This episode of the Public History podcast looks beyond the Irish Brigade to the everyday lives of Irish-born Union soldiers. We dig into letters, pension files, class, money, and memory with historian Damien Shiels and why Irish Civil War service has long been misunderstood on both sides of the Atlantic. Listen to the episode.
As the Battle of Gettysburg raged, Harrisburg residents heard the distant thunder of cannon fire, signaling the scale of the conflict to the south. On July 3, 1863, the Harrisburg Evening Telegraph reported intense anxiety in the state capital, as the city braced for news of the battle’s outcome and prepared to receive wounded soldiers in the days ahead. Read the full story.
In this Monday Dispatch, I'm revisiting my transformative 2015 internship at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park - where battlefield interpretation, the Charleston massacre, and rising Confederate flag debates reshaped my career. Discover how that summer defined my career path and the future of Civil War memory. Read the full reflection.
Civil War soldier Frederick Hitchcock called army coffee “the soldiers’ solace and stay.” Learn how a hot cup fueled tired, homesick troops in Pennsylvania’s 132nd. A brew so beloved, it revived spirits on freezing picket nights and endless marches alike. Read the full story.
Volunteer soldier Gilliard Dock recorded an encounter with a very grump US Army general during the Battle of Antietam.
Captain Charles Flagg became one of the last casualties of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.