Rangers and Photographs of a Hometown
A Compendium of Rangers The term Ranger conjures a vision of today’s highly trained and disciplined military forces capable of clandestine strikes deep into enemy territory. Students of the Civil
Category: Passing in Review
Timeless Colonels, Captain Brooks, and Hard Images
Timeless Colonels Among the Civil War’s most exclusive fraternities is Union soldiers who wore the spread-winged eagle on their shoulder straps: colonels. These individuals set the tone for the fighting
Uniforms of the Union Volunteers of 1861: The Mid-Atlantic States
The casual observer of Civil War portraiture likely understands that early war Confederate uniforms comprised a hodgepodge of styles. Author Ron Field’s new book, Uniforms of the Union Volunteers of
A Catalog of Zouave Mania
By Ron Field Zouave mania exploded across the country in 1860, following the tour of Elmer E. Ellsworth and his United States Zouave Cadets. Like phosphorus in a ship’s wake,
Grand Regimental, Atlanta Images and “Hold My Horse”
A Regimental History in the Grand Tradition The histories of regiments produced during the lifetimes of veterans that fought the Civil War stand as a memorial to their service. These
Glimpsing “The Eye of the Sun”
The National Gallery of Art celebrated the 180th birthday of photography in style. “The Eye of the Sun: Nineteenth-Century Photographs from the National Gallery of Art,” open to the public
Marylanders and Mississippi’s Brave Girls
Marylanders In Blue Get Their Due A wartime carte de visite of John R. Kenly pictures the Baltimore lawyer-turned-soldier dressed in a double-breasted frock coat and cradling a sword. A
Our Brethren Are On the Field
Brad Quinlin has been forever touched by the courage of a World War II soldier. The GI, William Ralph Shockley, volunteered to stay behind and provide cover fire for his
The Refreshingly Honest James Benton on Death, Disease and Life
Civil War letters are the ultimate first draft of the conflict’s history. These intimate writings, packed with news and rumor from the front lines and a longing for home and
The Rich History of a Fort in Soldier Portraits
The list of officers who passed through Michigan’s Fort Mackinac in antebellum times on their way to becoming Civil War generals might surprise you. On the Union side, Edwin Vose