Bowdoin College has selected 2013 as a commemorative year to mark the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. As a part of this sesquicentennial commemoration, the George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives presents the blog On this Day in Civil War History… as a daily reminder of what occurred 150 years ago.

I received a letter from William last evening, I have not had a letter from Charlie since last fall. I have written to him several times. I guess he has forgotten me. —Malcolm McArthur to his father

The posts derive from among the historical resources in Special Collections: a passage from a letter to a soldier, a soldier’s diary entry, a note of condolence, a daily surgeon’s morning report, an account of activities on the home front.

Bowdoin is also commemorating the sesquicentennial with Alumni College programming. ”The Afterlife of the American Civil War,” a series scheduled August 8-11, 2013, will feature keynote speakers, talks by Bowdoin faculty and walking tours of historic Brunswick.