United States Civil War

In memory of those who paid the ultimate price to preserve and protect the United States of America: Memorial Day began as "Decoration Day," and was established in 1868 to memorialize those that had lost their lives in the United States Civil War. The name was changed to Memorial Day and now we honor all of those killed in military action. While many celebrate Memorial Day with barbecues and picnics, let's remember to keep at front of mind those who have kept us safe and free. These images from the Civil War through the Vietnam War show just a few of those killed in action. Take a moment to honor your military heroes by sharing their stories to show the world that they are still remembered.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was the most renowned soldier of the Civil War, but if you aren't a Civil War buff, you may not know about him. That’s a shame because there are many who say that the Union wouldn’t have won the United States Civil War without him. He was a courageous fighter who was shot in the gut, and as a result, suffered horrible pain throughout his life. His real life "Rambo" experiences put any action hero to shame.

There is a lot of controversy about statues on public land that honor those on the Confederacy side of the U.S. Civil War. Many of these statues and monuments - in fact the majority - were erected decades after the Civil War from about 1900 through 1920 (after the Plessy v. Ferguson trial which upheld racial segregation laws) and during the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's. Who were these men to whom a majority of these statues are dedicated? Perhaps the most interesting perspective comes from Robert E. Lee, one of the men who has the most memorials: "I think it wiser,” he wrote about a proposed Gettysburg memorial in 1869, “…not to keep open the sores of war but to follow the examples of those nations who endeavored to obliterate the marks of civil strife, to commit to oblivion the feelings engendered.”

From April 1861 through May 1865, over ¾ of a million soldiers lost their lives in the American Civil War. It remains the largest loss of US life in any single war and the effects of that war endure to the present day. These are the photos of the men (and women!) who participated in the tragedy of the Civil War. Some are snapshots of their daily lives, some are photos of famous warriors. All of them bring to life the American Civil War.