This discussion will take place on twitter on May 24 at 8pm. #CWM101 Welcome to the final week of our discussion about Caroline Janney’s book, Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation. This week we will discuss chapter 9, which explores some of the most iconic moments in Civil War memory, including Read more

This discussion will take place on Twitter on May 17 at 8pm. #CWM101 We are close to the finish line. Thanks again to all of you who have taken part in this discussion over the past few weeks. I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have. United Daughters of the Confederacy This week Read more

There are some very entertaining parodies of Ken Burns’s Civil War documentary out there, but this short video is hilarious. I love the use of Reese’s Pieces to represent troop movements on the map. Enjoy Read more

Did You Know? You can order a personalized copy of my latest book, Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth, direct from me through PayPal. It’s easy. Megan L. Bever, Lesley J. Gordon and Laura Mammina, eds. American Discord: The Republic and Its People in the Civil War Era (Louisiana State University Read more

This discussion will take place on Twitter on Sunday, May 10 at 8pm. #CWM101 This week we will discuss chapter 7 in Caroline Janney’s book, Remembering the Civil War: Reunion and the Limits of Reconciliation. This chapter explores the ways in which white and black Americans understood the legacy of slavery and emancipation by the Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has left a wide trail of destruction that includes tens of thousands of lives and millions of jobs. It has undercut our own sense of security and has left many of us with profound concerns about our immediate and long-term futures. I hope you and your families are safe and healthy. Ultimately Read more

I’ve made steady progress with my research project on Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. It’s exciting how research can transform what you thought you knew about a historical subject or individual. Often it reveals how little you know. The research process can also steer you toward a different book idea altogether. From the beginning I’ve been Read more

This discussion will take place on twitter on Sunday, May 3 at 8pm on Twitter using the hashtag #CWM101. We are now more than halfway through Caroline Janney’s book, Remembering the Civil War: Reconciliation and the Limits of Reunion. This week we will discuss chapter 6. This chapter addresses the thesis at the center of Read more

Yesterday my wife and I were sitting in my library and she asked me to pick out ten books that have had the most influence on my understanding of Civil War history. I gave it a little thought and began pulling books off my shelves. Here is what I came up with. This is not Read more