Posted in Book Reviews Civil War

The Business of Captivity: Elmira and Its Civil War Prison by Michael Gray

The Business of Captivity: Elmira and Its Civil War Prison by Michael Gray published by Kent State University Press (2001) ​ If every Northerner knew…

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Posted in Civil War Memory of Reconstruction

Do We Ignore Prisoners of War When We Study the Civil War?

I was rereading the September 2017 issue of Civil War history recently. It had a roundtable discussion by academic and public historians about Civil War…

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Posted in Civil War

Map of Elmira Prison Made by a Confederate Soldier Imprisoned There

The treatment of prisoners of war, many of whom were not released until after the surrender of the Confederate armies, was a contentious issue during…

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Posted in Book Reviews Civil War

Crossing the Deadlines: Civil War Prisons Reconsidered by Michael P. Gray

Crossing the Deadlines: Civil War Prisons Reconsidered by Michael P. Gray (Editor) published by Kent State University Press (2018) 256 pages ​ This is a…

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Posted in Book Reviews Civil War

Civil War Prisons edited by William B. Hesseltine

Civil War Prisons edited by William B. Hesseltine published by The Kent State University Press (1972) 123 pages ​ This collection of short essays, originally…

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Posted in Civil War Immigrants USCT

60th United States Colored Troops: Iowa’s Black Regiment Was Mostly from Elsewhere

This is one in a series of scrapbooks focusing on United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments. These are not regimental histories and I invite you…

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Posted in 14th Amendment

Charles Blow Celebrates July 9 as the Anniversary of the 14th Amendment Granting Universal Birthright Citizenship

July 9 is the 153rd Anniversary of the ratification of the 14th Amendment by Louisiana, the last state needed for its incorporation into the Constitution….

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Posted in Civil War

Pro Tips For Defending Confederate “Heritage” from the Sons of Confederate Veterans Manual

The feature image is from a 2015 campaign by the Sons of Confederate Veterans to erect a new memorial to the Confederacy in Texas.  This…

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Posted in Civil War

The Source the Sons of Confederate Veterans Get Their “History” From

This is the third installment of our look at the Sons of Confederate Veterans (SCV) Confederate Heritage Defense manual. Today we will look at the…

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Posted in Civil War Lost Cause

The Sons of Confederate Veterans Manual Claims that Black People Loved “Dixie” (and Maybe the Confederate Flag)

This week we are discussing the conscious fabrication of history in the Sons of Confederate Veterans’ Heritage Defense manual. The manual was designed to equip…

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