The Death of Elmer Ellsworth: A Union Martyr and the First Casualty on Virginia Soil On This Day – May 24, 1861 In the early days of the Civil War, long before the nation had fully grasped the scale of the conflict to come, the death of one young Union officer sent...
Thanksgiving during the Civil War wasn’t the extravagant feast we know today. But in 1864, even soldiers recovering in hospitals like Jarvis General in Baltimore experienced the comfort of a holiday meal. The Jarvis U.S. General Hospital was a military hospital...
On May 10, 1863, the 39-year-old Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, one of the South’s most fearless generals, passes away from pneumonia, one week after he was unintentionally shot by his own troops during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia....
On May 4, 1865, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, is laid to rest in Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Illinois. His journey to this final resting place was long and eventful, reflecting the immense respect and admiration he garnered throughout...
On this Valentine’s Day, we remember the eloquent words of Major Sullivan Ballou whose last letter was written to his wife leading up to the battle at First Bull Run and found on his dead body after the battle. Sullivan Ballou was a prosperous attorney at...
On November 19, 1863, President Lincoln’s visit to Gettysburg was a whirlwind affair, lasting just 24 hours, yet packed with a relentless schedule. Despite retiring to bed late, Lincoln rose early on the 19th, embarking on a guided tour of the battlefield. The...
