Confederate Archives

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Legendary Cavalry Commander Nathan Bedford Forrest

By Mike Haskew

Prior to the American Civil War, Nathan Bedford Forrest amassed a fortune in real estate, agriculture, and the slave trade. Read more

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Union General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea

By Mike Haskew

Union General William T. Sherman was a friend and trusted subordinate of General Ulysses S. Grant, commander of all Union armies in the field during the Civil War. Read more

Despite numerous attempts to deescalate the situation on both sides, Fort Sumter was fired upon in April 1861, marking the start of the American Civil War.

Confederate

American Civil War Timeline: the Road to War

by William Welsh

One of the catalysts for a major rebellion in the United States were irregular warfare in “Bleeding Kansas” from 1854 to 1861 between anti-slavery Free Staters and pro-slavery border ruffians. Read more

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Battle of Chickamauga: Death in the Deep Woods

By Cowan Brew

It was nearly 11 on the morning of September 20, 1863, and the woods around slow-moving Chickamauga Creek in northwest Georgia were ominously quiet. Read more

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Black Soldiers, Blue Uniforms

By John Walker

Although several overzealous Union Army field commanders organized African Americans into ad hoc militia units early in 1862 and several black regiments were mustered into service later that year, it wasn’t until after President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1, 1863, that the federal government began actively recruiting and enlisting black soldiers and sailors. Read more

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Civil War Generals: Stonewall Jackson and A.P. Hill

By Roy Morris Jr.

The men who wore Confederate gray were notoriously high-strung and quick to anger—none more so than Stonewall Jackson and Ambrose Powell Hill. Read more

For his part in the Sand Creek Massacre and his lust for power, John Chivington is often regarded as one of America's worst leaders in history.

Confederate

The Worst Leaders in History: John Chivington

By Brad Reynolds

John M. Chivington was a prominent military commander during the American Civil War in the West. Initially an ordained Methodist Minister, Chivington would abuse his position as a military commander, leading the federal government to condemn his actions as an officer of the United States Military. Read more

Confederate

Eppa Hunton at the Battle of Ball’s Bluff

By William E. Welsh

The gray-clad Virginia infantry marched quickly through the woods. In the distance they could hear the familiar rattle of musketry signaling an encounter with the enemy. Read more

The site of the Stone’s River battlefield tells the story of the middle war in the West, and the South's repeated disappointments in that theater.

Confederate

Winter War: Visiting the Stones River Battlefield

by William E. Welsh

The gray and blue soldiers were encamped south of Nashville, Tennessee, at the rail depot of Murfreesboro. Read more

Some raw, others heartfelt, the photographs Matthew Brady and his team took at the Battle of Antietam set milestones for battlefield photography.

Confederate

Civil War Quarterly Preview: The Greatest High Seas Duel of the American Civil War

Newly promoted Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate States Navy called his crew—largely English—to the quarterdeck of his new command. Read more

Confederate

Visiting the Battle of Shiloh National Military Park

by William E. Welsh

To say the Confederates had the perfect chance at the Battle of Shiloh to evict Maj. Gen. Read more

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Bastogne Must Fall

By Mike Phifer

In the early morning of December 16, 1944, 80-man German shock companies from the 5th Panzer Army slipped toward the American lines in the Ardennes region under the cover of heavy fog. Read more