The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
Published: 1/1/25
An Eventful New Year
Explore a letter from a Union officer that documents an Emancipation Day celebration in New Bern, North Carolina, on New Year's Day, 1865.
Published: 12/30/24
The Loss of the “Monitor”
Explore the tragic story of the USS Monitor's loss in a storm off Cape Hatteras through the first-hand account of seaman Francis B. Butts.
Published: 12/23/24
A West Point Fantasy Draft
Evaluating antebellum West Point graduates based on their class performances as part of a mock Civil War commanders' NFL-style draft.
Published: 12/16/24
How a Man Feels in Battle
How did men experience combat during the Civil War? A Union veteran of the Battle of Bull Run offers his thoughts.
Published: 12/9/24
At Fredericksburg
A poignant poem from Harper's Weekly tells the story of two Union comrades facing the horrors of the Battle of Fredericksburg.
Published: 12/2/24
Discovering Munfordville
Writer John Banks reflects on the Battle of Munfordville, Kentucky, during a visit to the site of the September 1862 fight.
Published: 11/18/24
A Helping Hand
The Civil War saw many advances in devices to aid amputees, including the practical tool known as a “knork.”
Published: 11/4/24
Lincoln and Yosemite
Discover President Abraham Lincoln's role in the creation of a national park at Yosemite in California.
Published: 10/28/24
Death of a Loyal Brother
Read the poignant letters of a Byron B. Wilson, a Union soldier in the 4th Vermont Infantry, to his sister during the Civil War.
Published: 10/21/24
To Dig or Not To Dig
Learn how the presence of certain rock types influenced tactics and battlefield dynamics during the American Civil War.
Published: 10/20/24
Eyewitness to Ball’s Bluff
Discover first-hand accounts of the Battle of Ball's Bluff through the letters of Richard C. Derby, a Union soldier in the 15th Massachusetts Infantry.
Published: 10/7/24
All About Us
Historian Gary W. Gallagher weighs in on the ongoing debate over the terminology used to discuss the American Civil War.
Published: 10/1/24
Lincoln Prize Lecture 2024
An exclusive Q&A with the featured speakers at The American Civil War Museum's 2024 Lincoln Prize Lecture, Frances M. Clarke and Rebecca Jo Plant.
Published: 9/30/24
A Spy’s Demise
In 1865, the United States Sanitary Commission, a private relief agency that supported sick and wounded soldiers during the Civil War, published a volume of Union soldiers’ writings titled Soldiers’...
Published: 9/23/24
Extra Voices: Accidental Deaths
Read firsthand quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about occurrences of accidental deaths in Civil War armies.
Published: 9/16/24
Decatur, Alabama: A Battlefield of the Imagination
By 9 a.m., Mother Nature has already dialed her setting to “Blast Furnace” outside the 1905 train depot in Decatur, launching pad for our visit to this northern Alabama town...
Published: 9/9/24
A Woman’s Devotion
Explore the memoir of Sarah Brock, a witness to the Civil War in Richmond, who tells the tale of a brave woman's devotion in the face of adversity.
Published: 9/2/24
The Civil War’s Miracle Drugs
Uncover the fascinating history of medicine during the Civil War. Explore the miraculous drugs and treatments that revolutionized healthcare.