Finding the Face of Fort Craig’s Namesake
By Kurt Luther During the Civil War years, the Washington, D.C., area was surrounded by a ring of 68 US Army forts known today as the Civil War Defenses of
Author: MI Digital
A Militia Company on Parade
A militia company stands along a roadway in Angelica, N.Y., while curious townspeople inspect them. Armed with muskets and wearing pompon-topped shakos and cross-belts, they appear ready for parade. According
Family Irony Behind “The Rock of Chickamauga”
During the morning of the second day’s fight at Chickamauga, coordinated Confederate attacks came perilously close to breaking the Union army’s right flank. Towards the climax of the advance, the
Two Fathers, Two Sons, Two Telegrams
On May 24, 1861, Ephraim D. Ellsworth, 52, happened to be in the telegraph office in Mechanicsville, N.Y., when a shocking message came across the wires. The operator wept openly,
Symbol of Remembrance: The Vacant Chair
By Elizabeth A. Topping, with images from the author’s collection These images memorialize someone no longer there; someone whom these women loved. Their downcast gazes at the physical absence represented
Blacklighting Reveals a Modern Forgery
By Perry M. Frohne This story has a happy ending for a collector because I had the right tools for the job in my fake detection toolbox. The heroes are
Searching for Herb Peck’s Images: 45 years after the theft of his pre-eminent collection, an update—and a new call to action
By Ronald S. Coddington I felt immediately comfortable on meeting Felicity Peck for the first time. Her soft eyes and smile, silver hair and British accent charmed me. “You’re with
Lieutenant Washington’s Fateful Encounter: James Barroll Washington sat for a well-known portrait with George Armstrong Custer. Here’s the story behind it.
By Ronald S. Coddington General Joe Johnston’s headquarters buzzed with activity early in the morning of May 31, 1862. Staff aides and couriers dashed in and out of the Virginia
“The Brave Boy-Lieutenant”: First Lieutenant and Aide De Camp Frank N. Sheets
By Brendan C. Hamilton A column of soldiers marched along a Southern road, their well-worn brogans tramping over hard dirt and sloshing through mud. Bronzed faces passed, one-by-one, undeniably weary,
How to Live Your Best Life: A Civil War Veteran’s Advice to the Future
By Ronald S. Coddington, featuring artifacts from the Eleanor Laughlin Family Papers Henry Haymond penned a letter to his great-grandson on the occasion of the youngster’s second birthday. The white-bearded,