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The article presents a reprint of the article "Toward Appomattox," by Jack Beatty, originally published in the May 1988 issue, describing the 1865 Appomattox Campaign in Virginia which led to the end of the U.S. Civil War. Topics addressed include discussion of the opposing strategies of generals Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant during the campaign, the difficulties faced by both sides of the conflict, and the events of Lee's surrender.

The article presents a reprint of the article "Nat Turner's Insurrection" by Thomas Wentworth Higginson, originally published in a 1861 issue of the journal. It provides an account of the 1831 rebellion by slave Nat Turner in Virginia and discusses topics such as the massacre of white people, panic over the insurrection, and capture and execution of Turner.

The article presents a profile of the history activity program being run by the Smart's Mill Middle School of Virginia, studying the history of the 1861 Civil War Battle of Ball's Bluff. Details are given describing how the 7th grade classes participated in a period reenactment with the Journey Through Hallowed Ground Partnership (JTHG) organization and filmed a documentary of their research.

Endnotes for several articles in the issue, including "Loyalists' Lands in Middle Virginia," "Who Was David Ross?", and "Prophet Without Honor" are presented and contain bibliographic information and further commentary.

The article discusses the escheat of British loyalists' lands to the government of Virginia during the U.S. Revolutionary War. Particular focus is given to lands held by British citizen Samuel Martin, which were seized and sold to Scottish merchant David Ross and later became the town of Columbia, Virginia. Details related to the efforts of Martin and his son George Martin to obtain reimbursement for the sale of their lands are presented. Other topics include a ferry operated on Martin's lands, the resettlement of British Loyalists in Canada, and the 1779 Virginia Act to Escheat.

The article focuses on the victory of the Army during the Civil War in Philippi, Western Virginia. It recalls Army Major General Robert E. Lee's role in leading the military and naval forces in protecting the area and ordered Colonel Thomas Jonathan Jackson to command at Harpes Ferry to defend railroads. It notes how the first land battle of the Civil War has lasted for 30 minutes in which both sides have inflated the number of enemy troops and casualties.

The article focuses on the leadership of Commander Thomas Jonathan Jackson in heading the secession at Harpes Ferry in Virginia. It recalls how Jackson transformed the command post area into an army town by stripping independence form individual militia companies and organizing them into regiments. However, it outlines the different criticisms against Jackson's leadership, which prompted Confederate president Jefferson Davis replace Jackson with Brigadier General Joseph E. Johnston.

The article discusses the Battle of Big Bethel, an early battle in the U.S. Civil War that took place in Virginia. It examines the role of U.S. Army Major General (Maj. Gen.) Benjamin F. Butler, exploring his policy toward runaway slaves from Hampton, Virginia. Several other officers are discussed including Confederate Colonels John B. Magruder and D.H. Hill and Union Army Brigadier General Ebenezer W. Pierce.

The article presents quotations from various Americans historians in response to a public speech of April 6, 2010 made by Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell which announced the reinstatement of Confederate History Month in the state. Professor Lesley Gordon discusses the misleading historiography of the Lost Cause; Kevin Levin, blogger of U.S. Civil War history, focuses on McDonnell's apology issued after his speech discussing African American history and the civil rights movement; and professor Susannah Ural points out the educational benefits of the public debate.

The article discusses the events on how Yankee Corporal John W. Mauk killed Confederate Lieutenant General Ambrose Powell Hill. Stragglers Mauk and Private Daniel Wolford attempted to cross back through Corduroy road in Petersburg, Virginia when General Hill and Sergeant George W. Tucker saw them and commanded them to surrender. Mauk and Wolford decided to shoot the Confederates and Hill was shot and died while Tucker returned to their encampment to report to General Robert E. Lee.

The article discusses the campaigns of U.S. General Irvin McDowell during the Civil War in 1861-1865. Reportedly, McDowell was appointed commander of the Department of Northeastern Virginia. It adds that during the battles at the Potomac River tributary known as Bull Run, many were disappointed with how McDowell led his army despite their victory. U.S. President Abraham Lincoln was still confident with McDowell but instilled another commander to lead the U.S. army in the East.

The article discusses Arlington, the Virginia estate of Mary Custis Lee and her husband, Confederate General Robert E. Lee. The 1,100-acre estate served as the Union's defensive position at Arlington Heights in 1861 and a property tax levied against the property in 1862 resulted in the government's seizure of the estate. U.S. Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs used Arlington as a national cemetery for U.S. soldiers beginning in 1864. The legal battles of the Lee family to regain their hereditary property fell to their son George Washington Custis Lee after their deaths and the case was finally decided in Lee's favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1882. The expansion of Arlington National Cemetery necessitated the purchase of the estate for fair market value by the federal government.

The article explores the design and construction of the Monticello estate and historical house in Virginia, built and occupied by U.S. president Thomas Jefferson. Topics discussed include Jefferson's architectural plans based on English architecture books, the installation of tall windows, and the creation of private space within the home.

The article discusses a collection of seven 19th-century carte de visite (calling card) photographs from Virginia, reproduced in the article, and credited to either Johnson & Hemming or T. M. Hemming. Speculation about whether the photographers, like their subjects, were African American is then presented.

The article discusses the brief history of "The Piedmont Intelligencer" newspaper, later renamed "The Charlottesville Intelligencer," published in Virginia from 1869 to 1873, of which only one issue survives. The paper's founding by editor William Biscoe Thomas and printer Marshall Milton DuPre is discussed, as is its eventual demise due to financial hardships.

The article discusses the origins of the Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioica). The tree's history in the American Midwest is discussed, including its use as food and medicine by Native Americans and its cultivation by pioneers. The tree, its wood, and its large beans are described, as is the interest taken in it by prominent Americans such as U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, who helped bring it to Virginia.

The article discusses the history of the development of Fluvanna County, Virginia's infrastructure, focusing particularly on the creation of the area's roads, fords, ferries, and bridges. Early road markers and signposts directed travelers to places such as springs, courthouses, and new settlements. Fluvanna County was notable for its many rivers, streams, and creeks, and fords were kept clear and accessible as part of the public services of the county through to the 20th century. The 19th century construction of the the James River and Kanawha Canal and the Rivanna Navigation Connection, and public reaction to the plans, are detailed.

The article chronicles the Battle of the Wilderness in Virginia between the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, in which Lieutenant General James Longstreet of the Confederate's First Corps was hit by a bullet on May 6, 1864. Longstreet and the First Corps moved to the battle front as reinforcement to General Robert E. Lee's forces in the Wilderness forest near Fredericksburg. The impact of Longstreet's wounding on the Army of Northern Virginia is assessed.

The article presents an examination into the urban planning and architectural history of Charlottesville, VIrginia in the decade of the 1920s. Details are given highlighting the construction of multiple "skyscrapers" and their various levels of social and economic impact. The rivalry between several banks, hotels and other businesses for the prestige of operating tall buildings is particularly addressed.

The article presents information on the Battle of New Market, Virginia, fought by Virginia Military Institute cadets on May 15, 1864. A small, young and patched-together force of cadets was in charge of keeping the Confederate forces from unexpected threats. When they faced the Union army unexpectedly, Confederate commander John Breckenridge ordered the fight even though they were not supposed to be deployed to the war front. They won the battle, but many young soldiers lost their lives.

The article presents information on the German American soldiers in the Union army who performed badly in the battle of Chancellorsville fought at Chancellorsville, Virginia in 1863. These soldiers have been remembered as a liability to the Union force. Many German commanders during the American Civil War units were either former Prussian rebels or army officers in Prussia. This past internal conflict may have resulted in the coordinated failure.

The article presents information about Thomas Morris Chester, first Black battlefield reporter in the U.S. Civil War. He spent his life on the front lines of the fight for racial equality. He faced real danger as an African-American war correspondent serving at the Virginia front. Despite war risks, Chester accepted the offer to cover the Union Army's campaign against the Confederate capital of Richmond during the last months of the war. INSET: Unwavering Rebels.

The article offers information on sites of the Battle of Gettysburg of 1863 and the places traveled by the Northern Virginia's Army during its 10-days retreat that began on July 4, 1863. It is stated that most of the sites are in an area of western Maryland that is primarily associated with the Battle of Antietam and related actions. It is noted that wagon trains of general Robert E. Lee began moving west out of Gettysburg on July 4, 1863.