The Spring 2023 Issue
I am delighted to introduce the Spring 2023 issue. Our cover story, a survey of portraits of soldiers posed with placards labeled “Jeff. Davis and the South!” or “Victory or
Category: 2023 Spring
The Ongoing Voyage of New Discoveries
At the Franklin Show last December, I had the opportunity to hold a newly discovered ambrotype of a soldier posed with a “Jeff. Davis and the South!” placard. The owner
Photographs Mailed To and Received From Home
Kraig McNutt, who is currently researching a book about the 58th Indiana Infantry, discovered a post office report in the Jan. 29, 1862, issue of Indiana’s Evansville Daily Journal. Addressed
Emancipation and the Photograph at its Core
“Don’t touch me,” Peter snaps at the photographer’s assistant who reaches to his arm to pose him in front of the camera. In this moment, Peter exercises his liberty for
Exploring a Civil War Connection to Yellowstone National Park
By Kurt Luther Last autumn, I visited Vermont for a week of hiking during peak foliage season. It was my first time stepping foot in the Green Mountain State since
The Officer Who Executed General Order No. 227
There could be no question by January 1860 that the nation was going to war. At least this was the opinion of Connecticut Gov. William A. Buckingham, commander-in-chief of the
Active With the Sword Rather Than the Pen
On July 23, 1861, two days after the Battle of Bull Run, Lt. Col. Frank Wheaton wrote the official report of his 2nd Rhode Island Infantry. He lamented the loss
Lookout Mountain Gallantry
Colonel Henry Alanson Barnum was in no condition to fight at Lookout Mountain. Suffering from an unhealed abdominal wound received more than a year earlier at Malvern Hill and scarcely
America’s First Sex Symbol
By Elizabeth A. Topping, with images from the author’s collection Actress and poet Adah Isaacs Menken’s extraordinary beauty provided Americans with a pleasant distraction during the Civil War years. Her
Jeff. Davis and the South! Victory or Death! 15 takeaways from a new survey
By Rick Brown and Ronald S. Coddington You never know what will turn up in an abandoned storage unit. In a June 2022 auction, Josh O’Keefe placed the winning bid