It is easy to overlook the Civil War service of Benjamin Harrison, the 23rd President of the United States. In 1862, when his home state of Indiana struggled to meet its quota of volunteers called to arms by President Abraham Lincoln, Harrison stepped up. Here's what happened.

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.

Franklin F. Pratt, who served in the ranks of the 76th New York Infantry, and the rest of Maj. Gen. John Reynolds 1st Corps faced the Confederate juggernaut during the first day of fighting at Gettysburg. Pratt wrote a letter to his parents to explain what happened—and how he fared.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.