Category Archives: Personalities

“I want the American flag!”—Manning Force and the Battle of Atlanta

Posted on July 22, 2014 by

Conclusion of a two-part series After their hard fight the previous day, the men of Manning Force’s brigade still had a lot of work to do when they awoke on Friday, July 22. They had slept amongst the casualties from … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Campaigns, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Personalities, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Biggest Federal Blunder

Posted on July 18, 2014 by

One morning in September 1942 Colonel Leslie Groves was walking in an empty hallway of the House of Representatives office building when he met General Brehon Somervell who almost immediately transformed the Colonel into “the angriest officer in the United … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms & Armaments, Leadership--Federal, Personalities, Weapons | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ECW Weekender: In the Footsteps of Nullification with John C. Calhoun

Posted on July 18, 2014 by

Many historians have traced the roots of the Civil War back to the Nullification Crisis of 1832, triggered by South Carolina’s Ordinance of Nullification. The ordinance contended that a state had a right to ignore a Federal law if it … Continue reading →

Posted in Antebellum South, Battlefields & Historic Places, ECW Weekender, Leadership--Confederate, Monuments, Personalities, Politics, Ties to the War | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Today is the Day

Posted on July 17, 2014 by

July 17, 1864. Davis had had it. He had given Confederate Joseph E. Johnston every chance possible. He had sent General Braxton Bragg down to Atlanta to personally check out the situation of the Army of Tennessee, he had thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership--Confederate, Battlefields & Historic Places, Civil War Events, Campaigns, Politics, Armies, Battles, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 17 Comments

John Tyler: The Brief Civil War Career of Virginia’s Elder Statesman

Posted on July 16, 2014 by

The grave of James Monroe sits in a cage on the crown of a knoll in Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery. The ornate metalwork that holds him in looks like an oversized birdcage, although whether it’s to keep grave robbers from plundering Monroe’s sarcophagus … Continue reading →

Posted in Antebellum South, Leadership--Confederate, Personalities, Politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ryan Quint and the Monocacy 150th

Posted on July 9, 2014 by

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the battle of Monocacy—”The Battle that Saved Washington.” How appropriate, then, that we use the opportunity to welcome Ryan Quint to our regular cast of ECW contributors. Ryan started guesting with us last year … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War Series, Leadership--Federal, Personalities | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Wade Hampton in Charleston

Posted on July 9, 2014 by

I’ve just returned from a week in Charleston, South Carolina, where my wife and I spent out honeymoon. It’s tough to vacation in the Cradle of Secession without wanting to totally geek-out on Civil War history—yet I promised Jenny I’d … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership--Confederate, Memory, Monuments, Personalities, Politics, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

“Bitter” Bierce

Posted on July 7, 2014 by

Among the men missing from the roles of the Army of the Cumberland after the Kennesaw Line was twenty-two-year-old Lt. Ambrose Bierce. Bierce is famous for his dark and disturbing writings, the most famous of which, An Occurrence at Owl … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Common Soldier, Personalities, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Little Poetry

Posted on June 22, 2014 by

Sometimes in the middle of all the carnage, a little poetry helps to clear one’s vision. After all, the American Civil War was about some pretty defining things, a few of which are still undergoing examination.

Posted in Books & Authors, Civilian, Memory, Personalities, Politics, Reconstruction, Slavery | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause” by Heath Hardage Lee

Posted on June 16, 2014 by

Varina Anne Davis, called “Winnie,” was born in the Confederate White House in June, 1864. She instantly became the symbol of hope for the entire Confederate nation. Author and southern women’s history writer Heath Hardage Lee, also born in Richmond, has … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Books & Authors, Civil War Events, Civilian, Leadership--Confederate, Memory, Monuments, Personalities, Reconstruction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments