The Civil War Months

The Battle of Antietam

September 17, 2022 WalterCoffey

The bloodiest day in American history takes place as the armies of Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan fight to a standoff near Sharpsburg, Maryland, along Antietam Creek.

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From David Ash, 37th Illinois

March 11, 2022 WalterCoffey

Letter from David Ash, Company B, 37th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, three days after the Battle of Pea Ridge.

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The Battle of Valverde

February 21, 2022 WalterCoffey

Henry H. Sibley’s Confederate Army of New Mexico begins its mission to conquer the New Mexico Territory, culminating in a fight for a ford on the Rio Grande.

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The Fall of Fort Donelson

February 16, 2022 WalterCoffey

Federals score their greatest victory of the war up to this time, generating a new national hero in the process.

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The Union is Broken For Ever

December 31, 2021 WalterCoffey

The year closes with southerners optimistic about gaining independence and northerners pessimistic about preserving the Union.

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The Battle of Ball’s Bluff

October 21, 2021 WalterCoffey

Federal forces suffer another horrific defeat when they are driven off a cliff overlooking the Potomac River at Leesburg, Virginia.

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The Fall of Lexington

September 20, 2021 WalterCoffey

Sterling Price’s Missouri State Guards capture a Federal force and a key commercial town in their effort to expel the Federals from their state.

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From Robert McAllister, 1st New Jersey

July 25, 2021 WalterCoffey

Letter from Lt. Col. Robert McAllister, 1st New Jersey Infantry, to his friend.

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From Philip Powers, 1st Virginia Cavalry

July 23, 2021 WalterCoffey

Letter from Sgt. Philip Powers, 1st Virginia Cavalry, to his wife.

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From Eugene Blackford, 5th Alabama

July 22, 2021 WalterCoffey

Letter from Eugene Blackford, 5th Alabama, to his father following the Battle of Bull Run.

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The Battle of Bull Run

July 21, 2021 WalterCoffey

The battle that many hoped would end the war takes place in northern Virginia near a stream named Bull Run.

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From Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island

July 14, 2021 WalterCoffey

Letter from Maj. Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island, to his wife.

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Saturday, December 3, 1864. Peace.

December 3, 2014 WalterCoffey

Article originally published in Harper’s Weekly, 3 December 1864 (courtesy of sonofthesouth.net) THE air is full of rumors of peace. It has been so at

Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Proclamation

November 27, 2014 WalterCoffey

On 3 October 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation setting aside the last Thursday in November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to

Sherman’s March Through Georgia

November 26, 2014 WalterCoffey

Article originally published in Harper’s Weekly, 26 November 1864 (courtesy of sonofthesouth.net) FREDERICK THE GREAT’S Silesian campaigns were not more remarkable than General SHERMAN’S. A

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