Prince Rivers and the Post-Civil War South Carolina Legislature
By Stephen Berry and Kurt Luther Prince Rivers (c. 1822-1887) was born enslaved in South Carolina and worked as a coachman before escaping to Union lines in 1862. He became
Tag: Freedmen
The Autumn 2025 Issue of Military Images Magazine
Civil War images speak to us in unique and varied ways. The cover photograph for this issue tells the story of five Union citizen‑soldiers who belonged to the same mess,
Shifting Terminology for Enslaved People
As the Civil War transformed the legal and social status of Black Americans, the language used to describe them evolved as well. In 1861, Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler claimed
Free at Last
By Ross J. Kelbaugh In the 1860 U.S. Census, Louisiana enumerated 331,726 Black and mulatto enslaved persons and 18,647 free colored individuals. With the occupation of the state by the
Freedmen Teacher, Overland Campaign Nurse
A pall of gloom and uncertainty darkened Washington, D.C., as accounts of horrific fighting in Virginia trickled into the city in early May 1864. But as citizens across the capital
Philanthropic Photos: Fundraising during and after the Civil War
By Richard Leisenring Jr. Two significant developments changed dramatically the way Americans consumed information on the eve of the Civil War. The first event came about with the introduction of
Assassination in Jackson County: A defender of Freedmen is murdered in Reconstruction Florida
By William Morgan-Palmer By 1865, the bullets had stopped flying and many of the soldiers in blue and gray marched home. But the residual effects of the war would continue