The memoirs of Lt. Gen. and President Ulysses S. Grant are filled with subtle—and not so subtle—commentaries. Here's one, which appears at the end of his second volume, and it speaks to American power and the future.

On a January day in 1864, Confederate Capt. Nathaniel Sturdivant and his patrol arrived at Cherry Grove, a landing along Virginia’s James River, to seek out the enemy. He and his men soon found them in the town of Smithfield. Here's what happened next.

James Wheaton Converse Jr., an 18-year-old sergeant in the 24th Massachusetts Infantry, distinguished himself in combat along the North Carolina coast in early 1862. Recognized by his superiors for gallantry, he went on to prove himself again in Louisiana. Here's the story.

He signed his name as "X" in his dispatches to the Richmond Enquirer, and filled newspaper columns with hope and steadied nerves that supported the citizens of the capital and elsewhere across the South as they fought for independence. He is Edward A. Pollard, and here's an example of his narrative.

Military Images magazine subscriber Ken Harris emailed Ron about a particular regimental history, one that he was very familiar with and had used from time to timw. In reviewing the book, Ron scrolled to a section that had previously escaped his attention—the Publisher's Preface—which provides co...

In February 1861, U.S. Navy Lt. Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven returned to New York Harbor after a two-year assignment aboard the steamer Mohawk. He took the time to write a letter to fellow naval officers about the very real perils he saw as the country drifted towards Civil War.

In his 1885 Personal Memoirs, Ulysses S. Grant offered a candid assessment of his adversary at the 1862 Battle of Shiloh, Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, and provided context about the battle's importance to war. Here's his thoughts and opinions.

News of the Union victory at the Battle of Franklin made its way across the North, with early reports filed by correspondents. One of these writers, 1st Lt. Daniel Royse, who started the war in the 40th Indiana Infantry and served as an aide to Brig. Gen. George D. Wagner, detailed the action in ...

Magnus Brucker fled the failed German Revolution of 1848 and rebuilt his life in Indiana as a physician and politician. During the Civil War, he served as surgeon of the 23rd Indiana Infantry, fighting slavery’s expansion while caring for soldiers across major campaigns. Here's his story.

Captain George “Van” Vanderbilt’s quick thinking and bold leadership along the Warrenton Road stalled Confederate advances, buying critical time for his 10th New York Cavalry to form for action on the morning of the Battle of Bristoe Station. Here's the story.

"Though the Friends of Liberty Die, Liberty Itself Is Immortal."

At the Battle of Chancellorsville, there came a moment when Col. William J. Sewell and his New Jersey Brigade, including Michael Clancy, faced overwhelming odds with no orders to retire and no reinforcements on the way. There was no honorable option but to charge—and they did.

Basil W. Duke numbered among five Confederate brigadier generals who escorted President Jefferson Davis as he fled from the Confederate capital after Union forces captured the city on April 3, 1865. Duke recalled Davis state of mind when he called a council of war.

The capture of Jefferson Davis in Georgia about five weeks after he fled the Confederate capital was heralded throughout the country. His confinement raised a novel question: Now that the government had taken the ex-President into custody, what exactly were they to do with him?

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 ...