Fighting Words
Published: 11/13/25
“Contrabands”
Learn the origin of the term "contraband," a word popularly associated with the masses of enslaved people who sought freedom in Union lines.
Published: 8/19/25
“Wide Awakes”
A look at the origin of the term "Wide Awakes," the name adopted by a group of Abraham Lincoln suporters during the election of 1860.
Published: 5/28/25
“Juneteenth”
Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, commemorates the end of slavery in America. Historian Tracy Barnett explores the origins of the term.
Published: 12/12/24
“Shebang”
The rise of a popular term used to describe certain wartime accommodations
Published: 10/2/24
“Johnny Cake”
A look at the Civil War era foodstuff popularly known as a "Johnny Cake."
Published: 8/2/24
“Scalawag”
A look at the term “scalawag,” a word used during the Civil War to describe undesirable creatures that took on another meaning during Reconstruction.
Published: 12/1/23
“Postal Currency” and “Postage Stamps”
A look at the emergence and use of “Postal Currency” and “Postage Stamps” during the American Civil War.
Published: 9/1/23
“Arkansas Toothpick”
How a large knife known as the "Arkansas Toothpick" earned its menacing reputation in the decades before the Civil War
Published: 6/7/23
“Acknowledge the Corn”
A look at how an expression thought to be rooted in American politics gained widespread use as an admission of error or wrongdoing.
Published: 3/7/23
“To Jump the Broomstick”
An examination of the origins of the phrase "to jump the broomstick," which is often associated with the African-American community.
Published: 9/1/22
Forty Rod
An examination of the term "Forty Rod" whiskey used widely during the American Civil War.
Published: 6/1/22
French Leave
The origins of a Civil War-era euphemism for desertion is rooted in an old ethnic stereotype.
Published: 12/1/21
“Seeing the Elephant”
How Civil War soldiers came to embrace the phrase "seeing the elephant," a popular idiom with prewar origins in circus show business.