Virginia Travel Guides & American Civil War Blog

Explore Battlefield Tours of Virginia’s blog, featuring articles on traveling in Virginia, the US Civil War, American history, and much more.

If our American Civil War blog inspires you to plan your next battlefield visit, check out our Virginia Civil War Battlefield Tours.

Explore the blog archive and discover fascinating Civil War sites in Virginia…

March 16, 2026

Art of the Civil War: Conrad Wise Chapman (1842–1910)

The American Civil War generated a large visual record through sketches, engravings, and paintings. Artists documented battles, camps, fortifications, and the landscapes that armies occupied. One of the...

February 19, 2026

The Deadliest Innovations of the Civil War

The American Civil War was fought at a crossroads in military history. Generals trained in the tactics of the early 19th century suddenly found themselves commanding armies equipped...

February 4, 2026

Sam Watkins and the Reality of War

Sam Watkins is one of the most important – and honest – voices to emerge from the American Civil War. Unlike generals who wrote to justify decisions or...

January 22, 2026

Robert Smalls: His Fight for Freedom

Robert Smalls stands among the most remarkable figures of the American Civil War. Born into slavery, he transformed himself into a Union war hero, naval officer, and later...

December 15, 2025

Christmas Through the Eyes of Civil War Soldiers

Christmas Through the Eyes of Civil War Soldiers For those of us living comfortable, modern lives, the holiday season conjures images of warmth, family gatherings, decorations, and sumptuous...

November 19, 2025

Walt Whitman and the Civil War: The Poet Who Chose Compassion

When the American Civil War began in 1861, Walt Whitman was already one of the nation’s most distinctive literary voices. His Leaves of Grass had celebrated democracy and...

October 31, 2025

How Thomas Nast’s Civil War Illustrations Shaped the Modern Image of Santa

Most people imagine Santa Claus as a plump, bearded gift-bringer who dresses in red and rides a sleigh from the North Pole. Some assume this image was created...

October 22, 2025

Battlefield Ghost Stories: Legends and Lore from the Civil War

The ghost stories of Civil War battlefields—from Gettysburg to Petersburg. Learn how these haunting legends became part of America’s history and folklore.

July 16, 2025

Virginia’s Top 15 Historical Sites

Virginia is steeped in American history, quite unlike any other state. It was the theatre upon which countless momentous events in the American story have played out. Virginia’s...

June 13, 2025

What Was the Most Important Naval Battle of the Civil War?

As the smoke and fire of the American Civil War raged on land, an equally fierce and strategic contest echoed across the waves. Asking which naval battle was...

June 11, 2025

Reconstruction and Reconciliation: Virginia After the Civil War

As the American Civil War drew to a close in 1865, Virginia, like much of the South, faced a monumental task. The war had left deep scars, both...

June 9, 2025

Why Was Robert E. Lee So Successful?

Robert E. Lee is a name that evokes debate. As the commanding general of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia during the American Civil War, Lee is inevitably...

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