Tag: union
On the Eve of War: Previously Unknown Portraits of Jefferson and Varina Davis Come to Light
By John O’Brien In Washington, D.C. on Jan. 21, 1861, Jefferson Davis stood on the floor of the U.S. Senate and bid farewell to his colleagues. Two weeks earlier, his
Held Hostage in Virginia: A Union Captain Becomes a Casualty in a Battle of Wits Between Jefferson Davis and John Pope
By Scott Valentine Union Capt. Samuel Miller Quincy realized that something had gone horribly wrong during the early part of the Battle of Cedar Mountain on Aug. 9, 1862. The
“A Hideous Dream”
By John Banks Dressed in their Sunday best, the well-to-do Hopsons stared intently into the camera at a sitting for a family portrait about five years before Americans slaughtered each
An Album of Ardent Patriots: Company B, 33rd Illinois Infantry
By Jim Hennessey When the first company of volunteers left Bloomington, Ill., in April 1861, it included several students and a professor from the local Illinois Normal College. Charles Hovey,
Words Exchanged in an Ambulance
By Ronald S. Coddington A multitude of field hospitals popped up in the wake of the unprecedented fighting in Virginia during the spring campaign of 1864. A constant stream of
Union Wives and Their Generals
By Tom Glass Nearly all the generals who served the North during the Civil War were married. Left behind at home, their wives cared for families, farms, businesses and relatives.
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
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
Soldier, Author, Bugler: The extraordinary life and lasting military legacy of Oliver Wilcox Norton
By Theodore J. Karle Oliver Wilcox Norton, a modest and self-effacing Pennsylvania schoolteacher, left behind one of America’s lasting military legacies. His Civil War service included the perils of combat,