“I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day…”
The Christmas carol “I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day” was originally a poem. Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, it was arranged and set to music by John Calkin, who took it upon himself to edit out two stanzas which refer directly to the Civil War, thereby creating yet another easily forgettable holiday musical offering […]
Read more...Thinking of Burnside on the Eve of His Disaster
By this point, I imagine the heavy stone sitting in the pit of Ambrose Burnside’s stomach has gone away, replaced by something else that maybe resembles scampering mice. One hundred a forth nine years ago today, his army sat on the west side of the Rappahannock River facing Confederates ensconced along the heights just outside […]
Read more...Paying Respects to General Grant
On a visit with the wife to New York City over Thanksgiving, between Radio City Hall and the Rockettes, the Macy’s Day Parade, and the lights and glamour of Times Square, we snuck up to what is referred to as “Uptown.” There, resting on the banks of the Hudson River, sits a large granite mausoleum. […]
Read more...1st Vermont Cavalry Monument
Following the book review of Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth’s Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863 by Eric Wittenberg (published by Savas Beatie), I thought I would post a few pictures of the 1st Vermont Cavalry monument at Gettysburg. The 1st Vermont participated in Farnsworth’s Charge, which is a […]
Read more...Yes, Billy, There Is a Santa Claus. No, Johnny, He Isn’t Going to Run the Blockade
We know that the Thanksgiving Presidential Turkey Pardon is a product of the American Civil War, as is the Proclamation that the fourth Thursday in November should be the official date for the holiday, but Santa Claus? In short, yes! Santa’s first official appearance was in Clement Moore’s poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas,” published […]
Read more...A Thank You To Our Guest Authors
All of us at Emerging Civil War wanted to thank both Virginia Bensen and Jim Sundman for their guest posts this week. We look forward to hearing more from both of them in the future. If you have not had a chance to read their work please click the links above. We are always looking […]
Read more...Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions—A Review
Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth’s Charge, South CavalryField and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863. Author: Eric Wittenberg Publisher: Savas Beatie 244 pages, 8 maps, 4 appendices. Many historians and students of the Battle of Gettysburg ultimately conclude the fighting near the Copse of Trees and the end of Pickett’s Charge. However, author Eric […]
Read more...And Your Age Is?
Today we welcome guest author Jim Sundman. When future New Jersey governor Franklin Murphy walked into a recruiting office for the 13th New Jersey Volunteers in Newark on July 19, 1862, he told the enlistment officer he was eighteen, the legal age in which to join the Union Army without permission. Murphy, who was well-educated […]
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