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Tag Archives: Siege of Petersburg
“I aimed a bullet at his heart”
The men filed out into an open field and formed a square with one opened end to it. A lone soldier slowly marched the length of the route and upon the completion of the circuit walked to a small stake in … Continue reading
The Joy and Sadness of Archibald Gracie
Brigadier General Archibald Gracie was an unlikely Confederate general: a New Yorker by birth and pedigree. Gracie’s family was prominent in New York City from the Colonial era on. Gracie received his education at West Point, graduating in 1854. His … Continue reading
Posted in Antebellum South, Leadership--Confederate, Sieges
Tagged Chattanooga, Chickamauga, James Gracie, Petersburg, Siege of Petersburg
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“Therefore we prefer bad weather at this time”
In the spirit of the holiday I thought I would highlight a curious item that a soldier in the trenches at Petersburg was thankful for. “We have had some very cold weather, the ground has been frozen hard but now the weather is … Continue reading
Posted in Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Holidays, Sieges
Tagged Siege of Petersburg, Thanksgiving
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The Letters of William Child
Today, we are pleased to welcome back guest author Dan Welch. When we last left William Child, assistant surgeon in the 5th New Hampshire Veteran Volunteer Infantry, he had written a letter home to his wife in mid-October 1864. From the … Continue reading
Tenting Among the Dead
Many locations throughout Virginia witnessed multiple battles during the four years of civil war. The slope to Marye’s Heights in Fredericksburg that seemed so insurmountable in December of 1862 again felt the tramp of Union attackers the following spring in … Continue reading
How a Man Feels in Battle
“How a man feels when in battle is a question that our volunteers have doubtless frequently asked themselves,” wrote a columnist for the Philadelphia North American early in the war. Many on the home front undoubtedly shared that curiosity. The newspaperman published his account of meeting … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Newspapers
Tagged Battle of Fredericksburg, First Bull Run, Siege of Petersburg
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The Fourteen Medals of Honor at the Battle of New Market Heights
Today is the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of New Market Heights, an action in a larger series of battles that made up Ulysses S. Grant’s Fifth Offensive during the joint Siege of Petersburg and Richmond. New Market Heights is … Continue reading
Posted in Emerging Civil War
Tagged 54th Massachusetts, Appomattox Court House, Army of the James, Battle of the Crater, Benjamin Butler, Charles Paine, Christian Fleetwood, Fort Fisher, Fort Wagner, Honey Hill, Medal of Honor, New Market Heights, Petersburg, Richmond, Robert G. Shaw, Siege of Petersburg, Ulysses S. Grant, USCT, William Carney
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Walking the Exposed Federal Line at Reams Station
Key to the Union failure at Reams Station is the poor tactical position they assumed around the tracks of the Weldon Railroad. This morning’s piece by Ryan Quint explores the previous exhaustive campaigning experienced by the Second Corps of the … Continue reading
“A Hideous Dream”: The Federal Second Corps at the Second Battle of Ream’s Station
In the wake of the fighting around Globe Tavern, the Federal high command looked to expand on its success. The Weldon Railroad was firmly under the control of Warren’s Fifth Corps, but now George Meade wanted to negate the railroad … Continue reading
Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Campaigns, Civil War Events, Emerging Civil War, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Sesquicentennial, Sieges
Tagged 61st New York, A.P. Hill, George G. Meade, Henry Heth, John Gibbon, Nelson Miles, Ream's Station, Sesquicentennial, Siege of Petersburg, Weldon Railroad, William Pegram, Winfield Scott Hancock
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Slow Business at the “Fruit and Oyster House”
Some of the best images of the American Civil War can be found in the long campaign around the city of Petersburg. Teams of photographers swooped over the battlefield to document the story, capturing impressive shots of the massive fortifications and … Continue reading
Posted in Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Photography, Sieges
Tagged Siege of Petersburg, Timothy O'Sullivan
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