Emerging Civil War

Emerging Civil War Welcomes Full-Time Author Meg Thompson

We are happy to welcome Meg Thompson as a full-time author to Emerging Civil War. Meg has guest authored a number of times for our site and also has her own blog First Fallen: the Life and Times of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth. Welcome Meg! Meg currently teaches math at Brownell Middle School, named for E. […]

Civil War Zombie Apocalypse Not Likely!

Authored by Meg Thompson. No one knows for sure just who decided what the final disposition of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth’s mortal remains would be. I think it was Mary Lincoln. The President was very upset about the shooting, and so were Ellsworth’s parents. Mary was having a rare episode of sensibility just then, and probably […]

A Rainy Day at Salem Church

Kris and I spent a cold day in the rain today at Salem Church. We were out doing some research for an upcoming book we’ve been given the green light to write. Union and Confederate forces swirled around Salem Church on May 3 and 4, 1863—an oft-overlooked part of the Chancellorsville campaign. Unfortunately, not much […]

Walmart Near the Wilderness—Update

Word out of the Wilderness today about Walmart. For years, the Wilderness was the site of a bitter struggle between developers and preservationists over the proposed construction of a Walmart supercenter—a fight that drew national attention. Earlier this year, the retailer made a dramatic 180 and gave up its effort to build on a 51-acre […]

Now the Drum of War—Part Four

Final part in a series We conclude Rob Couteau’s interview with Robert Roper, author of the new book Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War. In today’s installment, the writers talk about the international impact of Whitman’s writing, and Roper wraps up the story of the Whitman family. ROB […]

Now the Drum of War—Part Three

Third in a series We continue Rob Couteau’s interview with Robert Roper, author of the new book Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War. In today’s installment, the writers talk about Whitman’s groundbreaking Leaves of Grass, the tone of Whitman’s poetry, and the impact Whitman’s service in the army […]

Ball’s Bluff and the Fall of Charles Stone

Second in a series When Union forces tumbled into the Potomac River on the evening of October 21, 1861, following their rout at Ball’s Bluff, the disaster was just beginning. The ripples from that plunge would be felt all the way in Washington, dozens of miles downriver. One could argue, in fact, that those ripples would […]

Now the Drum of War—Part Two

Second in a series We continue Rob Couteau’s interview with Robert Roper, author of the new book Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War. Today, the two writers will look at the way Whitman captured—or didn’t—the voice of the common soldier in his work and how that might relate […]

Brothers at Bassett Hall

Every day, tourists travel from across the United States to Williamsburg, Virginia. Many come to visit Colonial Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestown. Others come to visit family at the College of William and Mary or for the beer and rollercoasters of Busch Gardens. As people attend the living history events or eat in the colonial taverns, […]