Author Archives: Dave Powell

About Dave Powell

I'm a middle-aged guy with a fascination with the American Civil War, and especially the battle of Chickamauga. In my day job, I am president and an owner of CBS Messenger, a courier company in Chicago, but whenever I can am off pursuing all things Chickamauga. I am also a wargamer, having designed more than fifteen boardgames on various battle topics. Join me as I ramble about things that hold my attention.

“An unmitigated fraud” – Henry Judah at Resaca

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Dave Powell

On May 16, 1864, just outside Resaca Georgia, Brig. Gen. Milo S. Hascall quietly relinquished command of the Second Brigade, Second Division, XXIII Corps stepping up to take charge of the division. He replaced Brig. Gen. Henry M. Judah. Judah … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battles, Leadership--Federal, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Tale of Three Hammets

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Dave Powell

On May 14, 1864, just north of the Green family cabin, twenty-four-year-old Robert C. Hammet fell dead with a bullet in his brain. His regiment, the 54th Virginia, was ordered into a reckless, suicidal charge against a line of Federal … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Civilian, Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Memory, Regiments, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

The “Emerging Civil War Series” Series: All Hell Can’t Stop Them

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Dave Powell

Very early in the writing process for the book that became Battle Above the Clouds, the publisher, the editor, and myself all decided that instead of trying to encompass all of the fighting for Chattanooga into one ECW Series volume, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Cavalry, Emerging Civil War Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The “Emerging Civil War Series” Series: Battle Above the Clouds

Posted on November 24, 2021 by Dave Powell

Writing Battle above the Clouds To date, I have written eleven books, co-authored one (Tullahoma) and contributed essays to two more. Most of that writing has been published by Savas Beatie, though I have also worked with Southern Illinois University … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Recruiting The Regiment: Politics by other means – the 36th Illinois Infantry Regiment goes to war

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Dave Powell

The 36th Illinois is really the closest thing I have to a hometown regiment. Company H of the 36th was recruited in Algonquin Township of McHenry County, Illinois, where I now live, and I find the graves of their veterans … Continue reading →

Posted in 160th Anniversary, Regiments | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

That Other Cavalry Guy: Benjamin H. Grierson

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Dave Powell

April is a significant month in Civil War history. Some argue that the war both began and ended in Aprils four years apart. Lincoln was assassinated in April. The war’s first really bloody battle—the foreshadowing of what was to come—occurred … Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns, Cavalry | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Not Written in Letters of Blood: Tullahoma

Posted on September 25, 2020 by Dave Powell

On July 7, 1863, William Rosecrans, in reply to a telegram from Secretary of War Edwin Stanton, wrote: “I beg in [sic] behalf of this army that the War Department may not overlook so great an event because it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Campaigns | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

Martyr or Murderer?

Posted on August 11, 2020 by Dave Powell

I stop and read historical markers. I’m the guy pulled off on the shoulder in the middle of nowhere, reading that bronze sign by the side of the road. You know the type. Frankly, if you are reading this blog, … Continue reading →

Posted in Memory | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

A Hoosier’s view of Champion Hill

Posted on May 16, 2020 by Dave Powell

Hometown newspapers are a treasure trove of Civil War source material. I first appreciated how rich a vein they could be when I was researching my work on Chickamauga, and now they are a mainstay of my work on other … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles | Tagged , | 6 Comments

A very private war: Rocky Face Ridge, May 8 to 11, 1864

Posted on May 10, 2020 by Dave Powell

On the morning of May 8. 1864, Colonel Emerson Opdycke’s 125th Ohio infantry drew an unenviable assignment. One of the regiments comprising the Third Brigade, Second Division, of O. O. Howard’s Fourth Corps in the Army of the Cumberland, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Emerging Civil War | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments