Civil War
After Winning the Battle of Gettysburg, George Meade Fought With—and Lost to—the Press
The Civil War general's reputation was shaped by partisan politics, editorial whims and his own personal failings
Was This Civil War Hero the First Medal of Honor Recipient Born in Africa?
Recent research suggests Joachim Pease, a sailor recognized for his role in sinking a Confederate raider, was from Cape Verde
The 72-Year-Old Who Lied About His Age to Fight in World War I
A Civil War veteran, John William Boucher was one of the oldest men on the ground during the Great War
Quarantine Hospital and Cemetery Found Underwater Off the Coast of Florida
Before it was submerged, a small island was home to 19th-century yellow fever patients
The Descendants of Robert E. Lee and the Workers He Enslaved Join Hands in Racial Reconciliation
The Confederate general's Virginia home hosted families from all across the United States.
The 1873 Colfax Massacre Set Back the Reconstruction Era
Occuring 150 years ago, one of the worst incidents of racial violence after the Civil War set the stage for segregation
At Fort Pillow, Confederates Massacred Black Soldiers After They Surrendered
Targeted even when unarmed, around 70 percent of the Black Union troops who fought in the 1864 battle died as a result of the clash
When President Ulysses S. Grant Was Arrested for Speeding in a Horse-Drawn Carriage
The sitting commander in chief insisted the Black police officer who cited him not face punishment for doing his duty
How Much Warning Would We Have of an Earth-Shattering Comet? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
160-Year-Old Civil War Artillery Shell Found at Gettysburg
After clearing the area, park officials sent experts to safely detonate the object
Why the Union Army Had So Many Boy Soldiers
A new book unearths the startling numbers behind underage enlistment during the Civil War
The Doctor and the Confederate
A historian’s journey into the relationship between Alexander Darnes and Edmund Kirby Smith starts with a surprising eulogy
A Look Back at the First Time the Smithsonian Castle Closed for Renovations
In February, the building will shutter for five years for much-needed improvements
Henrietta Lacks' Virginia Hometown Will Build Statue in Her Honor, Replacing Robert E. Lee Monument
Lacks' unique cancer cells were taken without consent and used for medical breakthroughs
Richmond Removes Its Last City-Owned Confederate Monument
The statue of Ambrose P. Hill had stood at a busy intersection since 1892
The Nation's First Woman Senator Was a Virulent White Supremacist
In 1922, Rebecca Latimer Felton, a Georgia women's rights activist and lynching proponent, temporarily filled a dead man's Senate seat
The Forgotten Father of the Underground Railroad
The author of a book about William Still unearths new details about the leading Black abolitionist—and reflects on his lost legacy
Before Lincoln Issued the Emancipation Proclamation, This Russian Czar Freed 20 Million Serfs
The parallels between the U.S. president and Alexander II, both of whom fought to end servitude in their nations, are striking
New American Girl Doll Celebrates Black Joy During the Harlem Renaissance
Nine-year-old Claudie Wells' story unfolds in 1920s New York
The Civil War's First Civilian Casualty Was an Elderly Widow From Virginia
Union gunfire killed 85-year-old Judith Carter Henry on July 21, 1861—the day of the First Battle of Bull Run
Page 3 of 19