Category Archives: Trans-Mississippi

Surviving Quantrill’s Raid on Lawrence

Posted on August 31, 2019 by Kristen Pawlak

August 21 marked the 156th anniversary of Missouri guerrilla chieftain William C. Quantrill’s infamous Raid on Lawrence, Kansas – one of the bloodiest and most significant irregular attacks against civilians during the American Civil War. A center of abolition and … Continue reading →

Posted in Civilian, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Trust’s 2019 Teacher Institute: East vs. West

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Chris Mackowski

During his session yesterday discussing the eastern theater versus the western theater, Kris White took a few minutes to define the theaters of war. The eastern theater included Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. “It was essentially concentrated in a 200-mile corridor … Continue reading →

Posted in Trans-Mississippi, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Colonel Albert Brackett’s Body Armor

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Edward S. Alexander

The notion of a bullet proof vests during the Civil War is almost universally mocked. In my experience giving battlefield tours, I’ve found that kids are the only ones to ask, “did they use body armor” or “why didn’t they … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Cavalry, Trans-Mississippi, Weapons | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Giving No Quarter – How the 39th Missouri Lost the Highest Percentage of Men Killed in a Single Engagement of the Civil War

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Kristen Pawlak

Ever since the guns went silent in 1865, there has always been a debate about casualty rates for Civil War units and battles among historians and enthusiasts alike. The regiments who sustained these enormous casualty rates have been immortalized in … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Emerging Civil War, Memory, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , , | 14 Comments

Civil War Echoes: The Battle of Okinawa

Posted on April 1, 2019 by Chris Kolakowski

Today 74 years ago Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa, got underway as the first of 183,000 soldiers and Marines of U.S. Tenth Army swarmed ashore at Hagushi on the island’s west coast. It was the largest amphibious operation of … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battles, Ties to the War, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Question of the Week: 2/25-3/3/19

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Emerging Civil War

The Trans-Mississippi theater of the war encompasses the region and military actions west of the Mississippi River. Who is your favorite commander in that area? Why? And if you need a reminder for some of the major campaigns and actions, … Continue reading →

Posted in Question of the Week, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Remember Poison Spring!

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Kristen Pawlak

If you have seen the 2012 film Lincoln, you may remember the first two scenes: a gruesome hand-to-hand fight between white Confederate troops and African-American Federal soldiers, and two USCTs speaking with their commander-in-chief. Besides the overarching themes of race, … Continue reading →

Posted in Trans-Mississippi, USCT | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Primary Sources: Thoughts and Favorites

Posted on January 13, 2019 by Chris Kolakowski

A primary source is defined as one produced by an eyewitness to an event offering their recollections. Some primary sources provide just basic facts with limited additional details. Other sources, like battle reports, provide more details but often offer little … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Primary Sources, Trans-Mississippi, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

“Good Cheer Prevailed” – Celebration and Reflection for a Confederate Surgeon in 1863 Arkansas

Posted on December 25, 2018 by Kristen Pawlak

Christmas of 1863 was one of relief for the five-thousand men of the Confederate District of Arkansas. They had been settled in their winter encampment just west of Camden, Arkansas after months of battlefield defeats at Prairie Grove, Helena, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Medical, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Grinch of St. Joseph, Missouri

Posted on December 19, 2018 by Kristen Pawlak

Nearly 100 years before the 1957 classic Dr. Seuss book appeared on the shelves, there was another Grinch who lived in the frontier town of St. Joseph, Missouri during the Civil War. Typically, we think of Christmas during the Civil … Continue reading →

Posted in Holidays, Newspapers, Trans-Mississippi | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment