Civil War Profiles

The Band Sings About The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

April 3, 2015 Mathew W. Lively 16

On a self-titled album in 1969, the rock group The Band released “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” a song depicting the final days of the Confederacy in 1865. A long-time favorite of many, […]

Camp Chase Prison

March 31, 2015 Civil War Profiles 0

Named after Secretary of the Treasury, Salmon P. Chase, and located four miles west of downtown Columbus, OH, Camp Chase started as a Union training facility in 1861. Converted into a prison camp […]

Abraham Lincoln’s physical appearance changed dramatically during his tenure as President of the United States. The magnitude of his apparent aging is often demonstrated by showing a photograph from the start of his first term […]

Lincoln’s Assassination

February 8, 2015 Civil War Profiles 0

Lincoln’s Assassination Edward Steers, Jr. Hardcover; 176 pages Southern Illinois University Press (2014) Another appealing volume from the Concise Lincoln Library series, Lincoln’s Assassination contains a wealth of information starting with John Wilkes Booth’s original […]

Commander Will Cushing

January 13, 2015 Civil War Profiles 0

Commander Will Cushing: Daredevil Hero of the Civil War Jamie Malanowski Hardcover; 304 pages W.W. Norton (2014) Commander Will Cushing is a narrative biography by Jamie Malanowski about the Civil War naval hero who became […]

Such Troops As These

December 31, 2014 Civil War Profiles 0

Such Troops As These: The Genius and Leadership of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson Bevin Alexander Hardcover; 332 pages Berkley (2014) Such Troops As These is an analysis of Stonewall Jackson’s performance as a general during […]

Embattled Rebel

December 6, 2014 Civil War Profiles 0

Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief James M. McPherson Hardcover; 320 pages Penguin Press (2014) Embattled Rebel is a brief accounting of Jefferson Davis’ role in managing the military strategy, actions, and policy […]

Lincoln’s Letter to Mrs. Bixby

November 21, 2014 Mathew W. Lively 4

One hundred and fifty years ago today, a letter was written to a Mrs. Lydia Bixby of Massachusetts consoling her for the loss of five sons during their service in the Union army. The letter, […]

Fierce Patriot

October 26, 2014 Civil War Profiles 0

Fierce Patriot: The Tangled Lives of William Tecumseh Sherman Robert L. O’Connell Hardcover; 432 pages Random House (2014) In Fierce Patriot, author Robert L. O’Connell attempts to untangle the complex character of William T. Sherman […]

Rebel Yell

September 26, 2014 Civil War Profiles 0

Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson S. C. Gywnne Hardcover; 688 pages. Scribner (2014) Rebel Yell is an easy-to-read biography of Stonewall Jackson focusing on his Civil War career with interspersed […]