The Future of Civil War History: Looking Beyond the 150th

Very soon I will leave the warmth of the Sunshine State to head north, bracing myself for the vicissitudes of late winter in March. Fortunately my destination is Gettysburg, Pennsylvania —that compelling beacon to Civil War-era scholars. Gettysburg College, Gettysburg National Military Park, and the Gettysburg Foundation are hosting an innovative, and sure to be […]

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A Challenge Issued: Skirmish at Hartwood Church

The cold morning stillness was shattered as the column of riders splashed across Kelly’s Ford. Snow had come just two days before, on George Washington’s birthday. This recent burst slowed but did not deter these gray clad troopers as they continued onward across the country back roads. By sunset, the Rebels had marched five miles […]

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Eastern Theater versus Western Theater: Where the Civil War Was Won and Lost: Part Two

Part two in a series. This series was put together from one of my extended graduate school research papers. The sources used were the current research between 2007-2008, obviously the historiography of the Civil War expands on a monthly basis, thus some of the “current research” in the paper is no longer exactly current. ********* […]

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The Golden Opportunity at Evelynton Heights

Exactly one year before the Battle of Gettysburg Confederate James Ewell Brown “JEB” Stuart made possibly an even costlier mistake. He lost Evelynton Heights. Evelynton is the name attributed to both the plantation home of the Ruffin family (the same family that Edmund Ruffin, who fired the first shot in the Civil War, belonged to) and […]

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Does the American Civil War Need a Theme Song?

Like so many, I have been captivated by the mournfully lovely tune “Ashokan Farewell.” I am sure most of us first heard it when we were watching Ken Burns’s The Civil War, and wondered about it. I knew I had never heard it at any re-enactments, or concerts. I was pretty sure I did not […]

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For Presidents Day

Although not one of the presidents typically associated with Presidents Day, here are a couple of quick snapshots from a weekend visit to Ulysses S. Grant’s burial site in New York City.  

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Eastern Theater versus Western Theater: Where the Civil War Was Won and Lost, Part One

Part one in a series. This series was put together from one of my extended graduate school research papers. The sources used were the current research between 2007-2008, obviously the historiography of the Civil War expands on a monthly basis, thus some of the “current research” in the paper is no longer exactly current. ******** […]

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Winter Responsibility

Throughout the winter of 1862 and into 1863, the Army of the Potomac slept. These cold months spent in Stafford County were not without activity. On February 6, 1863 new commander Joseph Hooker issued a General Order consolidating his various cavalry units into one corps under Major General George Stoneman. The most important task for […]

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Fredericksburg in Harrisburg

Moment of Mercy by sculptor Terry Jones at the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA

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