American Civil War | War History

Heroes of America: The Red String Band who rebelled against the Confederacy in the Southern States

It is easy to think of wars from earlier centuries in rather simplistic terms, especially as they fade further into the past. The American Civil…

The Many Lives of The US Ship Harriet Lane, Which Fired the First Shot of the American Civil War

Late in the day on April 11th, 1861, the ship Nashville was sailing past Charleston harbor. The crew could see a fleet of ships at…

The Slave Who Stole A Confederate Ship, Met President Lincoln & Bought His Master’s House

In 1862, Robert Smalls stole a Confederate ship, gave it to the Union Army, freed slaves, and met President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he…

The Most Effective Female Spies of the American Civil War

Rose Greenhow Just before Virginia’s secession, the governor of that state John Letcher wanted to set up a spy network while he was still able…

From the Vikings to Vietnam – Five Wars in Which Drugs Fuelled the Fighting

Drugs have a long history as part of war. These days, their main role is a medicinal one, but down the centuries they have often…

Five Women Who Played Vital Roles in the American Civil War

While in most modern cultures women have only been permitted to officially participate in warfare for a few decades at most, that has never prevented…

Civil War Spies: The Secret, Underground Peace Societies Of The American Civil War

Though we may think of the South as a unified place in which the Confederacy was born and fought for, it was a place divided…

Must-See American Civil War Sites To Visit Today

The American Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars fought on American soil. Many of the war sites found throughout the eastern half of…

Be Thankful For Modern Medicine – The Army Itch And Other Scary Civil War Maladies

Disease accounted for the deaths of 65% of Union soldiers and 62% of Confederates during the Civil War. Those high numbers beat out all other…

The Worst American General Ever: “A General Who Never Won a Battle or Lost a Court-Martial”

The Title of “worst general in U.S. History” is certainly not one to aspire to, but where there have been the greats like Patton and…

Deadliest Battles Of The American Civil War

The American Civil War is a devastating mark on the history of America. The number of lives lost was substantial, and the social and economic…

Ironclad Warships Battle it Out – The Battle of Hampton Roads In The Civil War

The Battle of Hampton Roads was an American Civil War battle fought at the meeting point of three rivers very close to Chesapeake Bay. A showdown…