Al Mackey

In this video, Professor Craig Symonds discusses Joseph E. Johnston’s surrender to William T. Sherman. The video’s description reads, “Historian Craig Symonds discussed Confederate General Johnston’s surrender at Bennett Place in North Carolina in April 1865, which marked the end of the Confederate Army’s efforts to continue the war. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg,…

Credit…Annabelle Gordon/Reuters This article tells us about a new lie-filled propaganda piece the Trump Administration released, calling it a “report.” “In a broadside posted to its website just as fireworks celebrating America’s 250th birthday were lighting up skies on Saturday, the White House condemned the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History for what it said was a failure to…

This book is from Professor Robert E. Bonner of Dartmouth College. A major part of the book is a look at the international propaganda campaign both sides conducted. He writes, “This book focuses on the worldwide efforts of the 1860s to stigmatize, ostracize, but also defend and praise, the Confederate polity. The book’s main protagonists raised the alarm about what they insisted was a uniquely…

We begin with this story from our Nation’s Capital. “A leading vendor of the US delicacy that is the pickle has withdrawn from the Great American State Fair in Washington DC after North Carolina’s booth displayed a video containing a Confederate flag. The Mt Olive Pickle Company, which is located in eastern North Carolina and bills itself as the “#1 bestselling brand of pickles, peppers and…

This excellent collection of essays owes its existence to its editors, Professors Jennifer Murray and John Kinder, as well as the contributors. The essays all revolve around the concept of how we as a nation remember the Civil War and its issues and participants. As the two editors, in their Introduction, tell us, “According to scholar Michael Kammen, ‘Societies … reconstruct their pasts rather…

Here’s Professor Brooks D. Simpson delivering an outstanding presentation on Ulysses S. Grant’s actions leading up to Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. The video’s description reads, “Historian Brooks Simpson discussed Union General Grant’s pursuit of Confederate General Lee’s worn-down troops until final victory at Appomattox in April 1865. The National Museum of the Civil…

In this video, Professor Brian Steel Wills gives a great presentation discussing R. E. Lee and N. B. Forrest at the end of the Civil War. The video’s description reads, “Historian Brian Steel Wills discussed how two Confederate generals, Lt. General Nathan Bedford Forrest and General Robert E. Lee, faced the end of the Civil War. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg,…

Harold Holzer gives a presentation on Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. The video’s description reads, “Historian Harold Holzer discussed President Lincoln’s 701-word second inaugural address on March 4, 1865. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg, Virginia, hosted this event.” https://www.c-span.org/program/the-civil-war/lincolns-second-inaugural/672798

In this presentation, William Marvel discusses the Army of Northern Virginia in 1865. It’s far from a scintillating presentation, but worth a listen. The video’s description reads, “Historian William Marvel discussed the decline and fall of Confederate General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, which marked the end of the Civil War. The National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg,…

This panel winds up the 2025 Art of Command in the Civil War conference in Middleburg, VA. The video’s description reads, “Historians answered questions about the art of command in the Civil War, with a specific focus on the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. This is part of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association’s 2025 Art of Command in the Civil War conference held in Middleburg,…

We start by catching up on a couple of older articles. We first have this article from Florida. “A Florida congressional candidate wants to release identifying information for individuals behind the massive Confederate flag near the Interstate 4/Interstate 75 interchange in Hillsborough County. Mark Davis, a veteran and business owner who qualified to run in Florida’s 16th Congressional District…

In this excellent presentation, Scott Patchan tells us about Stonewall Jackson and the Battle of McDowell, Virginia in the 1862 campaign. The video’s description reads, “Historian Scott Patchan discussed Confederate Gen. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson’s winning strategy at the Battle of McDowell, a pivotal moment in the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862. This is part of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area…

I recently reviewed this book for the Emerging Civil War website. You can read that review here. As readers of this blog know, my reviews here are a bit different in that I provide excerpts from the books I review so people can learn something from the book before purchasing it, so I will do that in this post. Mr. Stewart writes Seward “quickly came to the realization that the secession threat…

In this video, Gary Ecelbarger discusses the effects of erroneous communications in the 1862 Valley Campaign. The video’s description reads, “Historian Gary Ecelbarger discussed the effect of unreliable information sent via telegraph and spread to Union military leaders on May 24, 1862. This is part of the Virginia Piedmont Heritage Area Association’s 2025 Art of Command in the Civil War…

Today is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn, when the 7th Cavalry, under Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer took on a large conglomeration of Native Americans consisting of Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho under the Hunkpapa Chief Sitting Bull and the warrior Crazy Horse. Custer’s mission was to force the Native Americans back onto reservations. Along with Custer and the 7th…

Spoiler alert: All history is “revisionist” because historians are always finding new evidence and revising our understanding of the past. Anyway, I found this article that is a pretty good discussion, [Begin Quote] If you read history or engage with historians on social media, you may have seen the phrase “revisionist history” in replies or comments. Much of the time, this is meant as a…

In this book, Professor Michael Vorenberg looks at Abraham Lincoln’s efforts to suppress the rebellion and bring peace to the country. He begins the book with the story of Lewis Grant [no relation to Ulysses S. Grant], a lawyer who rose to the rank of major general during the war and after the war returned to his law practice. Lewis Grant became enmeshed in the quest to determine when the Civil…