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At the Gettysburg Cemetery: The Minnesota Urn
Daryl and Diane Sannes' generosity calls attention to Minnesotans who fought at Gettysburg and suffered a horrific casualty rate. And it turns out that their own home has a connection to two members of the regiment, one of whom died in the battle.
Thanksgiving in Alexandria, 1862
In 1861, Julia Wilbur celebrated Thanksiving quietly in New York State. The following year was a different story.
Visiting Dr. Mudd
Contemplating the role of Dr. Samuel Mudd in the Lincoln assassination, while surrounded by his and his family's possessions.
Lost Alexandria
Lance Mallamo helped a rapt audience "find" some pieces of lost Alexandria.
Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Book Shop
Watch my conversation with Bjorn Skaptason on Author's Voice at Chicago's Abraham Lincoln Book Shop.
Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood: USCT Member, Medal of Honor Recipient, Diary Keeper
Few first-person accounts by USCT are known, which is why the diary of Sgt. Major Christian Fleetwood caught my interest.
The Athenaeum in Old Town Alexandria
Meredith Barber on the history of the Athenaeum building in Old Town Alexandria.
Point Lookout, Maryland: A Confederate POW Camp, a Union Fort, and a Place to Fish
Point Lookout's location marked it for many things during the Civil War, including a large Confederate POW camp.
Update--Appomattox Statue, Then and Now
The Confederate veteran has stood on Alexandria's main north-south thoroughfare for more than 100 years. What should happen to it now?
The Harriet Tubman Byway on the Eastern Shore
A trip along the Harriet Tubman Byway is a good reminder of injustice and bravery.
Charles County, Maryland: Two Stops on a Summer Saturday
A visit to the Thomas Stone Historic Site and Port Tobacco on a summer Saturday.
Q-and-A with Pamela Toler, author of Heroines of Mercy Street
Historian and author Pamela Toler posed some questions to me about Julia Wilbur and Civil War Alexandria.
Susan Ireland's Boarding House on Seventh Street
Among Susan Ireland's investments was the building where Clara Barton lived in the 1860s. But how did Ireland get her money, and how could she invest as a woman in that era?
Costumes from Mercy Street at the Lyceum
Check out four costumes used on the PBS series Mercy Street--worn by Alice Green, Emma Green, Mary Phinney, and Jed Foster.
"What an Immense City": Julia Wilbur Visits New York in July 1863
Julia Wilbur does New York City--early July 1863. I follow her footsteps--late June 2017.
Mason's Island: or A Bully Little Island in the Potomac*
Notes from a talk about Theodore Roosevelt Island by NPS expert Brad Krueger, who also spurred my visit there last weekend.
For Mainers and Maine-Lovers: Amy Bradley in Alexandria
A Maine woman made life less miserable for thousands of soldiers in Alexandria, VA.
Nine Partners & a Neat Picture
Julia Wilbur drew a picture of Nine Partners Boarding School, which she attended at age 14--and I recently got a look at it.