In 1863, shortly after the death of Stonewall Jackson from wounds received at the Battle of Chancellorsville, John Esten Cooke, a staff officer to General J.E.B. Stuart, paid tribute to the fallen commander in his biography, The Life of Stonewall Jackson. One chapter reflects on Jackson after his...

A search of the annals of the Civil War reveals that the rise of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson as legendary figures in the Confederacy begins its ascent in 1861 with Jackson’s leadership at First Manassas and gathers momentum in 1862, when Lee assumed command of the Army of Northern Virgini...

On July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, color sergeant Burlington “Burl” Cunningham expressed his eagerness to unfurl the regimental colors of the 19th Indiana Infantry. A staff officer ordered him not to do so. Cunningham brought them out anyway—here is what happened.

The discovery by Union troops of a copy of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Special Order 191 on Sept. 13, 1862, had significant consequences for the Maryland Campaign, which ended days later when Confederate forces were checked on the battlefield of Antietam. Hailed as one of the most consequential intellig...

In the early 20th century, author Gamaliel Bradford pioneered a form of psychological biography he called “psychography.” Over 20 years, he wrote 114 of them, including studies of influential Civil War figures. His portrait of Robert E. Lee examines the man beneath the Southern icon (Part 3 of 3).

In the early 20th century, author Gamaliel Bradford pioneered a form of psychological biography he called “psychography.” Over 20 years, he wrote 114 of them, including studies of influential Civil War figures. His portrait of Robert E. Lee examines the man beneath the Southern icon (Part 2 of 3).

In the early 20th century, author Gamaliel Bradford pioneered a form of psychological biography he called “psychography.” Over 20 years, he wrote 114 of them, including studies of influential Civil War figures. His portrait of Robert E. Lee examines the man beneath the Southern icon (Part 1 of 3).

The historic debut of the ironclad CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, Virginia, forever changed naval warfare. One of the officers aboard the Confederate vessel, Douglas Forrest, served as an aide to Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan. This is his story.

Captain Edwin E. Bouldin (1838–1912) wrote a brief history of the company he commanded, the Charlotte Cavalry, which entered Confederate service as Company B of the 14th Virginia Cavalry. In closing, he reflected on his men and offered his thoughts on how the Confederacy—and their service—should ...

The 131st birthday of George Washington, on February 22, 1863, offered newspaper editors an opportunity to connect the founding father and first president to current events. In occupied Nashville, Tenn., the Nashville Daily Union weighed in.

Major Gen. George Gordon Meade rose to national attention with his victory at the Battle or Gettysburg, and stands among the pantheon of military leaders who saved the Union. Yet, he never quite gained the heroic status of a Grant or Sherman, or a Lee or Jackson. Writer Gamaliel Bradford explored...

Major Gen. George Gordon Meade rose to national attention with his victory at the Battle or Gettysburg, and stands among the pantheon of military leaders who saved the Union. Yet, he never quite gained the heroic status of a Grant or Sherman, or a Lee or Jackson. Writer Gamaliel Bradford explored...

Major Gen. George Gordon Meade rose to national attention with his victory at the Battle or Gettysburg, and stands among the pantheon of military leaders who saved the Union. Yet, he never quite gained the heroic status of a Grant or Sherman, or a Lee or Jackson. Writer Gamaliel Bradford explored...

On December 22, 1864, the Union transport North America steamed up the Florida coast, packed with soldier patients, crew, and caregivers on the way to New York. A raging storm overcame the vessel, and crew worked feverishly to save lives. Here's what happened.

On July 4, 1865, in courthouse square at Princeton, Ind., a monument was dedicated to the 58th Indiana Infantry, which had been organized in the town four years earlier. Its origins date to April 1863, when the regiment was only half way through its service. Here's the backstory.

Ulysses S. Grant provided little color commentary in his memoirs about his brief trip to Washington, D.C., to accept his lieutenant general's commission from President Abraham Lincoln. The four-day event did receive attention in newspapers. Here are early accounts of the visit.

William Wade Dudley, the respected lieutenant colonel of the Iron Brigade's 19th Indiana Infantry, suffered a combat-ending wound on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. A quarter-century later, during the heated presidential campaign of 1888, a private circular Dudley wrote leaked to the p...

Just after the federal loss at the Battle of Second Bull Run, Brig. Gen. Nathan Kimball and his brigade of Buckeyes, Hoosiers, and West Virginia paused in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., before heading into the Maryland Campaign. Here's a view of Kimball and his battle-hardened citizen-soldiers.

There comes a time in early life when a slave becomes aware that he is a slave. And so it was with Henry Scott, a half-white child fathered by his master in Northern Virginia’s Fauquier County. Henry became acutely and painfully aware of his condition at age eight in about 1856—and vowed to escap...

During the early days of the war, the country community of Bailey's Crossroads, Va., lay between the defenses of Washington, D.C., and Confederate outposts on Munson's Hill. A report of life on the Union picket lines during this time is a unique and sometimes light-hearted view.

Major Gen. Joseph Hooker is well-remembered for his generalship at the battles of Chancellorsville and Lookout Mountain—and his outspoken nature, attacking peers and superiors with reckless abandon. Gamaliel Bradford, a pioneer of psychological studies, explored Hooker in a 1914 article in The At...

Major Gen. Joseph Hooker is well-remembered for his generalship at the battles of Chancellorsville and Lookout Mountain—and his outspoken nature, attacking peers and superiors with reckless abandon. Gamaliel Bradford, a pioneer of psychological studies, explored Hooker in a 1914 article in The At...

Major Gen. Joseph Hooker is well-remembered for his generalship at the battles of Chancellorsville and Lookout Mountain—and his outspoken nature, attacking peers and superiors with reckless abandon. Gamaliel Bradford, a pioneer of psychological studies, explored Hooker in a 1914 article in The At...

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.