“If Jackson hadn’t gotten shot”: Facing the Counterfactual Specter of Stonewall Jackson’s Wounding

Imagine a grave tone of voice, a rueful shake of the head: “Oh, if Jackson hadn’t gotten shot….” Sometimes, the phrase gets stated in the form of certainty: “If Jackson hadn’t gotten shot…” or even, “If Jackson had lived….” The speaker hardly needs to finish the phrase. The unspoken suggestion hangs in the air plain […]

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The Battle of New Market Heights by James S. Price

We are happy to welcome author James S. Price, as a guest author. James S. Price is a Civil War historian, blogger and educator who specializes in the history of African-American Union soldiers. He has worked for many Civil War sites and museums, including Petersburg National Battlefield, Pamplin Historical Park and the American Civil War […]

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The United States Colored Troops: Fighting for Freedom (part one)

At the beginning of the Civil War, black men tried to enlist in both the Union and Confederate armies. Most were not allowed in either army. By the end of the war, though, some 180,000 blacks served in the United States Army, and another 20,000 served in the United States Navy. Approximately 38,000 of them […]

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Behind the Scenes @ ECW: Photographer Caity Stuart

Chris Mackowski: “One of the things I like about Caity’s photography is that she sees battlefields as places of beauty, not as former scenes of horror. There’s a story in the landscape, yes, but it’s first and foremost the story of now, the story of being in the moment. That might seem, at first blush, […]

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Engineering Over Infantry: Spotsylvania, May 18, 1864

Photography by Caity Stuart We cross the last hundred yards of open field—from the paved park road that runs parallel to “Lee’s Second Line” toward the Harrison House—that the Union soldiers could not cross. Our path runs through patches of grasses, ferns, and scrub watercolored with the first brushes of emerging fall color. We pass […]

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The Civil War, A Visual History: Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States

The Civil War, A Visual History: Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States,  Paragon Press, 225 pages, $14.95. This new work by Parragon Publishing is a beautifully laid out book of artwork, sketches, and photographs from the Civil War period.  The book is a change from the normal coffee table book, which […]

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Central Virginia Battlefields Trust Event

Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT): An Upcoming Special Event CVBT will be hosting a public event at the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in downtown Fredericksburg on Saturday, October 1, 7:00-8:30 pm, and I’d like to invite everyone to attend. The theme is centered around CVBT’s 15th anniversary as a preservation organization, with the centerpiece of […]

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Weeks 4 and 5 and Upcoming!

The last few weeks have been great here at Emerging Civil War. We have been trying to bring a diverse look to the Civil War, and thus far, it has worked out well. We have welcomed a number of authors to the ranks: Dr. Mike Stevens, the president of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust; author and historian […]

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Sentinels in the Mist

A misty morning near the Peach Orchard. Clark’s Battery B, 1st New Jersey Light Artillery and the 7th New Jersey Infantry Monuments, Gettysburg. Photo by Kristopher D. White

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