150 years after the last fusillade, scholars look at Civil War anew during anniversary

Grave stones for soldiers killed in action or after the Civil War are seen at Albany Rural Cemetery in Menands, N.Y. Nearly 150 years after the last fusillade of the Civil War, historians, authors and museum curators are still finding new topics to explore as the nation commemorates the sesquicentennial of America’s bloodiest conflict. Even the long-accepted death toll of 620,000, cited by historians since 1900, is being reconsidered. In a study published late last year in Civil War History, Binghamton University history demographics professor J. David Hacker said the toll is actually closer to 750,000. AP Photo/Mike Groll.