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Author Archives: Edward Alexander
A Cold Harbor Sketch Says It All
Arthur McClellan, younger brother of the famous general, served on the staff for both John Sedgwick and Horatio Wright. I had previously expressed hope that his unpublished 1864 diary could fill in some of the major gaps in the Sixth … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Leadership--Federal, Primary Sources
Tagged Arthur McClellan, Cold Harbor, Horatio G. Wright, Overland Campaign, Sixth Corps
3 Comments
Petersburg Latrine Management
While expanding my search for more source material on the VI Corps at Petersburg, I found an old auction listing for detailed instructions to improve the sanitation in their fortified camps during the early stage of the campaign. Such descriptions … Continue reading
Posted in Medical, Primary Sources, Sieges
Tagged camp life, Hazard Stevens, Petersburg, VI Corps
3 Comments
A Pennsylvania Family on Petersburg’s Front Line
A Pennsylvania family found themselves at the epicenter of the final six months of the Civil War. No primary evidence is available yet to date to share that plight in their own words, but in the time since I researched … Continue reading
Accompanying Sedgwick’s Remains
A sharpshooter’s bullet struck and immediately killed Maj. Gen. John Sedgwick around 9:30 a.m. on May 9, 1864. Throughout the rest of the day, grieving members of the VI Corps paid their respects to their fallen general as his body … Continue reading
The “Emerging Civil War Series” Series: Dawn of Victory
The structure for Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg evolved out of the battlefield tours I gave while at Pamplin Historical Park. I believe that frequent retelling of the narrative while working on the book benefitted the overall writing process. … Continue reading
Under Fire: Battlefield Guide Map for the Charge of the First Maine Heavy Artillery
The First Maine Heavy Artillery famously participated in the last desperate attempt in June 1864 to simply seize Petersburg by direct assault. Many incorrectly assume the battle was the first for these callups from the Washington defenses, though a Sesquicentennial … Continue reading
The Key to Richmond
A New York private and two of his comrades carefully crept their way into Petersburg, Virginia on the morning of April 3, 1865. Separated from their regiment after the chaotic previous day, the trio could not resist the temptation to … Continue reading
Fighting on the Same Ground: The 10th New York Infantry at Gaines’s Mill and Cold Harbor
Civil War soldiers oftentimes found themselves marching and fighting on the same battlefield multiple times. Veteran members of the 10th New York Infantry have a distinction of attacking the exact spot they had defended two years prior, both times as … Continue reading
Preservation Setback at the Haw’s Shop Battlefield
In a February 2019 testimony before a congressional subcommittee, American Battlefield Trust president Jim Lighthizer warned that “in the next decade, most unprotected battlefield land will be either developed or destroyed.” Sadly, just over a year later his prediction has … Continue reading
Making a Modern Map of the Valley
Once after presenting a program in which I used my own maps to illustrate troop movements, an attendee remarked how impressive it was that I hand drew all the mountains. I think he was disappointed upon learning clarification that the … Continue reading
