Category Archives: Common Soldier

Free ECW Podcast: “The War Went On”

Posted on June 2, 2020 by Emerging Civil War

Check it out! We’ve got another free podcast for you this evening… For Civil War veterans, the war didn’t end just because everyone went home. Chris Mackowski talks with historians Brian Matthew Jordan and Evan Rothera about their new book, The … Continue reading →

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Free ECW Podcast: “The Army of the Potomac’s Politics”

Posted on May 28, 2020 by Emerging Civil War

We’ve got a surprise for you this afternoon! Another FREE ECW Podcast has just been released. Chris Mackowski chats with Zachery A. Fry about the Army of the Potomac and the political allegiances of the soldiers within its ranks. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Common Soldier, Podcast | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“Those who say they would like to visit a battlefield seldom know what they are talking about…” A Letter from Private Erskine M. Church

Posted on May 25, 2020 by Kristopher D. White

This Memorial Day will be celebrated in many different ways than years past. The typical gatherings at monuments and cemeteries have given way to virtual remembrances of America’s fallen. Be it on Facebook, YouTube, or countless other streaming services, Americans … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Common Soldier, Holidays, Memory, National Park Service | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Henry Hunt Reflects on the Battle of Chancellorsville

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Kevin Pawlak

Chancellorsville was a black eye for the Army of the Potomac. But while it no doubt marked the beginning of the end of Joseph Hooker’s stint as army commander, it did not sour the desire for victory among the army’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Artillery, Battles, Common Soldier, Leadership--Federal, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Second Fredericksburg: “What A Picture!”

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

A few weeks ago, I was working on a project at work for the Second Battle of Fredericksburg. It’s inspiring to think that attacking troops actually did capture Marye’s Heights—but on May 3, 1863, not December 13, 1862. Since the … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Common Soldier, Primary Sources | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Oliver P. Evans: A Colorbearer at New Market

Posted on May 15, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

May 15 marked a defining day and the ending day of Oliver Perry Evans’s life, but not in the same year. However, his story began on June 2, 1842, when he was born near Jackson Court House, Virginia (now West … Continue reading →

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BookChat with Mark Flotow, editor of In Their Letters, in Their Words

Posted on May 14, 2020 by Chris Mackowski

I was pleased to spend some time recently with a new book by historian Mark Flotow. Mr. Flotow is the editor of In Their Letters, in Their Words: Illinois Civil War Soldiers Write Home, a new release from Southern Illinois University … Continue reading →

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William McLain: On the Subject of Surrendering

Posted on May 1, 2020 by ECW Guest Post

ECW welcomes guest author Dan Masters. By August 1864, William Mosby McLain of Co. B, 32nd Ohio Infantry had become an expert on the ins and outs of surrendering. Having taken part in two of the largest mass surrenders of … Continue reading →

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Traveling to Gettysburg: Pt. 3

Posted on April 30, 2020 by Daniel Welch

Over the last two parts in this series we have followed a veteran of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Chester Dufree, on a trip to Gettysburg for the 1913 reunion and anniversary of the battle. At a time when all … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Common Soldier, Memory, Monuments, National Park Service | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Ending The War: John Wise’s Eulogy

Posted on April 18, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

And so I left them. As I rode along in search of the ford to which General Lee had directed me, I felt that I was in the midst of the wreck of that immortal army which, until now, I … Continue reading →

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