The Reconstruction Era

Sale of Free Negroes in the South Before the Civil War

Freedom was a precarious state for Blacks before the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment. Free Blacks were sold at auction if they fell behind…

Civil War Dunning School

Eric Foner on the Making and Breaking of Robert E. Lee’s Legend

A month ago the New York Times had an article by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner on “The Making and the Breaking of the Legend…

Civil War USCT

The 5th Massachusetts Cavalry, a Black Cavalry Regiment in the Union Army

This is part of my series of scrapbooks on Black regiments that served in the Civil War. While they are each focused on a single…

Civil War Places to Visit

A Visit to the Gouverneur Warren Statue in Brooklyn

Brooklyn’s Prospect Park is rich with historic sculpture. The gem, of course, is the Arch at Grand Army Plaza. While everyone in Brooklyn is familiar…

Memory of Reconstruction Monuments

New Study Shows People Honored With Most Numerous Public Monuments in the U.S.

A new study of public monuments identifies which figures have the most monuments in the United States. I will be posting more results of this…

Civil War Lincoln

Confederate General E.P. Alexander in Washington After the Lincoln Assassination April 1865

Most Confederates paroled at Appomattox headed south towards their homes within a day or two after Lee’s surrender. A surprising number headed north. One northbound…

Book Reviews

Three Books on Civil War Era Themes Nominated for the Nonfiction National Book Award

The National Book Award is one of the nation’s most prestigious awards for literature and nonfiction. This year three books set in the Civil War…

Redeemers White Supremacy White Terror

New Historical Marker at Site of Mississippi’s 1875 Clinton Massacre

On Thursday a new marker was unveiled commemorating the 1875 Clinton Massacre in Mississippi. In 1875 forces in Mississippi hoping for the restoration of white…