"Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire" by Louis L. Picone is "a most worthy entry to the Grant bibliography," writes Ariel Hernandez. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/yjvrpkyx

Ulysses's Odyssey (2026)

A detailed review of "Ulysses’s Odyssey: Ulysses S. Grant’s World Tour at the Dawn of American Empire" by Louis L. Picone.

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In our latest photo essay, we assembled images that shed light on the presence—and activities—of sharpshooters in the Union and Confederate armies. View them here: tinyurl.com/39nppsjr

Ulysses S. Grant was appointed to the rank of brigadier general #otd in 1861; the Senate confirmed the appointment days later. Grant, then 39, began the war as colonel of the 21st Illinois Infantry and would end it as lieutenant general and commander of all Union armies.

"A Desperate Fight: The Lives of Louisiana’s Confederate Soldiers" by Henry B. Motty "deepens our understanding of the human costs of war," writes Tommie L. Stovall. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/yc52tska @lsupress.bsky.social

A Desperate Fight (2026)

A detailed review of "A Desperate Fight: The Lives of Louisiana’s Confederate Soldiers" by Henry B. Motty.

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The Battle of Ezra Church was fought #otd in 1864 as John Bell Hood's Confederates moved to thwart William T. Sherman's efforts to reach and destroy the Macon & Western line that led into Atlanta. While successful, Hood's men suffered heavy losses in the tactical defeat.

In the final essay in our America 250 digital series, Ethan S. Rafuse traces Civil War armies' reliance on professional leadership back to the moment George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775. Read it here: tinyurl.com/bdf4pxkd

From Cambridge to Cemetery Ridge

Tracing Civil War armies' reliance on professional leadership back to the moment George Washington took command of the Continental Army in July 1775.

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Former commanding general of the Union army and U.S. president Ulysses S. Grant, 63, died #otd in 1885. He worked intensely on his memoirs in his final months in hopes of providing financial support to his family. The photo here shows Grant four days before his death.

In "The Confederate Resurgence of 1864," author William Marvel "does not pull punches in his assessment" of the impact 10 weeks of Rebel victories in early 1864 had on Confederate morale, writes Evan C. Rothera. Read his full thoughts here: tinyurl.com/4jv6673n

The Confederate Resurgence of 1864 (2024)

A detailed review of "The Confederate Resurgence of 1864" by William Marvel.

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In the latest installment of our America 250 digital history series, Cecily Zander looks at the ways in which the northern press invoked Benedict Arnold during the Civil War. Read it here: tinyurl.com/96rekseh

A Vocabulary of Treason

A look at the ways in which the northern press invoked Benedict Arnold to portray the actions of their southern opponents during the Civil War.

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Union troops, headed by the African-American 54th MA, attacked Fort Wagner, SC, #otd in 1863. While the assault failed, the men of the 54th were subsequently praised for their valor. Shown here: Sgt. William Carney, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day.

Jefferson Davis replaced Joe Johnston with John Bell Hood as commander of the Army of Tennessee #otd in 1864. Frustrated by Johnston's continuous retreats toward Atlanta against William T. Sherman’s forces, Davis thought the aggressive Hood might more effectively blunt the Union advance.

"Decisions on Western Waters: The Twenty-Seven Critical Decisions That Defined the Operations" by Michael D. Becker tackles this acclaimed series' largest geographical area to date but falls short in spots, writes Neil P. Chatelain. Read more here: tinyurl.com/3rekav39

Decisions on Western Waters (2026)

A detailed review of "Decisions on Western Waters: The Twenty-Seven Critical Decisions That Defined the Operations" by Michael D. Becker

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Nathan Bedford Forrest launched a poorly coordinated frontal assault against pursuing Union soldiers outside Tupelo, MS, #otd in 1864. Forrest's force suffered heavy losses in the Union victory, which secured the safety of W.T. Sherman's supply lines during the Atlanta Campaign.

In the latest installment of our America 250 digital history series, K. Howell Keiser Jr. looks at how southern secessionists disowned the Revolution’s universal declarations while claiming its authority in the run-up to the Civil War. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y44bket4

A Slaveholders’ Revolution

How Secessionists disowned the Revolution’s universal declarations but claimed its authority in the run-up to the Civil War

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In "Torn Asunder: Republican Crises and Civil Wars in the United States and Mexico, 1848-1867," author Erika Pani's "command of Mexican history provides essential context for the U.S. Civil War," writes Adrian Brettle. Read more here: tinyurl.com/5nrdkthm

Torn Asunder (2025)

A detailed review of "Torn Asunder: Republican Crises and Civil Wars in the United States and Mexico, 1848-1867" by Erika Pani.

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Convicted Lincoln assassination conspirators Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were hanged at the Old Arsenal Penitentiary #otd in 1865. The reported last words of Surratt—the first woman executed by the U.S. government—were "Please don't let me fall."

In the first of our special "America 250" digital essay series, Aaron Sheehan-Dean writes about how Abraham Lincoln squared the revolutionary change wrought by the Civil War with his professed loyalty to the Founding Fathers’ vision for the nation. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y72ca656

Abraham Lincoln, Reluctant Revolutionary

How Abraham Lincoln squared the revolutionary change wrought by the Civil War with his professed loyalty to the Founding Fathers’ vision for the nation.

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Happy #250thBirthday America! The illustrated newspaper Harper's Weekly marked the Fourth of July in 1865—and the recent end of the Civil War—by publishing this depiction of triumphant Union soldiers heading home to reunite with loved ones and resume civilian life in peace.

Confederate infantry advanced upon the center of the Union line at Gettysburg #otd in 1863. Known to history as Pickett’s Charge, the Rebel attack proceeded over nearly a mile of open ground before reaching its objective—and being repulsed.

In the wake of the Battle of Gettysburg—the second day of which occurred #otd in 1863—artists rushed to create depictions of the epic fight, some of them based on eyewitness accounts, others on the imaginations of the creators. View a sampling of them here: tinyurl.com/ycy6hver

Gettysburg in Art

Over the years, numerous artists have produced renditions of the Battle of Gettysburg, some of them created within days of the fighting, others years afterward. We've assembled a variety of these port...

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A historic heatwave that hit south-central PA after the Battle of Gettysburg—which began #otd in 1863—increased the suffering of wounded soldiers who remained in the area to receive treatment. Read more about the extreme weather and its effects here: tinyurl.com/44r7duyf

The Weather Gods’ Finale

A detailed look at what the weather was like in the wake of the Battle of Gettysburg—and how it affected the wounded who recovered nearby.

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"Take Freedom: Recovering the Fugitive History of the Denmark Vesey Affair" by James O’Neil Spady "revises our understanding of the Denmark Vesey Affair by reading new evidence against the grain," writes Joel Criswell. Read more here: tinyurl.com/mt2ks56v @uncpress.bsky.social

Take Freedom (2026)

A detailed review of "Take Freedom: Recovering the Fugitive History of the Denmark Vesey Affair" by James O’Neil Spady.

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In the Voices department of our Summer '26 issue we featured quotes from Union and Confederate soldiers about their thoughts and feelings when on the verge of entering battle. Read those we didn't have room to include here: tinyurl.com/yk4ztku4

Extra Voices: Before the Storm

Firsthand quotes by Union and Confederate soldiers about their thoughts and feelings when on the verge of entering battle.

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The Battle of Gaines' Mill—the third of the so-called Seven Days Battles—was fought #otd in 1862. The Confederate victory convinced George McClellan to abandon his campaign to take Richmond and pull his Army of the Potomac back to the James River.

Abner Doubleday was born #otd in 1819. The West Point grad was among the defenders of Fort Sumter when it was bombarded in 1861 and rose to the rank of major general by war's end. The claim that he invented the game of baseball—made years after his death—has been debunked.

George Armstrong Custer was killed at the Battle of the Little Big Horn in Montana Territory #otd in 1876. The  Ohio native, who had made his reputation as the bold and dashing “Boy General” during the Civil War, was 36.

"Our Onward March: The Grand Army of the Republic in the Progressive Era" by Jonathan D. Neu details how the GAR’s work and influence “was in no way confined to the post hall,” writes Riley Sullivan. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/3pnhdv8z @fordhampress.bsky.social

Our Onward March (2025)

A detailed review of "Our Onward March: The Grand Army of the Republic in the Progressive Era" by Jonathan D. Neu.

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The cover story of the September 28, 1861, issue of Harper’s Weekly highlighted the death-defying exploits of Captain William E. Strong, 2nd Wisconsin Infantry, during a recent encounter with Confederate soldiers. Read it here: tinyurl.com/mwvf4tak

Captain Strong’s Adventure

Discover the story of Captain William E. Strong's death-defying adventure during the Civil War, as told by Harper's Weekly.

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Today is "Juneteenth," the anniversary of the day, in 1865, that enslaved people in Texas learned of their freedom from Union soldiers, 900 days after the Emancipation Proclamation had gone into effect.

"Point Lookout, Maryland: The Largest Civil War Prison" by Robert Crickenberger Jr. is "perhaps the most detailed work on a single Civil War prison site ever written," writes Madeline Feierstein. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/55twxtwf

Point Lookout, Maryland (2026)

A review of "Point Lookout, Maryland: The Largest Civil War Prison" by Robert Crickenberger Jr.

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