After the Civil War began, schoolteacher Francis Marion Windes joined a local militia company in Morgan County, Ala. Much to his surprise, the rank and file elected him to be their captain and commander. Thus began his experience as an officer. Here's the rest of Frank's story.

Much has been written about the death of Maj. Gen. John F. Reynolds on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Romantic and pragmatic accounts date to the battle and its immediate aftermath. This illustration, by Alfred R. Waud, supports one of these views.

Most Americans know Antietam by a single statistic—3,654, the highest number of dead in a single day in U.S. military history. Some may know the other staggering statistic—23,000 casualties. Behind each of these numbers are men and stories. Here's one of them.

18 years after the Battle of Antietam, Maj. Gen. John Gibbon returned to attend the dedication of the soldiers' monument in the cemetery. As he walked the battleground, memories of that day in 1862, including the actions of his Iron Brigade, came flooding back.

One of the most poignant personal stories of the Battle of Gettysburg is the death of Sgt. Amos Humiston of the 154th New York Infantry. Discovered on the battlefield clutching a photograph of his children, his name was lost in the fog of war. A year before he died, a poem foreshadowed the event.

The six pards pictured in this photograph served in "The Gallant 79th," or the 79th Pennsylvania Infantry, a regiment that fought in the Western Theater's largest battles, from Perryville to Atlanta to Bentonville. And yet, they have been largely forgotten by history.

During the evacuation of Petersburg on April 2, 1865, Surgeon John Herbert Claiborne paused when he realized his Scotch terrier, Jack, had gone missing. Claiborne dispatched the chief of his hospital ambulance corps to go find him. Here's what happened.

If you were a senior Confederate commander present for the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, what would you tell the troops who had served alongside you for four brutal years? Major Gen. John Brown Gordon shared his message in his postwar memoirs. Here's his recollection.

Adam Badeau, an officer on Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's staff, wrote of the unique traits and experiential knowledge that bolstered the general as he took on the job of commander of all the Union armies and waged relentless war on his adversaries. Here's Badeau's comments.

When the Black soldiers in the 55th Massachusetts Infantry learned that they would receive less pay than their White counterparts, they refused to accept money until the government recognized them as equal. The protest caused morale problems and financial hardship for their families. Here's what ...

In his memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant’s account of the 1864 Franklin-Nashville campaign reveals a clash of approaches between him and Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas about how to beat Lt. Gen. John B. Hood's Confederate army. Here's how it played out, and the aftermath.

Major Gen. John Brown Gordon scattered anecdotes about religion in the Confederate army throughout his postwar recollections. He shared how it inspired the men, prompted numerous revivals, and built a culture of victory based on divine providence. Here's his words.

George Washington Tucker Jr., trusted aide and courier to Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill, rode with his commander through a dangerous area on April 2, 1865. They strayed into enemy territory, and Hill paid the ultimate price. Here's Tucker's recollection of what happened.

John Watson Mauk did not like to talk about the events that led to his shooting and killing Lt. Gen. Ambrose Powell Hill on April 2, 1865. But the corporal in the 138th Pennsylvania Infantry told the story at least twice. Here's his version of events.

On October 3, 1889, at the dedication of Maine monuments on the Gettysburg battlefield, Maj. Gen. Joshua L. Chamberlain delivered a well-remembered address with the knowledge, experience, and character of one able to speak with authority. Here's a portion of his speech.

Corporal William H. Boyd stood in the front ranks of the 2nd Wisconsin Infantry during the first day's fight at Gettysburg. Wounded and left behind, he tied off his wounded leg with a tourniquet made of a stick and suspender. A Confederate stole his canteen. Here's the rest of the story.

How did prisoners of war cope with being held against their will? What mechanisms did they develop to endure confinement, uncertainty, pain, and cruelty? Chaplain Louis Napoléon Boudrye of the 5th New York Cavalry, captured after Gettysburg and held at Libby, shares his story.

Following the Battle of Gaines' Miil, a new batch of POWs that arrived at Libby Prison in the Confederate capital. They included one of the nation's best known songwriters and entertainers, Marshall S. Pike. His soothing voice and songs were so good that his captors were not eager to parole him. ...

As George Washington Quimby stood in a perilous position at Fredericksburg, encouraging his men in the 4th Vermont Infantry to stay low, an enemy sharpshooter took aim and fired his weapon. The bullet whizzed across the ground on its way to destiny. This is the story of Quimby's life, service, an...

Major Gen. George H. Thomas believed in staying in his lane as a military commander. Like fellow general William T. Sherman, he had no political ambition, making it clear that he would refuse any nomination to office. He even refused gifts in recognition of his battlefield victories. Here's the s...

In his 1904 memoirs, Confederate Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon looked back on what caused the Civil War. The former Georgia governor and U.S. senator, helped undermine Reconstruction, and championed the fight against civil rights. Here's his thoughts.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Chamberlin of the 149th Pennsylvania Infantry suffered two wounds during the war. An abolitionist and college graduate, he survived his injuries and went on to become a prolific writer, including this poetic tribute to the citizen soldiers who fought to end slavery.

From his quarters at Libby Prison, Chaplain Louis Napoléon Boudrye of the 5th New York Cavalry recounted his journey from Gettysburg to Richmond and the characters he met along the way, including JEB Stuart. Here's Boudrye's story.

During a lull in the fighting on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Bucktails of the 150th Pennsylvania Infantry were both humored and inspired by the old man wearing a blue swallowtail coat and carrying a musket. This account is from one who was there—Lt. Col. Thomas Chamberlin.