Carbines, Colts & Confederates
Charles Darden has collected carbines for almost a half century—and he doesn’t have any plans to stop. Darden might have focused on the unique firearm exclusively. But that changed in
Tag: civil war
From Bull Run to Hell Canyon
Hell Canyon in Arizona Territory was Apache country, and the scene of several violent and deadly acts in the late 1860s. One such event, a skirmish fought on July 3,
Here Among the Chiefs: The Cherokee Nation’s Lewis Downing, in gray and blue
By Scott Vezeau and Ronald S. Coddington The pop and crack of small arms fire shattered the stillness of a northwest Arkansas afternoon in the autumn of 1862. The gunplay
Foundation of the Rock
Wise. Calm. Self-poised. Steadfast. These words were used by a comrade and biographer of George Henry Thomas to describe the venerable soldier long after he had been christened with the
Carried into Battle: Images that came under fire—and survived
Port Hudson: Taken from the Body of a Confederate One day in mid-1863, a Confederate soldier died—one of many who fell in defense of Port Hudson, La., the fortress city
The Virtuous Knight of the Orphan Brigade: Kentucky’s Lafayette Hewitt
By Brian Boeve and Rusty Hicks Some men were made for high rank, destined for renown as commanders who basked in glory in momentous battles. Others refrained from senior leadership,
A Few Minutes and a Street Block: A Massachusetts soldier recalls his wounding at Fredericksburg
By Scott Valentine On an inclement December eve at a Grand Army of the Republic meeting about 30 years after the war, veteran Josiah Murphey experienced a dull ache in
The Boat that Brought Stonewall Home: A unique panoramic view evokes the life and death of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson
By Warren “H” Shindle Since the earliest days of photography, practitioners created non-continuous sweeping outdoor views with multiple exposures. These separate, patch-worked together images documented city landscapes, such as a
Confederate Mona Lisa
By Doug York and Ronald S. Coddington Long before Vicksburg became ground zero in the federal campaign to control the Mississippi, the city thrived as an important transportation gateway. A
A “Red Burial Blent” at Nashville
On Dec. 16, 1864, the second day of the Battle of Nashville, Maj. Gen. George H. “Pap” Thomas’s Union army readied for a bloody assault. His men marched amidst a