Our "Civil War Breakthroughs" podcast returns next week with a second season, The Medical Renaissance, in which historians examine how modern medicine took root during the war. You can listen to the series’ trailer here: tinyurl.com/278t7rjp

Civil War Breakthroughs Season 2 Trailer

Civil War Breakthroughs is back for a second season, in which expert historians discuss the medical renaissance that occurred during the conflict.

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"A Mother’s Work: Mary Bickerdyke, Civil War Era Nurse" by Megan VanGorder "will be an important addition to scholarly conversations on women’s history and the history of medicine and nursing," writes Sarah Handley-Cousins. Read more here: tinyurl.com/bdh6v49z @uncpress.bsky.social

Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation #otd in 1862, declaring that if the Confederates did not end the fighting and rejoin the Union by January 1, 1863, all slaves in the rebellious states would be free.

In 1862, Union army assistant surgeon James Calhoun wrote about a recent incident in which a soldier was thought to have been wounded by the “wind” of a passing projectile. Calhoun remained skeptical of the possibility. Read his thoughts here: tinyurl.com/2t7jjua5

Wounded by Wind

Union surgeon James T. Calhoun weighs in on the notion that close-passing projectiles had the ability to injure Civil War soldiers.

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The Battle of Chickamauga concluded #otd in 1863. Union commander William Rosecrans accidentally created a massive gap in his lines that was then breached by James Longstreet's Confederates, who routed and drove much of the Union army (including Rosecrans) from the field.

Union and Confederate forces fought to a standstill at the Battle of Antietam #otd in 1862. Total casualties (killed, wounded, missing) during the engagement totaled nearly 23,000, making Antietam the bloodiest single day in American history.

"More Important Than Good Generals: Junior Officers in the Army of the Tennessee" by Jonathan Engel is "a useful if uneven book," writes Andrew S. Bledsoe. Read more of his thoughts on it here : tinyurl.com/yf7r48vt

President Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. #otd in 1863. Using the authority granted him by Congress earlier in the year, his order allowed the Union military to detain individuals deemed disloyal (spies, prisoners, deserters, draft resisters, etc.) without immediate trial.

Among the approximately 3,600 men killed at the Battle of Antietam—fought 163 years ago this week—was Henry Keeler of the 14th CT. His soldier-brother wrote of his attempt a few weeks later to find Henry's battlefield grave in a letter home. Read it here: tinyurl.com/bddnnnu7

A Death at Antietam

A Connecticut infantryman reflects on the death of his soldier-brother at the Battle of Antietam in a moving letter home.

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"Through the Civil War with the 14th Ohio Infantry: Horatio Quiggle’s Memoir of Service, 1861–1865," ed. by Joanna R. Hagopian and David A. Powell, is a "fine addition to the body of Civil War soldiers’ memoirs," writes Jeremy Knoll. Read more here: tinyurl.com/msw5rf6n

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was born #otd in 1828. A professor at Bowdoin College when the war began, he led the 20th Maine at Gettysburg, his actions there earning him the Medal of Honor. He survived a severe wound at Petersburg in 1864 and ended the war a brevet major general.

In our latest digital history column, Zethyn McKinley examines the American Civil War's effects on faraway Hawaii through its impact on the native sugar industry. Read it here: tinyurl.com/4nucwe8z

The “Spirit” of Hilo

An examination of the American Civil War's effects on faraway Hawaii through its impact on the native sugar industry.

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Confederate cavalry general John Hunt Morgan—the "Thunderbolt of the Confederacy"—was killed in Greeneville, TN, #otd in 1864. Union cavalry had entered the town and surprised Morgan, who was shot while fleeing the house in which he had spent the night.

"Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation" by Robert D. Bland "offers a fresh perspective on an old history," writes Justin Behrend. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/2cpbdfs6 @uncpress.bsky.social

Requiem for Reconstruction (2026)

A review of "Requiem for Reconstruction: Black Countermemory and the Legacy of the Lowcountry’s Lost Political Generation" by Robert D. Bland

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Union generals Phil Kearny and Isaac Stevens were killed #otd in 1862 at the Battle of Chantilly while leading their men against Confederates under "Stonewall" Jackson, who were attempting to cut off the retreating Union army after its defeat the previous day at Second Bull Run.

Discover more strange and offbeat images made during the conflict in the fourth installment of our “Odd Civil War Photos” series: tinyurl.com/223uy8k2

Odd Civil War Photos, Pt. 4

Discover more strange and offbeat images from the Civil War in the fourth installment of our 'Odd Civil War Photos' series.

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James Longstreet's 25,000-man-strong corps of the Army of Northern Virginia launched the largest mass assault of the Civil War #otd in 1862, routing John Pope's Union army at the Second Battle of Manassas. Days later, Robert E. Lee's began his campaign into Maryland.

"The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, February 6–16, 1862," ed. by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear, is "a worthwhile collection that will repay novice students of the war and seasoned scholars alike," writes Lisa M. Chavez. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/5cp2y4p5

The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign (2026)

A review of "The Forts Henry and Donelson Campaign, February 6–16, 1862" edited by Steven E. Woodworth and Charles D. Grear.

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In the latest installment of her "War in the West" digital history column, Cecily Zander writes about how the Civil War's Morrill Act embedded military training in the institutional foundations of western higher education. Read more here: tinyurl.com/2ufw8znr

The Course They Didn’t Advertise

How the Civil War's Morrill Act embedded military training in the institutional foundations of western higher education.

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The first of seven Lincoln-Douglas debates was held #otd in 1858. Democratic U.S. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois and Abraham Lincoln, his Republican challenger, clashed mainly over the fate of slavery in the country. Lincoln would lose the election but gain national recognition.

The digital version of our Fall '26 issue is now live for subscribers to read at our website: tinyurl.com/yy44xptx. Not yet a subscriber? Fix that here: tinyurl.com/232zx9cd.

"Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, The Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery" by Richard Kreitner is "a valuable contribution to both Civil War and Jewish-American history," writes John Campbell. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/4zc467fv

Fear No Pharaoh (2025)

A review of "Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, The Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery" by Richard Kreitner.

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Who killed 20th Massachusetts officer Thomas McKay on the evening of October 20, 1863, while he investigated a disturbance among the men of his company? Read his comrade's account of the killing and pursuit of the elusive murderer here: tinyurl.com/mr3jxpb6

The Murder of Captain McKay

Learn about the mystery surrounding the murder of Captain Thomas M. McKay of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War.

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Who killed 20th Massachusetts officer Thomas McKay on the evening of October 20, 1863, while he investigated a disturbance among the men of his company? Read his comrade's account of the killing and pursuit of the elusive murderer here: tinyurl.com/mr3jxpb6

The Murder of Captain McKay

Learn about the mystery surrounding the murder of Captain Thomas M. McKay of the 20th Massachusetts Infantry during the American Civil War.

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"An Officer of Six Navies: The Life of Confederate Commander Hunter Davidson" by John M. Coski with Charles T. Jacobs is "a most welcome study of a complicated Confederate naval officer," writes Neil P. Chatelain. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/4mwp6yec

An Officer of Six Navies (2026)

A review of "An Officer of Six Navies: The Life of Confederate Commander Hunter Davidson" by John M. Coski with Charles T. Jacobs.

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In our latest digital history column, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Larry Korczyk looks at the reasons why Union general Thomas A. Rowley was court-martialed for his conduct at the Battle of Gettysburg. Read it here: tinyurl.com/y6ycnzx3

Arrest and Court Martial of Thomas A. Rowley

A look at the reasons why a Union brigadier general was prosecuted for his conduct at the Battle of Gettysburg.

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"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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