On a crisp September weekend in 2025, the echoes of the American Civil War reverberated across the United States in ways both grand and intimate, from Maryland’s marshy backroads to Arizona’s sun-baked deserts and the storied fields of Pennsylvania. These events, commemorations, and creative retellings serve as powerful reminders that the Civil War’s legacy remains alive, complex, and ever-evolving, shaping not just how Americans remember their past but also how they wrestle with present-day questions of justice, identity, and belonging.
In Cambridge, Maryland, the Maryland Department of Transportation unveiled a new and meticulously updated roadside historical marker honoring Harriet Tubman, the legendary abolitionist and conductor of the Underground Railroad. The ceremony, held at the Harriet Tubman Freedom Center on the very anniversary of Tubman’s escape from slavery in 1849, was more than a simple act of remembrance. According to the Maryland DOT, the new marker corrects inaccuracies found on a sign installed in 1967 as part of the Civil War centennial—errors that misrepresented Tubman’s birthplace and the true number of enslaved people she led to freedom. This updated language, crafted with the help of Tubman’s own relatives, reflects a broader initiative by the Maryland DOT and the Maryland Historical Trust to review and revise historical markers across the state, ensuring that untold stories are highlighted and past mistakes are set right.
"It’s about time we tell the story as it really happened," remarked one Tubman descendant, echoing the sentiment of many in attendance. The new marker now stands proudly along Greenbrier Road in Bucktown, Maryland, a tangible symbol of the ongoing effort to honor Tubman’s courage and correct the historical record. Earlier this year, Maryland DOT archaeologists also revealed a trove of artifacts from the Ben Ross home, where Tubman’s father lived and where she spent her formative teenage years. These discoveries, pulled from the wetlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, add depth and texture to Tubman’s story and the broader tapestry of Civil War memory in the region.
Meanwhile, nearly two thousand miles to the west, the Arizona desert played host to a different kind of Civil War commemoration—one that blends history with the magic of cinema. "The War Between," a new feature film set in the Arizona Territory in 1862, premiered at Scottsdale’s Harkins Shea 14 theater on September 26, 2025. As reported by Axios, the film is a "love letter" to Arizona, both in its storytelling and its production. Directed by Deborah Correa, "The War Between" centers on Corporal Israel Terry, who suffers amnesia during the Battle of Picacho Peak and must forge an unlikely alliance with an enemy soldier and a Chiricahua Apache "Great Seer." The film’s message, Correa explained, is about "recognizing the humanity in who you think is your enemy."
The production is notable not just for its historical subject matter, but for its deep Arizona roots. Filmed near Tucson—close to the actual site of the 1862 Picacho Peak skirmish—the movie features an almost entirely Arizona-based cast and crew, along with local horse wranglers, armorers, and tribal advisers to ensure cultural and period authenticity. Screenwriter Ron Yungul told Axios that he hopes the film will spark curiosity about Arizona’s lesser-known Civil War history, a legacy often overshadowed by the war’s more famous Eastern battles. "It’s a great legacy if it does that," Yungul said. The film also became one of the first to benefit from Arizona’s recently revived state film tax credit—though that incentive is now embroiled in a legal battle, with the conservative Goldwater Institute challenging the program as an unconstitutional handout to the film industry. For small productions like "The War Between," Yungul argued, such incentives are essential. "We went over budget during filming with the expectation that we would receive money back from the state that is now held up in court," he noted. The film’s theatrical run is followed by a streaming release on Amazon Prime, starting November 25, 2025.
Back east, in Adams County, Pennsylvania, the Civil War’s legacy came alive for a new generation of young Americans at the "Shadows of 1864" camporee. Held at the historic Schroeder Farm—just a stone’s throw from the Gettysburg Battlefield—this immersive event welcomed scout units from Scouting America, supported by 120 reenactors and more than 200 volunteers. Council Commissioner Thomas Steckbeck, brimming with excitement, told local media, "Once this program starts, I think their excitement level will be off the charts... it is fully immersive so this will be an exciting experience for all these kids."
More than 3,000 participants registered in advance, with walk-in registrations available for $20 on September 27. The event offered Scouts BSA and older scouts the chance to step into the boots of Union soldiers—handling mock Springfield rifles, learning cavalry tactics, participating in medical and music demonstrations, and even organizing encampments as they might have done in the 1860s. Cub Scouts enjoyed age-appropriate activities, like relay races on bounce horses. Every participant received a commemorative patch, and scouts donned kepis, the iconic military-style caps, as they camped in designated areas under the autumn sky.
Even the real estate market felt the Civil War’s long shadow this year. For the first time in four decades, the Vowell-Smith House—the largest home in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia—went up for sale. Built in 1854 and named after Francis L. Smith, a lawyer for Robert E. Lee, and John Vowell, Smith’s father-in-law, the estate retains its antebellum elegance and many original details. Its history, stretching back to the war years, adds another layer to Alexandria’s already rich Civil War heritage.
Yet, as Americans gather to commemorate, reenact, and retell Civil War stories, historians continue to debate just when, exactly, the war truly ended. According to a recent article discussing Michael Vorenberg’s new book, Lincoln’s Peace: The Struggle to End the American Civil War, the familiar narrative that the war ended with Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, is a simplification. Vorenberg, a Brown University professor, argues that fighting and political struggles persisted long after that fateful day. Battles and skirmishes continued, and Confederate leaders sought deals with foreign powers to preserve slavery in parts of the South.
The book details the fraught negotiations between Generals Johnston and Sherman, which proposed to disband Confederate armies and restore civil government under certain conditions. War Secretary Edwin Stanton, representing the more radical wing of President Johnson’s cabinet, was alarmed by these terms, fearing they might allow for the reestablishment of slavery. The political battles over Reconstruction—how and when to readmit the Southern states, under what terms, and with what guarantees for freed people—raged on, with Congress ultimately asserting its authority through the Reconstruction Act of 1867. This act required states to ratify the 14th Amendment, grant voting rights to Black men, and bar insurrectionists from office before rejoining the Union.
As Vorenberg notes, "The Reconstruction Act did not settle all or even most of the end-of-war questions," but it did clarify that Congress, not the president, would set the terms for peace and reunification. The war’s true end, then, may be best marked not by a single surrender, but by the hard-won passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments—legal milestones that enshrined abolition, equal protection, and voting rights into the Constitution.
From roadside markers to movie screens, scout camps to stately homes, and the ongoing debates of historians, the American Civil War continues to shape the nation’s identity and memory. Each new commemoration, discovery, or retelling brings fresh perspective to a conflict whose end, and whose meaning, remain as vital today as ever.
