Houston Museum of Natural Science recently launched an exhibit honoring the Civil War, Discovering the Civil War, which began a six-month run. The exhibit displays letters, diaries and photos; “terse resignations by career soldiers off to defend a new nation; lofty documents of freedom; and a stark arsenal of tools of death.” The above image credit: The war diary is opened to an entry for Christmas Eve 1864, where he…

A recent episode of PBS’ “History Detectives” investigated a tintype with two Confederate soldiers: Andrew Chandler and Silas Chandler, the issue is whether Silas, who was black, represents what some say was a willing black Confederate. The tintype is not a new discovery and there has already been a previously televised show regarding it and the controversial “Black Confederate” debate. Mary Frances Berry, a history professor at the University of…