Civil War History and Author Blog
Explore battles, ancestor research, and the stories behind Steel and Honor.
Gettysburg and Vicksburg: Why July 1863 Changed the War
Gettysburg stopped Lee's Pennsylvania invasion. Vicksburg and Port Hudson opened the Mississippi River to Union control. Together, these victories changed the war's balance without
How to Find the Battles Your Civil War Ancestor Fought
Find your ancestor's unit, build a service timeline, and compare company records with battle histories. Learn why a regiment's battle list cannot prove individual participation.
Why Civil War Battles Have Two Names: Antietam and Sharpsburg
Some Civil War battles carry two names because opposing armies chose different nearby landmarks. Here is how to recognize the same battle across different records.
Civil War Battles vs. an Order of Battle: What’s the Difference?
A battle chronology follows events through time. An order of battle identifies units and commanders. Learn how to use both for Civil War research.
How Many Battles Were Fought in the Civil War?
How many battles were fought in the Civil War? Learn what the 384 principal battles count means and explore a free battle index.
A Civil War Love Poem Finds Its Voice, 160 Years Later
Albert Carter left behind a love poem. It holds three verses and a chorus. More than 160 years later, I set his words to music. Now I want your help. Which version carries their fe
The 384 Battles Index: Follow the Civil War One Battlefield at a Time
If one of your ancestors served in the Civil War, that person experienced it through a particular regiment, particular roads and towns, and particular fields on particular days. Fi
How Two Apps and a Battle Index Are Bringing Civil War Ancestors Back to Life
A reader once typed her own last name into a search box on my website. Thirty seconds later she read six words that changed how she saw her family. Her great-great-grandfather earn
Antietam: Secession to the Bloodiest Day
By nightfall on September 17, 1862, the guns fell silent along a Maryland creek. Nearly 23,000 men lay dead, wounded, or missing. No day in American history cost more. Anyone who w
Beyond the Muster Roll: Every Battle, Every Soldier
Readers write to me the same way, again and again. They find an ancestor in the Muster Roll search. A private in a Pennsylvania regiment. A cavalryman from Mississippi. Once they s