Books and Discussions
Published: 1/25/13
An Interview with Scott Hartwig
Our interview with Scott Hartwig, Supervisory Historian at Gettysburg National Military Park and author of To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of September 1862 (The Johns Hopkins University Press,...
Published: 1/23/13
The Civil War in the West (2012)
The Civil War West is quickly becoming all the rage, emerging as the theme of conferences, the focus of panels dedicated to new directions in the field, and even appearing...
Published: 1/23/13
The Gentlemen and the Roughs (2010)
Positing the Union army as northern society in microcosm, Lorien Foote argues for a vibrant culture of honor in the Union ranks. This northern honor operated along a sliding scale—from...
Published: 1/18/13
An Interview with Brian Craig Miller
Our conversation with Brian Craig Miller, Assistant Professor of History and Associate Chair of History at Emporia State University and editor of A Punishment on the Nation: An Iowa...
Published: 1/9/13
The Fire of Freedom (2012)
A difficult scholarly challenge is rescuing from the dustbin of the past persons of historical importance, who for whatever reason have fallen into obscurity. This task is ably handled by...
Published: 1/2/13
Django Unchained (2012)
That Quentin Tarantino’s “Django Unchained” is the most effective depiction of American slavery in the recent history of feature films is somewhat surprising and deeply disturbing. The first scenes and...
Published: 12/26/12
A Taste For War (2011)
Historians have long tried to capture the experience of the common soldier ever since Bell Wiley wrote Johnny Reb (1943) and Billy Yank (1952). Since then they have described everything from their views...
Published: 12/18/12
The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory (2012)
Few infantry units in the Federal or Confederate armies match the Iron Brigade in reputation or accomplishment. Distinguishing themselves at the Brawner Farm, on South Mountain, during the Battle of...
Published: 12/12/12
The Great Heart of the Republic (2011)
Adam Arenson’s engaging study of mid-nineteenth-century St. Louis is a story of national potential and national failure. Located at the intersection of North, South, and West, St. Louis requires us...
Published: 12/10/12
Holiday Civil War Trivia Contest: Winner
Trivia Question: A skirmish at this place on October 29, 1862, is widely regarded as the first time black troops in the Union Blue engaged in combat during the Civil War. Correct...
Published: 12/5/12
Faces of the Civil War (2012)
Ron Coddington’s Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories grew out of his interests as a photographer and a collector of Civil War-era cartes de visite....
Published: 11/28/12
Lincoln (2012) [Take 2]
Movies can negatively shape popular perceptions of history. Birth of a Nation (1915) helped lead to the revival of the Klan. Gone with the Wind (1939) still shapes many peoples’ comprehensions of slavery. The...
Published: 11/21/12
Lincoln and the Election of 1860 (2011)
This volume, part of a series entitled “The Concise Lincoln Library,” focuses on Abraham Lincoln’s role in the momentous events of 1860—the Republican presidential nomination in May, and his subsequent...
Published: 11/16/12
An Interview with Clay Risen
Our conversation with Clay Risen, editor of the New York Times Disunion blog. In this interview, Clay discusses the origins of the online version of the blog, the benefits...
Published: 11/12/12
Lincoln (2012) [Take 1]
It is long past time for historians to abandon the expectation that historical films will be historically accurate down to their most minute detail. Achieving this kind of authenticity is...
Published: 11/7/12
Lee and His Generals (2012)
A new collection of essays explores the distinguished historian T. Harry Williams and topics shaped by his work. Editors Lawrence Lee Hewitt and Thomas E. Schott have crafted Lee and...
Published: 11/2/12
An Interview with Cathy Wright
Our conversation with Cathy Wright, curator for the Museum of the Confederacy. In her interview, Cathy discusses her responsibilities at the MOC, the new MOC branch at Appomattox, and...
Published: 10/31/12
War’s Desolating Scourge (2012)
War’s Desolating Scourge is a fascinating study of the Federal occupation of North Alabama, and the continued defiance of loyal Confederates in the face of shifting political and military aims. Much...