The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
Published: 10/18/21
Suits of Shoddy
Founded in 1818, Brooks Brothers of New York is the oldest clothing retailer in America. Even today, the name alone conjures images of fine silk neckties and Italian wool sportscoats—quality,...
Published: 9/27/21
The Five Best Books on Civil War Guerrillas
Library of Congress Two guerrillas stop a civilian rider to rob him in this sketch from a December 1864 issue of Harper’s Weekly. “This Mr. Wales is a cold-blooded killer....
Published: 9/24/21
Mr. Gridley and His Sack of Flour
In the January 21, 1865, issue of Harper’s Weekly, the editors published a small story about a man from Nevada who had lost an election for city office—but gained national...
Published: 9/20/21
Unceasing Fury at Chickamauga
Fourteen hundred and 91 days in the Confederate Army (1953) W.W. Heartsill as he appeared after the Civil War The Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 18–20, 1863, pitted William...
Published: 9/13/21
Extra Voices: Nicknames
Library of Congress Roosters prepare for battle in a Union army camp. In the Voices section of the Fall 2021 issue of The Civil War Monitor we highlighted quotes by...
Published: 8/27/21
Voices From the Army of Northern Virginia, Part 2
IN CAMP AND BATTLE WITH THE WASHINGTON ARTILLERY OF NEW ORLEANS (1885) Confederate gunners fire at the enemy in a postwar illustration titled “The Artillery Duel.” Artillerists created an invaluable...
Published: 7/20/21
After Fort Wagner
National Park Service Lewis Douglass, 54th Massachusetts Infantry On July 20, 1863, 22-year-old Lewis Douglass, a member of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry—and son of famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass—wrote the following...
Published: 7/16/21
Bully Boys
“If you want to have a good time, join the cavalry!” Detailing the early war exploits of J.E.B. Stuart’s Confederate troops, this song immortalized the daring ride around George B....
Published: 6/28/21
Voices From the Army of Northern Virginia, Part 1
Library of Congress J.E.B. Stuart leads the Army of Northern Virginia’s cavalry on its ride around the Army of the Potomac in 1862. Between fall 2013 and summer 2016, I...
Published: 6/7/21
Extra Voices: Fear
In the Voices section of the Summer 2021 issue of The Civil War Monitor we highlighted quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about fear. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room to...
Published: 5/28/21
The Books that Built Me
Library of Congress A Civil War soldier and his reading material Civil War enthusiasts understand that historians construct campaign and battle narratives from official reports, maps, letters, journals, newspaper articles...
Published: 5/24/21
The Death of Colonel Ellsworth
Library of Congress Colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth On May 24, 1861, 24-year-old Elmer E. Ellsworth, colonel of 11th New York Infantry, led a group of his men from their camp...
Published: 4/29/21
Essential Reading on the Coming of the Civil War
Library of Congress Fort Sumter under fire, April 1861 The literature on the coming of the Civil War is more than vast—it is overwhelming. Choosing just a handful of the...
Published: 4/19/21
Kissing and Kicking Ass
Private Amos Breneman of the 203rd Pennsylvania Infantry was, by his own estimation, an ass. Addressing a male friend back in Lancaster County, he wrote in April 1865, “I am...
Published: 4/16/21
War’s Early Days
A Diary From Dixie (1906) Mary Boykin Chesnut Two days after the fall of Fort Sumter, 38-year-old South Carolinian Mary Boykin Chesnut sat down with her journal—something she’d done faithfully...
Published: 4/15/21
“The First Gun is Fired”
Library of Congress George F. Root Published three days after the fall of Fort Sumter in April 1861, “The First Gun is Fired: May God Protect the Right” is known...
Published: 4/9/21
Word-Clouding Lee’s and Grant’s Farewell Addresses
On the night of April 9, 1865, only hours after surrendering to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Robert E. Lee sat around a fire with a group of...
Published: 4/5/21
Extra Voices: Shirkers
Hard Tack and Coffee In the Voices section of the Spring 2021 issue of The Civil War Monitor we highlighted quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about shirking. Unfortunately, we...