The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
Published: 3/6/23
“When the Boys Come Home”
Harper’s Weekly Lincoln’s secretary John Hay In June 1864, Harper’s Weekly published the following poem by John Hay, one of two personal secretaries to President Abraham Lincoln. Hay, 25 at...
Published: 2/24/23
The Books That Built Me: Joan Waugh
DIANA LUNDIN Joan Waugh “There is properly no history; only biography.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson Narrowing down a list of “books that built me” was surprisingly difficult. The books finally selected,...
Published: 2/10/23
Civil War Emojis
The May 23, 1863, issue of Harper’s Weekly ran the following ad by E.P. Gleason, a New York-based manufacturer. The ad, which promoted Gleason’s “Kerosine Crater,” an attachment to be...
Published: 1/28/23
The Books That Built Me: George Rable
BRYAN HESTER Historian George C. Rable I was not one of those precocious Civil War enthusiasts who started reading Bruce Catton at the age of 10. Even when I was...
Published: 1/9/23
Josephine Miller and Her Stove
Marching To Victory (1888) Josephine Miller Slyder New Hampshire-born journalist Charles Carleton Coffin accompanied Winfield Scott Hancock and his II Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Gettysburg...
Published: 12/12/22
Emancipation’s Truth
Apple TV+ Emancipation directed by Antoine Fuqua. Length: 2 hours, 12 minutes. Premiere: December 9, 2022. Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation could be one of this century’s great movies about self-emancipation. Not...
Published: 12/5/22
Extra Voices: Army Stragglers
Hard Tack and Coffee (1887) A straggler on the move In the Voices section of our Winter 2022 issue we highlighted quotes about “straggling” soldiers in the Union and Confederate...
Published: 11/29/22
The Best Civil War Books of 2022
The Books & Authors section of our Winter 2022 issue contains our annual roundup of the year’s best Civil War titles. As usual, we’ve enlisted a handful of Civil War...
Published: 11/21/22
Extra Dossier: George G. Meade
Library of Congress Major General George G. Meade For the Dossier section of our Fall 2022 issue, we asked a panel of Civil War historians a series of questions about...
Published: 11/18/22
Voices From the Army of Northern Virginia, Part 5
A Life of Gen. Robert E. Lee (1876) Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg Four division commanders wrote letters that rival the best from anyone...
Published: 10/31/22
Voices From the Army of Northern Virginia, Part 4
USAHEC Confederate corps commander James Longstreet Literature on the Army of Northern Virginia contains book-length testimony from four of the seven officers who commanded its infantry corps. These titles include...
Published: 9/28/22
Quick Picks: Sherman’s March Books
Library of Congress Looking to do some reading on William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea? We asked Bennett Parten, a professor of history at Georgia Southern University who is...
Published: 9/26/22
A Straggler
Harper’s Weekly “A Straggler” by Alfred R. Waud On March 28, 1863, Harper’s Weekly published Alfred R. Waud’s description, and associated illustration, of an army straggler—a class of soldier encountered...
Published: 9/12/22
“Union Jim” Williams
Harper’s Weekly “Union Jim” Williams The March 28, 1863, issue of Harper’s Weekly included the following article about, and illustration of, Jim Williams, a formerly enslaved man who assisted Union...
Published: 8/31/22
The Five Best Books on the Civil War in the (Far) West
Library of Congress On the first day of my American West in History and Film class, I ask students to explain where the historical West of their imaginations is located,...
Published: 8/22/22
Extra Voices: A Thirst For Battle
Anne SK Brown Military Collection In the Voices section of our Fall 2022 issue we highlighted quotes about the thirst for battle that consumed many Union and Confederate soldiers. Unfortunately,...
Published: 8/15/22
Major Knipe Winging a Secessionist
Joseph F. Knipe Library of Congress The following news item and image about an incident involving Union officer Joseph Knipe ran in Harper’s Weekly on July 20, 1861—the day before...
Published: 7/22/22
Quick Picks: First Bull Run Books
Library of Congress The Battle of Bull Run Looking to do some reading on the First Battle of Bull Run? We asked Harry Smeltzer, proprietor of the website Bull Runnings,...