The Birth of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the American Civil War
The recruitment of African-American soldiers was one of the most important moments in the American Civil War. In practical terms, it provided soldiers for the…
Hipster Before His Time: General Burnside – The Swashbuckling Union General Who Pioneered Sideburn
What do a rifle, various railroads, the American Civil War, the Franco-Prussian War, the National Rifle Association, and sideburns have in common? Here is the…
The United States Navy’s First Submarine – Lost at Sea
The USS Alligator was the first known submarine of the United States Navy. But it wasn’t the first American submarine. That was the “Turtle,” a…
Things to Know About Spies in the American Civil War Including the Secret Line
The use of spying in the American Civil War was widespread. Neither the North or the South had a centralized agency to handle these matters.…
Who Is Cooter Brown and What Does “Drunker Than Cooter Brown” Mean?
Have you ever heard the phrase “Drunker than Cooter Brown”? If you haven’t, now’s your chance to learn it and if you have, you’ll find…
The Mysterious Death of the Legendary Confederate General Stonewall Jackson
While the Battle of Chancellorsville was Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory, it was the beginning of Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s ultimate defeat. On May 2, 1863, Confederate…
Jack Hinson: A Civil War Sniper Hell Bent on Revenge
John W. “Jack” Hinson, better known as “Old Jack” to his family, was a prosperous farmer in Stewart County, Tennessee. A non-political man, he opposed…
Women of The Civil War: Wives and Sisters Who Joined the Battlefield Fights Dressed As Men
The Civil War is famed for its brutal battles, its men slain on fields throughout the eastern half of the United States. It’s also a…
Warrior Frank Baldwin Received Two Medals of Honor, One for Fighting the Confederates & Another for Fighting the Indians
Receiving the Medal of Honor for valor in combat puts one in the hallowed company of but a few thousand individuals to ever grace the…
From The Rise Of Napoleon To The American Civil War, These Three Conflicts Paved the Way for World War I
The First World War was devastating in its scope and utterly unlike what national leaders expected. As such, it was seen by many as an…
Fighting Joe Hooker at the Battle of Fredericksburg: The Frustrated Commander
Few American Civil War commanders were as contentious, either in war or its aftermath, as Fighting Joe Hooker. After months of grumbling at the failures…
The Battle of Stoney Creek – A Minor Fight That Changed History
In the early 1800s, two US generals tried to invade Canada. They might have succeeded, too, except for a peculiar handicap – their inability to…