Desertion was a problem for both the Confederate and the Union armies, even though it was a serious offense punishable by death. Politicians and generals complained that soldiers were being granted leave on the eve of major battles in which their presence was necessary to the cause. After the Battle of Fredericksburg, when morale was…

It took more than 11 years, but on December 2, 1863—in the midst of the Civil War—the Statue of Freedom was finally secured to the top of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.

On November 19, 1863, 15,000 people stood in the brisk autumn air in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to partake in the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery. Four months earlier, the ground had been littered with bodies and remnants of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War.

Much remains a mystery about Ulysses S. Grant.

Along the Chickamauga Creek in Georgia, Confederate General Braxton Braggs, Union General William Rosecrans and more than 120,000 men came to blows on September 19 and 20, 1863.

While Lincoln seems to transcend partisan politics today, portrayals of Lincoln have served a wide range of political purposes over the years. Some uses of Lincoln’s memory ignore emancipation as a theme in his presidency, and some extend Lincoln’s vision across political lines.

It is fitting to reflect on how the Union victory influenced a charge for civil rights. With the creation of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, our country saw little change in the way of African-American rights. See how that has evolved in the time since.

Like many Union soldiers, Osborn Oldroyd was enamored of Lincoln and began collecting “trophies from his campaign” in 1860, starting with items related to Lincoln’s election. While attending a memorial service for Lincoln in 1880, Oldroyd got the idea to put his collection on display. 

By July 1863, the Confederate army’s continuing success in battle emboldened General Lee to move the war into the north. While Lee and his troops passed through Maryland into Pennsylvania, Lincoln replaced General Joseph Hooker with General George Meade, who hastily pursued Lee. On the morning of July 1, the two armies finally met outside…

It is a common belief that when the Confederacy separated from the Union, they did so with the support and loyalty of the general public. But, just as Lincoln was viewed by many in the North as a failing president, many in the South saw the act of secession as hot-headed and wrong.