Mistaken Identity and Fame Fixation
By Kurt Luther Ann Shumard, Senior Curator of Photographs at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, reached out to me with a question about a possible misidentification. A glass plate negative
Recent Stories
“One of Nature’s Truest Noblemen” in Three Wars
By Joe Bauman Few soldiers served in the major armed conflicts of 1812, Mexico, and the Civil War. The most notable name is Lt. Gen. Winfield Scott, who commanded the
“Woe Be to Those Who Laugh at His Death”
War Department clerk and former army captain Edward C. Townsend was overcome with emotion after news of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln reached him. “Never before did I shed tears
“Boys, Save the Colors!”
Small in stature yet formidable in his resolve, quiet and unassuming Christian Abraham Fleetwood abandoned his bookkeeping job in Baltimore the moment Black men were allowed to enlist. Born free
President-Elect Lincoln Meets a Revolutionary War Veteran
A memorable meeting between two distinguished visitors took place at the Astor House in New York City during the morning of February 20, 1861. President-elect Abraham Lincoln, on his way
“True Blue and Grit to the Backbone”
By Phil Spaugy The story is well known. How John Lawrence Burns of Gettysburg, a man born during the presidency of George Washington, a soldier of 1812, a former town
Bonds of Loyalty: Forged in Mexico, 1847 — Tested in Texas, 1864
By Ronald S. Coddington The declaration of war against Mexico in May 1846 ignited an explosion of recruiting for volunteer military organizations across the 28 United States. Men from all
Capturing Elmira: The photographers who documented a Northern prisoner of war camp
By Richard Leisenring, Jr., adapted from his forthcoming book Elmira. The name is as recognizable to any novice Civil War historian as Gettysburg, Appomattox, or Andersonville. Over the years, books
A Boy Company Goes to War: William Henry Harrison Ewing and His Hampden-Sydney College Classmates
By Dave Batalo and Hunter Lesser Basking in the glow of victory after the Battle of Rich Mountain, Maj. Gen. George McClellan eyed hundreds of forlorn Confederate prisoners. One group
The Last Grand Army Vets and a Youthful Symbol of America’s Fighting Men
By Ronald S. Coddington Norman Delaney enjoyed a rare moment of relaxation on May 25, 1952. The 20-year-old, full-time college student and army reservist also worked part-time and commanded his