Blogs

The diligent, robust scholarship found on the pages of David A. Powell and Eric J. Wittenberg's "Tullahoma" has expanded the historiography and helped to further balance perspectives on the relative importance of the Western Theater.

Michael Smith's "The Thin Gray Line" offers a new look at the darker side of the war.

Readers and scholars with wide-ranging interests will find Thomas F. Curran's "Women Making War" useful and fascinating.

In "Absalom Hazlett," Spencer Sadler has unearthed and conveyed a valuable story about a captivating and overlooked subject.

A southerner finds clarity in a tangle of loyalties ...

Comprehensive is perhaps the best adjective to describe Neil P. Chatelain's "Defending the Arteries of Rebellion."

In the Voices section of the Winter 2020 issue of The Civil War Monitor we highlighted quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about the importance of coffee to the troops. Unfortunately, we didn't have room to include all that we found. Below are those that didn't make the cut.

James Lee McDonough's "William Tecumseh Sherman" is a capable and often moving biography of a worthy subject.

Internal division within the Confederacy, Jeffrey Zvengrowski claims, had less to do with class and more to do with politics...

With the help of a handful of Civil War historians and enthusiasts, here is our list of the best Civil War books of 2020.

Earl Hess' "Storming Vicksburg" is an effective battle history that moves beyond strategy and tactics to embrace the broader mosaic of the Civil War military experience.

"The Maps of the Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign" makes excellent use of primary accounts penned by Union and Confederate cavalrymen....

Jarrad Fuoss has made a useful contribution to understanding the symbolism of the "Soldiers National Cemetery at Gettysburg" and its place in American memory.

On October 4, 2020, The Good Lord Bird, a 7-part miniseries about the life of abolitionist John Brown—based on the award-winning novel of the same name by James McBride—premiered on Showtime. We enlisted historian Megan Kate Nelson to watch and review the series, episode by episode. We'll publish her takes below, as each episode airs. 

On October 4, 2020, The Good Lord Bird, a 7-part miniseries about the life of abolitionist John Brown—based on the award-winning novel of the same name by James McBride—premiered on Showtime. We enlisted historian Megan Kate Nelson to watch and review the series, episode by episode. We'll publish her takes below, as each episode airs. 

Brian Taylor's "Fighting for Citizenship" gives nuance to a debate that is all too often limited to an invocation of the famous 'Men of Color! To Arms' poster...

"My Dear Nelly" reveals Orlando Poe to be a man of both ability and no little ego, but one who struggled for distinction in the field and for control over affairs at home.

On October 4, 2020, The Good Lord Bird, a 7-part miniseries about the life of abolitionist John Brown—based on the award-winning novel of the same name by James McBride—premiered on Showtime. We enlisted historian Megan Kate Nelson to watch and review the series, episode by episode. We'll publish her takes below, as each episode airs. 

"Unforgiven" presents a unique, tense, and absorbing twist on an unprecedented moment in U.S. Civil War and judicial history.

On October 4, 2020, The Good Lord Bird, a 7-part miniseries about the life of abolitionist John Brown—based on the award-winning novel of the same name by James McBride—premiered on Showtime. We enlisted historian Megan Kate Nelson to watch and review the series, episode by episode. We'll publish her takes below, as each episode airs.