Major Gen. Benjamin F. Butler, commanding the Army of the James, ordered a division of his U.S. Colored Troops to attack New Market Heights, part of the Confederate defenses of Richmond and Petersburg, on September 29, 1864. Here's his version of the battle.

After Confederate forces suffered a serious defeat at Missionary Ridge in 1863, Maj. Gen. Patrick R. Cleburne became convinced that the army could not beat the federals without additional troops—more than the white population of the South could supply. His solution was controversial.

Behind this 1863 photograph of a section of board with seven bullet holes in it, part of the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., is the story of President Abraham Lincoln testing a lethal new firearm, the Spencer Repeating Rifle.

On August 22, 1889, 15,000 Union army veterans marched through Indianapolis to bear witness to the laying of the cornerstone for the Indiana Soldiers and Sailors Monument. Among the speakers was the 23rd President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison. Here's what the fellow Hoosier had to say ...

In the wake of the election of Abraham Lincoln as president of the United States, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives Alexander Hamilton Stephens stood before his fellow Georgians and counseled them to not act rashly—to work within the Constitution to stop the Republicans. Here are...

During the waning months of the Civil War, at the Battle of Franklin, the Confederate army suffered heavy casualties, including one of its most popular generals, Patrick R. Cleburne. After the war, his biographer collected accounts of his death by those who were there.

On May 23-24, 1865, about 150,000 boys in blue—90,000 from the east and 60,000 from the west, marched through Washington, D.C., to celebrate victory over Confederate forces. More than 200,000 spectators watched the Grand Review. One of them was Walt Whitman. Here's his recollection.

The Bayles boys, Edward and Albert, joined the 139th New York Infantry in 1862. They left behind a little brother and extended family, as their parents had died before the war. Letters left behind tell the story of their service, and their shared experience at Cold Harbor in 1864.

After four years of all-consuming war, Americans entered into a new and uncertain period of Reconstruction. Early in the transition, in 1866, reports of the Confederate flag flying in different parts of the country set off alarm bells. Here's the story.

Colonel Charles S. Wainwright, the Army of the Potomac's 5th Corps artillery chief, bore witness to the final days of the Appomattox Campaign. In his journal, he recorded his observations of the events of April 9—the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia—and April 10.

Letters home by Thomas D. Brisley of the 6th Maine Infantry follow a familiar pattern. They start with hope and excitement and become more skeptical as the Civil War dragged on. A sampling of Brisley's letters reveals the many challenges such soldiers faced.

On July 4, as Confederate forces withdrew from Gettysburg, Col. Charles S. Wainwright rode along the base of Culp's Hill and the furthest advance of Pickett's Charge to see the scenes of carnage and debris in the aftermath of battle. He shared his observations in his journal.

In January 1861, Alexander H. Stephens found himself in the position of persuading his fellow Georgians to remain in the Union rather than secede. Dedicated to preserving slavery, he preferred to postpone secession until a later time. Here's the address he gave to secession convention delegates.

The Emancipation Proclamation is connected to two important dates: September 22, 1862, when President Abraham Lincoln released the preliminary proclamation, and January 1, 1863, when the proclamation took effect. A third document, issued between the two, is also noteworthy.

After Col. Harrison Hobart of the 21st Wisconsin Infantry climbed out of a 70-foot tunnel from Libby Prison into the streets of Richmond, he had to get through the city's defenses and make his way to Union lines and freedom. Here's what happened.

Wagon drivers, known as teamsters in Civil War vernacular, occupied the lowest rung of the army command ladder. Still, such men could advance, if they were driven and talented. Here's one of them—Benjamin B. Hopkins. His comrades thought he looked like a picture on a playing card.

Following his surrender of about 30,000 Confederate troops at Vicksburg, Maj. Gen. John Clifford Pemberton carried the burden of it for the rest of his days. Among his sympathetic defenders was fellow general John Brown Gordon. Here are his thoughts—and the general he blamed for the loss.

After Virginia voters ratified the ordnance of secession on May 23, 1861, Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott acted quickly to secure the borders of Washington. Scott sent thousands of troops across the Potomac River and invaded Northern Virginia. Here's the story.

By April 25, 1861, tension in Washington, D.C. had reached a fever pitch. Surrounded by secessionists in Maryland and Virginia, President Abraham Lincoln beamed with pleasure when a Union regiment made its way to the city. It was not just any regiment. Here's the story.

In battle, the slightest change in the movement of your body at any given moment could make the difference between living to fight another day—or not. At Fredericksburg, Capt. William H. Winsor turned his head just as a bullet headed straight for him. Here's what happened.

Colonel Harrison C. Hobart of the 21st Wisconsin Infantry was captured at the Battle of Chickamauga and sent to Libby Prison. With prisoner exchanges stopped, Hobart worked with his comrades to tunnel out of Libby. Here's how it happened.

Baltimore Mayor George W. Brown found himself under the national spotlight after pro-secession mobs attacked Union troops as they marched through his city. A political moderate, Brown later shared his understanding of the Constitution's great weakness—slavery.

About ten years after the war, Col. Harrison C. Hobart of the 21st Wisconsin Infantry visited the home of his old friend, Brig. Gen. John Beatty. The general's family asked Hobart to tell the story of his capture at Chickamauga and imprisonment in Richmond. Here's the first part of his story, inc...

On June 8, 1863, Chaplain John Seage of the 4th Michigan Infantry set out on horseback from Fredericksburg, Va., to Washington, D.C. He carried thousands of dollars in cash, and other valuables, for families back in Michigan. Along the way he encountered Mosby's Rangers.