How untold stories of the Civil War help make sense of today's political division

WBUR | By Here & Now Newsroom

Published September 10, 2025 at 11:49 AM EDT

The cover of "Midnight on the Potomac" and author Scott Ellsworth. (Courtesy of Dutton and Jared Lazarus)

A historian shatters myths from the last, desperate months of the Civil War to help us better understand the deep division in our country now.

Here & Now‘s Sarah McCammon speaks with Scott Ellsworth. His latest book is “Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination and the rebirth of America.”

Book excerpt: ‘Midnight on the Potomac’

By Scott Ellsworth

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Donate