Civil War News, 2021
12 issues published in 2021, with 251 articles indexed here.
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All 113 Issues →
December 2021Vol. 47, No. 12 · 22 articles
November 2021Vol. 47, No. 11 · 29 articles
October 2021Vol. 47, No. 10 · 26 articles
September 2021Vol. 47, No. 9 · 25 articles
August 2021Vol. 47, No. 8 · 23 articles
July 2021Vol. 47, No. 7 · 8 articles
June 2021Vol. 41, No. 6 · 19 articles
May 2021Vol. 41, No. 5 · 20 articles
April 2021Vol. 41, No. 4 · 21 articles
March 2021Vol. 41, No. 3 · 17 articles
February 2021Vol. 41, No. 2 · 20 articles
January 2021Vol. 41, No. 1 · 21 articles
Articles from 2021
251 indexed
“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…
Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield Observes the 160th Anniversary of the Battle
The 160th anniversary of the significant battle of Wilson’s Creek was solemnly observed in front of the newly renovated Visitor Center at the NPS battlefield in S…
Wallace Diary
by Bob Ruegsegger Before the Civil War, Elizabeth Curtis Wallace enjoyed a modest literary career. She wrote a host of articles for Norfolk, Suffolk, and Elizabet…
The Fate of a Mill and a Community
Sarah Kelehear, an Interpretive Ranger at Sweetwater Creek State Park, has degrees in biology and environmental science. Her work at Sweetwater involves teaching…
The Civil War Diary of Gideon Welles
“Father Neptune” navigated through the American Civil War, serving as Navy Secretary in President Lincoln’s cabinet. Thankfully, Gideon Welles also kept a diary,…
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…
Haiman Field & Staff Officer’s Sword
Columbus, Georgia, sword makers Louis and Elias Haiman operated the largest sword manufactory within the Southern Confederacy. They rented the top floor of a buil…
From The Lowcountry — December 2021
As of this writing, the December issue of Civil War News is about to go to the printer, another year is behind us. We are thrilled about greeting 2022, with the n…
From Gettysburg to the First Major Baseball League
After reading about the preservation of Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Plank’s grandfather’s farm at Gettysburg in the July CWN, a group of Civil War and baseball f…
Events — December 2021
Bullet and Shell is proud to present the 40th Central Virginia Military Antique Show (formally Mike Kent’s Capital of the Confederacy Civil War Show). In conjunct…
Emerging Revolutionary War — December 2021
during the American Revolution? Well, there was the victory at Saratoga in October 1777 and the culmination of the Yorktown Campaign in 1781, of course. The Battl…
Emerging Civil War — December 2021
Don’t worry about “sounding smart,” I told my students; instead, I asked them to tell me what they want me to know as though we were friends sitting at the dinner…
Colt’s Side Hammer Revolving Military Rifles
In 1855, Samuel Colt introduced his “Side Hammer” series of percussion handguns and longarms. The handguns are known to collectors today as the “Root” revolvers,…
Civil War Santa
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. The Victorian and thus, our v…
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…
CVBT Says Goodbye to Sarah Kay Bierle
Sarah Kay Bierle. Sarah Kay Bierle has spent the last two years at CVBT where she focused on digital communications, historic research, and virtual and inperson e…
CVBT Preserves Land on Three Battlefields
The Central Virginia Battlefield Trust announced preservation projects on three Civil War battlefields around Fredericksburg, Va.: Chancellorsville, the Wildernes…
Book Reviews — December 2021
that the economy expanded exponentially. Exports from the city grew from $67,000,000 in 1861 to $293,000,000 in 1865. Cincinnati became a major supplier of wester…
American Battlefield Trust — December 2021
Preservation Impact Continues to Grow at Pristine Perryville In recent years, the American Battlefield Trust has made great strides at Kentucky’s Perryville Battl…
A Welcome Return to Skirmishing at the N-SSA 144th Nationals
After the COVID pandemic caused cancellation of the two 2020 nationals and the spring 2021 national, the North-South Skirmish Association (N-SSA) was finally able…
A Military Mystery
“That cursed Ball’s Bluff haunts the souls of our chiefs” – U.S. Brig. Gen. Alpheus S. Williams On Saturday evening, February 8, 1862, U.S. Gen. Charles P. Stone…
Top Ten Biographies/Autobiographies of Lesser-Known Figures
1. His Autobiography, Poems, and Comic War Papers. James M. Dalzell Cincinnati, OH: Robert Clarke & Co., 1888. From his home in Caldwell, Ohio, slightly more than…
Top Biographies and/or Autobiographies of the Common Soldier
For this November Book Issue of Civil War News, we asked our contributors for their Top biographies and/or autobiographies of the common soldier. Here are their c…
Some of My Most Favorite Books Read in 2021
Women Making War: Female Confederate Prisoners and Union Military Justice by Thomas F. Curran. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 258 pages (2020). R…
Sherman’s March and America: Mapping Memory
shermansmarch.org/about/, to get an overview of the material provided and navigation tips. Five interactive maps offer various views of the campaign: The Sherman…
Robert E. Lee Monument; Vandalism and Removal
Publishers Note: The United States is a civilized country where laws are written to protect and guarantee citizens their life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness.…
Preservation Victory at Fisher’s Hill
MIDDLEBURG, Va.—Land Trust of Virginia (LTV) in conjunction with the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation (SVBF), who co-holds the conservation easement with…
My Top Ten Favorite Civil War Bios of Common Soldiers
In no particular order, here’s my ten favorite bios or autobiographies of common soldiers of the Civil War: 1. Rebel Private Front and Rear. By William Andrew Fle…
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 for 2021
life at Camp Carrollton and Benton Barracks to his unit’s battles at Shiloh, Corinth, and Vicksburg. His adventures don’t end on the battlefield but continue at t…
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 Six Favorite Soldier Memoirs
In his self-published book An Epic on “Old Abe,” The War Eagle (The War Eagle Book Association, 1894), S. C. Miles, a veteran of the 8th Wisconsin, extolled the v…
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…
Marshall’s Lincoln
his assassination; perhaps it was the uncanny likeness; perhaps the engraving’s sheer artistic achievement by its creator William Edgar Marshall insured its accep…
Maj. Robert Beckham
Four days before his twentysixth birthday, Major Robert Franklin Beckham sighted his artillery pieces from high ground along the Orange Turnpike. After firing, he…
Letters to the Editor — November 2021
TO THE EDITOR: I feel a bit of clarification is necessary regarding Thomas Ryan’s review of Slavery in the Western States in the October 2021 issue. Referencing U…
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…
Lee Statue Removed
RICHMOND, Va.— On September 8, 2021, the Robert E. Lee statue, once the centerpiece of Richmond’s National Register of Historic Places, the Monument Avenue comple…
It’s Complicated
The seat of Alabama’s Winston County is Double Springs, a small town where about 1,000 of the county’s 24,000 people reside. Both highways leading into Double Spr…
From The Lowcountry — November 2021
The topic of removing Confederate monuments and other symbols of the Confederacy has been a sensitive subject lately. I have received so many comments and letters…
Events — November 2021
Make plans to attend the Remembrance Day Weekend Civil War Expo in its 19th year at the Hotel Gettysburg located at 1 Lincoln Square. Join Civil War & More sellin…
Emerging Revolutionary War — November 2021
Although the battle happened in August, Emerging Revolutionary War historians Rob Orrison and Mark Wilcox traveled to Camden, South Carolina, to take pictures of…
Emerging Civil War — November 2021
I’ve had the chance to hit the road quite a bit in September. Roundtables have been trying to reopen, although the COVID Delta surge has made in-person meetings m…
Donald C. Pfanz Selected as Recipient of Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) Ralph Happel Lifetime Achievement Award in Civil War Preservation
In 1987, while working as historian at Petersburg National Battlefield, Pfanz wrote a letter to several colleagues expressing concern over the destruction of batt…
Confederate Staff and Field Officer’s Sword
Ask The Appraiser: I have a Civil War sword that I would like to know more about. Not a spectacular story really, it was purchased so long ago from my dad. He bou…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – S as in... November
1. Charleston fort named for Rev War hero 2. US general captured by Mosby 3. Hit by sharpshooter at such a distance an elephant couldn’t be hit 4. “Old Fuss and F…
Book Reviews — November 2021
am thankful I was so fortunate as to have the opportunity to do so,” Thompson acknowledged in his 1879 introduction, realizing how the hand of fate had spared him…
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…
An Antebellum New Orleans Retailed English Bentley Revolver
On December 4, 1852, Joseph Bentley received British Patent No. 960/1852 for a percussion revolver, and on April 4, 1854, he received an additional patent for “im…
American Battlefield Trust — November 2021
A memorial service for Edwin C. Bearss (1923–2020), initially planned for October 9, has been postponed indefinitely by the Bearss family. Rather than strictly li…
“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…
U.S. Model 1842
The U.S. Model 1842 holds an odd, but interesting, place in history. It was the last .69 caliber smoothbore musket made by Federal armories while simultaneously b…
The Library of Congress Collection — October 2021
His cap appears to be a combination of a stocking cap and a fez. The large tassel is golden in color with a blue band. The bow tie may be a prop clipped onto the…
Spiller & Burr Revolvers – The Confederate Brass Framed Whitney
One of the best illustrations of the Confederacy’s lack of manufacturing capacity when compared to that of the Union is the small number of revolvers produced in…
Savas Beatie Authors/Readers Gather at Gettysburg
GETTYSBURG, Penn.—The leading trade publisher of Civil War and other military history books, Savas Beatie, sponsored their 3rd Gettysburg Meetup from August 12-15…
Photographic Archaeology — October 2021
This is a new Civil War News column. It is intended to be both informative and enjoyable, but challenge readers to look beyond their first impression of an image.…
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…
Military coverage of the War—‘the Glorious News’
The Gettysburg weekly, The Adams Sentinel, was one media outlet, especially in June and July 1863, that took its reporting very seriously as did many other media…
Memorial Service to Be Held for Ed Bearss
A memorial service honoring the life and legacy of Edwin C. Bearss (1923–2020) will be held at the Brownsville Picnic Pavilion in the Manassas National Battlefiel…
Letters to the Editor — October 2021
To The Editor: I noticed two errors in the Sept. column by Stephanie Hagiwara. The first may be just a typo/missing letter but Grant and Sheridan met at Charlesto…
Highly Respected Norfolk Physician Hanged for Murder
On October 23, 1863, Dr. David Minton Wright was taken to a gallows erected in the middle of the old Norfolk Fairgrounds racetrack outside town and hanged. Federa…
Events — October 2021
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to…
Emerging Civil War — October 2021
“Not too bad for three idiots sitting on a porch.” That was the judgement passed down by the wife of co-founder Kris White when Emerging Civil War turned five. Th…
Emerging Civil War Celebrates 10th Anniversary
SPOTSYLVANIA, Va.—More than 165 Civil War scholars, writers, and enthusiasts gathered August 6 through 8 at Stevenson’s Ridge conference center in Spotsylvania, V…
ECW Honors Nelson’s The Three-Cornered War with Book Award
West (Simon & Schuster, 2000) as the recipient of this year’s Emerging Civil War Book Award. The Emerging Civil War Book Award recognizes a work of Civil War hist…
ECW Honors Keeney with Stevenson Award
Emerging Civil War has selected Sarah Keeney of Savas Beatie, LLC, as the recipient of this year’s Brig. Gen. Thomas Greely Stevenson Award. The Stevenson Award i…
ECW Honors Gibbons Backus with Upton Award
Emerging Civil War has selected Paige Gibbons Backus as the recipient of this year’s Emory Upton Award. The Upton Award is presented to a member of the Emerging C…
ECW Honors Gary Gallagher with Award for Service in the Field of Civil War Public History
Emerging Civil War has selected Dr. Gary W. Gallagher as the 2021 recipient of the Emerging Civil War Award for Service in the Field of Civil War Public History.…
Civil War Digital
Civil War Digital During the early days of the sesquicentennial, Chet Hearn and Mike Marino started the Civil War Digital website: https:// www.civilwardigital.co…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – R as in... October
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – R as in... October 1. Ironclad warship guarding Wilmington, N.C. 2. Union corps commander killed July 1, 1863 3. Battle on Grant’s march…
Book Reviews — October 2021
We Gave Them Thunder – Marmaduke’s Raid and the Civil War in Missouri and Kansas. By William Garrett Piston & John C. Rutherford. 2021, Ozarks Studies Institute o…
Atlanta Round Table Resumes Field Trips
Like many retired people, John Miller is as busy, if not busier, than he was when he was working. The retired civil engineer, after careers in the Navy and the De…
American Battlefield Trust — October 2021
The Trust Brings Education Efforts to the Forefront Despite amid ongoing turbulence in the time of Covid, the American Battlefield Trust succeeded in delivering i…
America in 1857
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. The decade of the 1850’s in A…
A Series of Unfortunate Events
“News was brought in that there was a small camp without pickets. And it seemed to me precisely one of those pieces of carelessness on the part of the enemy that…
43rd Annual Southeastern Civil War and Antique Gun Show
MARIETTA, Ga.—After a year’s break due to COVID-19 restrictions, the North Georgia Relic Hunters Association was able to hold its 43rd Annual Southeastern Civil W…
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…
Two Women Who Served As Soldiers
CDV of Frances Clalin Clayton, a woman who disguised herself as a man, “Jack Williams,” to fight in the Civil War. She is wearing a Union nine button shell jacket…
The Library of Congress Collection — September 2021
Henry Augustus Moore, born in 1827, enlisted May 8, 1862, into Company F, 15th Mississippi Infantry at Corinth, Miss. He contracted a malignant fever during the f…
Superb Rare Charleston Freeman’s Badge Uncovered
Superb Rare Charleston Freeman’s Badge Uncovered by Cliff Krainik When veteran relic hunter Ralph Fields brushed off the surface dirt from the small piece of copp…
Salty Language, or It’s Greek to Me
Salty Language, or It’s Greek to Me I suspect that most readers of Civil War News are less conversant with naval terms and practices than they are with matters pe…
Re-establishing the Past (Restoring Battlefields)
There are things in life that can be classified as rare. The IRS suddenly sending you a big check with a note, “We had a little extra, thought you might like it;”…
Photographic Archaeology — September 2021
This is a new Civil War News column. It is intended to be both informative and enjoyable, but challenge readers to look beyond their first impression of an image.…
New President & CEO Wayne E. Motts
In April 2021, the Board of Directors of the Gettysburg Foundation appointed Wayne E. Motts as the Foundation’s new president and CEO to lead operations of the na…
N-SSA and SUVCW Team Dedicate Headstone
N-SSA and SUVCW Team Dedicate Headstone by Bruce W. Miller On July 6, 2021, members of the North-South Skirmish Association (N-SSA) and the General Israel B. Rich…
Hero of the Battle of Tebbs Bend
Orlando H. Moore. by Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to the The seemingly arbitrary hand of History moves over events and people of note and with,…
Fantastical Surrender
Fantastical Surrender The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. There w…
Events — September 2021
9100 for room reservations. The 2-1/2-day tour cost is $430 and will cover two dinners, two lunches, maps, and bus transportation. The GBA Tour will cover the ope…
Emerging Revolutionary War — September 2021
By Phill Greenwalt Across the United States, July 4 is celebrated as the Independence Day, the day in 1776 that President John Hancock, president of the Continent…
Emerging Civil War — September 2021
From the Editor “Swim!” the instructor yells. The half-dozen kids in the tae kwon do class bolt across the room, trying to evade the “shark” in the middle of the…
Crook’s Devils
Crook’s Devils “Fighting battles is like courting girls. Those who make most pretension and are boldest usually win. So go ahead, give good hearty yells …[But] do…
Congratulations to our Civil War News Editor Lawrence E. Babits
The top five books selected by John Ferling, the author, most recently, of “Winning Independence.” Dr. John Ferling is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wes…
Coggins Point Raid, September 1864
Coggins Point Raid, General Wade Hampton’s successful Great Beefsteak Raid at Coggins Point was a unique and interesting footnote to the Petersburg/Richmond campa…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – Q as in... September
1. Supply Organization for an Army 2. Fake cannon 3. He attacked Lawrence, Kansas 4. US river warship captured by CS, then blown up on Atchafalya River 5. Medicin…
Chattanooga Antique Militaria & Americana Show & Sale News
Chattanooga Antique Militaria & Americana Show & Sale News EAST RIDGE, Tenn.—For the fourth year in a row, the Chattanooga Antique Militaria & Americana Show & Sa…
Book Reviews — September 2021
No Place For Glory: Major General Robert E. Rodes and the Confederate Defeat at Gettysburg. By Robert J. Wynstra. Illustrated, bibliography, index, notes, Kent St…
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…
ArchiveGrid
ArchiveGrid Researchers seeking primary documents from the CivilWar period will benefit from using ArchiveGrid as a starting point in their quest for more informa…
American Battlefield Trust — September 2021
The Twice-Hallowed Plains of Manassas Tell a Story Worth Saving The northern Virginia town of Manassas, in Prince William County, is less than 30 miles from the n…
A Presentation Louisiana Flag
Louisiana Flag by Shannon Pritchard This beautiful work of art has an extraordinary amount of known history associated with it. The flag is large, measuring 75.75…
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…
Union Volunteer Saloon
Union Volunteer Saloon The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. The Un…
The US Model 1843 Hall Carbine
The U.S. Model 1843 Hall carbine was one of the more colorful long arms of the American Civil War era because roughly half the production run was involved in the…
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…
The 2021 Gettysburg Civil War Show: Collecting and Displaying the 15th New York Cavalry Regiment
by James Crane III The 15th New York Volunteer Cavalry Regiment was a late addition to the Civil War, but nonetheless experienced an intense sixteen months of ser…
Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute Launches Cool Spring App
Nearly two years in the making, Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute (MCWI), in partnership with the University’s Center for Immersive Learning,…
Saving the July 14, 1863, Falling Waters Battlefield
by George Franks Falling Waters. The first question is always “which one”? The 1861 Battle of Falling Waters was fought in Virginia, now West Virginia, and is als…
Popular Driving Trail Expands into Virginia
Popular Driving Trail Expands into Virginia Civil War Trails Inc., in partnership with King George County Economic Development and Tourism are excited to announce…
Parker’s Crossroads Memorial Day Ceremony
Parker’s Crossroads Memorial Day Ceremony by Professor Earnest Veritas Special Correspondent to Western Theater Memorial Day was solemnly observed in West Tenness…
News Briefs — August 2021
Introducing the Antietam Institute A group dedicated to studying the Battle of Antietam and the 1862 Maryland Campaign have organized the Antietam Institute, a me…
Lawrence County, Missouri, Grist Mills and Distilleries
Lawrence County, Missouri, Grist Mills and Distilleries by J. Dale West, P.E. Grist mills provided flour and cornmeal, essential commodities to households, prior…
Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association’s 48th Annual Civil War Show — Success!
GETTYSBURG, Penn.— The Gettysburg Battlefield Preservation Association (GBPA), the oldest Civil War Battlefield preservation group in the nation, held its 48th An…
From The Lowcountry — August 2021
Joe Bilby After over thirty years of contributing to the Civil War News with his much-loved column, “Black Powder White Smoke,” our dear friend, Joe Bilby, has de…
Eric Powell Engages Youth in Battlefield Preservation & Looks For New Experiences
Eric Powell Engages Youth in Battlefield Preservation & Looks For New Experiences The cedar trees have grown, Eric Powell thought as he recently drove by Pelham’s…
Emerging Civil War — August 2021
From the Editor One of the best things I love about writing for a blog is that the feedback from readers is immediate. It’s like giving a tour or speaking to a ro…
Dyer’s Compendium: Part II Chronological Record of the Campaigns, Battles, Engagements, Actions, Combats, Sieges, Skirmishes, Etc.
Dyer’s Compendium: Part II Chronological Record of the Campaigns, Battles, Engagements, Actions, Combats, Sieges, Skirmishes, Etc. The column for this month draws…
Civil War Events — August 2021
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – P as in... August
1. He picked up 8th Infantry colors when Longstreet was WIA at Chapultepec 2. He led CS forces in Oklahoma and wrote Southern words for Dixie 3. “Last land battle…
Book Reviews — August 2021
Defending the Arteries of Rebellion: Confederate Naval Operations in the Mississippi River Valley, 1861–1865. By Neil P. Chatelain. Illustrated, Index, bibliograp…
An Interesting Blend of Fact and Fiction
An Interesting Blend of Fact and Fiction This month’s column will continue to examine the accounts of women who, in various ways, served, or claimed to serve, the…
American Battlefield Trust — August 2021
Trust Commemorates 158th Anniversary of Battle of Gettysburg with Bold Initiatives To mark the 158th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, American Battlefield…
2nd Corps Field Hospital Offered Wounded Soldiers Compassion and Comfort
2nd Corps Field Hospital Offered Wounded Soldiers Compassion and Comfort by Bob Ruegsegger Casualties during battles such as Antietam, Spotsylvania, and Gettysbur…
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.…
Three Cheers for the American Battlefield Trust’s First-Ever “Victory Week”
When the American Battlefield Trust announces “victory,” the term signals the completion of a long series of actions taken to save sacred battlefield acreage. The…
Soap
Soap One subject neglected in the study of mid-19th Century material culture is soap. Since the colonial-era soap was produced in America primarily on the farm. I…
Female Soldiers, Spies, Sutlers, Smugglers and Strumpets
Female Soldiers, Spies, Sutlers, Smugglers and Strumpets In an earlier column I reviewed the brief military careers of a few Southern and Northern women who, moti…
Emerging Civil War — July 2021
From the Editor I first visited Spotsylvania’s Bloody Angle on Memorial Day weekend in 1998. My family had spent the holiday camping on the beach at the Outer Ban…
Contemporary View of the Rifle Musket
by Joe Bilby Contemporary View of the Rifle Musket In May 1861, as the “Rebellion” was heating up, the Burlington Daily Times of Burlington, Vermont, published so…
Civil War Era Newspapers
Civil War Era Newspapers Period newspapers frequently serve as a focus for this column as more and more collections across the country, after digitization, offer…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – O as in... July
General Henry Halleck’s nickname Popular and effective 3-inch rifled cannon Largest battle fought in Florida The first of the Seven Days Battles Nickname for Kent…
Andersonville
Andersonville The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. During and afte…
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.…
Where Generations Walk (Or Drive) In Central Virginia
Where Generations Walk (Or Drive) In Central Virginia by Sarah Kay Bierle “One generation builds the street on which the next will walk,” reads a Chinese Proverb,…
Thinking Bayonets: Camden Expedition Part III
Thinking Bayonets Camden Expedition Part III “I cannot conceive what ‘political and military points of view’ are to be obtained for the Confederacy by abandoning…
Researching Civil War Ancestors
Researching Civil War Ancestors Since the inauguration of this column in March 2016, the question most frequently posed to this writer from readers of Civil War N…
Ohio Civil War Show: A Real Crowd Pleaser!
Ohio Civil War Show: A Real Crowd Pleaser! MANSFIELD, OHIO— Following the unfortunate cancellation of the 2020 Ohio Civil War & WWII Show due to the Covid-19 pand…
Nineteen Questions about Juneteenth
Nineteen Questions about Juneteenth By Edward T. Cotham, Jr. Celebrated on the nineteenth day of each June, Juneteenth has become an increasingly prominent celebr…
Naval Battle Charleston, 1863
Naval Battle Charleston, 1863 The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals.…
Federal City Brass Band Embraces Spirit of the Mid-19th Century
Federal City Brass Band Embraces Spirit of the Mid-19th Century by Bob Ruegsegger The Federal City Brass Band re-creates American music, playing original instrume…
Events — June 2021
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to…
Emerging Civil War — June 2021
From the Editor I refuse to mow my lawn any earlier than April 1, and this spring, it seemed like my neighbors were holding out, too. We all made it through the l…
Early Civil War Imported Arms
There is a widely held understanding that during the Civil War, U.S. 1861s were produced in America, either at the government Armory in Springfield or by twenty o…
Courtney & Tennent Marked Imported Confederate Naval Cutlasses
Courtney & Tennent Marked Imported Confederate Naval Cutlasses Over the years collectors have noted a number of Confederate imported naval cutlases and naval offi…
Confederate Cartridge Box with Georgia Plate
Confederate Cartridge Box with Georgia Plate By Shannon Pritchard TheConfederatemanufactured cartridge box shown here is easily distinguishable from its Yankee co…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – N as in...June
1. .36 caliber revolvers were often denoted by this service branch name 2. Steam powered Union ironclad built like old sailing vessel with bark rig 3. General Joh…
Chinsegut Hill—A Preservation Success
Chinsegut Hill—A Preservation Success by Bruce Allardice and Wayne L. Wolf As one approaches the stately white manor home of Chinsegut Hill it feels like walking…
Book Reviews — June 2021
as a military engineer in the Continental Army. Duportail was born in France in 1743; in 1761 he entered the Military School of the Royal Corps of Engineers. Comm…
American Battlefield Trust — June 2021
Save 28 Acres at Gettysburg and Bristoe Station! The Trust is currently targeting 28 acres at two critical Eastern Theater battlefields facing imminent developmen…
A Few Good Women
A Few Good Women “I do not believe in using women in combat, because females are too fierce.” – Margaret Mead In several previous columns I have relied on newspap…
A Boy Sailor’s Tragic Odyssey
by Joseph F. Wilson Heavy smoke drifted through the streets of New York City in July 1863 as multiple fires illuminated the night sky. Rioters roamed the streets…
Who was Cornelia Phillips Spencer? (Part 2)
Continuing from Part 1, from the April 2021 Civil War News, excerpt of Cornelia’s writings from “THE LAST NINETY DAYS OF THE WAR IN NORTH CAROLINA,” published in…
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 David Rumsey Historical Map Collection
Advances in technology continue to open windows to view our past through various lenses. Thanks to The David Rumsey Map Collection Database at the Stanford Univer…
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…
Starving the Federals: The Camden Expedition – Part II
“Pvt. Dickson Wallace ... was the first man to the artillery, and mounting astride one of the guns gave a whoop, which was followed by such a succession of whoops…
Salem Church Battlefield & The Lesson For Preservation
Salem Church still stands on the crest of high ground, but the scene around the historic meeting house has changed significantly since 1863 when Civil War soldier…
Libby Prison “From the Inside.”
One of the more unusual Civil War prints is Major Otto Boetticher’s view of Libby Prison from the inside, especially its dimensions. Most 19th century prints were…
Instructing the “Stupids”
In the early months of the Civil War the basics of military life were often difficult to grasp for many volunteers, a situation that caused a Springfield, Mass.,…
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…
F. M. Mills’ Confederate Cartridge Box
The cartridge box shown here could not be identified as Confederate except by the CS “Breckenridge” style belt plate attached to it as a cartridge box plate. Ther…
Eponymous Weapons and Other Necessities
Several army and navy officers, before or during the Civil War, developed weapons that were used in the war and which bear their names. There are also eponymous i…
Emerging Civil War — May 2021
From the Editor As influential as John Bachelder was on the formation of Gettysburg National Military Park, there aren’t a lot of photos of him. Of the couple I’v…
Civil War Events — May 2021
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to…
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…
Book Reviews — May 2021
ultimately, to the new Republican party. He was known for his “witty repartee, his scorching sarcasm, his lofty eloquence, his great profundity, and his ponderous…
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…
American Battlefield Trust — May 2021
Annual Conference Postponed for 2021 The ongoing restrictions on large public gatherings in Virginia, plus uncertainties related to the status of key facilities h…
A New Initiative at Gettysburg: Rehabilitating Culp’s Hill
The Gettysburg battlefield is one of the most studied, photographed, written about, and visited Civil War sites. Yet portions of that field and its accompanying s…
A Confederate Altered U.S. Model 1841 Mississippi Rifle
At the beginning of the American Civil War nearly 20,000 U.S. Model 1841 “Mississippi” rifles were in arsenals of the various states that seceded to form the Conf…
“Hold it at all Hazards”: General Battle’s Counterattack
“Hold it at all Hazards”: General Battle’s Counterattack by Tom Van Winkle “The woods in front were so thick that it was impossible to see more than 20 steps from…
Who was Cornelia Phillips Spencer?
Part 1 of 2 “There is as yet too much to be forgotten—too much to be forgiven.” – Cornelia Phillips Spencer of North Carolina by Joan Wenner, J.D. We know from th…
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…
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant
The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant Grant in Mississippi! The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant reside at Mississippi State University in Starkville, home of the Ulysses S. G…
The Camden Expedition Part I
The Camden Expedition Part I “The men seemed eager as bloodhounds, and never halted or retired under the hottest fire.” – C.S. Gen. Joseph Shelby In 1864, for pol…
Noted, or a Quick Glance
Noted, or a Quick Glance My paternal grandfather was a brick manufacturer, a practical and down-to-earth occupation for a practical and down-to-earth man. He was…
News from Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute
News from Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute Jonathan A. Noyalas, Director Baker Family Collection Latest Addition to MCWI’s Collection Near th…
Letters to the Editor — April 2021
Letter to the Editor: The book review of Bruce Brager’s Grant’s Victory: How Ulysses S. Grant Won the Civil War in the February issue of CWN makes a point that Gr…
Joseph Ryder Lewis Jr. Civil War Park Opens in Carolina Beach, N.C.
James Burriss, nineteenth century farmer, waterman, and river pilot, could never have imagined that his land on Federal Point (modern Carolina Beach), North Carol…
Emerging Civil War — April 2021
For only lasting 28 days, February sure seems like the longest month. The days are getting longer, it’s true, but the accumulated darkness of long winter nights s…
Core Mausoleum Stands in Self-Tribute to Confederate Phoenix
Core Mausoleum Stands in Self-Tribute to Confederate Phoenix by Bob Ruegsegger At the end of the Civil War, Corporal John Core’s dream for Southern independence v…
Confederate Currency
Confederate Currency “In Richmond when the cash was low and promises were all the go. Then rapid, constant was the flow of the paper currency:” – Richmond Daily E…
Civil War Events — April 2021
Before making plans to attend any event contact the event host. Deadlines for Advertising, Editorial or Events Submissions is the 20th of each month. We strive to…
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…
Brunswick CWRT Helps With Placing Interpretive Signs at Fort Caswell
Helps With Placing Interpretive Signs at Fort Caswell by Mike Powell The Brunswick CWRT is the nation’s largest Civil War Round Table. Before the virus pandemic w…
Book Reviews — April 2021
Atlanta’s Fighting 42nd, Joseph Johnston’s “Old Guard.” By W. Clifford Roberts Jr. and Frank E. Clark. Illustrated, Civil War News book reviews provide our reader…
An Unknown Artist
An Unknown Artist The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. Throughout…
American Battlefield Trust — April 2021
Preservation of Land at New Market Heights Honors the Valor of Black Civil War Soldiers Nearly 180,000 black men in Army units designated as U.S. Colored Troops f…
A Steadfast Devotion to the Colors!
A Steadfast Devotion to the Colors! by Joseph F. Wilson All the regiment beamed with pride when the time came to stand in formation for the presentation of their…
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…
The Lincoln Archives Digital Project
The Lincoln Archives Digital Project Readers will recall the introduction, last month, of the Lincoln Archives Digital Project. (lincolnarchives.org/) This month,…
Smoothbores at Gettysburg
By the midpoint of the Civil War, the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac were mostly armed with rifled weapons.The Confederates largely shoulde…
MK Shows and Dalton Convention Center Set the Bar for 2021 Events
Publisher’s Note: People photographed in this article were asked to temporarily remove their protective masks for photo ops. DALTON, Ga.—As the Chickamauga (Dalto…
Letters to the Editor — March 2021
Dear Mr. Melton: As you can probably tell by the yellow paper and mechanical pencil, I am an old timer bedeviled by not using a computer, even for email. I am res…
Lee and Jackson as Fund Raisers
Lee and Jackson as Fund Raisers The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goal…
Keep the Champagne!
Keep the Champagne! “If I did not know it before, I was destined to learn how necessary it was to have a great man at the head of a government, to serve people in…
Inspired for Battlefield Preservation: Lesser Known Stories of Battlefield Medicine
Inspired for Battlefield Preservation: Lesser Known Stories of Battlefield Medicine by Paul Scott with Sarah Kay Bierle Medical military service is part of my fam…
Emerging Civil War — March 2021
From the Editor I called to mind a plea for unity from President Lincoln. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” Abraham Lincoln warned in a speech to his…
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…
Charles Dickens
“The Northern onslaught upon slavery is no more than a piece of specious humbug designed to conceal its desire for economic control of the Southern States.” Charl…
Book Reviews — March 2021
Reconciliation and Reunion Patriot’s Twice, Former Confederates and the Building of America After the Civil War. By Stephen M. Hood. Illustrated, bibliography, ap…
Bacon Navy Revolvers – A Potential Success Scuttled by Smith & Wesson
Bacon Navy Revolvers – A Potential Success Scuttled by Smith & Wesson The story of the various gun companies that were established and run by Thomas K. Bacon is r…
American Digger’s Antique Military & Americana Show & Sale
MT. PLEASANT, S.C.—Jan. 2-3, 2021. How will the 2021 show season be in this new year of COVID and political upheaval? It will be very good, if the first show of t…
American Battlefield Trust — March 2021
A Year Like No Other Yields Landmark Accomplishments for the Trust Despite a year that will go down in history for its unprecedented challenges, the American Batt…
A Yankee Who Cheated Death
A Yankee Who Cheated Death by Joseph F. Wilson For many soldiers, a single musket ball crashing into their body would have caused extensive damage. A shot to the…
A Pop Quiz
A Pop Quiz I have written previously on Edward Porter Alexander and his two fine memoirs. The first one was published decades after the second one, but that story…
A Battle of Williamsburg Trophy
A Battle of Williamsburg Trophy by Shannon Pritchard Every soldier, North and South, needed a knife when they marched off to war and in the South it was fashionab…
Transcript of the Emancipation Proclamation
January 1, 1863 By the President of the United States of America: A Proclamation. Whereas, on the twenty-second day of September, in the year of our Lord one thou…
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…
The Tomb of Washington’s Mother & The Civil War
During 1862, some Civil War soldiers near Fredericksburg, Va., went out of their way to protect the grave and memorial of Mary Washington. They honored her as the…
The Revenge Raid on Lake Mattamuskeet
Following reassignment of most Federal occupation forces in North Carolina to join General George McClellan’s Peninsular Campaign in Virginia, effective Union con…
The Lincoln Archives Digital Project
Researchers will benefit from Lincoln as a President.” Given the vast sources available, now the magnitude of sources, rangand in the future, at The Lincoln ing f…
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…
Paper Cartridges for the .577 Enfield Rifle Musket in the Civil War
The only pattern of cartridge to be hereafter used with muzzle loading rifled small arms shall be that known as the English pattern of Enfield cartridge.” – Colon…
Monocacy National Battlefield’s New Superintendent
WASHINGTON, D.C.— National Park Service (NPS) acting Area Director Lisa Mendelson-Ielmini has named Andrew Banasik as the superintendent of Monocacy National Batt…
McDonald, Pennsylvania, Emancipation Day Celebration
In 1862, the Civil War was going badly for General George McClellan and the Army of the Potomac; President Lincoln was impatiently waiting for good news and a maj…
Marching through Georgia in the 21st Century
In September 1863 war came to Georgia in earnest when Federal and Confederate armies clashed at Chickamauga. The following year, Sherman’s armies campaigned to At…
Lincoln’s Home
The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. Imagine today someone display…
Emerging Civil War — February 2021
From the Editor By the time you read this, you’ll know whether you ended up on Santa’s nice list or naughty list. If you scored a spot on the nice list, perhaps y…
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…
Civil War Documents Preserved
This summer I was asked by a friend, Mary Hogan of Issaquah, Washington state, to assess and find a suitable repository for a sizable collection of Civil War docu…
Civil War Alphabet Quiz – J as in...
“Fool Tom” or “old blue light” This battle precipitated the “fall of Atlanta” Official name of the iron clad first named Muscogee Confederate Army commander kille…
Book Reviews — February 2021
Counties.” Governor Morton the Constitution in our current What of the designation of home viewed the southern half of the war on terror, conclusions about grown,…
Blue and Gray Education Society Donates Historical Signage for Fort Branch
HAMILTON, N.C.—Saturday, November 28, saw the fulfillment of over two years of effort, running through the idea, then planning, and finally the installation of si…
American Battlefield Trust — February 2021
Humbled by Support, the Trust Reflects Upon a Year of Accomplishments Without a doubt, 2020 was a tumultuous year marked by uncertainty in many sectors. Despite h…
Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Army Revolvers
The Allen & Wheelock Center Hammer Army percussion revolver was manufactured in rather limited quantities, with production estimated by most published arms histor…
Action Needed to Protect Millions of Rare Gettysburg Artifacts
Pennsylvania’s Adams County Historical Society launches multimillion-dollar campaign to build state-of-theart facility to protect irreplaceable relics GETTYSBURG,…
![“Show [the Copperheads] No Mercy”](/article-images/cwn-2021-january/cwn-2021-january-show-the-copperheads-no-mercy-01.jpg)
“Show [the Copperheads] No Mercy”
By Bruce Allardice and Wayne Wolf Newly discovered letters of a Union navy engineer shed light on the last days of the War and the reaction to Lincoln’s assassina…
Wadsworth Memorial on Wilderness Battlefield
Wadsworth Memorial on Wilderness Battlefield by Peter R. Kolakowski If you’re driving along Orange Plank Road, just west of the historic Brock Road intersection d…
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 “…
The Legacy of CD Schubarth’s M1861 Musket Contract
The Legacy of CD Schubarth’s M1861 Musket Contract During the course of the American Civil War a large number of contracts were let by the Ordnance Department to…
The Language of Life
The Language of Life by Richard Blumberg Did music play a role in the American Civil War? John Stewart of the Kingston Trio and Cumberland Three replies, “Music w…
Student Research at Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute Fueled by Commitment and Donations of Letters and Images
Student Research at Shenandoah University’s McCormick Civil War Institute Fueled by Commitment and Donations of Letters and Images by Jonathan A. Noyalas Director…
Sixth Street Wharf
Sixth Street Wharf The Graphic War highlights prints and printmakers from the Civil War discussing their meaning and the print maker or artist’s goals. The Sixth…
Publishers Note:
Publishers Note: Since we decided to begin mailing copies of Civil War News inside a polybag with a cover sheet starting with the November 2020 issue, we are deli…
Lincoln Forum Hosts Online Conference
by Leon Reed Special to Civil War News Like many other organizations sponsoring conferences, tours, festivals, parades, and other in-person activities, the Lincol…
Letters to the Editor — January 2021
Letters to the Editor LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Kudos to Civil War News for its Expanded November Book Issue. What a treat to read so many Top 10 Civil War Book Lists…
Henry 200 Year Commemorative
by Joe Bilby Henry 200 Year Commemorative American rifle and shotgun manufacturer Henry Repeating Arms is commemorating Benjamin Tyler Henry’s 200th birthday with…
Harper’s Weekly Index
Harper’s Weekly Index [The first two paragraphs, edited from the February 2017 edition of this column, will set the stage for the index under study.] Visualizing…
Grave marker for Gettysburg post-battle casualty installed
by Leon Reed Bruce Davis, chair of the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable and historians Tim Smith and Fred Hawthorne spoke at a brief November 21 ceremony in Gettys…
Gordon’s Flank Attack in the Wilderness
In his memoirs Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon devoted a chapter to the second day of the Battle of the Wilderness. Nearly all the 19page discussion is allotted to his o…
From The Lowcountry — January 2021
As the publishers and owners of Civil War News, we would like to thank everyone for your contributions to the polybag issue upgrade. We are overwhelmed by the gen…
Emerging Civil War — January 2021
From the Editor I watched a flock of birds fly overheard this evening, the crescent moon setting behind them, chasing the sun toward the horizon. A jet, somewhere…
Civil War Provost Guards
Civil War Provost Guards by Joan Wenner, J.D. America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroye…
Burger and Brothers First National Guidon
by Shannon Pritchard The swallowtail guidon shown below was used by the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry companies and, just as the name implies, they were use…
Brentmoor, Warrenton Home of the Gray Ghost, Fades Back into History
Brentmoor, Warrenton Home of the Gray Ghost, Fades Back into History by Bob Ruegsegger Brentmoor, also called the Spilman-Mosby House, was built for Judge Edward…
Book Reviews — January 2021
Fighting For The Union and a Pension An Immigrant Story. By Kenneth E. Burchett. Illustrated, Index, Notes, Amity American Publishing, 2020, 167 pp., softcover. A…
American Battlefield Trust Launches Massive, Multi-Year “Gaines’ Mill-Cold Harbor Saved Forever Campaign”
For decades, preservation experts have had a near-consensus: a square-mile of the Richmond suburbs was the most historically significant but unprotected Civil War…