As a Civil War historian, I essentially study four years of history. When I read or write about this period, the narrative often jumps back and forth in these four years as though they are merely a list of facts: "In 1862,...then, in 1863..." 1/

These last two months have made it clear to me that there were actually 365 days in each of these years and that to people living them, the days and months could have gone by very, very slowly, especially as they waited for news or a significant change in policy. 2/

I do not think I can read or write jumping between these Civil War years as though they are only moments apart any more. In the summer of 1862, states were raising their own regiments. By 1863, the federal government had taken over enrolling recruits. 3/

Yes, sure, but now I think about - I feel - the stretch of the days, the negotiations, the worry, the uncertainty of that shift in policy. And how people in the states, the recruits themselves, wondered about their government's ability to handle this correctly. 4/

Every day feels uncertain now in a way that I have not experienced since 9/11. Now, as a historian, I think about how long the daily reality of the Civil War must have felt for people, as I count the unknown days to a vaccine or an effective govt policy. 5/5