Riots in New York
In mid-July 1863, when Federal officials began enrolling men for the draft, riots erupted in New York City. Maj. Gen. John E. Wood requested reinforcements in this...
Robert E. Lee
Mathew Brady photographed Confederate General Robert Edward Lee, shown here, a few days after Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox, Virginia....
Roomates battle in Tennessee
Former West Point roommates Lieutenant General John B. Hood and Major General John M. Schofield fought a decisive battle at Franklin, Tennessee. Schofield’s Army...
Scars of slavery
This 1863 photograph of “Peter,” a former slave displaying scars from his overseer’s whippings, was widely reproduced as evidence of slavery’s cruelty. The...
Seeking a brother’s release
In this letter to the Union commander of the prisoner-of-war camp at Point Lookout, Maryland, one of four sisters asks the commander to release their brother. Writing...
Severe overcrowding
Camp Douglas, the Union prison camp in Chicago, Illinois, grew quickly and was poorly administered by a series of commandants. Prisoners accused several of cruelty....
Shortest tenure on record
Colonel P.G.T. Beauregard assumed command of West Point and superintendency of the United States Military Academy on January 23, 1861. He resigned on January 28,...