American Civil War (1861-1865)

Readers offer varying assessments and call on Donald Trump to hold one as well. Also: Steve Bannon’s chilling answer about U.S. Jews; Gettysburg’s meaning.

The site of the battle is hallowed ground, but it is littered with Confederate propaganda.

By Simon Barnicle

Family members of Pvt. Philip G. Shadrach and Pvt. George D. Wilson received the nation’s highest decoration for combat valor.

By John Ismay

A brisk new biography by the National Book Award-winning historian Tiya Miles aims to restore the iconic freedom fighter to human scale.

By Jennifer Szalai

In a democracy, how far is too far?

By Jon Grinspan

The independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on a recent podcast that he had a “visceral reaction” to the removal of statues glorifying Confederate leaders.

By Chris Cameron

Three new books show us why the United States should do everything it can to nip the possibility in the bud.

By Thomas E. Ricks

The Virginia governor rejected efforts by the state’s Democrats to reshape the Commonwealth’s relationship with its Confederate past.

By Anna Venarchik

Other artifacts that were the subject of intense online bidding include Sherman’s annotated copy of Ulysses S. Grant’s memoirs, his childhood algebra book and a family Bible.

By Christine Hauser

In “The Demon of Unrest,” present-day political strife inspires a dramatic portrait of the run-up to the deadliest war on American soil.

By Alexis Coe