Stones in the Road: Phil Sheridan and the Shadow of Chickamauga

Part three in a series. During the American Civil War, or any armed conflict for that matter, the action or inaction of a high ranking officer often spawned controversy. Some of the more popular examples we can point to today are George McClellan’s sluggishness after receiving Robert E. Lee’s “Lost Order” during the Maryland Campaign […]

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Prepping for a “Bloody Autumn” in the Shenandoah

Back home in northwestern Pennsylvania, the mountains have begun to calico, but here in the Shenandoah Valley, everything still overflows with green. The early autumn sun bathes it all in a soft glow. The corn is high. The harvest is ready. It’s as verdant as I have ever seen it. My attention this month has […]

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A shout-out of thanks to historian Lee White

To wrap up our coverage of the Chickamauga sesquicentennial, we wanted to offer one final shout-out to historian Lee White. We’ve had Lee’s name plastered all over this blog for the last week—as a ranger at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and author of Bushwhacking on a Grand Scale: The Battle of Chickamauga, he’s […]

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Chickamauga 150th Commemoration

“The most persistent sound which reverberates through men’s history is the beating of war drums.” — Arthur Koestler Last weekend (September 18-20, 2013) marked the 150th anniversary of The Battle of Chickamauga. I had the pleasure of joining historians and other visitors on the hallowed grounds of Chickamauga for the commemoration. I attended “real-time” events […]

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Post-Chickamauga: Bragg vs. Forrest?

If the stories are to be believed, Nathan Bedford Forrest was one of the most quotable characters of the Civil War. One of the best lines attributed to him came following the battle of Chickamauga. Although Braxton Bragg had (finally) led his army to victory, he still managed to stir the ire of nearly all […]

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Chickamauga: The Cost

Sgt. John Ingraham is the only soldier known to still be buried on the battlefield. Before the war, Ingraham worked as a farm hand for the Reed family, which owned a little farm along Chickamauga Creek. Orphaned at an early age, Ingraham was raised by the Reeds along with the family’s three sons.

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A General Redeemed: Lew Wallace and the Battle of Monocacy

A guest post by Ryan Quint, part two of a series. Saturday, July 9th, 1864, came following a night of thunderous rain and lightning showers. The first rays of sunlight poked over the nearby mountains and revealed two armies poised for combat. Major General Lew Wallace, 34, had come to the Monocacy Junction four days […]

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The Other Rock of Chickamauga

Most people associate the nickname “Rock of Chickamauga” with Union Major General George H. Thomas. But the name also stuck to one of his subordinate units, the 19th U.S. Infantry, which held the Union far left at Kelly Field during the battle. The 19th’s crest clearly displays the nickname, plus a rock atop the shield […]

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Chickamauga and Beyond

150 years ago today was Day 3 of Chickamauga. Breckinridge’s attack made it nip-and-tuck, but the situation got even more critical when command confusion opened a gap in the Federal line – a gap the Confederates exploited. Hard fighting and leadership by George Thomas retrieved the situation. At the end of today, the three bloodiest […]

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