September 15, 2020 by Jenny Ashcraft | 51 Comments
In 1864, railroad engineer and cartographer Simon G. Elliott visited the battlefield of Antietam and prepared a detailed map that documented the burials of 5,844 soldiers—2,634 Union and 3,210 Confederate. After the war, Elliott’s map found its way to the … Continue reading
August 13, 2020 by Jenny Ashcraft | 55 Comments
American journalist Ernest Taylor “Ernie” Pyle was one of the most famous war correspondents of WWII. Using his folksy writing style, Pyle connected with his readers and brought the realities of the battlefront to living rooms across America. At his … Continue reading
June 11, 2020 by Jenny Ashcraft | 62 Comments
By the time the United States entered WWI in 1917, photography had become a growing hobby within the country. Many soldiers had their portraits taken before heading off to war and the government trained photographers at the Columbia School of … Continue reading
December 17, 2019 by Jenny Ashcraft | 41 Comments
On December 24-25, 1914, an impromptu cease-fire occurred along the Western Front during WWI. Amid the battle, soldiers from both sides set aside their weapons and came together peacefully in an event that has come to be known as the … Continue reading
October 15, 2019 by Jenny Ashcraft | 119 Comments
In September 1940, as Nazi bombs rained down on London during the Blitz, America began the first-ever peacetime conscription and enacted the Selective Training and Service Act. The country was moving closer to war and the Sullivan family of Waterloo, … Continue reading
September 9, 2019 by Jenny Ashcraft | 102 Comments
On February 9, 1864, more than 100 Union prisoners tunneled their way to freedom in an audacious escape from Libby Prison in the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. More than half of the prisoners made their way to Union lines … Continue reading
August 8, 2019 by Jenny Ashcraft | 344 Comments
When the United States entered WWII in 1941, the United Kingdom was running short on prison space and asked the US for help in housing German POWs. The US agreed and when Liberty Ships transported US soldiers overseas, the relatively … Continue reading