Nelly McClellan, America’s Flora McFlimsey
By Elizabeth A. Topping Ellen Mary Marcy McClellan remained an ardent supporter of her husband, Maj. Gen. George Brinton McClellan, throughout his military career. Though “Nelly” had rejected his marriage
Tag: Peninsula Campaign
Unique Images: Jeff. Davis and the South!, a Studded Belt, and a Rees Portrait
Portraits featuring the “Jeff. Davis and the South!” placard are few in number. Only 29 have been documented over the past 35 years. That total has now increased by two—to
Civil War Images of Musicians, Leaders, and Battlefield Life
A Southern drummer leans into the camera, his stick at the ready. The patriotic motif on the drum tells a story: The shield at the center symbolizes protection, defense, and
Gifted Scholar, Faithful Christian, Reluctant Soldier: The life and times of Virginia professor and artillerist Lewis Minor Coleman
By Ronald S. Coddington, with images from the Dave Batalo Collection High anxiety consumed Lt. Col. Lewis Minor Coleman at the Battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862. As fierce
A Useful Life: Sarah Chamberlin Eccleston, Civil War nurse and educator
By Sidney Dreese Nothing mattered more to Sarah “Sallie” Chamberlin than to live a useful life. A fire burned in her patriotic heart, and she was both anxious and determined
JEB: A portrait taken in Hagerstown captures Stuart during the withdrawal following Gettysburg
By Phil McCoy Captain Frank Smith Robertson, an assistant engineer on JEB Stuart’s staff, recounted a meeting in Maryland with Gen. Robert E. Lee during the withdrawal from Gettysburg: “We
The Little Gamecock: The rise of Brig. Gen. Evander McIver Law, C.S.A.
By Ronald S. Coddington, with images and artifacts from the Craig and Carol Wofford Collection Evander McIver Law focused his piercing blue eyes on the skyline above the Gettysburg countryside.
Advocate for Confederate Burials at Arlington: Will Anderson traded West Point for Southern gray, and never surrendered
By Paul Russinoff and Jim Quinlan, with images from the Elizabeth Traynor Collection A few days after the fall of Fort Sumter, Cadet Edward Willoughby “Will” Anderson stood before his
For the Sporting Man: A concise history of mail order erotica in the Civil War
By Elizabeth A. Topping, with images and ephemera from the author’s collection Mail call never failed to break the monotony of camp life and stirred anticipation among men and officers
The Borderer: The antebellum origins of the Father of the American Cavalry
By Mike Medhurst In late 1827, a second lieutenant fresh from the U.S. Military Academy arrived at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. He was Philip St. George Cooke, a son