The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
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.
Published: 8/26/24
Extra Voices: Killing the Enemy
Get a glimpse into the mindset of Union and Confederate soldiers when it came to killing. Read their unfiltered quotes and insights.
Published: 8/23/24
The Coffee Wagon
Delve into the intriguing tale of Jacob Dunton's coffee wagon, a welcome invention that delivered hot drinks to Union soldiers during the Civil War.
Published: 8/19/24
Rivers Running Red
An in-depth examination of the popular myth that rivers flowed red with the blood of killed and wounded soldiers during the Civil War.
Published: 8/16/24
Death of a Patriotic Lady
Discover the touching and tragic story of a patriotic young woman during the Civil War.
Published: 8/5/24
The Power of Place in Public History
A reflection on how our interaction with historic sites and spaces can deepen our understanding of the past.
Published: 7/22/24
Reporting on the Defeated South
Travel accounts from the immediate aftermath of the Civil War illuminate social, economic, and political conditions in the former Confederacy. Among the best are John Richard Dennett’s The South As...