1861: The Lost Peace (2025)
Book Reviews
With Lincoln elected in November 1860 and the Deep South bitterly estranged, might a Union-saving compromise still have been possible?
A New Look at America’s Greatest Conflict
Current Issue
Reunion at Gettysburg
Vol. 15, No. 2
Fifty years after the epic battle, thousands of veterans gathered to reminisce, reconcile—and be celebrated by a reunified nation.
Recent Posts
Episode 5: Soldiering and Weaponry
Civil War Curious
Historian Eric Michael Burke answers questions about the lives of Civil War soldiers and the weapons they used.
Tall Tales Tested off the Battlefield
The Front Line
A science-based examination of claims that dead bodies carpeted the ground and bullets flew thick as hail on Civil War battlefields.
Faith of the Fathers (2025)
Book Reviews
Robert J. Miller’s “Faith of the Fathers” is a valuable addition to the scholarship on the chaplaincy, Civil War-era religion, and American Catholicism.
Episode 4: Chamberlain at Gettysburg
Civil War Curious
Licensed Battlefield Guide Jessie Wheedleton answers questions about Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s performance at Gettysburg.
A Texan at Gettysburg
Firsthand Accounts
Discover the heartfelt letter of a Texas soldier, John Camden West, to his son after the Battle of Gettysburg.
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.
