Showing results for "Mexican American War"

Artillery: General Davis Tillson

Six men who suffered the loss of a limb before the American Civil War—Joseph A. Haskin (U), Philip Kearny (U), William W. Loring (C), James G. Martin (C), Thomas W. Sweeny (U), and Davis Tillson (U)—overcame their handicaps and rose to the rank of brigadier general or major general during the war. Of these six […]

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Artillery: Alfred Mordecai, the Napoleon, and Changing Artillery

Many know Arthur Fremantle, the famed British observer sent to the United States to observe the respective armies in the Civil War. Fremantle was just one of many observers from Great Britain, Prussia, France, and even Hungary sent by their governments to detail how Federal and Confederate soldiers killed each other. But what is perhaps […]

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The Other Beauregard Monument

Welcome back, guest author Sean Michael Chick For Civil War historians living outside of Louisiana, Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard is a colorful figure. For many, he is an underrated commander. For others, a figure who is exotic and comical, particularly given his overly dramatic statements and pronouncements. In Louisiana though he is something more, one […]

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“Grant” by Ron Chernow – A Review

Emerging Civil War welcomes guest author James F. Epperson Many compelling tales come out of the history of the American Civil War. One of the most interesting is the story of the slouchy Ohio-born tanner’s son who progressed from leather-goods store clerk to Lieutenant General and commander of the Union armies and who began the war […]

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Harry Heth Meets Richard Francis Burton

When I think of Confederate General Henry Heth, I can’t help but imagine actor Warren Burton’s portrayal of him in the 1993 film Gettysburg. I can just picture Heth now trying to explain to General Robert E. Lee (Martin Sheen) why he brought on an engagement at Gettysburg. I can clearly see the dissatisfaction on […]

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ECW Weekender: Battles of Mesilla

Sometimes juxtapositions grab our attention and draw us to see connections. On a recent trip to New Mexico to visit family, my thoughts turned to the Confederate invasion of what was then the Arizona Territory. Living close to the Confederate White House and Virginia State Capitol, it occurred to me how the decisions, plans, and […]

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“We Come to Hail This Hero”: Dedicating the Admiral Farragut Statue

On the evening of April 25, 1881, President James A. Garfield sat down to write in his diary as he did most nights.  Garfield had only been president for about seven weeks, and much of his time had thus far been dedicated to obligatory meetings with thousands of office-seekers—and many of his diary entries reflected […]

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From the ECW Archives: Creating the Medal of Honor

March 25 is Medal of Honor Day. When the Civil War began, the U.S. military had few medals or awards to recognize bravery or exemplary conduct.  General George Washington created the Purple Heart in 1782 to recognize “singularly meritorious action;” a Certificate of Merit recognized bravery under fire during the Mexican-American War, but it did […]

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Cathay Williams / William Cathey: Buffalo Soldier

My father was a freeman, but my mother was a slave, belonging to William Johnson, a wealthy farmer who lived at the time I was born near Independence, Jackson County, Missouri.[1] So begins the story of Ms. Cathay Williams, the first documented woman to enlist in the U. S. Army. Although her military service did […]

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