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Blog
Published: 6/11/25
Fighting for Freedom (2025)
"Fighting For Freedom" provides an excellent window into the lives of Black craftspeople in the long 19th century.
Published: 6/9/25
A Visit to Armstrong’s Hill
An exploration of the site of the Battle of Armstrong Hill, a little-known engagement fought outside Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1863.
Published: 6/4/25
The Radical Advocacy of Wendell Phillips (2024)
The abolitionist Wendell Phillips "pioneered the craft of public interest lawyering," writes author Peter Charles Hoffer.
Published: 6/2/25
Eyewitness to the Overland Campaign
Experience the Overland Campaign of 1864 through the eyes of John R. Pillings, a corporal in the 86th New York Infantry.
Published: 5/29/25
From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg (2025)
"From Camp Douglas to Vicksburg" is one of the best collections of soldier letters that has been published in recent years.
Published: 5/26/25
The Waste of War
Explore the physical and emotional toll of the Civil War through the powerful poem "April 30, 1864" by Charles G. Halpine.
Published: 5/21/25
In The Thickest of the Fray (2025)
"In The Thickest of the Fray" proves an intriguing approach and welcome addition to Gettysburg campaign historiography.
Published: 5/19/25
Misquoting Honest Abe
A look at how and why the most revered and respected figure in American history—Abraham Lincoln—is regularly misquoted today.
Published: 5/14/25
Boutwell (2025)
"Boutwell" goes beyond rescuing a historical figure from obscurity; it seeks to understand its subject on his terms.
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Published: 5/12/25
Civil War Veterans, Part 2
Continue your journey into the lives of former Civil War soldiers with the second installment of our "Civil War Vetreans" photo essay series.
Published: 5/7/25
Gendering Secession (2025)
Melissa DeVelvis has carefully mined her sources in "Gendering Secession."
Published: 5/5/25
Smoothbore vs. Rifled Muskets
A look at the military philosophy of Colonel George Willard, whose advocacy for the use of the smoothbore (not rifled) musket in battle flew in the face of contemporary thinking.
Published: 4/30/25
Hell By The Acre (2024)
"Hell By the Acre" presents a compelling narrative of one of the Civil War's deadliest but most understudied clashes.
Published: 4/28/25
Extra Voices: Please Write!
Read comments from Union and Confederate soldiers about their intense desire to receive news from family and friends back home.
Published: 4/23/25
From Antietam to Appomattox with Upton’s Regulars (2023)
A splendid and valuable volume that will appeal to anyone interested in understanding the complexities of Civil War service in Virginia.
Published: 4/21/25
The Burning of Harmon Farm
The story of Gettysburg teenager Amelia Harmon, who took shelter in the family home as the fighting swirled around it on July 1, 1863.
Published: 4/16/25
Righteous Strife (2025)
Richard Carwardine's "Righteous Strife" is an exceptional book that rivals Rable and Stout as the best single-volume overview of religion and the American Civil War.
Published: 4/9/25
The Consequences of Confederate Citizenship (2025)
"The Consequences of Confederate Citizenship" presents correspondence that sheds light on the intricate connections between battle front and home front.