Blogs

Timothy J. Orr's "The Battle of Gettysburg 1863" is a perfect guide for battlefield visitors....and a handy reference for scholars.

Three books containing Robert E. Lee’s testimony provide the foundation for any collection on the Army of Northern Virginia. Lee forged the army into a powerful military instrument, molded its culture of command, built an unrivaled bond with its rank-and-file, and, based on operational successes, saw it become the most important national institution in the Confederacy. This essay examines two...

Tamika Nunley's "The Demands of Justice" explores what justice looked like under slavery.

C.W. Goodyear is determined to give James A. Garfield a fresh look.

Kerri Greenidge's "The Grimkes" is a staggering feat of research and storytelling.

In "Small but Important Riots," Robert F. O'Neill recounts the roiling cauldron of small unit actions at Aldie, Middleburg, and Upperville.

Odd Lovoll's "Colonel Hans Christian Heg" adds to a well-established literature on immigrants who served in the U.S. Army during the Civil War.

For the past two decades I have been fortunate to live in the place I research and write about, the Shenandoah Valley. My scholarship over the past 20 years has explored a wide array of topics—including battles and campaigns, memory, postwar activities of Union and Confederate veterans, personalities, and the complexities of life for enslaved people and free blacks during the Civil War era in...

Anyone interested in civil wars throughout world history should read Will Fowler's "The Grammar of Civil War."

Jill Newmark's book is a must-read and must-cite for those studying the Black military experience in the Civil War era.

The events of the last several years and the current trends in public attitudes—however they may be construed and from whatever source they may emanate—have created a different world than that which most of us grew up in. Regardless of how we may personally feel about these changes in society, they are not likely to cease and, coupled with astounding advances in technology, will continue to...

W. Dale Weeks' "Cherokee Civil Warrior" should be read by anyone who wishes to better understand the changing relationship between the United States and Native Americans during the Civil War era.

In the Voices section of our Summer 2023 issue we highlighted quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about life amid the trenches. Unfortunately, we didn't have room to include all that we found. Below are those that just missed the cut.

Elliott West’s "Continental Reckoning" vividly shows the importance of looking at the American West when studying the Civil War era.

It may seem a cliche to preface my Top Five articles with the disclaimer that the subject cannot possibly be done justice by so few recommendations. Then I cheat and add topical or geographical frameworks to make the selections manageable. Biography being perhaps more enormous than any other genre, it is a foregone conclusion that many, many truly outstanding books will be left off such a short...

"Through Blood and Fire" is an excellent collection of letters, valuable to the researcher as well as the casual reader.

Carl Kramer's "Civil War Generals of Indiana" is a useful compendium of some lesser-known lives.

Ashley Towle's "African Americans, Death, and the New Birth of Freedom" is an essential read.

In "From Underground Railroad to Rebel Refuge," Brian Martin describes Canada's unique role in the U.S. Civil War.

On May 24, 1861, 24-year-old Elmer E. Ellsworth—colonel of the 11th New York Infantry—was shot and killed by the pro-secessionist proprietor of the Marshall House, an inn located in Alexandria, Virginia, after the young officer removed a Confederate flag that flew from its roof. Ellsworth, who had risen to fame before the war while touring the country with his military drill team, the Zouave ...