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Author Archives: Chris Mackowski
These Men I Feel I Know, a Little, at Ox Ford
To the west, the sounds of industry clank and crunch through the forest. The insistent warning of a backing-up truck beep-beep-beeps in discordant competition. The gravel pit, nestled up to the edge of North Anna Battlefield Park, does not rest … Continue reading
The Fox House at the North Anna River
On May 23, 1864–155 years ago today–Robert E. Lee sat on the porch of Rev. Thomas Fox’s home, drinking a glass of buttermilk, when Federals appeared on the north bank of the North Anna River a half a mile to … Continue reading
From Spotsylvania’s Eastern Front
155 years ago this evening, Ulysses S. Grant began his withdrawal from Spotsylvania Court House, swinging once more around Lee’s right flank, moving south. To recap the anniversary of the two-week battle, I want to share a project I did … Continue reading
Posted in Battles
Tagged 23rd USCT, Battle of the Ni, Central Virginia Battlefield Trust, CVBT, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, Gordon Rhea, Gouverneur K. Warren, Robert E. Lee, Robert Spear, Stevenson Ridge, The Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Thomas Rosser, Ulysses S. Grant
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A Word on Behalf of Myer’s Hill on the 155th Anniversary
Happy “Myer’s Hill Day!” Today, May 14, was the anniversary of action 155 years ago at Spotsylvania Court House on the southeast edge of the battlefield. The highest ground in the area, Myer’s Hill became the scene of back-and-forth fighting. … Continue reading
ECW Weekender: Golden Spike National Historic Site
Ulysses S. Grant loved railroads. They helped him win the Civil War, after all. (See ECW’s 2018 series on railroads for more on that.) During his post-presidency, he involved himself in a number of railroad projects (including one that brought … Continue reading
Black Bess (Re-)Visited
Last week, Steve Davis shared with us the story of “Black Bess,” John Hunt Morgan’s mare that was turned, by a sculptor’s whim, into a stallion. Because of Steve’s post, I decided to seek out the Morgan statue in Lexington, Kentucky, … Continue reading
Posted in Monuments
Tagged Black Bess, John Breckinridge, john hunt morgan, Lexington Cemetery, Steve Davis
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U.S. Grant’s Birthplace (Happy Birthday, Gen. Grant!)
Maybe he’s lonely, and that’s why it looks like he’s crying. The green patina on the bronze plaque has streaked with age and rain, creating what looks like tears on Ulysses S. Grant’s right cheek. I’ve known Grant to cry … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places
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Clay and Calhoun and Their Really Tall Columns
As they were rivals in life, so, too, it seems, did senators Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun try to outrival each other in death—or at least their supporters did. In 2014, as part of a post I wrote about … Continue reading
Posted in Antebellum South, Monuments, Personalities
Tagged Charleston South Carolina, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun, Lexington Cemetery
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Albert Sidney Johnston Stumped at Shiloh
Imagine your job is to go around an unmarked battlefield and mark the places where significant events happened. Yes, you were there at the time of the fight, but of course, things were a bit confusing at the time and … Continue reading
National Medal of Honor Day
Today is National Medal of Honor Day, and if you haven’t seen the American Battlefield Trust’s latest edition of Hallowed Ground, which focuses on the Congressional Medal of Honor, you need to check it out. Thanks to my longtime partner … Continue reading
