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Sullivan Ballou’s Last Letter
On this Valentine's Day, we remember the eloquent words of Major Sullivan Ballou whose last letter was written to his wife leading up to the battle at First Bull Run and found on his dead body after the battle. Sullivan Ballou was a prosperous attorney at the...
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine's Day from all of us at Teaching the Civil War
Civil War Music – Rosin the Bow
Rosin the Bow "Rosin the Bow" is an American folk song popular in the 19th century, probably of British or Irish origin, first published in Philadelphia during 1838. The song refers to rosining the bow of a violin, and the tune has been used in many songs for...
General Reynolds and Kate Hewett
A Secret Civil War Engagement At the time that he was killed during the first day of the battle, John Reynolds was secretly engaged to a woman by the name of Kate Hewett. His family did not even know about Kate. But when Reynolds' body was returned home to Lancaster,...
Major Sullivan Ballou and the Letter to His Wife Sarah
On July 14th, 1861, Major Sullivan Ballou wrote a letter to his wife Sarah at home in Rhode Island one week before he fought and died in the First Battle of Bull Run. Sullivan Ballou was born to Hiram and Emeline Ballou, a distinguished Huguenot...
AL Coble Rock Carving in Gettysburg
Finding rock carvings is a great way to explore the Gettysburg Battlefield. One of my favorites is the AL Coble rock carving in the area of Spangler's Spring. AL Coble was 20-year-old Augustus L. Coble of Company E of the 1st North Carolina...
The Civil War in Color
As many of you know, I love to colorize original Civil War era photographs as a way to relax. I call them my "adult coloring books." I have also created two tutorial videos so you can learn to create your own colorizations. Learn to colorize Civil War...
Civil War in Color Series – Secret Service Officers
During the first two days of fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces attacked General George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac. Shortly after nightfall on the second day, General Meade assembled a Council of War at the home of...