The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
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: 4/21/25
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: 4/7/25
Killed at Shiloh
Read a moving letter to the parents of a Union soldier killed at Shiloh that the "Dead-letter Office" tried to see delivered properly.
Published: 3/31/25
CSS Hunley Reconsidered
What happened to the crew of the Confederate submarine Hunley? A scientist offers his expert opinion.
Published: 3/24/25
A Tragic History
The author visits a cemetery for massacre victims in a lonely Carolina valley.
Published: 3/10/25
A Lesser-Known Gettysburg Hero
Colonel Joshua L. Chamberlain of the 20th Maine Infantry earned the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg. So too did his regiment's color sergeant, Andrew Jackson Tozier.
Published: 3/3/25
Cleaning Ironclads
A look at the process used to clean the ironclad monitor-class warships that made up the Union's South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
Published: 2/17/25
Medicine From a Pandora’s Box
Explore the story of the Civil War medicine box belonging to Confederate surgeon Christopher H. Tebaul.
Published: 2/3/25
Veterans Visit an Idealized West
A gathering of Union veterans in 1880s Colorado sheds light on the country's attitude toward the American West—both as a space for reconciliation and as a prize.
Published: 1/27/25
Handsome Dan
A profile of Union general George B. McClellan's war horse "Daniel Webster," also known as "Handsome Dan."
Published: 1/20/25
Family Ties
How understanding our familial connections to the past help us form our collective aspirations for the future.
Published: 1/19/25
Civil War Snow Sledding
A contemporary review of Brown's Coasting Sled, a device patented in 1862, offers a look at the nature of snow sledding during the Civil War years.
Published: 1/13/25
Extra Voices: Narrow Escapes
Read first-hand quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about the close calls they and their comrades had in combat during the Civil War.
Published: 1/6/25
A Firearm Transformed
Follow a Union soldier's journey with the M1816/22 rifled musket, a prominent firearm that served on the frontlines of the Civil War.
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.