During the Civil War, Kentucky's Basil W. Duke, a respected Confederate brigadier general, met fellow Kentuckian and guerrilla fighter Champ Ferguson, a man he described as "the most celebrated and successful exponent of this irregular warfare." Here's his recollection.

How Americans perceived their country underwent a dramatic change during the Civil War, shifting from a view of the United States in the plural to an embrace of a singular national identity. Two essays, one published in 1864 and another in 1865, tell the larger story.

One of the top correspondents in the American press during the Civil War, the Boston Journal's Charles Carleton Coffin, arrived at Gettysburg after the first day's fighting. His description of Pickett's Charge, from the Union side, is vivid, poetic prose.

For three days in October 1865, Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott Hancock, staff, and friends, toured the battlefield of Gettysburg. For Hancock, walking and riding the grounds in company with historian John Batchelder made the visit a memorable and newsworthy event.

One of America's most talented wartime journalists, George Alfred Townsend, visited Gettysburg in June 1867. "Gath," as he signed his reports, wandered town, talked to locals, and toured the battlefield where North and South fought four years earlier. Here's part of his story.

First Lt. Jeremiah Hoffman of the 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry suffered a serious wound during the first day of fighting at Gettysburg. He was transported to the Lutheran Theological Seminary for treatment. His vivid, haunting recollections tell us of life inside the building during the uncertain ...

During the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate Maj. Gen. John B. Gordon happened upon a severely wounded Union brigadier, Francis C. Barlow. Gordon shared his canteen and had men carry Barlow to a shady spot to die. 15 years later, he learned Barlow survived. Here's the story.

By mid-January 1861, five states had seceded from the Union. In Virginia, State Senator John Herbert Claiborne faced constituents divided over whether their state should leave or stay. An ardent secessionist with pro-slavery sentiments, Claiborne made this argument to renounce Virginia's allegiance.

Joe Magill, known in some circles in Wyoming as the Cowboy Orator, wrote a letter to the editor of the National Tribune newspaper about a neglected grave he had found—a Civil War soldier named Bennett Tribett. Joe was wanting to know more. Here's the answer.

During the Atlanta Campaign, near Marietta at Pine Mountain, a reconnaissance by Confederate generals Joe Johnston, William J. Hardee, and Leonidas Polk attracted enemy artillery fire. Cannon shot landed with deadly accuracy in the midst of the generals and their staffs.

On May 30, 1922, President Warren G. Harding spoke with passion about the chief executive he referred to as a "matchless martyr"—Abraham Lincoln. Harding's remarks were delivered on behalf of the American people as he formally accepted the Lincoln Memorial. Here's Harding's words.

Nurses were on the front lines of treating soldiers from disease and combat wounds—and witness to those who survived and the many who did not. One of America's best-remembered nurses, Walt Whitman, left behind his thoughts about the patients he encountered, and the number of unknown burials scatt...

After Isaiah Goddard Hacker failed a physical exam to join the army, he went anyway—as a sutler. He tried a second time and again didn't make it. The third time, however, ended in his admission to the 38th Massachusetts Infantry—and a battle wound. Here's his story.