The Season of Battles: Perspectives on the 1863 Campaigns

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

Major General John Schofield

Major General John Schofield

This year marks the 150th Anniversaries of some of the Civil War’s most iconic engagements. The sesquicentennial of Chancellorsville and Stonewall Jackson’s death has just passed, while the Vicksburg and Gettysburg commemorations are in the future, followed by Chickamauga. Yet focusing on any one event over others obscures some of the key historical currents that run through this period of the war.

The 7-month period that started May 1, 1863 saw events and blood-lettings unlike any previous time-frame in American history. At the end of November, the United States had a better feel for how victory (and the resulting new Union) would be defined. Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns, Memory, Sesquicentennial | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Welcome Edward Alexander and Chris Kolakowski

Posted on May 21, 2013 by

We have a couple pieces of business to pass along to you, including the introduction of two stellar new authors to the regular line up!

First, a quick note that Chris Mackowski appeared on the May 17 edition of Civil War Talk Radio, hosted by Gerry Prokopowicz. Chris talked about the book he and Kris White co-authored on the battle of Fredericksburg, Simply Murder.

But even cooler is the fact that we’re pleased to welcome Edward Alexander and Chris Kolakowski to Emerging Civil War. Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War, Emerging Civil War Series | 1 Comment

The Stainless Banner at the MOC

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

JacksonFlag2ndStory01-smIn commemoration of the sesquicentennial of Stonewall Jackson’s death, the Museum of the Confederacy recently displayed the second national flag of the Confederacy that had been used to drape Jackson’s coffin.

Jack Humphries, a good friend of Emerging Civil War, was kind enough to serve as man-on-the-scene reporter for us and send back a few pictures. “I’m happy to share this very rare display,” Jack said—and we’re grateful to him for it. Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War Events, Leadership--Confederate, Ties to the War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Farewell to Arms

Posted on May 20, 2013 by

StackedArms-smAs the victorious Union army began to muster out at the close of the war, veterans now faced the task of assimilating back into civilian life. But what of the weapons they faithfully carried?

On May 29, 1865, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant wrote Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, “I understand that great numbers of soldiers going out of service are very desirous of retaining their arms by paying for them. As the government has now a great surplus of arms I would suggest that an order be published authorizing all soldiers who desire to do so to retain their arms by paying the value to the Ordnance Department, or by having them charged on their muster-out rolls.” The department determined the following prices: muskets – $6, Spencer carbines – $10, all other carbines – $8. Continue reading →

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War in the House of God: Salem Church

Posted on May 18, 2013 by

Salem Church

 

A lesser known part of the Chancellorsville campaign is the battle that swirled around Salem Church on May 3rd and 4th, 1863.   Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Civil War, National Park Service, Photography, Sesquicentennial | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Remembering the war, the centennial, and the sesquicentennial

Posted on May 17, 2013 by

Guest-poster Caroline Davis is wrapping up an internship at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. Now that the dust has settled from the Chancellorsville sesquicentennial, we asked her to reflect on what she learned from the commemoration. Because her work this year has allowed her to dip into the park’s archives, she pulled together some interesting parallels between this year’s events and those from the Centennial fifty years earlier….

The 150th commemoration of Chancellorsville has been stirring up excitement at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania County National Military Park over the past two weeks. A similar event takes place every five years or so, but until now the largest celebration was the 100th anniversary. During the opening ceremony on the first of May, 2013, John Hennessey pointed out that we are no longer celebrating but rather commemorating the events that happened here. Back in 1963, the anniversary was viewed as celebratory; but today, rather than host parades and grand spectacles, we turn to more solemn thoughts and actions. “We are a remembering people,” said Hennessey. How we choose to remember, though, has changed significantly. Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Civil War Events, Memory, National Park Service, Sesquicentennial | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fateful Lightning: Was Sherman’s March To the Sea a War Crime? Part II

Posted on May 17, 2013 by
Sherman's Bummers

Sherman’s Bummers

On November 15 1864, Sherman began marching south, dividing his army into two wings. On November 22, a large (4,500) group of Confederate soldiers under General Pleasant J. Phillips met part (1,500) of the right wing of Sherman’s troops, commanded by General Charles C. Walcutt. The Battle of Griswaldville ended so badly for the South–94 Union casualties and losses versus 1,123 Confederate–that Confederate troops initiated no more major conflicts. Instead, they tried to anticipate Sherman’s line of march, working ahead of the Union forces and wreaking their own brand of havoc in front of Sherman’s men. In an attempt to slow the Union juggernaut, bridges were burned and wrecked, trees were felled across roads, and barns with provisions and fodder were burned before Sherman had a chance to use them.

Not that the Union was innocent of inflicting harm. Far from it! Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battles, Campaigns, Civil War Events, Common Soldier, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Personalities, Politics, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Herdegen’s Rock-Solid Study of the Iron Brigade

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

IronBrigade-coverI first met the Iron Brigade, like so many Americans, as they marched onto the field on the first day of Gettysburg, their black hats announcing their appearance at the nick of time. Michael Shaara’s The Killer Angels (and the subsequent film Gettysburg) makes much of the Iron Brigade’s timely appearance, in part to add dramatic weight to the death of John Reynolds a few pages later.

I later met the Iron Brigade in the Wilderness as they ran pell-mell through the forest—“like scared little girls,” one colleague liked to say—after Confederate counterattacks in the dark, close wood caught them completely off guard and crushed them.

I’ve run into them on many occasions since, but no meeting has been so fortuitous, or so interesting, as meeting them in Lance J. Herdegen’s excellent book The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter.  Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Books & Authors, Common Soldier, Memory | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Heaven Shines on Home Field Advantage

Posted on May 16, 2013 by

Chick-GAmonument-sm Continue reading →

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Soldier from the Sunshine State

Posted on May 15, 2013 by

Chick-FLSunset-sm Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Monuments, Photography | 3 Comments