$155 – Early Bird Registration for 2020 ECW Symposium
ECW Archives
-
Recent Posts
Search by Post Categories
Subscribe BY RSS
Email Subscription
Author Archives: Frank Jastrzembski
ECW Weekender – Civil War History in the Pacific Northwest: The Pickett House
When my wife Asha and I pulled up to the Pickett House, we didn’t know what to expect. I scheduled an 11:00 a.m. tour of the museum and national historic site with Edradine Hovde, vice-president of Whatcom Chapter No. 5 … Continue reading
“I Felt Keenly All the Horrors of War”: Psychological Experiences of Civil War Generals During the Mexican War
There is no shortage of connections between the Mexican War (1846-48) and the American Civil War. When Lee and Grant met at Appomattox in April 1865, the two adversaries eased the tension by evoking memories of the Mexican War. Lee … Continue reading
“Down Fame’s Ladder”: Brigadier General Thomas W. Egan’s Unending War
Major General Winfield Scott Hancock gave glowing praise of the Third Division’s 1st Brigade and its commander, 29-year-old Colonel Thomas W. Egan, in his report following the Battle of North Anna on May 23, 1864. “Egan’s brigade, led gallantly by … Continue reading
A Saintly Civil War Veteran: Brother Joseph Dutton
By the age of 40, former Union lieutenant Ira Barnes Dutton felt disgusted with how he had spent most of his twenties and thirties in sin. To atone for these misdeeds, he decided to devote his remaining years to helping … Continue reading
General Hartsuff’s Nine Lives
With a bullet wound to his left arm and a ball lodged in his chest, 25-year-old Lieutenant George L. Hartsuff submerged himself in a pond of brackish water hoping to evade detection. He did everything in his power to keep … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership--Federal, Personalities
Tagged Civil War medicine, George Hartsuff, Seminole Wars
3 Comments
A “Melancholy Suicide”: The Death of Brigadier General Philip St. George Cocke
On December 26, 1861, Confederate Brigadier General Philip St. George Cocke’s wife, Sallie, reluctantly left her home that Thursday evening to attend a neighbor’s party. The general had not been well since returning home, suffering from a mental breakdown. He … Continue reading
Primary Sources: Generals in Bronze
Dozens of diaries, manuscripts, and newspapers come to mind when I reflect on my favorite American Civil War primary source. William B. Styple’s Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War (2005) stands out among them.
Posted in Leadership--Federal, Primary Sources
Tagged James E. Kelly, Primary Sources, primary-sources-19, Union generals
4 Comments
Collecting Civil War General CDVs
Ever since elementary school, I’ve been fascinated with studying the American Civil War, particularly its generals. I’m most interested in the generals who died during the course of the war—either from wounds, illnesses, or accidents. I’ve been collecting antique photographs … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Photography
Tagged CDV, civil war collections, civil war photography
1 Comment
The 25th Anniversary Film Screening of Gettysburg
On October 13, 800 Civil War buffs packed into Gettysburg’s Majestic Theater for the 25th anniversary film screening of Gettysburg. Special guests—some of the film’s cast, the writer and director, and the composer—also attended the event. I was five when … Continue reading
Posted in Civil War Events, Civil War in Pop Culture
Tagged Civil War movie, Gettysburg, Gettysburg movie, Patrick Gorman, Ron Maxwell
4 Comments
The Rise and Fall of Brig. Gen. James L. Kiernan
Major James Lawlor Kiernan’s swift rise from major to brigadier general in August 1863 was just as remarkable as when Elon J. Farnsworth, George A. Custer, and Wesley Merritt were famously promoted from captains to brigadier generals on the eve … Continue reading
Posted in Leadership--Federal
Tagged cavalry, Copperhead's, Irish immigrant, James L. Kiernan, Lincoln, Port Gibson, promotion
7 Comments
