America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union. A Review

Fergus M. Bordewich. America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen A. Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2012. Pp. x, 480. It all started with slavery and a war. Before 1848, most white Americans had rested their hopes for national unity on the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which settled […]

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Drawing the War, Part 4: Winslow Homer

Part four in a series. Perhaps the Civil War “Special Artist” who is best known to the general public is Winslow Homer. He is famous for the work he did after the war, not for the sketches he did during it, but his later work was always touched by his war experience in some poignant […]

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The Lights Atop the Hill

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150th Anniversary of First Winchester—Now Where is the Battlefield?

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Winchester. Instead of following the format of the last few 150th posts on battles in the Shenandoah Valley, I thought I would try something new for this battle anniversary. The thought came to me while researching the battle and as I came across a site […]

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Battlefield Art—with National Geographic Magazine and Author Harry Katz

Emerging Civil War is pleased to join with National Geographic magazine to share with you some of the work of author Harry Katz, whose article “A Sketch in Time” is featured as the cover story of the May 2012 issue. In the coming weeks, we’ll bring you an interview with Katz, whose new book, The Civil […]

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“Maryland, Whip Maryland”

One of the many tragic themes of the American Civil War was the way the conflict ripped families, friends, and/or neighbors apart. This was especially true in the border regions, including the state of Maryland. On May 23, 1862 in Front Royal, Virginia, former neighbors and friends came face-to-face on the field of battle. The […]

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The New Face of an Old Road

On May 2, Kathleen Logothetis offered a look at the Mountain Road–the location where Stonewall Jackson was accidentally wounded by his own men during the Battle of Chancellorsville. As visitors to Chancellorsville this spring may have noticed, however, the Mountain Road now has a new look….

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A Little Southeast Texas History

The past weekend, my wife and I made a trip down to Houston to visit a good friend. Knowing that I was a history buff—or nerd (but I like the term “buff” better)—we made plans to head out to San Jacinto Battlefield and up to Huntsville, Texas, the final home of Sam Houston. San Jacinto […]

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Hartwood Church: An Unassuming Brick Chapel

A few miles from where I grew up in Stafford County stands a place of worship where people gather every Sabbath: Hartwood Church. Originally organized in 1825, the building that stands today was constructed in 1858. Resting on high ground near the intersection of several roads, the lonely church would take on a strategic significance […]

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