African Americans
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: 5/28/25
The Butler Medal
The Butler Medal was awarded by Major General Benjamin F. Butler to this United States Colored Troops. This one sold at auction for $45,000.
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Published: 3/18/25
The Liberators: Combahee River Raid of 1863
In June 1863, Harriet Tubman helped Union forces pull off a daring raid of destruction and liberation on plantations of the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Published: 1/2/25
The Best Civil War Books of 2024
What were the best Civil War history books published in 2024? Five Civil War historians offer their picks.
Published: 1/1/25
An Eventful New Year
Explore a letter from a Union officer that documents an Emancipation Day celebration in New Bern, North Carolina, on New Year's Day, 1865.
Published: 10/2/24
A Burdensome Decision
A look at the difficult decision Colonel Lewis Johnson of the 44th U.S. Colored Troops faced at Dalton, Georgia.
Published: 3/27/24
Combee (2024)
Edda L. Fields-Black’s "Combee" is so much more than a campaign study of the June 1-3, 1863, raid led by the Underground Railroad conductor, nurse, and spy Harriet Tubman.
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Published: 3/18/24
The Draper Raid of June 1864
A look at a controversial Union operation on Virginia's Northern Neck in the summer of 1864.
Published: 3/18/24
An Unwilling Abolitionist
Joseph D. Hatfield and emancipation's effects within the Union army
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Published: 3/18/24
The Man Who Broke The Klan
How U.S. Army officer and Civil War veteran Lewis Merrill took on—and routed—the Ku Klux Klan in postwar South Carolina
Published: 8/9/23
The Grimkes (2022)
The first book to do justice to both sides of an important American family.
Published: 7/11/23
Without Concealment, Without Compromise (2023)
A "must-read" for those interested in African-American military service during the Civil War era.
Published: 6/7/23
African Americans, Death, and the New Birth of Freedom (2022)
An important contribution to African-American history.
Published: 12/12/22
Emancipation’s Truth
A review of the Will Smith movie "Emancipation," which spotlights the fight for liberation during a pivotal moment in American history.
Published: 11/30/22
The Gospel of Freedom (2022)
A "valuable contribution" to our understanding of the Underground Railroad.
Published: 11/2/22
Black Suffrage (2022)
A look at northerners' attitudes toward African-American rights in the post-Civil War years.
Published: 9/21/22
The Families’ Civil War (2022)
A deep dive into Philadelphia's working-class African-American soldiers and their families.
Published: 9/12/22
“Union Jim” Williams
Learn about "Union Jim" Williams, a formerly enslaved man who aided Union forces in Louisiana.