Soldier Studies is honored to present a series of articles written by some of the leading historians and authors on the American Civil War. Though they suffered great hardships, endured battle and fatigue, through it all the soldiers themselves left behind for posterity a wealth of correspondences and reflections that have helped historians reconstruct what it was like to have been a soldier in the American Civil War. It is our hope that this series contributes to the study of Civil War soldiers and their experiences.
 - Chris Wehner, Curator & Founder, SoldierStudies.org.

Latest Article

Summer 2009 Can Soldiers Tell Us Anything about Lincoln?
BY Chandra M. Manning

Manning is a Georgetown University Assistant Professor of History, Chandra Manning received the 2008 Lincoln Prize Honorable Mention and a $10,000 prize for her book What this Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War.


Article 1
Fall 2008		 The Blue and the Gray in Black and White: Assessing the Scholarship on Civil War Soldiers
BY Aaron Sheehan-Dean

Aaron Sheehan-Dean is an associate professor of history at the University of North Florida. He is the author of Why Confederates Fought: Family and Nation in Civil War Virginia and the Concise Historical Atlas of the U.S. Civil War and the editor of The View From the Ground: Experiences of Civil War Soldiers and Struggle for a Vast Future: The American Civil War.

Article 2
Fall 2008		 How Men Feel in Battle
BY S.H.M. Byers

S.H.M. Byers was a member of the 5th Iowa Volunteer Infantry Regiment and wrote several articles about his experiences after the war. Byers' insights and descriptions of combat are visceral and poignant, and honest and straightforward. This selection is perhaps one of the best contributions from a soldier of the great conflict concerning what soldiers felt, didn't feel, and how they survived the mental and physical horrors of battle.

Article 3
Winter 2009		 “With a Trembling Hand and an Aching Heart"
Letters of Notification of Death and Condolence
BY Mark Dunkelman

Mark H. Dunkelman is the author of Brothers One and All: Esprit de Corps in a Civil War Regiment and other books on the 154th New York. An artist, writer, and musician as well, he lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Article 4
Winter 2009		 Ten Questions with Lance J. Herdegen
BY Chris Wehner

Lance Herdegen is the former director of the Institute of Civil War Studies at Carroll University, Lance Herdegen was an award winning journalist. He is currently a historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West. He is the author of numerous articles and books, among them, Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal of William Ray and most recently Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign. He took time from his busy schedule to e-chat about his latest book, Those Damned Blackhats! The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign, published by Savas Beatie, LLC. - Chris Wehner is author of 11th Wisconsin in the Civil War: A Regimental History, published by McFarland & Co. and he teaches classes online at the (i) History Network.
Article 5
Spring 2009		 Studying Civil War Soldiers:  The State of the Art and Science
BY Michael Barton

Barton is currently Professor of American Studies and Social Science at Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg. He is the author of Goodmen: The Character of Civil War Soldiers and co-editor, with Prof. Larry M. Logue, of The Civil War Soldier and The Civil War Veteran.
Article 6
Summer 2009		 Can Soldiers Tell Us Anything about Lincoln?
BY Chandra M. Manning

Manning is a Georgetown University Assistant Professor of History, Chandra Manning received the 2008 Lincoln Prize Honorable Mention and a $10,000 prize for her book What this Cruel War Was Over: Soldiers, Slavery, and the Civil War.



UPCOMING CONTRIBUTORS:
2009		 Eric J. Wittenberg - He is an authority on Civil War cavalry operations. A native of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Mr. Wittenberg was educated at Dickinson College and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. He is the author of fourteen published books on the Civil War, and his fifteenth book is due to be published in June 2009. His first book, _Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions_, won the Batchelder-Coddington Literary Award as the best new book interpreting the Battle of Gettysburg of 1998. He is also the author of more than two dozen articles published in national Civil War magazines. He is a frequent speaker and tour guide. Mr. Wittenberg is a partner in a law firm, and serves as the vice president of the Buffington Island Battlefield Preservation Foundation. He, his wife Susan, and their two golden retrievers live in Columbus, Ohio.

Lance Herdegen - As the former director of the Institute of Civil War Studies at Carroll University, Lance Herdegen was an award winning journalist. He is currently a historical consultant for the Civil War Museum of the Upper Middle West. He is the author of numerous articles and books, among them, Four Years with the Iron Brigade: The Civil War Journal of William Ray and most recently Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign.




ATTENTION! If you are an accomplished historian and/or author on the American Civil War, please contact us if interested in becoming a contributor to this series.