What Happened at the First Battle Between Grant and Lee?

The stakes could scarcely have been higher: a Union defeat might well lead to an armistice and defeat for Abraham Lincoln in the fall presidential elections

How South Vietnamese Marines Impressed U.S. Marines at Quang Tri

Luom’s deed became fixed in Ripley’s memory as the “bravest single act of heroism I’ve ever heard of, witnessed or experienced”

Meet the Samoan Unit that Fought Barefoot During WWII

The 500-man reserve unit that patrolled and defended the beaches of Tutuila became known as the “Barefoot Marines"

He Covered the Last Death of WWI. His Words Launched His Career

James M. Cain's fledging career as a journalist was interrupted when the United States entered World War I

Born Straddling Lines of Gender and Color, Pauli Murray Stitched Together a Life of Extraordinary Accomplishment

Murray became a key mid-20th century American figure who linked the legal equity crusades of the civil rights and feminist movements

‘Bears’ Book Review

Julie Argyle presents a portfolio of stunning images of the iconic grizzly bear

‘What stays with you latest and deepest?’: PBS Series Examines the Civil War Through Poetry

Now in its third season, PBS’s “Poetry in America,” centers on one iconic American poem each episode

Gangsters of Capitalism Review: Was Smedley Butler the Embodiment of American Imperialism?

War is a racket, they say. Then by extension, what about capitalism?

‘Bombs Away’ LeMay: America’s Unapologetic Champion of Waging Total War

From bomber general and self-professed war criminal to head of Strategic Air Command, Curtis LeMay divided America but always kept it safe.

How the Landlocked State of Nebraska Got its Own Navy

Despite the lack of necessity for standing maritime security forces, the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska continues on, and it has become tradition for admiralships to be be bestowed on notable Nebraskans

We Know Who Shot William McKinley—But Who Shot The Final Photo of Him?

Many photographers working around Buffalo that awful Friday thought they had made the last image of William McKinley alive and well

He Was a New Union Lieutenant at Shiloh. The Horrors He Witnessed Left Scars That Never Healed.

A young Union lieutenant and his fellow Ohioans learn the horrors of war on Shiloh’s opening day

They ‘literally ate crow’: How Starving Confederate Troops Made It Home After the Civil War

After Appomattox, General Robert E. Lee's troops began their journeys home

Tactical Errors. Exhausted Doughboys. Here’s Why the Meuse-Argonne Offensive Was So Deadly

Thanks to a tenacious fight put up by the untrained Americans, Montfaucon did fall on the 27th, albeit at a terrible cost.

Tuskegee Airman Charles McGee: ‘Do While You Can’

Charles McGee never thought much of flying until he started training at Tuskegee. When he finally left the U.S. Air Force, he had 30 years and three wars behind him.

The Cadet Chapel: A Jewel in Military Gothic

The Cadet Chapel at West Point, with all the power and grandeur of a medieval fortress, is an architectural masterpiece inside and out