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Category Archives: Primary Sources
November 1862 in Fredericksburg: “Continued reports of the enemy approaching”
A couple mornings ago I headed into historic downtown Fredericksburg to shoot some photos before the streets got busy. My walk took me toward the city dock which in 1862 became one of the crossing points for Burnside’s Union troops. … Continue reading
Posted in Civilian, Primary Sources
Tagged Confederate women, Fredericksburg, Jane Beall, primary source
1 Comment
Meet Mike Maxwell—Researcher Extraordinaire! (pt. 5)
Mike Maxwell and I met on one of the darkest corners of the web—the Emerging Civil War blog. Many of you will recognize his name from the “Reply” section. Luckily for me—and for Abraham—Mr. Maxwell was as fascinated by the … Continue reading
Posted in Internet, Websites & Blogs, Personalities, Primary Sources
Tagged Abraham Blown to Freedom, Mike Maxwell
9 Comments
A Little Justice Here, Folks! (pt. 1)
On February 6 of this year, I wrote a blog post about Abraham, a formerly enslaved person who was “blown to freedom” at Vicksburg. I found something very compelling about this man. He is young, seems to be relatively healthy, … Continue reading
A Soldier’s View of Harper’s Ferry
Following the battle of Antietam, as the Army of the Potomac made its slow way northward, the Union II Corps found itself, on September 21, 1862, encamped atop Bolivar Heights near Harper’s Ferry. Lt. Josiah Favill of the 57th New … Continue reading
John Wise (The Governor’s Son) Responds To John Brown’s Raid
Twelve-year-old John Wise watched history happen. He would later recall “The End of An Era” in a book with the same title, detailing his memories of growing up in Antebellum Virginia, living through the Civil War, and actually embracing many … Continue reading
Book Review: Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth
Kevin Levin, a historian, educator, and blogger based in Boston, has waded into this argument keyboard blazing. The first three chapters discuss in depth the definition of a “camp slave.” When a slave-owning family sent one of their men to … Continue reading
Antietam Eve: September 16, 1862
Each of the approximately 100,000 soldiers bivouacked in the fields and woodlots around Sharpsburg, Maryland and along Antietam Creek knew what the morrow would bring. With the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac having been in … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Campaigns, Civilian, Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War, Primary Sources
Tagged Battle of Antietam, Maryland Campaign
1 Comment
Gen. Jackson and Mr. Hyde: Which Account of Stonewall Jackson at Harpers Ferry is the Correct One?
On the morning of September 15, 1862, Stonewall Jackson had just completed a profound military achievement. Three separate columns all nominally under his command converged on a single point–Harpers Ferry–nearly simultaneously. They ensnared the Federal garrison positioned around the town … Continue reading
The Text Message Correspondent
Last month I compiled a selection of material written during the Gettysburg campaign by members of the 1st Vermont Heavy Artillery. The unit began its service as the 11th Vermont Infantry but spent the first year and a half of … Continue reading
He Wrote What? Health and Weight in Civil War Letters
“You stated that you had been weighed, what is your weight?”[i] asked Private Walter Dunn in a letter to his fiancée. It’s a little shocking to modern readers! There are a few questions that are usually considered taboo to ask … Continue reading
