By Ronald S. Coddington I felt immediately comfortable on meeting Felicity Peck for the first time. Her soft eyes and smile, silver hair and British accent charmed me. “You’re with
By Ronald S. Coddington General Joe Johnston’s headquarters buzzed with activity early in the morning of May 31, 1862. Staff aides and couriers dashed in and out of the Virginia
By Brendan C. Hamilton A column of soldiers marched along a Southern road, their well-worn brogans tramping over hard dirt and sloshing through mud. Bronzed faces passed, one-by-one, undeniably weary,
By Ronald S. Coddington, featuring artifacts from the Eleanor Laughlin Family Papers Henry Haymond penned a letter to his great-grandson on the occasion of the youngster’s second birthday. The white-bearded,
By Frank Jastrzembski Adventurers from Europe eagerly offered their service to the Lincoln administration in the spring of 1861. Secretary of State William H. Seward sought out “friends of freedom
A few years back at one of the collectors’ shows, Rick Carlile and I joked about being obsessive, a trait we share. Rick, a military veteran, illustrated his behavior with
By Anthony F. Gero In early 1864, Californians glimpsed new uniforms for state militia. A report in the Sacramento Bee sets the scene: “At the window of Lamott’s on J
The light artillery model swords cradled by these unidentified pards and the Burnside blouses suggest they served in Battery B of the 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery. It participated in
By Scott Valentine The fighting at Bull Run, the Civil War’s first major battle, seemed touch and go for a while. In the end, the Rebels controlled the field and
Company D of the 2nd Tennessee Cavalry (U.S.) stand and shoulder arms much like veteran infantryman. The troopers hold a variety of weapons, including Colt Revolving rifles, Burnside carbines, and
