The Devil’s Own Purgatory (2025)
Book Reviews
Robert Gudmestad’s “The Devil’s Own Purgatory” is the definitive history of the Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War.
A New Look at America’s Greatest Conflict
Current Issue
My War Story
Vol. 15, No. 4
A young Virginian’s remarkable firsthand account of the Confederate victory at Second Manassas
Recent Posts
Impractical Packages from Home
Firsthand Accounts
In 1862, a Wisconsin newspaper poked fun at people who sent impractical care packages to family and friends in the Union army.
The Second Manassas Campaign (2025)
Book Reviews
“The Second Manassas Campaign” takes its place on a growing shelf of books about this pivotal operation.
A Costly Silence
The Front Line
How the military decisions made during a number of Civil War battles were critically influenced by the presence of acoustic shadows.
War Fought and Felt (2025)
Book Reviews
Joshua Shiver seeks access to the inner world of Confederate soldiers by reconstructing their relationships as husbands, sweethearts, parents, and messmates.
A Zouave at Fredericksburg
Battles
Experience the Battle of Fredericksburg through the eyes of a soldier in the 5th New York Infantry (Duryea’s Zouaves).
Featured Posts
Civil War Curious Trailer
Civil War Curious
We’re excited to announce that Civil War Curious, the Monitor’s latest podcast series in which expert historians answer your Civil War questions, is launching soon. Listen to the trailer for more.
A Civil War Baseball
Articles
A look at a baseball used by soldiers of the 17th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry that sold at auction for $41,825 in February 2014.
A Lesser-Known Gettysburg Hero
Battles
Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain of the 20th Maine Infantry earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg. So too did his regiment’s color sergeant, Andrew Jackson Tozier.
The Civil War’s Epidemics
Featured
Why was the Civil War was the United States’ deadliest conflict? Historian Jonathan S. Jones offers his take.
McClellan’s Culture of Command
Commanders
Discover the strategic choices of George McClellan’s command during the Civil War and how they shaped the outcome of significant battles.
A Hospital Steward’s Story
Featured
Read Union soldier James Kendall Hosmer’s account of the “soul-touching” time he spent as a hospital steward aboard the steamship “Iberville” in 1863.