The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians and authors
Published: 9/28/26
Close to Conflict
A new exhibit at the Canadian War Museum explores the ways in which the American Civil War affected Canada.
Published: 9/21/26
Wounded by Wind
Union surgeon James T. Calhoun weighs in on the notion that close-passing projectiles had the ability to injure Civil War soldiers.
Published: 9/14/26
A Death at Antietam
A Connecticut infantryman reflects on the death of his soldier-brother at the Battle of Antietam in a moving letter home.
Published: 9/7/26
The “Spirit” of Hilo
An examination of the American Civil War's effects on faraway Hawaii through its impact on the native sugar industry.
Published: 8/24/26
The Course They Didn’t Advertise
How the Civil War's Morrill Act embedded military training in the institutional foundations of western higher education
Published: 8/17/26
The Murder of Captain McKay
Learn about the mystery surrounding the murder of Captain Thomas M. McKay of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War.
Published: 8/10/26
Arrest and Court-Martial of Thomas A. Rowley
A look at the reasons why a Union brigadier general was prosecuted for his conduct at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Published: 7/27/26
From Cambridge to Cemetery Ridge
Tracing Civil War armies' reliance on professional leadership back to the moment George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775.
Published: 7/20/26
A Vocabulary of Treason
A look at the ways in which the northern press invoked Benedict Arnold to portray the actions of their southern opponents during the Civil War.
Published: 7/13/26
A Slaveholders’ Revolution
How Secessionists disowned the Revolution’s universal declarations but claimed its authority in the run-up to the Civil War
Published: 7/6/26
Abraham Lincoln, Reluctant Revolutionary
How Abraham Lincoln squared the revolutionary change wrought by the Civil War with his professed loyalty to the Founding Fathers’ vision for the nation.
Published: 7/1/26
The Weather Gods’ Finale
A detailed look at what the weather was like in the wake of the Battle of Gettysburg—and how it affected the wounded who recovered nearby.
Published: 6/29/26
Extra Voices: Before the Storm
Firsthand quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about their thoughts and feelings when on the verge of entering battle.
Published: 6/22/26
Captain Strong’s Adventure
Discover the story of Captain William E. Strong's death-defying adventure during the Civil War, as told by Harper's Weekly.
Published: 6/15/26
Price for Freedom
On a brisk January 19, 1864, First Sergeant Abram J. Price of the 6th Ohio Infantry escaped from the Danville Prisons in southern Virginia. He had been captured at the...
Published: 6/9/26
Eyewitness to Brandy Station
A Confederate cavalryman details his participation in the Battle of Brandy Station, the largest cavalry battle ever fought in North America.
Published: 6/1/26
Porter’s Ruse
In 1863, Union acting rear admiral David Dixon Porter devised a masquerade that saved a captured ironclad from Confederate service.
Published: 5/18/26
The Great Emancipator in Spain
A look at the interracial, freedom-fighting military unit of Americans that fought in the Spanish Civil War under the name of the country's Great Emancipator.