“behind the enemies lines”
By 1864 the ranks of the Confederate Army were thinning as a result of disease and combat. This report from a Union scout highlights another drain on Confederate...
“For God’s sake send some Ice to these suffering men.”
When faced with disease accompanied by a fever, Civil War doctors could do little but make patients as comfortable as possible. Ice helped hold down fever and quench...
“My dear Wife”
Behind Union lines, under a “flag of truce,” Confederate surgeon Robert J. Bell wrote to his wife of the death of her brother Sylvester at the Battle of Helena...
A formidable challenge
This 1863 map of Morris Island, South Carolina, shows why taking Fort Wagner was so difficult. It is located three-quarters of the way up the island when approached...
An experienced general retires
In this letter sent to Secretary of War Simon Cameron on October 31, 1861, Winfield Scott<&ndash> general-in-chief of the Union Army<&ndash> requested retirement...
Constitution by wire
In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln eagerly sought the statehood of the pro-Unionist and largely Republican Nevada Territory. Certified copies of...
“Distributing captured clothing to the needy”
When Union troops captured the Confederate city of New Berne, North Carolina, on March 14, 1862, they also took over a large amount of clothing stockpiled there. This...