Posted in Civil War

Elmira Prison Camp Site Reopens on Saturdays This Summer

The Elmira Civil War Prison Camp has announced it will be reopening this summer. The camp, which held thousands of captured Confederates in 1864 and…

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Posted in Civil War

Andersonvilles of the North: The Myths and Realities of Northern Treatment of Civil War Confederate Prisoners by James M. Gillispie

Andersonvilles of the North: The Myths and Realities of Northern Treatment of Civil War Confederate Prisoners by James M. Gillispie published by University of North…

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Posted in Civil War Places to Visit Uncategorized

Two Brothers Separated By Civil War in Maryland Lie Next to Each Other in Brooklyn

Michele and I decided to visit Civil War-related graves and monuments at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn to commemorate Memorial Day back in 2018. We stopped…

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Posted in Civil War

Died at Elmira: Southern Newspapers Report on the Prison Toll

In the last months of the Civil War, while Northern newspapers were reporting on alleged atrocities committed by Confederates at Andersonville, Southern newspapers were relatively…

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Posted in Civil War

In 1865 Northern Newspapers Were Filled With Atrocity Stories from Andersonville Prison

In the months after Robert E. Lee’s surrender, three factors increased Northern determination to Reconstruct the South. The first was Lincoln’s Good Friday assassination. Coming…

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Posted in Civil War

When a German Immigrant Was Nearly Killed Because of the Number of His Regiment

E.P. Alexander tells the story of German immigrant captured at Fredericksburg in December 1862 who was nearly killed because of the number of his regiment:…

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Posted in Civil War

The Laws of War: The Lieber Code on the Treatment of Prisoners of War

I have posted a number articles on prisoners of war and captivity studies recently. I thought it might be useful to post the relevant sections…

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Posted in Book Reviews Civil War

The Story of Camp Douglas: Chicago’s Forgotten Civil War Prison by David L. Keller

The Story of Camp Douglas: Chicago’s Forgotten Civil War Prison by David L. Keller published by The History Press (2015) 259 pp. $22.20 Hardcover, $15.22 Paperback,…

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Posted in Civil War

The Role of African Americans as Guards Is Missing from POW Studies

In a roundtable found in the September 2017 issue of Civil War History, Professor Kelly D. Mezurek brings up an important point left out of…

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Posted in Civil War

Defending Henry Wirz: The 1984 Wirz Memorial at Andersonville

Swiss immigrant Henry Wirz is among the most controversial figures of the Civil War. To many Americans he is a war criminal responsible for the…

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