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Author Archives: Chris Kolakowski
On Viewing History
I’ve been watching the news from Afghanistan the past few days and digesting my own reaction and the reaction of people around me, veterans and others alike. The mix of reaction is interesting, and illuminates how historical events often reverberate … Continue reading
Posted in Memory, Ties to the War
6 Comments
Fallen Leaders: Generals’ Deaths
Here are a few archived posts that I’ve written in former days about fallen leaders:
Posted in Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal
Tagged Fallen Leaders, Fallen-Leaders-21, from the archives
1 Comment
Taking It Day By Day
Hindsight often obscures our understanding of how events unfolded and their results became apparent. Because we know how it went, we lose something of the immediate perspective that both sides had, not to mention the fog of war. To illustrate … Continue reading
Posted in Armies, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal
Tagged John C. Pemberton, U.S. Grant, Vicksburg Campaign
2 Comments
Recruiting The Regiment: The 14th Brooklyn
In 1861 several states had militia systems in various states of development. State militia structures gave the opportunity to expand on an existing structure and training system, rather than create units out of whole cloth. Famous units like the 1st … Continue reading
Posted in 160th Anniversary, Regiments
Tagged 14th Brooklyn, 1st Wisconsin, 2nd Virginia, 2nd Wisconsin Infantry, Abraham Lincoln, Alfred Wood, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Edward Fowler, Edwin Morgan, Fort Greene, Militia units, New York State, New York State Militia, Recruiting-160, Recruiting-The-Regiment, state militias, Washington Artillery
2 Comments
ECW Weekender: Exploring Fortress Monroe (Virtually)
For many enslaved men, women, and children, Fortress Monroe became their place to find and create freedom. Self-emancipation pressured Union military officers and Federal politicians to face the realities of slavery and question how freedom could cripple the local Southern … Continue reading
On The Eve Of War: The Commonwealth of Kentucky
(Adapted from a speech given in 2011) Kentucky in 1860 and 1861 was a very different place on the national scene than what it is today, although arguably Kentucky is inching back to its former place. Kentucky in 1860 was … Continue reading
Posted in 160th Anniversary
Tagged 160th Anniversary, 1861, Henry Clay, Kentucky, on-the-eve-of-war
3 Comments
Buckner Assesses Bragg and Longstreet
In 1909 Simon Bolivar Buckner gave an interview later published in Confederate Veteran. His opinions of General Braxton Bragg and Lieutenant General James Longstreet, both of whom he served with closely, are worth noting.
Lessons for 2021 from POWs and Sieges
Last October I looked at how the broadly-parallel experiences of prisoners of war and besieged forces could provide perspectives on the coronavirus situation. Now, as 2020 turns into 2021, I again looked at these situations to see if there are … Continue reading
Posted in Civil War Events, Memory, Sieges, Ties to the War
Tagged Bastogne, Bataan, Corregidor, Knoxville, prisoners of war, Siege of Knoxville, World War II
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Civil War Echoes: The Keystone Division
The Pennsylvania National Guard’s 28th Infantry Division is the oldest division in the United States Army. It’s formation was the result of Civil War veterans, and (like many National Guard units) it is an echo of the Civil War.
Lessons for 2020 from POWs and Sieges
Being captured in battle can be a dramatic and traumatic experience. Instantly you are cut off from what was familiar and definite, and cast into a situation unfamiliar, out of your control, and with a most indefinite future. The same … Continue reading
Posted in Primary Sources, Sieges, Ties to the War
Tagged Chinese Gordon, Corregidor, James Stockdale, Java, Khartoum, Leningrad, prisoners of war, Vietnam War, Wladyslaw Anders, World War II
8 Comments
