Union Soldier John W. N. Doak's Civil War Letters: #3, #4, and #5 Fall, 1862 After a year of hard fighting —including the Battles of Fort Donelson and Shiloh, Private John W. N. Doak managed to get a medical furlough to go home to Paris, Illinois in fall of 1862. After the Battle of Fort Donelson John developed a bad cough and he had regular bouts of diarrhea. He was sent home to convalesce. In his letters John often dismisses his recurring cough “as a bad cold.” It could h

Tom Brokaw aptly named the World War II generation the “Greatest Generation.” However, I propose the term Freedom Generation for another remarkable American generation—those who fought to end slavery and the millions of Black Americans who endured it. It's time, especially on the Juneteenth holiday, to honor these Civil War-era Americans as the “Freedom Generation.” Fine, Camille. 2023. "Earliest Juneteenth Celebration Photographs from 19th-Century." USA Today, June 19, 2023.