Showing results for "George B. McClellan"
Civil War Road Trip
A couple of times a year, I get to indulge my Civil War obsession with a road trip. The first week in August was my most recent example of the genre. This time I headed east, intent on libraries and battlefields. My research focus is now on materials related to the Atlanta Campaign.
Read more...An Early Proposal for Chemical Warfare
In the autumn of 1861 Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan received an unsolicited letter from a naval engineer who recommended the use of poisonous vapors inside artillery shells. Though he declined to provide any detailed schematics of the means with which the shells could carry the poison, First Assistant Engineer Henry Clay Victor, fully believed […]
Read more...“The nearest run thing you ever saw in your life”: The 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo
Though our main focus here at ECW is the American Civil War, we would be remiss to fail noting the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. Following Napoleon’s abdication in 1814, the rest of Europe thought that the nightmarish wars were finally over, having killed millions and leaving even more destitute. That relief was […]
Read more...No Bluffing the King of Spades: Digging in along Hatcher’s Run
The Army of Northern Virginia had a thirty-seven mile front to defend during the early months of 1865. Its commander wanted to guarantee the earthworks protecting Richmond and Petersburg were up to his standards. “Opinions seem to differ as to Gen. Lee as a tactician or an invader,” commented a Union counterpart, “but all agree […]
Read more...Question of the Week: January 26, 2015
I’m sure I’m not the only person who got the Civil War Sesquicentennial tumbler set for Christmas. The set contains glasses with four Confederates (Davis, Lee, Jackson, and Stuart) and four Federals (Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, and McClellan).
Read more...James Wilson and the Battle of Nashville, Part I
The weather was gradually changing, perhaps for the better. For several days, the Union troopers had been pelted with snow and sleet. It had been so harsh that only the woodcutters had been out in the precipitation. With a thaw setting in, the time came to finally move. On December 15, 1864, those troopers who […]
Read more...The Evolution of Cavalry Tactics: How Technology Drove Change (Part Three)
(part three in a series) In the Napoleonic system, the army’s mounted arm took multiple forms. There were: carabiniers, cuirassiers, dragoons, hussars, chasseurs, and lancers. Each had its own specific mission. Carabiniers were armed with dragoon carbines and sabers, and largely acted as dragoons. Cuirassiers were the elite troops of Napoleon’s army. They were large, […]
Read more...“The World Will Little Note, Nor Long Remember”: The Battle of Shepherdstown and the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation—Part 1
Today we welcome guest author Kevin Pawlak. Kevin is a recent graduate of Shepherd University with a degree in history and works as a Park Ranger at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. He is also a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield. **************** There is no smaller battle that had such a large impact […]
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