The American Civil War was a crucial event in the development of Chicago as the metropolis of the heartland.
Theodore J. Karamanski is a professor of history at Loyola University Chicago, where he founded and directs the Public History Program. He is the author of seven books, including Rally 'Round the Flag: Chicago and the Civil War, Schooner Passage: Sailing Ships and the Lake Michigan Frontier, and most recently Blackbird's Song: Andrew J. Blackbird and the Odawa People.
Eileen M. McMahon is a professor of history at Lewis University. She holds a doctorate in history from Loyola University Chicago and is the author of What Parish Are You From: A Chicago Irish Community and Race Relations, coauthor of North Woods River: The St. Croix River in Upper Midwest History, and editor of the Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society.
