Category: Civil War
War of Northern Aggression, Civil War, War Between the States…The Eternal Argument (or was it?)
One of the most tiresome aspects of writing about the Civil War and Reconstruction period is encountering people who insist that the “real name” of…
“It is the aim…to make colored troops equal” Black Troops in Tennessee March 1864
In 1863 the Union Army began to actively recruit African American men for the United States Colored Troops (USCT). While enlisted men in these regiments…
Letter to National Park Service from Historian Critical of “Militia” Occupation of Gettysburg
Photo of peaceful anti-racism procession at Gettysburg on July 19, 2020. h/t Jake Wynn Dr. Jennifer M. Murray is Professor of History at Oklahoma State…
The 26th United States Colored Troops-A Black Regiment from New York
Today I am starting a new feature, brief looks at African American regiments that served in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Nearly 180,000 African Americans…
What Can We Learn from the Germans About Remembering the Civil War and Reconstruction
The New Yorker interviewed philosopher Susan Neiman about what Americans can learn from the post-World War II Germans about remembering and commemorating slavery, the Civil…
Students, Faculty, & Alums Ask That Washington and Lee Lose the Lee
The Washington Post reports that there is broad agreement in the Washington and Lee University community that “Lee” needs to be dropped from the school’s…
Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy by Earl J. Hess
Braxton Bragg: The Most Hated Man of the Confederacy by Earl J. Hess, Published by The University of North Carolina Press (2016) 368 pp. $35.00 Hardcover,…
The Curious Incident of the “Girl” Who Won the Daughters of the Confederacy Essay Contest
The United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) sponsored a lot of essay contests to encourage young people to learn “the true history” of slavery, the…
Book Review: Across the Bloody Chasm: The Culture of Commemoration Among Civil War Veterans by M. Keith Harris
Across the Bloody Chasm: The Culture of Commemoration Among Civil War Veterans by M. Keith Harris published by LSU Press (2014) Hardcover $42.50 Kindle $26.49. …
Ulysses S. Grant in Brooklyn: The Great Statue No One Knows About
Major General Ulysses S. Grant is remembered at several locations in New York City. Grant’s Tomb is the most famous memorial, but the often ignored…