"Little Round Top at Gettysburg: A Reassessment of July 2, 1863" by Joseph Michael Bostlet draws upon a "broad collection of published sources to render more legible a most murky historical record," writes Codie Eash. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/bddeffwy

In the latest installment of his "Tales from the Road" column, John Banks travels to Triune, TN, to explore the remnants of a once-vital chain of Union defenses. Read it here: tinyurl.com/bd6b7n6v

The Spring '26 issue of the Monitor goes on sale today. You can learn more about it—or order a copy—at our website: www.civilwarmonitor.com/issue/spring-2026/

While bulletproof vests existed during the Civil War, they were less popular and effective than their manufacturers—and supporters in the press—had envisioned. Learn more here: tinyurl.com/2nbpwnf5

"A Fate Worse Than Hell: American Prisoners of the Civil War" by W. Fitzhugh Brundage is "a landmark book that will engross the reading public and compete for the field’s top awards," writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read why he thinks so here: tinyurl.com/yn6a6akw @wwnorton.com

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, who began his distinguished Civil War service as lieutenant colonel of the 20th Maine Infantry and ended it as a brevet major general, died #otd in 1914 at 85. After the war, he served as Maine's governor and president of Bowdoin College.

We're excited to announce the launch of our latest digital history column, Fugitive Federals. Overseen by historians Lorien Foote and Andrew Fialka, it will highlight the stories and experiences of escaped Union POWs. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/5x9yhtkc

The Battle of Olustee, Florida, was fought #otd in 1864. African-American troops from the 54th Massachusetts and 35th USCT helped turn back the victorious Rebels' attempts to overwhelm the rear element of the retreating Union force at battle's end.

The digital version of our Spring '26 issue is now live for subscribers to read at our website: tinyurl.com/38sjruhy. Not yet a subscriber? Fix that here: tinyurl.com/232zx9cd. #civilwarhistory #twitterstorians #history #americancivilwar

"Love and Loss After Wounded Knee: A Biography of an Extraordinary Interracial Marriage" by Julie Dobrow is "an excellent dual biography" of interest to "any audience, scholarly or popular," writes Aaron David Hyams. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/hnaherd4

Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley undertook a nighttime attack on USS Housatonic in the waters of Charleston Harbor #otd in 1864. Hunley's spar torpedo detonated and sank the sloop of war; the sub itself foundered shortly thereafter, all eight of its crew lost with the vessel.

In February 1864, Union surgeon J. Theodore Calhoun offered his thoughts on the causes and prevalence of nostalgia—or homesickness—among Union soldiers to an assemblage of medical officers from the Army of the Potomac. Read them here: tinyurl.com/4frczt5x

Happy #ValentinesDay! During the Civil War, Americans sent Valentine’s Day cards to family and friends that could at times be more comic, satirical, and biting than loving. View samples here: tinyurl.com/3m8a7av2

In the latest installment of her "Unhidden History" column, Zethyn McKinley writes about the mystery surrounding the death and final resting place of former CSA president Jefferson Davis. Read it here: www.civilwarmonitor.com/the-case-of-...

William Sherman was born in Lancaster, OH, #otd in 1820. The West Point grad began the conflict in command of a brigade; by war's end, he had succeeded U.S. Grant in command of the war's western theater and overseen devastatingly successful campaigns in Georgia and the Carolinas.

Union gunboats commanded by Andrew H. Foote bombarded Confederate Fort Henry on the Tennessee River into submission #otd in 1862. The surrender opened the river to Union traffic and set the stage for U.S. Grant's successful advance upon Fort Donelson 12 miles distant.

"John Brown in New York: The Man, His Family, and the Adirondack Landscape" by Sandra Weber is "an excellent and engaging book that students of John Brown will want on their bookshelf," writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/yr59uwzj

During the Civil War, The Scientific American highlighted inventors’ proposed creations in its pages—some more practical than others—that promised (or over-promised) improvements in the lives and effectiveness of Union soldiers. View some of them here: tinyurl.com/vsz76acp

The ironclad warship USS Monitor launched at Greenpoint, NY, #otd in 1862. Its low profile and large cylindrical gun turret initially earned it the derisive nickname "cheesebox on a raft," yet the innovative vessel quickly helped usher in a new era in naval warfare.

"Union Soldiers of Southwestern Illinois" by John J. Dunphy "is valuable for providing readers with insights into some the lesser-known residents of a region best known for pro-Confederate fealties," writes Riley Sullivan. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/5n6fa2m6

"In shape it is like a turtle, covered with a thick shell or armor, and armed with a sharp stylet or prow." So wrote a Pennsylvania man to The Scientific American in 1864 about his plans for a crab-like warship. Read his entire (failed) pitch here: tinyurl.com/3589rdy2

“The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West” by Martha A. Sandweiss “is a model of historical detective work,” writes Evan C. Rothera. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/4uecpnun

In our latest digital history column, Larry Korczyk examines the bold performance of Colonel Francis Heath, 19th Maine Infantry, at the Battle of Gettysburg. Read it here: bit.ly/4pPqUcO

Edwin M. Stanton was confirmed as U.S. Secretary of War by the Senate #otd in 1862, succeeding Simon Cameron in the position. Stanton would become a key figure in the Lincoln administration, reorganizing the War Department to manage the massive Union war effort.

"The Republican House Divided" by Tim Galsworthy joins a "growing shelf of books assessing how Americans contested the Civil War’s memory and legacy in the late twentieth century," writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read more about it here: bit.ly/4sGaA0G

In the third installment of our “Odd Civil War Photos” series, we highlight more strange and offbeat images made during the conflict. View them here: tinyurl.com/477uhc8w

James Longstreet was born in Edgefield District, South Carolina, #otd in 1821. After graduating from West Point in 1842, he served in the U.S. Army until 1861, when he resigned his commission to join the Confederate military, in which he rose to the rank of lieutenant general.

"David Davis: Abraham Lincoln’s Favorite Judge" by Raymond J. McKoski is an "interesting and informative biography," writes Evan C. Rothera. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/mr4xkz7k @illinoispress.bsky.social

In our latest digital history column, Megan VanGorder writes about Sarah R. Johnston, a southern woman who aided Union POWs at Salisbury Prison in the face of severe social backlash. Read it here: tinyurl.com/yc2faedx

The Battle of Stones River concluded #otd in 1863. Braxton Bragg's Confederates attacked enemy positions east of the river but Union artillery inflicted heavy losses; Bragg withdrew the following day. Over 30% of all troops engaged were killed, wounded, or captured/missing.

The Emancipation Proclamation—which declared "all persons held as slaves” in the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free”—took effect #otd in 1863. Its enactment moved artists to salute the document, its effects & President Lincoln. View examples here: bit.ly/3RG6ALT

"I would try and be sentimental in view of New Year’s Eve, but that could hardly be looked for in a man that eats onions." So wrote Union officer William Lusk in a letter home on Dec. 31, 1862. Read his entire thoughts on the turn of the New Year here: tinyurl.com/zn7ev6d5

In "Union Guerrillas of Civil War Kansas: Jayhawkers and Red Legs," authors Paul A. Thomas and Matt M. Matthews "provide a balanced perspective on their protagonists," writes Riley Sullivan. Read more about the book here: civilwarmonitor.com/union-guerrillas-of-civil-war-kansas-2025/

In June 1864, Harper’s Weekly published an unattributed poem about a dog taken in by a Union sergeant. The story would have rung true with countless Civil War soldiers who had “adopted” personal or regimental pets during the conflict. Read it here: tinyurl.com/4fhh3edh

A very Merry Christmas to all who celebrate the day. Shown here: Thomas Nast’s depiction of Santa Claus distributing presents to soldiers at a Union army camp, published in Harper’s Weekly in January 1863. #MerryChristmas

"The Devil’s Own Purgatory: The United States Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War" by Robert Gudmestad "merits a wide readership and the many accolades it is sure to receive," writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read why he thinks so here: tinyurl.com/4nadefx5

In 1862, a Wisconsin newspaper published an article titled “What to Send to Soldiers," a sarcastic piece that poked fun at people who were reportedly shipping impractical items to friends and loved ones the front. Read it here: tinyurl.com/53t7934z

Still holiday shopping? Consider a 1-year gift subscription—print, digital, or All Access—to the Monitor for the history enthusiast on your list. Your recipient will get an email announcing the gift on the date you choose. Order here: civilwarmonitor.com/subscribe/

#otd in 1860, members of a secession convention in South Carolina—who had gathered in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's election as president—declared the state's withdrawal from the U.S. This Charleston Mercury broadside, published the same day, spread the momentous news.

"The Second Manassas Campaign" edited by Caroline E. Janney and Kathryn J. Shively is a collection of "nine splendid essays" on a "chronically understudied" campaign, writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/5n6nvt44 @uncpress.bsky.social

In the latest installment of his "Science and War" digital history column, Scott Hippensteel writes about acoustic shadows and the impact they had on Civil War battlefields. Read it here: tinyurl.com/ywpccs2s

"War Fought and Felt: The Emotional Motivations of Confederate Soldiers" by Joshua R. Shiver "raises new areas and new questions for historians to explore," writes Brian Matthew Jordan. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/ebay337t @lsupress.bsky.social

The Army of the Potomac suffered a decisive defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. Shortly afterward, a New York soldier who survived the fight unscathed wrote about his experiences in a detailed letter to his parents. Read it here: tinyurl.com/ydzvw2ed

What were the best Civil War history books published in 2025? We asked a panel of historians for their picks and published the results in our Winter issue. Read them here: tinyurl.com/yp7fac2u @uncpress.bsky.social @aaknopf.bsky.social @oxunipress.bsky.social

"The 1st Michigan Colored Regiment: Free Men Who Fought Slavery" by Maurice Imhoff is "an accessible account of Michigan’s only African American regiment," writes Greyson Bettendorf. Read more about it here: bit.ly/3Y6n9nO

In our latest digital history column, West Point Cadet Matthew Clifford uses new evidence and modern technology to re-evaluate French-born Union officer Régis de Trobriand’s performance in the fight for the Wheatfield at Gettysburg. Read it here: tinyurl.com/mzfhzsbz

James Longstreet's Confederates attacked Ambrose Burnside's Federals outside Knoxville at Fort Sanders #otd in 1863. The lopsided Union victory (Confederates suffered some 800 casualties to the opponent's 20) prompted Longstreet to end his brief siege of the city.

Happy #Thanksgiving! If your eyes are bigger than your stomach today, know you’re not alone. Even Civil War soldiers were prone to overindulging on the big day, as evidenced by this 1864 Harper’s Weekly cartoon titled “Bellycose appearance of our brave boys after Thanksgiving.”

"Conflict and Controversy in the Confederate High Command: Davis, Johnston, Hood and the Atlanta Campaign of 1864" by Dennis B. Conklin II is "a readable and historiographically informed military history," writes Robert L. Glaze. Read more about it here: tinyurl.com/uaaz5r3c

In the Voices department of our current (Winter '25) issue we highlight quotes from Union and Confederate soldiers about being wounded in battle. Unfortunately, we didn’t have room to include all that we found. Read those that just missed the cut here: tinyurl.com/r2retymw