“Better Men Were Never Better Led”
By Scott Valentine Many a Northern man did not answer the call to join the Union army in 1861. One of them, Samuel Augustus Duncan, continued teaching students at Dartmouth
Tag: union army
“‘Died at Gettysburg!’ No Prouder Epitaph Need Any Man Covet.”: The Tragedy of Capt. Richard Wistar Davids of the 118th Pennsylvania Infantry
By Charles T. Joyce Visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park encounter stone sentinels of all shapes and sizes. One of them, an austere granite marker on the north side
Spring 2025 Issue Highlights
Over the last ten years, Military Images has been collecting digital scans of wounded soldiers and sailors from the collecting community—and waiting for the right opportunity to publish. A few
Applying the “Trinity” to ID Some Faces in a 557-Image Album in the National Archives
By Kurt Luther Civil War photo sleuthing is more than just giving a name to an unidentified soldier or sailor portrait. While a name is a critical clue in rediscovering
Respected From East to West and Everywhere In Between
In July 1861, a U.S. Army first lieutenant made his way from Fort Randall in Dakota Territory to the East for new duties. Edmund Cooper Bainbridge, 26, had a wealth
Saving Private Cochran
During the wee hours of April 2, 1865, an incident on Petersburg’s front lines forever intertwined the lives of three Union enlisted men. They served in the ranks of Company
“Get That Gun!”
By Phil Spaugy February 15, 1862, had been a day of days for Brig. Gen. Lew Wallace. One year earlier, the 34-year-old Indiana resident of Crawfordsville was the captain of
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
Cruising the Potomac and Elsewhere with Brig. Gen. John P. Slough’s Brigade Band
By Ronald S. Coddington, with images from the Mark Jones Collection On an April day in 1864, in a field near Alexandria, Va., thousands of soldiers and civilians gathered to
Turning the Tables at Laurel Hill
By Scott Valentine First Lt. and Acting Adjutant Orett Lyman Munger and his comrades in the 44th New York Infantry rushed to capture, along with the rest of 5th Corps,