Category Archives: Common Soldier

ECW Weekender: A Day in the Life of a Soldier

Posted on October 5, 2018 by Emerging Civil War

Here’s a phenomenal ECW Weekender opportunity from the Friends of the Wilderness Battlefield. Hear first-person portrayals of the lives of Union and Confederate soldiers and surgeons. Take a walking tour of the Wilderness Tavern and the grounds of Ellwood. Also, … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Books & Authors, Civil War Events, Civil War Trails, Common Soldier, ECW Weekender, Engaging the Civil War Series, Material Culture, Medical, Memory, Monuments, National Park Service, Upcoming Events | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Prisoner of War or Constructive Deserter?

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Dwight Hughes

It pays to read the (often lengthy) footnotes when researching first-person accounts in the venerable Battles and Leaders of the Civil War. Seemingly minor vignettes can speak to big issues. An article by Colonel Rush C. Hawkins describing his service … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Politics | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

“A Fury Unequaled”: A North Carolinian’s Account of Antietam

Posted on September 17, 2018 by Kevin Pawlak

Finding personal accounts of battlefield experiences always raises my eyebrows, as it does for many of you. The details and immediate stories they contain are the stuff historians crave. When I read the account of James W. Shinn, a soldier … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Primary Sources | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Rethinking What Civil War Soldiers Remembered

Posted on September 11, 2018 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Recently, I spent a day at a Civil War living history event here in California. It was a welcome break from a full week of research and writing, and I certainly enjoyed visiting with friends and networking with some of … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Memory | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

Foraging With The 1st West Virginia Artillery

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Sarah Kay Bierle

In August 1912, C.H. Senseney delivered an address on the fiftieth anniversary of the enlistment of Battery D of the 1st West Virginia Artillery. His reminiscence speech was later printed and bound in a booklet form, and I was lucky … Continue reading →

Posted in Artillery, Common Soldier | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Captain Hugh A. White: “To Draw Back Is Impossible”

Posted on August 30, 2018 by Sarah Kay Bierle

“…his presence was soon missed, and a member of his company, fearing he had been injured, proceeded to look for him, and soon found his body. He was lying on his face, resting it in his hands, and his pistol … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Leadership--Confederate | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Of “Promotion,” Camp, Gossip, & Flirtation in August 1863

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Sarah Kay Bierle

In late August 1863 – after returning from medical leave and a visit home – Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain wrote a letter to his wife Fanny, giving a glimpse of the “quiet days” of war. The moments at Gettysburg created only … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

The Determined Delinquents On A Summer’s Day

Posted on August 15, 2018 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Recently, I sat in the solemn, silent archives, reading The End of an Era by John S. Wise. Among his treasury of memories and musings about antebellum Virginia, slavery, and the Civil War, there are several sections focused on cadet … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Personalities | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Superhuman Henry Recor at the Petersburg Breakthrough

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Edward S. Alexander

I have yet to find a Civil War story as compelling and consequential as that of Captain Charles G. Gould, the first Sixth Corps soldier to breach the Confederate lines on the morning of April 2, 1865. Union soldiers from … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Common Soldier, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Vicksburg NMP Brings Back Black Powder

Posted on August 10, 2018 by Emerging Civil War

by ECW Correspondent Katherine Duffek Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see and hear cannon and musket fire in real life instead of just in the movies? Well, at Vicksburg National Military Park, visitors can go … Continue reading →

Posted in Arms & Armaments, Common Soldier, National Park Service, Sieges | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments