Former roommates clash
Confederate President Jefferson Davis had a difficult relationship with his former West Point roommate, Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, commander of the Department and Army...
Holding hostages in Kentucky
Kentucky never formally left the Union, but its population was deeply split. The state declared itself neutral until the Confederates invaded in 1861. Kentucky was...
“I want you to take the oath …”
Martha Cockrone wrote this letter on May 25, 1865, after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox. In it she asked her husband, a Confederate prisoner of war, to take...
Impact on the South
The Confederacy depended on enslaved people to build fortifications, cook, drive supply wagons, work in hospitals, and produce munitions. Slave labor also planted and...
James Longstreet
General Longstreet opposed Robert E. Lee’s course of action at Gettysburg, damaging his reputation among southerners.
Land Restored
This document authorized the return of land seized by the Bureau to Jesse J. Busby of Jefferson County, Arkansas. Former Confederates were required to swear their...
New lyrics for an old song
The original lyrics of “The Battle Cry of Freedom” were written by George Root and supported the Union. Composer H. L. Schreiner and lyricist W. H. Barnes adapted...