Recent Stories
Early Photo Sleuths In the Dead Letter Office
By Kurt Luther Not long ago, I received a gift of a carte de visite of an unidentified Civil War soldier, probably a Union private, wearing a short jacket and
Thoughts on Private Booth
By J. Matthew Gallman When we attempt to understand history, we often find that empirical truths unfold alongside significant symbolic moments. And, to make things even more complicated, it is
Men of Nerve: The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry in the Civil War
By James Paradis The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry was the only black cavalry regiment from Massachusetts. Its veteran commander, Col. Henry S. Russell, had distinguished himself earlier in the war with
The Backdrops of Benton Barracks
By Mike Medhurst and Brian Boeve Benton Barracks, the bustling Union army’s training facility on the outskirts of St. Louis, was capable of housing up to 30,000 soldiers at one
A Bay State Militiaman in Full Dress Uniform
Hosea Ballot Ellis (1822-1889), of Quincy, Mass., is attired in the uniform of a Bay State militiaman. Standard trappings include white shoulder belts, epaulettes and a black waist belt with
Lexington, Not Petersburg: A cancelled revenue stamp on the back of an iconic image of Gen. Robert E. Lee and Traveller suggests a new location—and brings to light the photographers who took it
By John O’Brien Of all the photographs of Robert E. Lee, one stands out as favored above the rest: the gray-coated general seated on his faithful mount, Traveller. According
An Illustrated look at New England’s Dizzying Array of Early War Uniforms
From its early days as a hotbed of colonial rebellion to its role during the Civil War as a prolific supplier of men and materials, the six states of New
On the Power of Observation
On a crisp clear day this autumn, I sat down with John O’Brien to discuss an iconic carte de visite of Gen. Robert E. Lee. My laptop and scanner seemed
At Stones River, A Sword Lost and Found
By Ronald S. Coddington In the maelstrom of fighting at Stones River on the last day of 1862, dense clouds of gun smoke hung like a pall over the bloody