The Front Line
Our communal blog featuring the latest in Civil War news, research, analysis, and events from a network of historians
Published: 1/21/20
Grant and Lee at Appomattox
Library of Congress The McLean House in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, where Robert E. Lee met with Ulysses S. Grant on April 9, 1865, to discuss terms of surrender. In...
Published: 1/11/20
Badge Quest
On a Saturday morning this past April, a tiny compact car pulled into the parking lot at the Gettysburg National Military Park’s visitors center. Out of the car popped four...
Published: 12/30/19
The Best Civil War Books of 2019
The Books & Authors section of our Winter 2019 issue contains our annual roundup of the year’s best Civil War titles. As usual, we enlisted the help of a handful...
Published: 12/20/19
Extra Dossier: William T. Sherman
We asked top Civil War historians what they thought Union general William T. Sherman's best quality was. Read their answers.
Published: 12/19/19
The Drummer Boy of Our Regiment
An 1863 illustration from Harper's Weekly highlights a variety of scenes associated with the service of a Union drummer boy.
Published: 12/14/19
Eyewitness to the Battle of Fredericksburg
Explore the Battle of Fredericksburg through the eyewitness account of Union officer William Thompson Lusk.
Published: 12/3/19
Extra Voices: Gambling
Read firsthand Union and Confederate soldiers' quotes on incidents of gambling they encountered during their Civil War service.
Published: 11/22/19
The Dogs of Andersonville
Learn about "Spot," one of the dogs used to guard Union prisoners of war at Andersonville.
Published: 11/16/19
Word-clouding the Gettysburg Address
View a world cloud of Abraham Lincoln's famed Gettysburg Address, delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in 1863.
Published: 11/15/19
The March to the Sea Begins
Read William T. Sherman's Special Field Orders 120, his plan for the March to the Sea through Georgia in 1864.
Published: 10/21/19
Grant’s War Horse: Cincinnati
Discover the story of Grant's favorite war horse, Cincinnati. Learn about their bond and Cincinnati's role during the Civil War.
Published: 10/14/19
Lee’s War Horse: Traveller
Learn about Confederate general Robert E. Lee's warhorse, Traveller.
Published: 10/4/19
Which Way Did They Go?
Julian Scott’s 1872 painting “Sold” helps tell the story of the use of "Quaker guns" during the American Civil War.
Published: 9/27/19
A Hair-Raising Incident at Shiloh
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated History of the Civil War, published in 1895, contained a broad collection of sketches that had appeared during the conflict in Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. One of...
Published: 9/23/19
A Triple Bereavement at Cairo
Learn about the valuable work of 40-year-old Civil War nurse Mary Livermore in a scene from her memoir of the conflict.
Published: 9/20/19
Rock of Chickamauga
Library of Congress Major General George H. Thomas, the “Rock of Chickamauga” In the American Iliad, the Civil War’s chief victors are well known: Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant and...
Published: 8/25/19
Extra Voices: Clara Barton, The Angel of the Battlefield
Read first person quotes by and about famed Civil War nurse Clara Barton.
Published: 8/14/19
Mutiny in the Army
Read a firsthand account of the mutiny among disgruntled soldiers in the 79th New York Infantry in the summer of 1861.