America's Civil War

Published since 1987, America’s Civil War strives to deliver to our readers the best articles on the most formative and tumultuous period of American history — the Civil War

America's Civil War1 min readMedical
‘Gone the Sun’
Our effort in this issue to begin working with Frank Jastrzembski on his mission to recognize and honor the gravesites of the nation’s Civil War and Mexican War heroes (see P. 64) comes at a time of unthinkable heartbreak, as America’s Civil War must
America's Civil War1 min read
New Banner Blooms
Mississippi residents voted overwhelmingly on November 3 to replace their long-controversial state flag, which prominently featured a Confederate battle flag. After flying for 126 years, the banner was retired in June in the midst of nationwide unres
America's Civil War9 min readPolitics
Head Of The Class
Thomas Henry Hines’ war began in 1861, when he left his Kentucky home to fight for the South. He rose swiftly from lieutenant in a local Kentucky cavalry unit to captain under Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan, the fabled “Thunderbolt of the Confed
America's Civil War10 min read
Antietam’s Deadly Harvest
Ever since Ephraim Brown recorded this number, tallying the Battle of Antietam’s bloody cost has held a morbid fascination for historians and the public alike. That such counts revealed Antietam as America’s deadliest day became clear within weeks of
America's Civil War1 min read
America’s Civil War
Michael A. Reinstein Chairman & Publisher David Steinhafel Publisher Alex Neill Editor in Chief Chris K. Howland Editor Jerry Morelock Senior Editor Sarah Richardson Senior Editor Nancy Tappan Senior Editor Dana B. Shoaf Consulting Editor Stephen Kam
America's Civil War1 min read
Femme Fatale
Although Martinsburg, W.Va., was largely filled with Union supporters during the Civil War (see P. 38), one of its most memorable residents was Confederate spy Belle Boyd. On July 3, 1861, Union soldiers entered Martinsburg after a skirmish at the ne
America's Civil War4 min read
‘As He Lived For Others, So Did He Die’
Israel Bush Richardson was born in Fairfax, Vt., in December 1815, the second of seven children born to Israel Putnam Richardson and Susanna Holmes Richardson. His father, one of Vermont’s more prominent lawyers, served as a state attorney. As a youn
America's Civil War5 min read
Dragged Into The Vortex
Nearly a quarter-century after he was severely wounded at the May 1864 Battle of the Wilderness, James Longstreet had another brush with death in the heart of Virginia. Early on the morning of July 12, 1888, the former Confederate lieutenant general
America's Civil War12 min read
Deep Blue In A Reb State
For Corporal Charles Lynch and his comrades in the 18th Connecticut Infantry, Martinsburg, W.Va., had the feeling of a second home by the time the regiment reached there July 11, 1864. Over the previous two years, the 18th Connecticut had been in Mar
America's Civil War1 min read
Battleground West Virginia
QUIZ 1. This battle in western Virginia led to a patent for improved prosthetics. A. Philippi B. Harpers Ferry C. Romney D. Shepherdstown 2. Which Confederate general’s hair turned white while he was on campaign in western Virginia? A. William W. Lor
America's Civil War4 min read
Altered Facts
IN DESCRIBING Union Brig. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys, Theodore Lyman, a volunteer aide on the staff of Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade, probably put it best: “[H]e is most easy to get on with, for everybody; but, practically, he is just as hard as the Co
America's Civil War1 min read
HISTORY, COMPETITION & CAMARADERIE
The N-SSA is America’s oldest and largest Civil Warshooting sports organization. Competitors shootoriginal or approved reproduction muskets, carbines andrevolvers at breakable targets in a timed match. Someunits even compete with cannons and mortars.
America's Civil War1 min read
America’s Civil War Online
HISTORYNET.com/AMERICAS-CIVIL-WAR The near-fatal wounding of JamesLongstreet at the Wilderness in May1864 was a serious setback for RobertE. Lee ‘s Army of Northern Virginia. http://bit.ly/LongstreetUnderFire America’s bloodiest day foreverstamped a
America's Civil War11 min read
Hero’s Welcome
For sheer star power, no gathering of Union and Confederate veterans rivaled the Grand Reunion at Gettysburg in 1888. “There are so many Generals and other chieftains here,” a newspaper marveled, “that a catalogue of them would be as long as Homer’s
America's Civil War4 min read
Waterways to Freedom
Chesapeake, Va., is located just across the border from North Carolina. The town is steeped in the Confederate history so predominant in the South, but the area’s waterways made it a pivotal route on the Underground Railroad, providing safe travel an
America's Civil War1 min read
Joining The Fray
Beginning this issue, America’s Civil War features two new sections offering a vibrant assortment of elements that will inform and entertain our readers: Grapeshot! and Final Bivouac. Grapeshot!—like the ammunition that was fired at enemy targets fro
America's Civil War1 min read
Don’t Fiddle Around
The Civil War was fought on a much smaller scale west of the Mississippi than in other theaters, although that in no way meant the conflict wasn’t just as determined and deadly. Bushwhacking and partisan skirmishes produced more deaths than the battl
America's Civil War8 min read
‘Humanity Forbade Them To Starve’
In October 1862, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant took command of the Union Department of the Tennessee, establishing his headquarters in the village of La Grange, Tenn. Most of his 31,000 troops were stationed two miles away in the small railroad town of
America's Civil War1 min read
Grapeshot!
McCown’s Longspur, a small sparrow-like bird, joins the list of streets, buildings, etc., recently stripped of the names of Confederate generals. Known now as the Thick-Billed Longspur, the bird had been named after U.S. Army officer John Porter McCo
America's Civil War9 min read
Sherman In The Balance
Civil war–era biographies that can double as doorstops seem to be in vogue again. Frederick Douglass, Ulysses S. Grant, and now William T. Sherman, the Union’s second most famous general and, arguably, its first modern one. More than 90 years ago, an
America's Civil War2 min read
Felix Salm-Salm
Buried in a crypt reserved for royalty in the town of Isselburg, Germany, rests Felix Salm-Salm, a prince who had earned the praise of two Union major generals, Joseph Hooker and James B. Steedman, for his leadership during the Civil War. After the w
America's Civil War5 min read
Family Tragedy
I read with interest and sympathy the story in the July issue about Mother Allison’s sacrifice of her four sons to the Union cause during the Civil War. She was not alone. Many years ago, I was exploring a country cemetery in the wooded hills and cor
America's Civil War9 min read
Closing the Great Divide
The critical and financial success of his 2010 book Empire of the Summer Moon allowed Sam (S.C.) Gwynne a golden opportunity to expand his literary horizons and to take a few risks with any subsequent endeavors. A transplanted Yankee now living in Au

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