Emerging Civil War

06/11/2026

Emerging Civil War's Chris Mackowski recently visited Manassas National Battlefield Park for a hike along the route to Henry House Hill—the same route taken by the Stonewall Brigade as they marched into position on Henry Hill during the First Battle of Bull Run.

06/11/2026

New

ECW Podcast: Behind the Pages at Savas Beatie, LLC –Spring 2026 (with Ted Savas)

Chris Mackowski, host of the Emerging Civil War Podcast, found a lot of cool reading this spring thanks to a strong line-up of releases from Savas Beatie. From U.S. Grant’s trip around the world to Stonewall Jackson’s frozen trip to Romney, Virginia, to a crisis in Antietam’s West Woods—the spring line-up has offered a bounty for military history enthusiasts. So, Chris called up his friend, publisher Ted Savas, and asked him to talk a bit about the books and the stories behind them.

This episode is brought to you by Civil War Trails, Inc. the world’s largest open-air museum, offering more than 1,500 sites across six states. Request a brochure at civilwartrails.org to start planning your trip today.

The Emerging Civil War Podcast taps into ECW’s award-winning line-up of historians and great special guests—all of whom come from a wide variety of backgrounds with a wide variety of interests on a wide variety of topics.

Listen here 👇
https://emergingcivilwar.com/2026/06/10/ecw-podcast-behind-the-pages-at-savas-beatie-spring-2026-with-ted-savas/

06/10/2026

Recently, Emerging Civil War’s Chris Mackowski visited Manassas National Battlefield and the headquarters of Joseph E. Johnston during the Battle of First Bull Run.

06/10/2026

Ravines and Rifle Pits: The Lost Battlefield of Banks’ Ford

EWC welcomes back guest author Eric Atkisson.

In 2006, the City of Fredericksburg placed more than 4,200 acres of watershed property into a conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries, and The Nature Conservancy. The intent was to protect the integrity of the city’s water supply and create a “remote natural experience” for “low-impact recreational use” like hunting, fishing, and kayaking.

Stretching 32 miles up the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers through parts of five counties, the vast riparian easement harbors a wealth of historical features, including antebellum roads, fords, ferry sites, mill foundations, canal ditches, and stone locks and dam abutments, as well as an abundance of Civil War earthworks on both sides of the river. A casual glance at the city’s 1989 “Riparian Lands” map conveys the sheer volume of such features, and it doesn’t even capture all of them:

Read more here 👇
https://emergingcivilwar.com/2026/06/10/ravines-and-rifle-pits-the-lost-battlefield-of-banks-ford/

06/10/2026

Political Su***de: The Confederacy’s Declarations of Causes
by JoAnna McDonald

While working on my Emerging Revolutionary War blog, “Why 1776,” I began thinking, how does the 1776 Declaration of Independence compare with the Confederate’s declaration of their independence from the Union? Did the Confederacy even have a declaration? If so, what was it and did it have the same effect as the 1776 declaration?

All thirteen colonies signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 as one voice, and it’s only two paragraphs. The title itself is a statement, hitting the reader in the gut or giving goose bumps to the colonists. It discusses why the colonies were leaving the British empire and what inalienable rights the colonists were fighting to achieve: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” You don’t have to read the whole thing to understand why the People were fighting and what the People were fighting for.

#1776

06/09/2026

Ten Days in the Enemy’s Camps: Sergeant Milton Cline Inside Lee’s Army

ECW welcomes back guest author Cory M. Pfarr.

In late winter 1863, as the Army of the Potomac struggled to recover from the defeat at Fredericksburg, a quiet, consequential transformation was underway. Major General Joseph Ho**er, newly in command, reorganized his army with unusual energy and purpose. Among his most important reforms was a renewed emphasis on intelligence.

At the center of that effort stood Col. George H. Sharpe and the Bureau of Military Information. Under Sharpe—and with assistance from John C. Babcock—the army began to treat intelligence as a coordinated system rather than a collection of disconnected reports. Cavalry reconnaissance, signal stations, prisoner interrogations, and scout operations were increasingly brought together into a single analytical framework. In this moment of transition, Sgt. Milton W. Cline of the 3rd Indiana Cavalry undertook one of the most remarkable intelligence missions of the war. For ten days in late February and early March 1863, Cline moved not around Lee’s army—but through it.

Read more in our story.

06/08/2026

Question of the Week: What’s your favorite type of Civil War site to visit?

What type of Civil War themed site do you prefer visiting: battlefield, museum, fort, cemetery, prison camp, something else entirely?

06/07/2026

The Implementation of Voting by Mail During the Civil War

ECW welcomes Andrew C.M. Mizsak, M.A.P., MBM

“As the summer faded into the fall of 1864 with cooling temperatures, the heat of the presidential campaign rose. Abraham Lincoln, prosecuting the war of the rebellion, was seeking re-election, while his ousted former front-line commander, George McClellan, challenged him at the polls.

Soldiers in various camps, wishing to make their voices heard, knew that it was impossible to travel home for the November election. Between the fighting, transportation, logistical issues, and the time to make a return trip to the front, voting was all but impossible…”

Read more on our website:

https://emergingcivilwar.com/2026/06/07/the-implementation-of-voting-by-mail-during-the-civil-war/

ECW welcomes Andrew C.M. Mizsak, M.A.P., MBM As the summer faded into the fall of 1864 with cooling temperatures, the heat of the presidential campaign rose. Abraham Lincoln, prosecuting the war of the rebellion, was seeking re-election, while his ousted former front-line commander, George McClellan...

06/06/2026

Maine at War Blog Posts for May 2026
By Brian Swartz

During May, Maine at War readers learned about a nurse uniquely honored on a Civil War monument, toured the vacated beaver pond in the Valley of Death, discovered that Gettysburg’s black and green cannons can teach history, and found out how sutlers’ high prices affected Union soldiers.

Read more on our website!

During May, Maine at War readers learned about a nurse uniquely honored on a Civil War monument, toured the vacated beaver pond in the Valley of Death, discovered that Gettysburg’s black and green cannons can teach history, and found out how sutlers’ high prices affected Union soldiers. May 6, 2...

06/05/2026

Hiking Jackson’s Flank March at Chancellorsville
by Bert Dunkerly

The History Hikers (I made that name up) were at it again last weekend. We also go by the Roadkill Mess (formerly the Roadkill Five). Having hiked AP Hill’s march to Antietam previously, we wanted to do another big history hike. I had never done Jackson’s flank march at Chancellorsville, so suggested that. We agreed it must be done.

Learn about the hike on our blog: https://emergingcivilwar.com/2026/06/05/hiking-jacksons-flank-march-at-chancellorsville/

The History Hikers (I made that name up) were at it again last weekend. We also go by the Roadkill Mess (formerly the Roadkill Five). Having hiked AP Hill’s march to Antietam previously, we wanted to do another big history hike. I had never done Jackson’s flank march at Chancellorsville, so sugg...