Category Archives: Primary Sources

On the Battlefield, Among the Dead and Dying, We Get to Know Each Other Better

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Chris Mackowski

Following the May 14, 1863, battle of Jackson, Mississippi, Private Osborn H. Oldroyd of the 20th Ohio had the chance to walk across the battlefield. His unit, part of Maj. Gen. John Logan’s division, did not get into the day’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Common Soldier, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Secession of Mississippi

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Chris Mackowski

January 9, 2020, is the 160th anniversary of the secession of Mississippi Named for war hero Andrew Jackson, Jackson, Mississippi, was founded in 1821 at the intersection of the Natchez Trace and the Pearl River. Jackson himself had come through … Continue reading →

Posted in 160th Anniversary, Antebellum South, Economics, Politics, Primary Sources, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

1861, 2021: The Sound of Conflict, The Voice of Birds

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Sarah Kay Bierle

It is about 5:10pm on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, as I’m writing this. I’m listening to and watching a live-stream from a WUSA9 team, which is positioned on the north side of the capital building. Law enforcement officers—I’m not sure … Continue reading →

Posted in Primary Sources | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Re-evaluating Ezra Carman: Triangulating the 2nd South Carolina’s Second Assault at Antietam

Posted on January 4, 2021 by ECW Guest Post

Emerging Civil War welcomes back guest author Chris Bryan… Ezra Ayers Carman, who commanded the 13th New Jersey at Antietam, wrote a seminal work on the Maryland Campaign based upon correspondences with veterans during the 1890s and 1900s. It is … Continue reading →

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

Gen. Sherman Sends Christmas Greetings to His Children

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Derek Maxfield

During a break from the scourge of war, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman penned a Christmas letter to his daughter Maria, whom he affectionately calls “Minnie.” The general and his army were in occupation of Savannah, Georgia, after a long march … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Payne’s Farm After Dark

Posted on November 27, 2020 by Chris Mackowski

November 27 marks the anniversary of the 1863 battle of Payne’s Farm, part of the Mine Run campaign. Elements of the Army of the Potomac and Army of Northern Virginia, converging toward a wayside in the Virginia Wilderness known as … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Shooters Before Tooters

Posted on November 10, 2020 by Steve Davis

By Stephen Davis and Bill Hendrick Editor’s note: Steve Davis and Bill Hendrick have written The Atlanta Daily Intelligencer Covers the Civil War, under contract with the University of Tennessee Press. Bill ranges widely among Civil War newspapers, and found … Continue reading →

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

“This Momentous Day”: Presidential Elections & Process in 19th Century New York City

Posted on November 3, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

These last few weeks I’ve been reading George Templeton Strong’s diaries. The New York lawyer recorded a variety of topics in his extensive volumes; election days and politics often made the pages. Instead of getting into the details of each … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Almost Scared Speechless”

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Sarah Kay Bierle

Sergeant D. H. Hamilton battled with the First Texas in Hood’s Brigade, a unit known for its fierce courage. But in the autumn of 1863, he had a “creepy” experience that reads almost like a classic ghost story. Read it … Continue reading →

Posted in Common Soldier, Holidays, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Not a Trick—Walt Whitman Every Week!

Posted on October 31, 2020 by Meg Groeling

In between doing the final edits for First Fallen, reviewing books, worrying about everything in general and nothing in particular, and petting cats, I have been noodling around with some ways of writing about American poet Walt Whitman. He is … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Civilian, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments