Every general has a champion who celebrates a soldier's life and deeds. Major Gen. George Henry Thomas, the Virginia-born West Pointer remembered as the Rock of Chickamauga, had his champion in Thomas Budd Van Horne, an army chaplain who wrote Thomas's biography. Here's Van Horne's recollection.

Join talented full time traditional gun builder Mike Miller from Paducah, Kentucky as he builds a very fine flintlock Kentucky pistol starting with a premium curly maple stock blank & then fabricating most of the parts. The tapered & flared Bob Paris barrel is inlet with hand tools; the brass mou...

The 21st Mississippi Infantry marched into Gettysburg with the Army of Northern Virginia, but by the end of the battle many of its soldiers had been killed, wounded, or captured. In this episode, we walk the same ground they crossed, stopping at key locations to trace their attack and explore wha...

If you're keeping track, you remember that The Beantown Girls was one of our Book Club picks earlier this year, getting a standing ovation from all three of us in our quarterly recap. Joining us this week is author Jane Healey, who put pen to paper and brought us the story of three lifelong frien...

The Virginia School of the Deaf and Blind was incredibly unique for its time, and is still a place of education today. What happens when generals need hospital space for all of the injured men, and the school is in an ideal location? Join Will as he dives into that story - as well as looks at how...

On July 1, 1863, at Gettysburg, Asst. Surg. James Fulton of the 143rd Pennsylvania Infantry found himself on an odyssey as he tried to find the makeshift hospital for his division's wounded, and to navigate the lack of food and presence of Confederates. Here's Fulton's story, based on his diary.

If you've visited Gettysburg in recent years, you've found a visitor center, guided tours, museums, hotels, restaurants, and just about everything a modern traveler could want.

Now, travel back to June 1867. What was it like? War correspondent George Alfred Townsend, who used the pen name "Gath,...

Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson has become so much a part of Civil War legend that it can be difficult to see the man behind the monument. One of his fellow generals, John Brown Gordon, explored “The secret of his wonderful power” and “The secret of Jackson’s character.”

Sergeant David A. Barnett of the 99th Pennsylvania Infantry participated in the second and third days' fighting at Gettysburg, and lived to write home about it. In a letter to his cousin Robert, Barnett recalls the battle and pokes fun at the "fireside generals" who criticized the Army of the Pot...

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 ...

In our latest episode, we chat with Will Eichler, a pioneer in Civil War productions, who shares how he transforms historical narratives into captivating visuals. From his childhood in a farming community to creating impactful documentaries, Will emphasizes the power of connection in understandin...

First Sgt. John V. Miller of the 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry led his company at Gettysburg after all the officers had been hit. A quarter-century after the battle, at a reunion in Gettysburg, he remembered the fallen. Here's his address.