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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 4h

In the latest installment of his "Tales From The Road" digital column, John Banks spends a day with Gettysburg icon Dean Shultz, the "Keeper of Lost Avenue." Read it here: tinyurl.com/7ttndph8

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The Keeper of Lost Avenue

The author spends a day with Gettysburg resident, expert, and icon Dean Schultz, the "keeper of Lost Avenue."

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

The Second Battle of Corinth—a Union victory—concluded #otd in 1862. Confederate forces suffered heavy losses in their assaults on the Union defenses that ringed the city, especially Battery Robinett, where the fighting was hand-to-hand.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The first day of the Second Battle of Corinth, fought #otd in 1862, saw Earl Van Dorn's Confederates drive William Rosecrans' Federals back to the inner line of defenses surrounding the critical rail junction in MS. The fighting stopped at nightfall, to be resumed the next day.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

In the Season 2 premiere of our podcast "Civil War Breakthroughs," historian Lindsay Rae Smith Privette discusses the wartime evolution in military surgeons’ training, knowledge, and practices. Sponsored by the Sons of Union Veterans (suvcw.org). Listen here: tinyurl.com/499xd4fp

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Episode 7: The Evolution of Military Medicine

Historian Lindsay Rae Smith Privette discusses the wartime evolution in military surgeons' training, knowledge, and practices.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In "A Terrible Intimacy," Melvin Patrick Ely "bring[s] to life a tangle of relationships that linked slaveholders, ordinary whites, free Blacks, and enslaved Blacks" in Prince Edward County, VA, writes Daniel W. Crofts. Read more here: tinyurl.com/3n5shdu6 @henryholtbooks.bsky.social

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A Terrible Intimacy (2026)

A detailed review of "A Terrible Intimacy: Interracial Life in the Slaveholding South" by Melvin Patrick Ely.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Union general William "Bull" Nelson was shot and killed in Louisville's Galt House Hotel #otd in 1862 by fellow general Jefferson C. Davis, who was enraged after being publicly insulted by Nelson, his commanding officer. Within two weeks, Davis returned to duty unpunished.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

John Heckman—the "Tattooed Historian"—offers his thoughts on the Canadian War Museum's new exhibit, "Close to Conflict," which explores the ways in which the American Civil War affected Canada. Read it here: tinyurl.com/4j7bjxjr

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Close to Conflict

A new exhibit at the Canadian War Museum explores the ways in which the American Civil War affected Canada.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Our "Civil War Breakthroughs" podcast returns next week with a second season, The Medical Renaissance, in which historians examine how modern medicine took root during the war. You can listen to the series’ trailer here: tinyurl.com/278t7rjp

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Civil War Breakthroughs Season 2 Trailer

Civil War Breakthroughs is back for a second season, in which expert historians discuss the medical renaissance that occurred during the conflict.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

"A Mother’s Work: Mary Bickerdyke, Civil War Era Nurse" by Megan VanGorder "will be an important addition to scholarly conversations on women’s history and the history of medicine and nursing," writes Sarah Handley-Cousins. Read more here: tinyurl.com/bdh6v49z @uncpress.bsky.social

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation #otd in 1862, declaring that if the Confederates did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would be free.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

In 1862, Union army assistant surgeon James Calhoun wrote about a recent incident in which a soldier was thought to have been wounded by the “wind” of a passing projectile. Calhoun remained skeptical of the possibility. Read his thoughts here: tinyurl.com/2t7jjua5

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Wounded by Wind

Union surgeon James T. Calhoun weighs in on the notion that close-passing projectiles had the ability to injure Civil War soldiers.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

The Battle of Chickamauga concluded #otd in 1863. Union commander William Rosecrans accidentally created a massive gap in his lines that was then breached by James Longstreet's Confederates, who routed and drove much of the Union army (including Rosecrans) from the field.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Union and Confederate forces fought to a standstill at the Battle of Antietam #otd in 1862. Total casualties (killed, wounded, missing) during the engagement totaled nearly 23,000, making Antietam the bloodiest single day in American history.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

"More Important Than Good Generals: Junior Officers in the Army of the Tennessee" by Jonathan Engel is "a useful if uneven book," writes Andrew S. Bledsoe. Read more of his thoughts on it here : tinyurl.com/yf7r48vt

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. #otd in 1863. Using the authority granted him by Congress earlier in the year, his order allowed the Union military to detain individuals deemed disloyal (spies, prisoners, deserters, draft resisters, etc.) without immediate trial.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Among the approximately 3,600 men killed at the Battle of Antietam—fought 163 years ago this week—was Henry Keeler of the 14th CT. His soldier-brother wrote of his attempt a few weeks later to find Henry's battlefield grave in a letter home. Read it here: tinyurl.com/bddnnnu7

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A Death at Antietam

A Connecticut infantryman reflects on the death of his soldier-brother at the Battle of Antietam in a moving letter home.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

"Through the Civil War with the 14th Ohio Infantry: Horatio Quiggle’s Memoir of Service, 1861–1865," ed. by Joanna R. Hagopian and David A. Powell, is a "fine addition to the body of Civil War soldiers’ memoirs," writes Jeremy Knoll. Read more here: tinyurl.com/msw5rf6n

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born #otd in 1828. A professor at Bowdoin College when the war began, he led the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, his actions there earning him the Medal of Honor. He survived a severe wound at Petersburg in 1864 and ended the war a brevet major general.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

In our latest digital history column, Zethyn McKinley examines the American Civil War's effects on faraway Hawaii through its impact on the native sugar industry. Read it here: tinyurl.com/4nucwe8z

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The “Spirit” of Hilo

An examination of the American Civil War's effects on faraway Hawaii through its impact on the native sugar industry.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Confederate cavalry general John Hunt Morgan—the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy"—was killed in Greeneville, TN, #otd in 1864. Union cavalry had entered the town and surprised Morgan, who was shot while fleeing the house in which he had spent the night.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

"Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation" by Robert D. Bland "offers a fresh perspective on an old history," writes Justin Behrend. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/2cpbdfs6 @uncpress.bsky.social

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Requiem for Reconstruction (2026)

A review of "Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation" by Robert D. Bland

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Union generals Phil Kearny and Isaac Stevens were killed #otd in 1862 at the Battle of Chantilly while leading their men against Confederates under "Stonewall" Jackson, who were attempting to cut off the retreating Union army after its defeat the previous day at Second Bull Run.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Discover more strange and offbeat images made during the conflict in the fourth installment of our “Odd Civil War Photos” series: tinyurl.com/223uy8k2

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Odd Civil War Photos, Pt. 4

Discover more strange and offbeat images from the Civil War in the fourth installment of our 'Odd Civil War Photos' series.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

James Longstreet's 25,000-man-strong corps of the Army of Northern Virginia launched the largest mass assault of the Civil War #otd in 1862, routing John Pope's Union army at the Second Battle of Manassas. Days later, Robert E. Lee's began his campaign into Maryland.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

"The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, February 6–16, 1862," ed. by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear, is "a worthwhile collection that will repay novice students of the war and seasoned scholars alike," writes Lisa M. Chavez. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/5cp2y4p5

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The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign (2026)

A review of "The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, February 6–16, 1862" edited by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

In the latest installment of her "War in the West" digital history column, Cecily Zander writes about how the Civil War's Morrill Act embedded military training in the institutional foundations of western higher education. Read more here: tinyurl.com/2ufw8znr

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The Course They Didn’t Advertise

How the Civil War's Morrill Act embedded military training in the institutional foundations of western higher education.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The first of seven Lincoln-Douglas debates was held #otd in 1858. Democratic U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, his Republican challenger, clashed mainly over the fate of slavery in the country. Lincoln would lose the election but gain national recognition.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The digital version of our Fall '26 issue is now live for subscribers to read at our website: tinyurl.com/yy44xptx. Not yet a subscriber? Fix that here: tinyurl.com/232zx9cd.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

"Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, The Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery" by Richard Kreitner is "a valuable contribution to both Civil War and Jewish-American history," writes John Campbell. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/4zc467fv

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Fear No Pharaoh (2025)

A review of "Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, The Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery" by Richard Kreitner.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Who killed 20th Massachusetts officer Thomas McKay on the evening of October 20, 1863, while he investigated a disturbance among the men of his company? Read his comrade's account of the killing and pursuit of the elusive murderer here: tinyurl.com/mr3jxpb6

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The Murder of Captain McKay

Learn about the mystery surrounding the murder of Captain Thomas M. McKay of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

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The Murder of Captain McKay

Learn about the mystery surrounding the murder of Captain Thomas M. McKay of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

"An Officer of Six Navies: The Life of Confederate Commander Hunter Davidson" by John M. Coski with Charles T. Jacobs is "a most welcome study of a complicated Confederate naval officer," writes Neil P. Chatelain. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/4mwp6yec

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An Officer of Six Navies (2026)

A review of "An Officer of Six Navies: The Life of Confederate Commander Hunter Davidson" by John M. Coski with Charles T. Jacobs.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

In our latest digital history column, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Larry Korczyk looks at the reasons why Union general Thomas A. Rowley was court-martialed for his conduct at the Battle of Gettysburg. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y6ycnzx3

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Arrest and Court Martial of Thomas A. Rowley

A look at the reasons why a Union brigadier general was prosecuted for his conduct at the Battle of Gettysburg.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

"Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire" by Louis L. Picone is "a most worthy entry to the Grant bibliography," writes Ariel Hernandez. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/yjvrpkyx

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Ulysses's Odyssey (2026)

A detailed review of "Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire" by Louis L. Picone.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

In our latest photo essay, we assembled images that shed light on the presence—and activities—of sharpshooters in the Union and Confederate armies. View them here: tinyurl.com/39nppsjr

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Ulysses S. Grant was appointed to the rank of brigadier general #otd in 1861; the Senate confirmed the appointment days later. Grant, then 39, began the war as colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry and would end it as lieutenant general and commander of all Union armies.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 29/07/2026

"A Desperate Fight: The Lives of Louisiana’s Confederate Soldiers" by Henry B. Motty "deepens our understanding of the human costs of war," writes Tommie L. Stovall. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/yc52tska @lsupress.bsky.social

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A Desperate Fight (2026)

A detailed review of "A Desperate Fight: The Lives of Louisiana’s Confederate Soldiers" by Henry B. Motty.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

The Battle of Ezra Church was fought #otd in 1864 as John Bell Hood's Confederates moved to thwart William T. Sherman's efforts to reach and destroy the Macon & Western line that led into Atlanta. While successful, Hood's men suffered heavy losses in the tactical defeat.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

In the final essay in our America 250 digital series, Ethan S. Rafuse traces Civil War armies' reliance on professional leadership back to the moment George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775. Read it here: tinyurl.com/bdf4pxkd

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From Cambridge to Cemetery Ridge

Tracing Civil War armies' reliance on professional leadership back to the moment George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Former commanding general of the Union army and U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant, 63, died #otd in 1885. He worked intensely on his memoirs in his final months in hopes of providing financial support to his family. The photo here shows Grant four days before his death.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

In "The Confederate Resurgence of 1864," author William Marvel "does not pull punches in his assessment" of the impact 10 weeks of Rebel victories in early 1864 had on Confederate morale, writes Evan C. Rothera. Read his full thoughts here: tinyurl.com/4jv6673n

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The Confederate Resurgence of 1864 (2024)

A detailed review of "The Confederate Resurgence of 1864" by William Marvel.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

In the latest installment of our America 250 digital history series, Cecily Zander looks at the ways in which the northern press invoked Benedict Arnold during the Civil War. Read it here: tinyurl.com/96rekseh

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A Vocabulary of Treason

A look at the ways in which the northern press invoked Benedict Arnold to portray the actions of their southern opponents during the Civil War.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Union troops, headed by the African-American 54th MA, attacked Fort Wagner, SC, #otd in 1863. While the assault failed, the men of the 54th were subsequently praised for their valor. Shown here: Sgt. William Carney, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 17/07/2026

Jefferson Davis replaced Joe Johnston with John Bell Hood as commander of the Army of Tennessee #otd in 1864. Frustrated by Johnston's continuous retreats toward Atlanta against William T. Sherman’s forces, Davis thought the aggressive Hood might more effectively blunt the Union advance.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

"Decisions on Western Waters: The Twenty-Seven Critical Decisions That Defined the Operations" by Michael D. Becker tackles this acclaimed series' largest geographical area to date but falls short in spots, writes Neil P. Chatelain. Read more here: tinyurl.com/3rekav39

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Decisions on Western Waters (2026)

A detailed review of "Decisions on Western Waters: The Twenty-Seven Critical Decisions That Defined the Operations" by Michael D. Becker

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Nathan Bedford Forrest launched a poorly coordinated frontal assault against pursuing Union soldiers outside Tupelo, MS, #otd in 1864. Forrest's force suffered heavy losses in the Union victory, which secured the safety of W.T. Sherman's supply lines during the Atlanta Campaign.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

In the latest installment of our America 250 digital history series, K. Howell Keiser Jr. looks at how southern secessionists disowned the Revolution’s universal declarations while claiming its authority in the run-up to the Civil War. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y44bket4

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A Slaveholders’ Revolution

How Secessionists disowned the Revolution’s universal declarations but claimed its authority in the run-up to the Civil War

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

In "Torn Asunder: Republican Crises and Civil Wars in the United States and Mexico, 1848-1867," author Erika Pani's "command of Mexican history provides essential context for the U.S. Civil War," writes Adrian Brettle. Read more here: tinyurl.com/5nrdkthm

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Torn Asunder (2025)

A detailed review of "Torn Asunder: Republican Crises and Civil Wars in the United States and Mexico, 1848-1867" by Erika Pani.

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Convicted Lincoln assassination conspirators Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were hanged at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary #otd in 1865. The reported last words of Surratt—the first woman executed by the U.S. government—were "Please don't let me fall."

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The Civil War Monitor @cwmonitor.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

In the first of our special "America 250" digital essay series, Aaron Sheehan-Dean writes about how Abraham Lincoln squared the revolutionary change wrought by the Civil War with his professed loyalty to the Founding Fathers’ vision for the nation. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y72ca656

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Abraham Lincoln, Reluctant Revolutionary

How Abraham Lincoln squared the revolutionary change wrought by the Civil War with his professed loyalty to the Founding Fathers’ vision for the nation.

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