The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
Published: 2/26/21
Letters Home: Correspondence from Men at War
Frank Leslie’s illustrated Newspaper Union soldiers take a moment to write home on the hurricane deck of the U.S. transport North Star while on campaign in the Gulf of Mexico...
Published: 12/28/20
Goodbye to All That
Library of Congress Lieutenant Robert Pryor James, Co. E, 20th North Carolina Infantry This will be my final column for the “American Iliad” series, a project I undertook five years...
Published: 12/21/20
Extra Voices: Coffee
Read firsthand quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about the the high value they placed on a good cup of coffee.
Published: 12/7/20
The Best Civil War Books of 2020
The Books & Authors section of our Winter 2020 issue contains our annual roundup of the year’s best Civil War titles. As usual, we enlisted the help of a handful...
Published: 11/17/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 7
The seventh—and final—installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 11/11/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 6
The sixth installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 11/3/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 5
The fifth installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 10/27/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 4
The fourth installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 10/23/20
The Five Best Books on the Confederate Homefront
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper In a New Orleans cemetery in 1863, a woman and her daughters adorn the graves of loved ones killed during the war. For decades, books about...
Published: 10/20/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 3
The third installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 10/13/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 2
The second installment of historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 10/6/20
“The Good Lord Bird”: Episode 1
Historian Megan Kate Nelson's review of the first episode of the Showtime miniseries "The Good Lord Bird."
Published: 9/28/20
Quote for the Day: Autumn is Coming
A quote from Zenas T. Haines, 44th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, on enjoying the fall scenes in October 1862.
Published: 9/21/20
The Five Best Books on the African-American Civil War Experience
Library of Congress This image of an unidentified African-American soldier, his wife, and their two daughters was made between 1863 and 1865. In the midst of current events, people are...
Published: 9/18/20
Interview: Historical Tours in the Time of COVID-19
An interview with Richard Blackmon, director of Historic America Tours, about the challenges of conducting historical tours in the time of Covid-19.
Published: 9/4/20
A Man of Sorrows
Library of Congress Abraham Lincoln in 1860 Abraham lincoln had a great reputation for humor. He cracked jokes constantly—often painfully bad ones, as when he said after examining a model...
Published: 8/25/20
Extra Voices: Thirst
Read firsthand Union an Confederate soldiers' quotes about the extreme thirst they experienced while in the army.
Published: 7/30/20
Eyewitness to the Crater
Read Confederate officer William "Willie" Pegram's eyewitness account of the Battle of the Crater during the Siege of Petersburg, Virginia.