & Leaders
Hard Times At Corinth: A Louisiana Unit Suffers in a North Mississippi Town
When most people hear the name of Corinth, Mississippi in the context of the American Civil War, they think of the debacle in the attack on that city of October 3-4, 1862. The Confederate commander at that time, General Earl Van Dorn, led…
All Soldiers & Leaders
315 articles · 2016–2026
Soldier Pickups Part I Old Abe
On June 10, 1990, the Lions Club and citizens of Jim Falls, Wisconsin, held a dedication ceremony for the unveiling of a statue they had erected. The statue was o…
The Unfinished Fight Photo Analysis
Horace H. Smith, 16th Wisconsin Infantry, Company G.
Cavalry Hill Cemetery: Rediscovering the Lost Graves
by Robert D. Jenkins Sr.
William Loring: Controversial Confederate Commander
Major General William Wing Loring had a notable military career that spanned several significant conflicts, including the Texas Revolution at the age of 14, the M…
Through the Lens More Serious than Expected
Towards the end of June 1864, C.S. Gen. Jubal Early, Army of the Valley, had left the Shenandoah Valley, Va., to “threaten Washington and if I find the opportunit…
Spared & Shared
to circulate but one of the best accounts comes in a letter he wrote describing the reception General Grant received on March 8, 1864, when Grant met Lincoln face…
Through the Lens A Good Thrashing
“[In support of Col. Emmett MacDonald] a thousand warriors sprang to their feet, and, with one wild Missouri yell, burst upon the foe.” – Col Joseph O. Shelby, Mo…
“I would have sold my skin for a five-cent piece!”
At about 2 o’clock, Lieut. [Gershom F.] Burgess was summoned to the Colonel’s quarters and when he came back he reported that we had received orders to march in t…
Through the Lens Does the General Expect us to Fly?
The Pipe Creek Circular: Controversies & Implications By Lloyd W. Klein
The Graphic War John G. Keyser, Artist Soldier for the 24th N.J.
The Graphic War John G. Keyser Artist Soldier for the 24th New Jersey The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meanin…
A Few Thoughts on Military Hospitals
Private William Roberts, Co. A, 14th Regiment North Carolina Troops, spent his fair share of time in military hospitals. Wounded in the right hand at Sharpsburg,…
Retesting Your General Knowledge
& I
Fiercest Fights One Of The
In August 1864, control of the Shenandoah Valley, Va., pitted Union Gen. Philip Sheridan, Army of the Shenandoah, against. Confederate Gen. Jubal Early, Valley Ca…
“The Rebs are Death on the Negro Regiments”
July 7th. I am feeling very much better—as well as I expect to till I get home again. We have heard most glorious news today (if it be true & it is said to be off…
Vision and Valor The War Through Women’s Eyes
No Idle Hands – Knitting Socks for Soldiers
Anesthesia Before and During the Civil War
Mock surgery procedure with anesthetist administering anesthesia to a Union soldier while the surgeon examines his leg.
A Regiment Doomed from the Start Spared & Shared
Southwest view of Burnside’s Bridge across the Antietam creek. (Library of Congress)
“Behold A Pale Horse” Captain Winston J.T. Stephens and the St. Johns
“Behold A Pale Horse” Confederate Captain Winston J.T. Stephens and the St. Johns Rangers in Northeast Florida By William J. Stier
Financing the Civil War: Cotton Bonds & The Erlanger Loan
For a nation composed of rebellious states to wage war, it must possess the financial resources to procure essential supplies such as weapons, armaments, horses,…
“The Place...Shall Be Destroyed by Fire”
“The Place…Shall be Destroyed by Fire”: General David Hunter and the
Importance of Reputation
General John A. Rawlins. (Library of Congress)
A Trove of General Rawlins Material Comes to Light
Vision and Valor The War Through Women’s Eyes By Juanita Leisch Jensen
you are not going to fire here, are you?
“In retreat, double quick, run.” – Officer, 147th N.Y. n July 1, 1863, about 7 a.m., U.S. signal corps. officer Lt. Aaron B. Jerome spotted Confederates approachi…
Long Island Civil War Soldiers Project
Civil War Soldiers Project
Emory and Emily Upton Star Crossed Lovers
“November seventeenth [1867]. A day never to be forgotten saw the fulfillment of my dearest hopes. On that day, I promised General Upton that I would be to him fo…
Civil War Field Hospitals Saved the Lives of Countless Soldiers
The Civil War was the deadliest conflict in American history in terms of lives lost. Conservative estimates of total Civil War deaths range from 650,000 to 750,00…
“An Exciting and Brilliant Affair:” The Third Crossing at Fredericksburg
“An Exciting and Brilliant Affair:” The Third Crossing at Fredericksburg By mid-June 1863, the Army of the Potomac’s VI Corps had about enough of the pontoon brid…
William G. Shepardson – ‘all-in’ Confederate War Correspondent
By Joan Wenner, J.D. It’s been written that much weighed on the mind of Confederate Major General George Pickett’s mind a few months after Gettysburg, the disaste…
Two Pardons, One by Each Side, for One Soldier
Two Pardons, One by Each Side, for One Soldier By Carl L. Sell Jr. Francis (Frank) Donaldson was a fast talker and opinionated Union soldier from Philadelphia who…
Soldiers Rest, Alexandria, Virginia
Soldiers Rest, Alexandria, Virginia The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the printmaker or artist’s g…
From Bulls Gap to Lexington and Back
From Bulls Gap to Lexington and Back The Military Memoirs of a Confederate Line Officer: Captain John Reed’s Civil War from Manassas to Appomattox, edited by Will…
A Few Thoughts on Men’s Shirts
A Few Thoughts on Men’s Shirts Whether Union or Confederate, all soldiers were civilians before they were in the military, and all of them wore shirts. While seem…
Testing Your General Knowledge
This column will cite some events in the lives of ten famous Civil War generals before they became famous and ask you to identify them. See page 39 for the answer…
Corps Badges
During the American Civil War, Union Army soldiers commonly wore corps badges. These badges were prominently displayed either on the top of their forage cap (kepi…
Annie Kyle Learns Sherman Arrives in Fayetteville
By Joan Wenner, J.D. The Fayetteville Observer, led by editor Edward Jones Hale, had the largest circulation in the state of North Carolina, and was such a force…
The Final Surrender
Soldiers, I am left a commander without an army, a general without troops. You have made your choice. – Gen. E. Kirby Smith to his command, May 30, 1865 After Lee…
“Unsurpassed Courage and Determination”; Pender’s Brigade at Chancellorsville
“Unsurpassed Courage and Determination”; Pender’s Brigade at Chancellorsville On May 9, 1863, a small article on the front page of the Richmond Daily Dispatch not…
Standing Up For Honor at Chambersburg
Standing Up For Honor at Chambersburg By Carl L. Sell Jr. A college graduate and teacher before the war, Confederate Lieutenant Colonel William Peters was severel…
First Army Medal of Honor Awarded in Civil War
By Joan Wenner, J.D. Army Private Jacob Parrott was born in 1843 at Fairfield County, Ohio. He enlisted in the Union’s 33rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company K, du…
Captured at Fairfield and Imprisoned at Belle Isle
Captured at Fairfield and Imprisoned at Belle Isle Sgt. Harry Whitlock Lewis, 6th U.S. Cavalry
Vicksburg 160th Celebrations to Observe the Union Victory were Memorable
Vicksburg 160th Celebrations to Observe the Union Victory were Memorable By Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to – Western Theater – The 160th anniv…
The War Before the War, Part 3: Captain Lee
The War Before the War, Part 3: Captain Lee Robert E. Lee’s record in the Mexican War is probably better known than the records of other officers who were to win…
Events — September 2023
action’ and buried at Laurel Hill Cemetery will follow. sponsored by: The Legion Post 405; MOLLUS; General Meade Society. For information; 215-228-8200, awaski01@…
Col. Abraham Charles Myers, CSA and the Quartermaster Service of the Confederacy
Col. Abraham Charles Myers, CSA and the Quartermaster Service of the Confederacy by Lloyd W Klein Abraham C Myers was the first quartermaster general of the Confe…
Brig. Gen. William H. Morris: A Forgotten Casualty of Spotsylvania
Brig. Gen. William H. Morris: A Forgotten Casualty of Spotsylvania By Tim Talbott The opening three days of fighting at Spotsylvania Court House proved deadly for…
The Tragic Career of Union Brigadier General George Bayard
By Carl L. Sell Jr. Before the Civil War, George Bayard escaped death twice as a member of the First United States Cavalry, fighting in the Indian Wars. First, he…
Fort Federal Hill
Fort Federal Hill The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the printmaker or artist’s goals. Englishman C…
The Charge of the First Maryland Regiment
The Charge of the First Maryland Regiment The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or art…
Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode with Stonewall (1940)
Henry Kyd Douglas, I Rode with Stonewall (1940) Among the most notable memoirs written by officers of the Army of Northern Virginia stands that written by one of…
An Historical Snapshot 20th Massachusetts Volunteers: Henry Tremlett and Paul Revere
By Joan Wenner, J.D. There were about a dozen men of the 20th Massachusetts Volunteers, the Harvard Regiment, who might be labeled as ”notable.” One is well known…
The lasting appeal of Gettysburg
By Leon Reed “We had an almost mystical visit to the cemetery. Walked in via the route Lincoln took and visited the soldiers monument plus the now famous rhododen…
The Same Day in June for one Soldier in 1863 and 1864
By Carl L. Sell Jr. Upon hearing the Confederates had fired on Fort Sumter in April 1861, seventeen-year-old Henry Coddington Meyer immediately asked his parents…
The Bravest Brigade
The Bravest Brigade “Beauregard is not such a fool as to leave his base of operations and attack us in ours. There is no enemy nearer than Corinth.” – U.S. Gen. W…
Sherman’s famous words
Sherman’s famous words We’re all familiar with General Sherman’s famous remark on the hellish nature of war. On August 11, 1880, Cump was addressing a big crowd o…
Bennett Place State Historic Site – General Johnston’s Surrender
By Bob Ruegsegger General Joseph E. Johnston and General William T. Sherman met in James Bennett’s farmhouse parlor to negotiate the surrender of Johnston’s Confe…
“Uncle Sam is Very Good to Us”
By Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf William J. Anderson enlisted in Company I, 51st Pennsylvania Infantry on Sept. 28, 1861. He was a 21-year-old farm laborer from…
When Ranse Wright’s Brigade Breached the Yankee Line at Gettysburg
When Ranse Wright’s Brigade Breached the Yankee Line at Gettysburg Lo Armistead is famous for leading his brigade to the stone wall on Cemetery Ridge in the third…
The Relation of Alimentation and Diseases by Dr. J.H. Salisbury
The Relation of Alimentation and Diseases by Dr. J.H. Salisbury During the Civil War, dysentery and chronic diarrhea were rampant among soldiers on both sides. We…
The Vermont Brigade at the Wilderness
among the troops ordered to New York City to guard against, and suppress, the draft riots. After several months spent in their Culpeper County winter quarters, al…
National Archives Patent Drawings
National Archives Patent Drawings During the American Civil War, the trials and tribulations of soldiers sparked many enterprising individuals to submit various p…
I Will Not Die Here!
by Joseph F. Wilson Over 420,000 Civil War soldiers spent time as a prisoner of war. One Union POW holds the distinction of surviving captivity longer than any ot…
Events — February 2023
Lookers” and the general public and will close at 7 p.m. Saturday, show hours 9-5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and children under 12 are free. For more inform…
A Soldier’s Dream/A Soldier’s Vision
Fond dreamer may thy blissful vision be, A true foreshadowing of the fates to thee.” “Such scenes were meant to reassure families that their men in arms remained…
A Civil War Visitor Returns to Monterey, Tennessee
A Civil War Visitor Returns to Monterey, Tennessee Late last month the Town of Monterey installed a new Civil War Trails sign. The new sign explores the life of a…
Why Robert E. Lee Still Matters
Love of animals. Appreciation of duly constituted authority— coupled with an abhorrence of authoritarianism. A devotion to history, for, as General Lee said, “It…
“The Delay in Operations Has Been Unavoidable”
by Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf Letters of Civil War soldiers frequently speculate on how the war is going. They are most valuable in that they give the viewpoi…
“We Can Defeat Them at Any Point”
“Headquarters, Department of the Shenandoah New Market, VA May 2, 1862 By Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf In early May 1862, General Nathaniel P. Banks exuded opti…
Lige White at Gettysburg
by Carl Sell Jr. While Major General Jeb Stuart led most the Confederate cavalry around the Union Army on his way north in June 1863, Lieutenant Colonel Elijah V.…
The Civil War Monument in Vanceburg, Kentucky
by Charles H. Bogart The city of Vanceburg, Ky., is located in northeast Kentucky on the Ohio River. The city is the county seat of Lewis County. In 1884, the cit…
Vicksburg
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. We have written about Alfred…
Battery Wagner: Engineers to the Rescue
by Joseph F. Wilson In the fading sunset, the Yankee soldiers waited for the order to charge across the beach and attack the Confederate stronghold on the shores…
Satterlee Hospital Philadelphia
One of the more common Civil War prints available to students of the war shows a Union hospital or camp. Entrepreneurial lithographers, such as Charles Magnus, pr…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – X as in... May
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – X as in... May 1. The other 1864 corps in Army of the Tennessee during Sherman’s March 2. The other name for Forrest’s victory at Guntow…
Tracing Sherman’s March to the Sea: “Forage of every kind in superabundance” Part Two of a Four-Part Series
Readers of last month’s column marched with the Army of the Tennessee from Atlanta to the Oconee River, about halfway on its journey to Savannah. Maj. Gen. O.O. H…
Sherman, Wade Hampton and the Hanged Man
After spending more than a month in Savannah, on Feb. 1, 1865, Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman led his army of 60,000 veterans into South Carolina, with the in…
Atlanta’s Wartime Newspapers
In Gone With the Wind, when fretful Atlantans learned that newspapers in the city were printing names of soldiers killed and wounded at Gettysburg, they flocked t…
Twenty Days in the Life of a Common Soldier
by Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf Alonso Corydon Stevens (1837–1917) of Muscatine, Iowa, spent three years in the 10th Iowa Infantry.1 An ardent believer in the i…
Tracing Sherman’s March to the Sea: “Charred and Black as Yankee Hearts”
Sherman embarked upon his March to the Sea on November 15, 1864, taking with him on his southeastward journey two corps from the Army of the Cumberland (re-christ…
The Unjust Hanging of Captain Henry Wirz
by Joseph F. Wilson When the trapdoor opened, Confederate Capt. Henry Wirz dropped to his death at the end of a rope. The sacrificial lamb marched to the gallows…
In Their Footsteps
by Frank Niederwerfer In 1891 and 1892 veterans of the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry returned to a quiet place on the Rapidan River in Virginia, called Stru…
Billy Yank & Johnny Reb Letters
While researching the American Civil War, one of the brightest windows to the past resides in soldier letters. Many sources exist, allowing researchers to mine th…
Florence’s Civil War Legacy and National Cemetery
by Bob Ruegsegger Florence National Cemetery in Florence, S.C., embraces the remains of more than 2,700 Civil War era soldiers, almost exclusively Union prisoners…
Crossing Hell On Ice
Crossing Hell On Ice “By pondering our plans and maps, Great General George has got the gaps, But we, who watched this sleepy war, We got the gaps long, long, bef…
Colonel Edward Prince Marker Dedication
QUINCY, Illinois—A solemn dedication ceremony was held in Woodland Cemetery in Quincy, Ill., Saturday afternoon, October 9, to dedicate a memorial plaque at the g…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – T as in... January
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – T as in... January 1. US General from Virginia known as “Old Slow Trot” and Rock of “Chickamauga” 2. CS ironclad captured at Mobile Bay…
“I will either be Colonel or a Civilian”
A recently discovered letter reminds us that Civil War soldiers in the field pined for hearth and home, as soldiers have throughout history. Clark Swett Edwards (…
“Grant and Twain: The Men and the Memoirs”
by Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to the Papillion, Nebraska, is a town born because of the transcontinental railroad crossing the plains. Genera…
Jews in the Civil War
The term “Confederate soldier” conjures up an image of a marginally literate white man younger than thirty years of age, Anglo-Saxon, and Protestant from an agrar…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – T as in... December
1. “Old Slow Trot” Virginia’s U.S. General who fought at Chickamauga 2. Monitor sunk at Mobile Bay 3. Train engine in the Great Locomotive Chase 4. CS general who…
My Ten Books for 2021
Just ten books written by or about Civil War soldiers below the rank of lieutenant? What a great challenge! Here, listed in no particular ranking of favorites, ar…
My Ten Best Books About The Civil War’s Common Soldier
1. What They Fought for, 1861–1865 (Louisiana State University Press, 1994) and For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War (Oxford University Press,…
My Best Books
1. The Civil War Diary of Allen Morgan Geer-Twentieth Regiment Illinois Volunteers. Mary Ann Anderson, editor, 1977. Cosmos Press, New York. Organized in late 186…
Lesser Known Southern Memoirs by Veterans of the Late Unpleasantness
Periodically we are challenged to come up with an article which addresses a topic off the beaten path. This time we are going to take a look at some lesserknown S…
Birmingham versus London Enfields
“Captain Joe Lee orders us to load and fire at will upon these batteries. Our Enfields crack, keen and sharp.” – Samuel Watkins, 1st Tenn., Company H The P53 Enfi…
“Let ‘em Up Easy”
Fun Fest, Kingsport, Tenn., (in partnership with the Tri-Cities Civil War Round Table), as part of its 10-day celebration, has a Civil War Night every year. For 2…
Nelson Miles at Chancellorsville & Po River
In 1861, twenty-two-year-old Nelson Miles joined the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment as a first lieutenant. He was destined to rise to other commands and the…
USCT soldier finally laid to rest
by Steve Reilly Brad Quinlin, a noted Georgia Civil War historian, called me and related the sad story of a United States Colored Trooper killed in July 1864. Bra…
Benjamin Wilhoite’s Confederate Fighting Knives
Benjamin Wilhoite’s Confederate Fighting Knives There is probably no more iconic Civil War image than that of the young Confederate soldier heading off to war wit…
A Confederate General’s Indiscreet Letter Discovered
A Confederate General’s Indiscreet Letter Discovered by Bruce Allardice For most of the Civil War, Confederate General John C. Vaughn (1824–75) labored in obscuri…
The Return Of The Tuscarora: Company D, 132nd New York Infantry And The Civil War In Eastern North Carolina
Company D, 132nd New York Infantry And The Civil War In Eastern North Carolina by Donald Collins In March 2013, 140 Tuscarora Indians traveled from their reservat…
The First Unconditional Surrender
The First Unconditional Surrender “A private concern would be ruined by conducting business as it is carried on here.” – Gustavus Vasa Fox, U.S. Asst. Sec. of the…
19th Century Spectacles
19th Century Spectacles The question comes up from time to time about 19th century eyeglasses and how commonly they may have been worn by Civil War-era soldiers.…
Whiskey—The Drink of Choice of the Common Civil War Soldier
Whiskey—The Drink of Choice of the Common Civil War Soldier by Tom Elmore Since the dawn of time soldiers have spent many an hour off-duty consuming strong drink.…
Ulysses Grant – An Alternative Perspective
I stood at Shiloh National Military Park on a cold February day in 2015. On a display wall in the Visitor Center, I viewed a large portrait of General Grant. Besi…
The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment Returns to Jamestown Settlement
After Texas officially seceded from the Union, the 3rd U.S. Infantry surrendered their post at Fort Clark to the Provisional Army of Texas. Although there wascons…
Horror at Haw’s Shop
Seventeen days after the mortal wounding of Confederate Major General James Ewell Brown Stuart at Yellow Tavern, the man who apparently fired the fatal shot at St…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – M as in...May
1. C.S. semisubmersible ironclad ram sunk at New Orleans 2. March to the Sea ended at this fort outside Savannah, Ga. 3. Union general killed at Atlanta, 4. U.S.…
Buttermilk
“One kneeds but little in this country as thare is scasly anything here to sell and what little thare is, it is so high that a soldier cant buy it… if we get a gl…
Andersonville Shall Not Have Me!
By August 1864, soldiers in the Union army had learned of the horrible conditions prevailing inside the newest Confederate prison. Shocking reports of terrific de…
Tom Cadwallader’s Arsenal Tour
by Joe Bilby Tom Cadwallader’s Arsenal Tour New Jersey Governor Rodman Price, who viewed himself rather grandiosely, apparently decided to capitalize on his Adjut…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – L as in...April
“Marse Robert” Kansas town raided by Quantrill First Union general killed Key terrain feature overlooking Chattanooga Turner Ashby’s command English shipbuilder t…
A New Look at Old Stories
A New Look at Old Stories Civil War Trails, Inc. has teamed up with the City of Rockville, Peerless Rockville, Montgomery History, and a private donor to develop…
A Confederate Fighting Knife by M.L. Ferguson
A Confederate Fighting Knife by M.L. Ferguson There is probably no more iconic Civil War image than the young Confederate soldier, heading off to war with an absu…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – K as in...March
Union General who skedaddled in his nightshirt CS general shot down during Pickett’s charge This ship sank the CSS Alabama Inventor of the first division identifi…
The saga of the Third New Jersey Cavalry
cavalry, with yards of gold braid and orange piping and an odd hat choice, which appears to be a standard kepi with the bill removed and worn sideways. Enlistees…
Remembrance Day at Gettysburg 2020 Observed by the General Meade Society
GETTYSBURG, Penn.—At the traditional Remembrance Day observance on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020, the ceremony honoring the victorious commander of the Union Army of th…
Disgrace and Betrayal in Mississippi
On a wintry December morning, General Benjamin Grierson led 3,500 cavalry troopers out of Memphis into Mississippi to destroy the Mobile and Ohio Railroad and cut…
Tin Cups vs Muckets
A common feature of Civil War living history is a larger tin vessel loosely referred to as a “mucket.” The term seems to originate as a portmanteau of “mug” and “…
Watching Gettysburg
Watching Gettysburg by Carl L. Sell, Jr. Nineteen-year-old George Humerick stood on the northeast corner of the Emmitsburg, Md., town square for three hours on Ju…
Thomas J. Ryan’s Top Ten Civil War Books
Thomas J. Ryan’s Top Ten Civil War Books Because of my long experience and interest in the gathering and application of intelligence during wartime, a number of m…
Leon Reed’s Top Ten Civil War Books
Leon Reed’s Top Ten Civil War Books 1. 1861: The Civil War Awakening by Adam Goodheart. Knopf, 2011. Considering that there are probably more books on the fightin…
More on Rations: Nutritional Deficiencies
What the Yankees don’t kill will die of disease or return home with a broken constitution… – Letter from William Hardy to his wife Sally, October 9, 1861. It requ…
William Wells, Civil War Medal of Honor Recipient
Brigadier- and Brevet MajorGeneral William Wells was born in Waterbury, Vermont, Dec. 14, 1837. He enlisted as a private in Company C, First Regiment Vermont Cava…
How Constructive was Grant’s Reconstruction?
General Grant’s leadership style was unique because of his military and political experience. His two terms as president covered the last eight years of the Radic…
A Week in 1862 with Stuart’s Cavalry Covering Lee’s Flank
On Sept. 5, 1862, Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia began crossing the Potomac River at White’s Ford, Edward’s and Noland’s Ferries. Frederick native Colonel Bradle…
“The Troops Are All in Very High Spirits”
Civil War soldiers’ letters are still being discovered, 150 years after the conflict ended. Letters from Florida soldiers are especially rare, given the state’s s…
From The Editor: On Monuments and the Silent Majority
From The Editor: On Monuments and the Silent Majority On June 22, in the dead of night, the Confederate soldier monument in Greenville, N.C., came down. It offend…
Dime Novels
During the war, soldiers loved to read, especially during the downtime in camp. Newspapers, letters from home (the favorite of most), the Bible, and various dime…
“Give Them Fredericksburg”: The 20th Massachusetts at Gettysburg
“Give Them Fredericksburg”: The 20th Massachusetts at Gettysburg by Sarah Kay Bierle “The moment I saw them, I knew we should give them Fredericksburg,” declared…
July 6, 1863 Clashes at Hagerstown and Williamsport Chronicled
July 6, 1863 Clashes at Hagerstown and Williamsport Chronicled by Carl L. Sell Jr. Not enough has been written about it, but the Civil War cavalry activities in a…
“We few we precious few, we band of brothers” Maryland Confederate Soldiers by the Numbers
For the last forty years I have been a serious student of Maryland’s Civil War history with equal enthusiasm for both the state’s Union and Confederate soldiers.…
“Smoking My Troubles Away”
William Byrns (1838–75) of Burr Oak, Mi., enlisted as a fifer in Company B, 1st Michigan Infantry, during 1861. He was promoted in August 1861 to 2nd lieutenant,…
Kearny Selects Some Sharpshooters & the Intelligent Whale Moves
New Jersey sent two brigades to Virginia in 1861. The first was a four regiment militia brigade enlisted for 90-days service; the second the official “First New J…
The Last Soldier of Atlantic County, N.J.
On November 2, 2019, the Col. Louis R. Francine Camp #7, Department of N.J., Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, placed and dedicated a “Last Soldier” marker…
Long Island Divers Find Wreck of Raider CSS Tallahassee's Biggest Prize
It was late in the Civil War, but Captain John Taylor Wood had a plan that might not change the course of the conflict for the South but could at least improve Co…
Judson Kilpatrick, Pioneer Tactician
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick has been accounted an irresponsible scoundrel, or worse, not only by historians but by his fellow soldiers, who dubbed him “KillCavalry” du…
Civil War Trails Expands in Hardy County, W.Va.
Civil War Trails, Inc. has teamed up with the Hardy County Convention & Visitors Bureau (HCCVB) and the South Fork General Store to bring the popular program to P…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz - C
1. Confederates fortified this Mississippi town, then evacuated it, then attacked to get it back in 1862 2. Maine officer hero on Little Round Top 3. Irish born g…
Into the Valley of Death: Lt. Horatio D. Yeager and the 153rd Pennsylvania at Gettysburg
By Daniel Glenn It was a crisp day in September 1889 when a procession of Union veterans and assorted spectators ascended a small incline called Blocher’s Knoll o…
Former U.S. Congressmen Henry Shaw Was Killed in Civil War Combat
Colonel Henry Marchmore Shaw had the dubious distinction of being one of the few former congressmen killed in combat during the Civil War. Henry Shaw was born in…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz - B
Civil War Alphabet Quiz - B 1. This Mississippi general led his brigade through Union lines at Gettysburg but was slain. 2. This Union general invented a series o…
Winter Camp: 37th Massachusetts
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and most importantly, the print maker or artist’s goals. The 37th Ma…
The UCV Library of the Southern Cause
Of the more than 50 national reunions held by the United Confederate Veterans, the 6th Reunion in Richmond, Va., during the summer of 1896, may have been one of t…
Soldiering On
participated in another revolution: Ferdinand Burdell served in the Confederate army. After the war Ferdinand composed a brief account of his military service, a…
Myth: Thousands of enslaved and free African American soldiers fought for the Confederacy
This column is a slightly-updated reprint of a short blog post written for the American Civil War Museum’s website in 2017. For several decades, the question of w…
Corn
Major T.H. Blacknall in an article titled “Corn” (Confederate Veteran Magazine, Vol. 26, April 1918) noted the following: “During the war I commanded the 1st Arka…
Stuart Shields Retreat From Gettysburg
Major General Jeb Stuart knew exactly where he was going when he headed south from Gettysburg early in the morning of July 5, 1863. His cavalry forces had been or…
Violet Bank Museum Scheduled for Restoration
Situated high above Petersburg on the north bank of the Appomattox River, the Violet Bank Museum in Colonial Heights offers a commanding view of the historic down…
Under a Cloud
Can you name them from the clues below? 1. This Union major general, brought from the west after having captured Island No. 10 and New Madrid, oversaw the defeat…
Remembrance Day, 2019, Gettysburg
President Lincoln was wrong about the first part, but very much correct about the second part of this famous phrase from his magnificent “Gettysburg Address.” On…
Fort Fisher, North Carolina: The Gibraltar of the South
General Robert E. Lee’s telegram to military authorities in North Carolina in late 1864 expressed a sense of urgency. “If Wilmington falls, I cannot maintain my a…
Richmond Chapel Was Dedicated to the Memory of the Confederate War Dead
The Confederate Memorial Chapel near the intersection of Boulevard and Grove Avenue stands where it served indigent and disabled Confederate veterans for more tha…
Family’s Home-style Cleaning Method Restores Civil War Veteran’s Headstone
It was hard enough just getting to the gravesite, but reading the headstone was an even bigger challenge. Private James Farthing, who served in both the Thirty-Ei…
Colonel Mann & European Matches
At the outbreak of the Civil War, William d’Alton Mann joined the 1st Michigan Cavalry, where his charisma won him election as a captain, even though he had no pr…
Civil War Events — December 2019
Dec. 31, Pennsylvania. Annual General Meade Birthday Celebration Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editor…
Porter Alexander’s Critique of the Seven Days
Porter Alexander’s Critique of the Seven Days “I think that one defect in Gen. Jackson’s character as a soldier was his religious belief.”—E. Porter Alexander Las…
George McClellan – November 1, 1861
George McClellan – November 1, 1861 The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and most importantly, the print…
CWN Recognizes the Following Subscribers for their Military Service
Recognizes the Following Subscribers for their Military Service Ted Alexander USMC, Sergeant I Corps, Helicopter Support Vietnam (1969-1971) David Armstrong US Ar…
Tale of Two Eagles
Tale of Two Eagles By Michael Pikunas The morning of November 12, 1861, the youthful Federal soldiers of the 48th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry were not overjoy…
Native New Yorker Survived Pickett’s Charge – with the 11th Virginia Infantry!
Native New Yorker Survived Pickett’s Charge – with the 11th Virginia Infantry! By Joe Bordonaro Visitors to Fairfield Cemetery in Spencerport, N.Y., may be surpri…
L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace
Edward Porter Alexander Edward Porter Alexander was a military professional, a keen observer, a thoughtful analyst, and a gifted writer. All these traits make his…
Life and Reminiscences of General Wm. T. Sherman: By Distinguished Men of His Time.
Life and Reminiscences of General Wm. T. Sherman: By Distinguished Men of His Time. “To you is dedicated this memorial volume of your honored and much-loved leade…
Critic’s Corner — October 2019
A Legacy of Valor: The Memoirs and Letters of Captain Henry Newton Comey, 2nd Massachusetts Infantry. Edited by Lyman Richard Comey. University of Tennessee Press…
Chasing the Gray Ghost
Chasing the Gray Ghost By Don Hakenson and Chuck Mauro Confederate Colonel John S. Mosby spent the last two and half years of the Civil War conducting guerilla co…
Major Giles B. Cooke: Grand Old Man of Virginia
Douglas Southall Freeman, renowned Richmond newspaper editor and revered biographer of General Robert E. Lee, described Major Giles Buckner Cooke as the “Grand Ol…
William and Stiles Hinson at Fussell’s Mill
During the spring of 1864, in the continuing effort to bolster the Richmond, Va., defenses, five veteran companies of cavalry were brought up from South Carolina…
Walking in Footsteps of the 69th New York State Militia
Like many of you, I have always been interested in where my family walked during the Civil War. This past May, the well-known private tour guide and Bull Run hist…
The Soldiers’ Journal
Shifting her focus from the hospitals, where she worked as a nurse tending to wounded and ill Federal soldiers, Amy Morris Bradley began publishing The Soldiers’…
Emerging Civil War — August 2019
On June 16, 1885, as the dying Ulysses S. Grant made his way northward toward his rendezvous with destiny atop Mt. McGregor in upstate NY, he rode in a private tr…
Confederate Statue Rededicated at a New Location
WHITE’S FERRY, MD—The three-year-old controversy over a Confederate soldier statue in Rockville, Md., has been resolved, with each side gaining at least part of w…
USS Keystone State in the Civil War
USS Keystone State in the Civil War By Joan Wenner, J.D. “Everything is Ours Now” …Union soldier to North Carolinian who pleaded to save her Family Bible Toward t…
Match The Number With The Letter
Match The Number With The Letter Numbers 1. Bohemian Brigade 2. Quaker gun 3. Shoddy 4. Invalid Corps 5. Marye’s Heights 6. Whistling Dick 7. Corduroy road 8. Fre…
Identified 1st Regiment Virginia Volunteers Cross-Belt-Plate
Identified 1st Regiment Virginia Volunteers Cross-Belt-Plate By Shannon Pritchard In 1851, the Virginia legislature made an attempt at forming regiments of volunt…
General Court-Martial Proceedings
From the Official Records of the War of the Rebellion By Joan Wenner, J.D. She has a special interest in Civil War Courts Martials and Courts of Inquiry. The Cour…
Allen Tate’s Stonewall Jackson: The Good Soldier (1928)
Most readers wishing to bone up on Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. Jackson, or check on a specific fact about his life, will probably turn first to James I. Robert…
154th Anniversary of Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox
154th Anniversary of Lee’s Surrender at Appomattox By Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to – Eastern Theater – The 154th anniversary of the surrende…
The SCV Confederate Medal of Honor
On February 23, Col. Hume R. Feild (1834–1921) became the sixty-fourth veteran of the War Between the States to be bestowed the Confederate Medal of Honor. The mo…
The Civil War is Alive Today (A Story about Adele Miller)
The United States recently completed a four year cycle commemorating the 150th anniversary of the American Civil. This seems like long ago, particularly to Americ…
Critic’s Corner — May 2019
I find it interesting that arguably the most famous combat brigades in the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate Army of Tennessee hailed from…
Chancellorsville
It’s May and time to think about Robert E. Lee’s historic victory. My questions and answers come from Stephen W. Sears’ Chancellorsville (Boston, 1996). 1. The Un…
What’s In A Name?
Two Union generals were named for this famous explorer who “discovered” the New World in 1492. 2. Another Northern general bore the name (in Latinized version) of…
Steal My Dog I Steal Your Cat
“I little thought, when I faced the storm of bullets at Edwards’ Ferry, [Va.] and escaped a soldier’s death upon the field, that it was only to be left by my coun…
Rescuing Old Joe
Whoever weds himself to the spirit of this age will find himself a widower in the next. — William Inge Few realize that Florida was so committed to The War Betwee…
Events Section — April 2019
Walt Whitman’s enormous contribution to the Civil War will be the focus of this power point presentation. For three years Whitman tirelessly tended to the sick, w…
Private Alfred Rigby’s Diary Focuses on Cedar Creek
Private Alfred Rigby’s Diary Focuses on Cedar Creek By Carl L. Sell, Jr. After a week at sea, with its usual sickness, and another spent marching and riding the r…
Murder In Arkansas: The Killing of Major Lauchlan Maclean
In rare instances, the Compiled Service Record (CSR) of a Civil War soldier contains little gems of history. The CSR of Robert Clifton Wood includes one such gem,…
It Was My Fight
It Was My Fight “Yanks, if you know what is best for you, you had better make a blue streak toward sunset.” – C.S. Capt., 26th N.C. On Aug. 21, 1864, U.S. Gen. Ul…
General Meade’s Birthday Celebrated!
General Meade’s Birthday Celebrated! PHILADELPHIA, Penn.—On Dec. 31, 2018, General Gordon S. Meade’s 203rd birthday was celebrated at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Phil…
A Texan Writes Home
A Texan Writes Home Irenus Watson Landingham was born in Alabama in 1839. His family moved to the vicinity of Houston, Texas, before the war. Landingham enlisted…
A High-Level Job
A High-Level Job Wes Freeman’s career has been marked by great variety. The Vietnam veteran did a 10-year stint with the DeKalb County, Ga., Sheriff’s Department,…
UNC Trustees Told to Create New Plan for “Silent Sam”
On December 14, the University of North Carolina System Board of Governors rejected a proposal from University trustees at Chapel Hill to move the Confederate sol…
Polish Ceremony Honors Heros von Borcke, Prussian Cavalryman who Fought for the South
Polish Ceremony Honors Heros von Borcke, Prussian Cavalryman who Fought for the South By Piotr “Smednir” Narloch, sergeant, 14th La. Regt. (Polish Brigade) and Ma…
Emerging Civil War — February 2019
From the Editor I sit by the multi-colored lights of our family Christmas tree as I write this, but I’m thinking of soldiers here in Fredericksburg who, 156 years…
Did the Federal Government Pay Pensions to Ex-Confederate Soldiers?
Did the Federal Government Pay Pensions to Ex-Confederate Soldiers? By Stephen Davis Special to Civil War News Even to this day, the U.S. government will provide…
A as in …
A as in … 1. This Maryland-born leader was the first Army of Northern Virginia general captured after Robert E. Lee took command (hint July 1, 1863) 2. These two…
A Tale of Two Forts
A Tale of Two Forts “It is a strange situation. The Federal Government, afraid to speak, and unable to act, is leaving its soldiers to do as they please.” – Willi…
Remembrance Day Weekend in Gettysburg
Remembrance Day Weekend in Gettysburg By Steve Reilly I had been a very active member in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for over thirty years, but ne…
Letters to the Editor — January 2019
TO THE EDITOR: I have just visited, in company of my host Michael Harrington, President of the Houston Civil War Round Table, the Museum of Southern History in Ho…
Events Section — January 2019
Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Museum & Library Civil War related History presentation at 1:30 p.m. Civil War Concert by the 28th Pennsylvania Regimental Bra…
Appreciating the Legacy of General James Longstreet
By Thomas H. Rasmussen The Longstreet Society The Longstreet Society, headquartered in the LongstreetPiedmont Hotel, Gainesville, Ga., works to promote greater un…
5th Virginia Cavalry Slouch Hat
5th Virginia Cavalry Slouch Hat By Shannon Pritchard When students of history envision a Virginia cavalier galloping along behind the dashing Jeb Stuart, this is…
Union Veterans Honored Fallen Foe at Balls Bluff
The story behind a lone marker honoring a Confederate soldier at Balls Bluff Regional Park on the Potomac River near Leesburg, Va., stands in honored contrast to…
Otto Botticher: Soldier, Artist
This occasional column highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War. It discusses their meaning and most importantly, the goals of the print maker or arti…
Letters to the Editor — November 2018
TO THE EDITOR: In the September Civil War News on page 3, top left photo the caption reads “The Union Army enlisted Irish immigrants almost as soon as they arrive…
Jonathan Noyalas’ Top Ten Favorite Civil War Books
Jonathan A. Noyalas Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War. By Brian Matthew Jordan. 2014. Liveright Publishing. Having spent the better part…
Jeffry Wert’s Top Civil War Books
Jeffry D. Wert Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander. Edited by Gary W. Gallagher. Notes, index, 664 pp., 19…
Capturing Old Sherman
Capturing Old Sherman “The government pays me to fight not surrender.” – U.S. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman On Sunday, Oct. 11, 1863, U.S. Gen. William T. Sherman…
Boyle & Gamble Knife
Boyle & Gamble Knife Dear John: I was hoping to get an appraisal, an opinion, or a reference. If this is an authentic object, I was very curious about the lipped…
What is Halsey Worth? The Sale and Resale of a Connecticut Civil War Soldier’s Legacy
When he died at the hands of a Confederate sharpshooter on the picket line at Bermuda Hundred, Va., on June 17, 1864, Private Halsey M. Bartlett of East Killingly…
The Defender of Cincinnati
Colonels, I knew, were becoming generals every day, but I had yet to hear of generals dropping back into colonels. – U.S. Gen. Lew Wallace On Sept. 3, 1861, Lewis…
Cornelia Hancock, a Civil War Nurse
“I was the first woman who reached the Second Corps after the three days fight of Gettysburg. I was in that corps all day not another woman within 1/2 mile... wom…
A “Flying Dutchman” Writes Home
While the largely-German XI Corps gained a reputation (whether deserved or not) as the “Flying Dutchman” after being routed at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, th…
A Confederate Cavalry Shotgun
When the Confederacy was threatened with invasion by Federal forces in 1861, so many volunteers flocked to her standards that many were turned away for lack of ar…
Perspectives on Second Manassas
After a severe struggle the enemy gave way in great confusion on the left of the pike, and by direction of the general commanding I moved forward with this divisi…
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States: War Papers (MOLLUS) – Rhode Island
Rhode Island, although never forming a commandery like her sister Northern states, emulated them in creating the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Soci…
General Grant
This occasional column will highlight prints from the Civil War. It will discuss their meaning and most importantly, what the print maker or artist was trying to…
“Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?”
“Why don’t you speak for yourself, John?” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858) Speaking of “John,” here are ten of them from the W…
The Calcium Light Infantry Sharpshooters
The newspapers were full of war news, from assurances the army was recovering its morale following the Bull Run debacle to stories of local men joining up for the…
Salt Pork
“November 27, 1863: Cold, disagreeable day…we are issued salt pork again.” – Civil War diary of Capt. James Penfield, 5th NY Cavalry The high water mark for salt…
How Did General Barnard Bee Give Jackson the Nickname of “Stonewall”?
Publisher’s note: We start with this issue an occasional column, “Fact or Fiction,” on legends of the Civil War. Some of them, as we all know, can be proven as fa…
George R. Stewart’s Pickett’s Charge and General Richard Brooke Garnett
You might remember Dolly Parton’s quip that she was country before Elvis was king, and Little Richard was a queen. Well, George R. Stewart’s Pickett’s Charge: A M…
22nd Annual Grant Days! Celebration Observes 196th Birthday of General/President Grant
The U.S. Grant Boyhood Home Association in Georgetown, Ohio, celebrated the hometown hero’s 196th birthday in grand fashion during their annual Grant Days! Celebr…
Thoughts on Conrad Wise Chapman and the 156th Shiloh Anniversary
Shiloh National Military Park does not have annual events as a general rule, so when they do schedule a large scale anniversary event, it draws a serious level of…
Major General Bryan Grimes Slouch Hat
North Carolinian Bryan Grimes began his career with the 4th North Carolina Infantry and saw about as much war as any man in the Army of Northern Virginia. Though…
Letters of General Nathaniel McLean from March 1865
Nathaniel Collins McLean was born to Supreme Court Justice John McLean and his wife, Rebecca (Edwards) McLean, in Warren County, Ohio, on Feb. 2, 1815. He earned…
Civil War Memorial Event Honoring Captain (Brevet Colonel) Myer Asch
On Sunday, April 22, the culmination of an over twenty-year quest to find the grave of Philadelphian Myer Asch who served in the Civil War came to an end. It ende…
Briscoe Ranson Slouch Hat Conservation
Recently I had the opportunity to conserve a well-known and documented Confederate slouch hat belonging to Briscoe B. Ranson, of Company B 12th Va. Cavalry. He wa…
Wounded at Peachtree Creek
A very readable and reliable narrative by a member of the 15th Texas Cavalry who saw much service in the Western theater; the volume deserves more attention than…
Who Burned the Confederate Privateer Judah?
The USS Colorado, recommissioned on June 3, 1861, sailed from Boston Harbor two weeks later as part of Commodore William Mervine’s task force. Its orders were to…
Roundtable News — May 2018
CHICAGO, Ill.—Professor Larry Hewitt engaged The Chicago Civil War Round Table at its 769th Regular Meeting on Feb. 23, 2018, on Confederate General Richard Heron…
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States: War Papers (MOLLUS)
What eventually grew to number the second most extensive organization for Federal veterans (behind the larger Grand Army of the Republic), the Loyal Legion traced…
E-words
1. What is the large exotic animal whose “sight” was commonly used by green Civil War soldiers to describe their first combat experience? 2. “To many of the Confe…
Bronze Soldier Still Stands to Honor Local Heroes
A solitary bronze soldier stands—his feet anchored to a marble column—22 feet above the ground in the courthouse square in Lexington, N.C. This warrior is no minu…
Old Nicknames
1. “As soon as they saw his high forehead and large, popping eyes, they christened him ‘Old Brains.’” Who was this major general who became the Union army’s chief…
I Fights Mit Sigel
“A charge of infantry like that last closing scene has never been made on this continent.” – U.S. Gen. Samuel Curtis Missouri began the War as a slave state torn…
The Confederate ‘Wizard of the Saddle’ Loses His Statue in Memphis
Robert E. Lee commanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Jefferson Davis served as the Confederacy’s only president. Thomas J. Jackson earned the distinctive nickna…
Small Talk — February 2018
1. What actor played Gen. Robert E. Lee in Ted Turner’s Civil War film, Gettysburg (1993, Ronald Maxwell, director)? 2. Who played General Lee in Turner’s subsequ…
Grant’s Special Order 126 at Petersburg, Nov. 12, 1864
Ulysses S. Grant suffered from a controversial reputation before, during, and after his service as perhaps the best general of the Union Army during the American…
Save Camp Letterman
When Gen. Robert E. Lee left Gettysburg on July 4, 1863, with the Army of Northern Virginia, he was forced to leave soldiers who were too severely wounded to be m…
Dancing the Night Away at the Gettysburg Hotel
GETTYSBURG, Penn.— Many people believe that spirits of slain soldiers visit the place of their wounding or death, and the town of Gettysburg, Penn., has a cottage…
How Yankees Turned a Raglan and Shawl into a Dress and Petticoats
On May 10, 1865, Union cavalry captured Jefferson Davis in south Georgia, as the Confederate president tried to escape, in hopes to carry on the war. In his memoi…
Morgan's Men Ride Again
The Morgan’s Men Association held its annual reunion in Bardstown, Ky., Aug. 25-26. The original MMA was formed by the veterans of Morgan’s command in 1868. As th…
Bvt. General Clark S. Edwards—A Personal Side of the 5th Maine
It is still amazing when a group of letters appears from a Civil War luminary that has previously been unknown and unpublished. Recently four letters of Clark S.…
A Real Soldier
A Real Soldier “There is a Yankee; you may try your marksmanship on him if you wish,” commented C.S. Gen. Leonidas Polk spotting a solitary U.S. Gen. Ulysses Gran…
New Digital Tool Redefines Photo Sleuthing
By Ron Coddington and Kurt Luther A powerful new online research tool designed to help identify Civil War soldiers made its debut at the recent GBPA Civil War Sho…
The Wars after the War: Canby and Davis vs. Captain Jack and Hooker Jim
The Wars after the War: Canby and Davis vs. Captain Jack and Hooker Jim The first in a series on Union officers who served in the Indian wars By Gould Hagler You…
Statement by County Executive Ike Leggett On the Moving of Montgomery County’s Confederate Statue
Statement by County Executive Ike Leggett On the Moving of Montgomery County’s Confederate Statue MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md.—July 22 “I am pleased to announce today t…
No Joy In Lovejoy
Through The Lens By Stephanie Hagiwara No Joy In Lovejoy “My God! Captain, look at that thousand legged worm.” – U.S. 1st Ohio cavalryman spotting rebels approach…
Lee, Hood and the Fog of War
Lee, Hood and the Fog of War By Stephen Davis Confederate Generals Robert E. Lee and John B. Hood had few things in common, but one of them was that both assumed…
The Private Letters of Gen. William D. Whipple— A Personal War Time Portrait
The Private Letters of Gen. William D. Whipple— A Personal War Time Portrait By Wayne L. Wolf & Bruce S. Allardice Historians love to find Civil War letters tucke…
Our Brother Jonathan
The illustration depicts an exchange between two cartoon characters which would have been familiar to all American citizens (and soldiers) during the Civil War. W…
Soldiering: The Civil War Diary of Sgt. Rice C. Bull, 123rd New York
its organization in August 1862 to mustering out in May 1865. Written fifty years after the war, but based on his wartime letters and diary, Bull’s reminiscence w…
Image of War Seminar In Charleston
CHARLESTON, S.C.—Many Image of War seminar veterans consider the 2007 seminar in Charleston, South Carolina, to be one of the best, and we have every expectation…
Confederate Stone Dedication In The Land of Lincoln
DANVILLE, Ill.—A Memorial Day weekend ceremony is being planned in Vermilion County, Ill., to dedicate a tombstone on the previously unmarked grave of a Confedera…
Civil War Events June-Aug.
History comes alive at the Gettysburg Heritage Center. Several reenactor groups, both Union and Confederate, have been contracted for the program. “We have infant…
The Grand Army Of The Republic Remembered
GETTYSBURG, PENN.— Following the Civil War, in 1866 Union Veterans of the Civil War formed the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) which became a powerful and influe…
The Banjo
“There was probably not one regiment in the service that did not boast at least one violinist, one banjoist, and a bones player in its ranks...and one or all of t…
Searching For Our Civil War Veterans
Searching For Our Civil War Veterans By Jeffrey I. Richman BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838. By the time of the Civil War, it was…
J. William Jones, Personal Reminiscences of General Robert E. Lee
We’re still fighting the war, at least in books. I looked around for what has been written about one of my favorites, Personal Reminiscences of General Robert E.…
Estamos Ainda Confederados
By Gould Hagler After the shooting stopped most Confederates went home and, encouraged by the words of Robert E. Lee, tried to be as good citizens as they had bee…
The Bell Irvin Wiley Reader
“I write with a pencil on yellow paper,” Bell Wiley once told an interviewer. And write he did, more than two dozen books on Southern history, including probably…
The Art Of War
The first oil painted, Confederate wooden canteen shown here depicts a Confederate cavalryman wearing a grey kepi, an oilcloth raincoat, yellow pants and knee hig…
May To June 1864: General John Corson Smith And The Road To Atlanta
Editors’ note: John Corson Smith was born on Feb. 13, 1832 in Philadelphia, Penn. At age 22, he moved to Galena, Ill., married Charlotte A. Gallaher and fathered…
Confederate Veteran
Yet hold the past life something worth, For it was good and fair; It brightened up this dull old earth. And gave some gallant heroes birth, Whose names we could n…
A Civil War Fire Fight & Black Powder Memories
Everyone who has had the unfortunate experience of being in a fire fight knows that excited soldiers tend to fire high. Hunters faced with the need for a quick sh…
Online Civil War Newspapers
During the American Civil War, citizens North and South, along with the soldiers and officers in the field, kept up with constantly changing events through the pa…
Fundraising Projects
OLUSTEE, FLA.—Department of the South (D.O.S.) is at the 25% goal of reaching $5,000 for a future walkway between the monuments at Olustee, Fla. Several years ago…
Col. Louis R. Francine Camp Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
GETTYSBURG, PA.—The Colonel Louis R. Francine Camp #7, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, recently celebrated its 25th Anniversary during recent Remembrance…
Worthy of the Cause For Which They Fight
By Stephen Davis Worthy of the Cause For Which They Fight How many Northern or Southern general officers kept diaries? Not too many. And of these, we can assume t…
Remembering A Desperate Defense Of Culp’s Hill
Remembering A Desperate Defense Of Culp’s Hill By Joe Bordonaro Colonel Joshua Chamberlain’s 20th Maine is rightly famous for its epic defense of Little Round Top…
March To The Sea Marker
March To The Sea Marker ATLANTA, GA.—The Sons Of Union Veterans and the Georgia Civil Service Commission, installed a new monument at the starting point, of the U…
Living Veteran’s Daughter
By Gould Hagler Pictured here is Iris Lee Gay Jordan, the daughter of Lewis Gay, who served as a private in the 4th Florida Infantry Regiment. Private Gay was cap…
General Longstreet Museum Celebrates 10 Years
on the block to be sold. It was overgrown, deteriorating, and fast becoming an eyesore. Local Civil War historian Mike Beck discovered that a contractor had asked…
Annual Gettysburg Remembrance Day Parade
Annual Gettysburg Remembrance Day Parade GETTYSBURG, PA.—With the sunshine and 70-degree weather, hundreds of Union & Confederate Soldiers and civilians stepped o…
Visiting The Tomb Of General Hood
Yellow fever, Pathol. A dangerous, often fatal, infectious febrile disease of warm climates, due to a filterable virus transmitted by a mosquito. Yellow fever in…
The Deadly Stone Wall: The 116th Pennsylvania At Fredericksburg
In the spring of 1862, President Abraham Lincoln issued a call to the governors of the loyal states to provide troops, in addition to the regiments already raised…
Shad Bake Dooms Confederates
The year 1865 began badly for the Confederacy and grew worse with the arrival of spring. General Grant was applying intense pressure on the army of Robert E Lee,…
Real Civil War Son John Oliver Jr. Joins Sons Of Union Veterans
Real son, John Wilson Oliver Jr., of Morristown, Tenn., joined the Major William McTeer Camp No. 39 of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) on a br…
Genealogical Conference Speaker
Researching the story of a Civil War soldier can lead down many intriguing and unexpected trails. That was the message of York County, Pennsylvania, historian Ron…
The Beast Of Beaver: Stephen Gano Burbridge
The war had dragged on for three years and try though they might, the Union had proved unable to confine their most troublesome Confederate gadfly, General John H…
Researching Civil War Letters
Researching the story of a Civil War soldier can lead down many intriguing and unexpected trails. That was the message of York County, Pennsylvania, historian Ron…
East Cemetery Hill: A Night Fight
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock had spent the late afternoon and early evening of July 2, 1863, moving mountains to keep Cemetery Ridge out of Confederate ha…
Confederate Soldiers’ Homes: Old Men Facing To The West
“There was never such a band of men on the face of the earth before, and there never will be again. While they are living give them a decent home, and when dead p…
Civil War Events Through Jan.
“Faces of the Iron Brigade – A Social Network of Soldiers” exhibit at the Civil War Museum Kenosha. Words, images, equipment of the Iron Brigade. For information,…
Briefs of Civil War News Interest — November 2016
BEAUFORT, S.C.—Great Grandchildren, of union veterans of the United States Colored Troops, to join the SUVCW and charter a new camp, in the Grand Army of the Repu…
Black Powder, White Smoke — November 2016
I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of George Lomas of The Regimental Quartermaster sutlery in September. I realize that almost everyone reading this colu…
A Few Thoughts On Confederate Civil War Rations
The standard image of the hollowcheeked, gaunt, and starving Civil War soldier is deeply embedded in the consciousness of most Americans. It is certainly true sol…
Were Civil War Soldiers Good Marksmen?
“Training in the use of these weapons was startlingly belated and haphazard.” Orrin W. Cook, 22nd Mass. Vol. Co. B There is a persistent notion that Civil War sol…
Three Months in the Southern States: April-June 1863
“Nowhere is there a more revealing firsthand picture of the South at war,” judges Walter Lord in his 1954 edition of Arthur Fremantle’s famous diary. Sailing from…
Slaughter At Spangler’s Spring
At around 4 am on the morning of July 3, 1863, elements of the Union Army’s XII Corps attempted to reoccupy the entrenched positions that they had left in the lat…
N.J. Department Sons Of Union Veterans Of The Civil War Elects New Officers
At the 133 Department Encampment of the New Jersey Department Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the following Department Officers were installed. Commander…
Forgotten Oswego, Illinois Civil War Veterans Honored
OSWEGO, Ill.—Over people, including many family members, gathered Saturday, May 7 in Oswego, Illinois’ historic Oswego Township Cemetery to dedicate new headstone…
Farrell’s Civil War Veteran’s Listings Of Suffolk County
Because retired aerospace executive Robert Farrell was bored in retirement, historians and genealogists are getting what they have long coveted: a list of all the…
Civil War Veteran Honored At Norfolk’s Calvary Cemetery
For nearly 84 Years William Mack Lee’s remains had rested in an unmarked grave in Norfolk’s Calvary Cemetery between St. Julian Avenue and the Lafayette River. Th…
Armistead’s Brigade Ancestors Survivors Reading
GETTYSBURG, Pa.—On July 3, 2016, ancestors of survivors read the names of 287 members of Brigadier General Lewis Addison Armistead’s Brigade who perished 153 year…
Buying Time On Seminary Ridge At Gettysburg
Buying Time On Seminary Ridge At Gettysburg By Joe Bordonaro On July 1, 1863, the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia had the Union Army of the Potomac on the r…
Army Beans
By Craig L. Barry Army Beans “At noon we draw a ration of corn bread, pork and beans…took breakfast at 7 ocl (o’clock) of cold beans and corn bread.” Civil War Di…
A Tale Of Two Famous War Horses
Lexington, Virginia, has all that remains of General Robert E. Lee. He is sealed in the crypt below Lee Chapel. Lexington also has most of what remains of General…
A Northern Soldier’s Durable Memoir
By Stephen Davis A Northern Soldier’s Durable Memoir Civil War soldiers’ writing can be judged by any number of criteria. Accuracy and factual detail (content); i…
‘The Boys of Rockville’ Civil War Day Camp
VERNON, Conn.—On Saturday, June 4th a group of children was transported back in time 154 years to the recruitment time of the 14th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.…
Proposal To Remove Confederate Monument Sparks Heated Debate
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD.—is having second thoughts about the Confederate soldier statue that has stood for 103 years near the old courthouse. Last year, County Exec…
Private Berry—A Long, Long Way From Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Pa.—On Memorial Day I went looking for two soldiers who had fought for the Union at Gettysburg. I found them and a third, all in an improbable place,…
Historical Marker Honors Binghamton’s Heroes Of Gettysburg
Dignitaries, historians and citizens gathered at Veterans Park in Binghamton on Thursday, June 23 to unveil a Historical Marker honoring Col. David Ireland and th…
Civil War Events Through Oct.
“John Singleton Mosby: Lawyer, Soldier, Statesman,” guest curated by David Goetz at Manassas Museum in Manassas. Honoring 100th anniversary of Mosby’s death. May…
Agent Orange Awareness Tribute Cross-Country Horseback Ride
Cliff Romberger or Captain Cliff Romberger as the Civil War Reenactment community knew him, spent 20 years in the hobby. Under Commanding General Dana Heim, he st…
Father William Corby And The Irish Brigade
The National Civil War Chaplains Museum is currently featuring an exhibit on the Irish Brigade and Father William Corby, a chaplain for the brigade. The museum is…
Civil War Events Through Sept.
“John Singleton Mosby: Lawyer, Soldier, Statesman,” guest curated by David Goetz at Manassas Museum in Manassas. Honoring 100th anniversary of Mosby’s death. May…
An Army On The Move: Robert E. Lee & His Confederates In June, 1863
“We are on the move...to Maryland and Pennsylvania,” wrote Jerome Yates, a soldier in the 16th Mississippi on June 17th, 1863, and “I am in hopes that we will gor…
Thousands Of Veterans Compiled
Because retired aerospace executive Robert Farrell was bored in retirement, historians and genealogists are getting what they have long coveted: a list of all the…
Special Discharge for Illegal Enlistment
By Tom Dunne Cpl. Samuel Blundin, USMC, enlisted in Philadelphia on August 23, 1862 and was discharged August 9, 1864. Colonel Commandant John Harris pointed out…
Letters To The Editor
Civil War Monuments Located Double-Teamed Concerning In Georgia Under Threat Expansion Of Slavery Letter TO THE EDITOR: It is sad to learn in the news article by…
General A. P. Hill Remembered On 151st Anniversary of His Death
PETERSBURG, Va.—On the outskirts of Petersburg in Dinwiddie County, scores of admirers gathered on a rainy Saturday morning to commemorate the life of General A.…
Events Section — June 2016
“John Singleton Mosby: Lawyer, Soldier, Statesman,” guest curated by David Goetz at Manassas Museum in Manassas. Honoring 100th anniversary of Mosby’s death. May…
Wreaths Honor Veterans In 2 Danbury Cemeteries
Lt. Col. Ralph Langham presents a wreath to go on a grave to a 399th Danbury Civil Air Patrol Cadet and a Korean War veteran. (Peter Milano photos)