Ball and Battle. Baseball and the American Civil War
Baseball and the Civil War
About ballandbattle.com
America's Pastime
The Civil War America's Defining Conflict
When Soldiers Played Ball
The Grand Old Game
From Sandlots to Stadiums: The Complete Story of Baseball
Origins & Early Days
Explore the myths and realities of baseball's birth, from Abner Doubleday to the Knickerbocker Rules, and the game's evolution from rounders and town ball.
The Golden Age
Journey through baseball's golden era, featuring Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, an
The Grand Old Game
From Sandlots to Stadiums: The Complete Story of Baseball
Origins & Early Days
Explore the myths and realities of baseball's birth, from Abner Doubleday to the Knickerbocker Rules, and the game's evolution from rounders and town ball.
The Golden Age
Journey through baseball's golden era, featuring Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and the Yankees dynasty that captured America's imagination.
Breaking Barriers
The courageous story of Jackie Robinson and the integration of baseball, forever changing both the sport and American society.
Modern Era
From expansion teams to free agency, steroids to analytics, discover how baseball continues to evolve in the 21st century.
Legendary Ballparks
Virtual tours of America's most iconic stadiums, from Fenway's Green Monster to the ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field.
Hall of Fame
Meet the immortals of Cooperstown, their records, their stories, and their lasting impact on America's pastime.
Featured Collections
The Science of the Game
Physics of the curveball, biomechanics of the perfect swing, and how modern technology is changing baseball.
Baseball Literature
From "Casey at the Bat" to modern baseball fiction, explore how the game has inspired American writers.
International Baseball
Baseball's global reach: from Japanese leagues to Caribbean winter ball, the World Baseball Classic and Olympic dreams.
When Soldiers Played Ball
The Civil War America's Defining Conflict
When Soldiers Played Ball
Where War and Pastime Met
The Remarkable Intersection of the Civil War and Baseball
Baseball in the Camps
How Union and Confederate soldiers found solace in America's emerging pastime between battles, using makeshift equipment and open fields.
Spreading the Game
The Civil War as baseball's great evangelist: how troop movements introduced the
Where War and Pastime Met
The Remarkable Intersection of the Civil War and Baseball
Baseball in the Camps
How Union and Confederate soldiers found solace in America's emerging pastime between battles, using makeshift equipment and open fields.
Spreading the Game
The Civil War as baseball's great evangelist: how troop movements introduced the "New York Game" across America.
Prison Camp Leagues
Remarkable stories of organized baseball in POW camps like Johnson's Island and Salisbury, where the game provided hope.
Veterans Turn Pro
Civil War soldiers who became baseball pioneers, founding teams and leagues in the post-war boom of American sport.
Equipment & Rules
How wartime scarcity led to creative solutions: sock-yarn balls, fence-post bats, and the evolution of baseball rules.
Cultural Impact
Baseball as healing: how the shared game helped reunite a divided nation in the years following the war.
Featured Story
The Christmas Day Games of 1862
On December 25, 1862, an estimated 40,000 Union soldiers participated in baseball games across their winter camps. From Virginia to Tennessee, the crack of makeshift bats echoed across snow-dusted fields as homesick soldiers found joy in America's emerging pastime. These games, documented in dozens of letters home, represent perhaps the largest single-day baseball event of the 19th century.
Interactive Timeline
Explore parallel events in Civil War and baseball history, seeing how the two stories intertwined from 1861-1870.
Letters & Diaries
Read firsthand accounts from soldiers who played ball, their descriptions of games, equipment, and what baseball meant to them.
Mapping History
Interactive maps showing where Civil War baseball games were played, from battlefields to prison camps.
Research & Resources
Primary Sources
Access digitized letters, diaries, photographs, and military records documenting baseball during the Civil War.
Veteran Database
Search our comprehensive database of Civil War veterans who played professional or semi-professional baseball.
The Civil War America's Defining Conflict
The Civil War America's Defining Conflict
The Civil War America's Defining Conflict
The War Between the States
1861-1865: The Conflict That Defined a Nation
Causes & Origins
The complex web of slavery, states' rights, economic differences, and political tensions that led to America's bloodiest conflict.
Major Battles
From First Bull Run to Appomattox, explore the strategies, turning points, and human cost of the war's pivot
The War Between the States
1861-1865: The Conflict That Defined a Nation
Causes & Origins
The complex web of slavery, states' rights, economic differences, and political tensions that led to America's bloodiest conflict.
Major Battles
From First Bull Run to Appomattox, explore the strategies, turning points, and human cost of the war's pivotal engagements.
Leaders & Generals
Profiles of Lincoln, Davis, Grant, Lee, and the military minds who shaped the course of American history.
Soldier Life
Daily experiences of Union and Confederate soldiers: camp life, letters home, medical care, and the bonds of brotherhood.
Home Front
How the war transformed civilian life, from women's roles to economic upheaval, draft riots to voluntary aid societies.
Emancipation
The journey from slavery to freedom, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the experiences of newly freed Americans.
Special Exhibits
Technology of War
Innovations that changed warfare: ironclads, railroads, telegraphs, photography, and early machine guns.
Medicine & Healing
Civil War medical practices, field hospitals, Clara Barton, and the birth of modern battlefield medicine.
Reconstruction Era
The challenging years after the war: rebuilding the South, constitutional amendments, and the ongoing struggle for equality.