For St. Patrick’s Day weekend, there is hardly a better connection to this holiday and the Civil War than the famous Irish Brigade. The story of this brigade has been told countless times and numerous works cover the annals of the brigade’s Civil War service.
A detail from Don Troiani’s “Sons of Erin” painting
As part of our series with Civil War News, ECW is pleased to welcome Gould Hagler.
In the spring and summer of 2016 I contributed two articles to Civil War News. After the second one Jack Melton called to ascertain my interest in contributing monthly. I hesitated. Could I find something of value to write about every month? Jack said he was looking for material on subjects not well-covered elsewhere. That too gave me cause to pause. What aspect of the war is not already explored and re-explored? Continue reading
Paige Gibbons Backus shares about her experiences in the history field.
Growing up visiting museums and traveling to battlefields, I always had an interest in history and knew what I wanted to work with it. Yet I didn’t really know how to go about getting into the field. In the end, you never really know where life is going to take you, and never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to be fortunate enough to turn my interests into a career where I get to do what I love every day, then go home and do it some more!
After ten years of exploring, hard work, and determination I now have the privilege of managing a 19th century courthouse and jail complex as well as a one room schoolhouse in Prince William County, Virginia. Along with my “day job,” I am proud to be a member and contributor of Emerging Civil War.
From all of my years in working in the field, I’ve found one of the most important things a historian can have is passion. Continue reading
Sarah and her Grandma – Fourth of July (many years ago)
Yesterday, I sat in an archive basement, looking through material about women’s efforts to support the Union during the Civil War. Yesterday was also my Grandma Barbara’s birthday. She is no longer with us, so it was a bittersweet moment when I found a war era poem that reminded me of her.
Grandma Barbara was one of the most creative people you’d ever meet. There were very few crafts and sewing projects she didn’t try. She was also a very patriotic lady. Some of my favorite memories with her are from Fourth of July when she’d be wearing red, cheering loudly, and waving a Star-Spangled Banner. If she had lived during the Civil War era, I have no doubt she would have been knitting or quilting up a storm to support the Union…and she probably would have got her entire circle of friends motivated to the cause also. Continue reading
Welcome back to another installment in our continuing Symposium Spotlight series. Over the last several weeks we have been giving you a sneak peak look at the presentations our presenters will deliver in August. Continue to follow the series and discover some of the research our presenters have uncovered, themes that they will be exploring at the symposium, and insight into these “Forgotten Battles of the American Civil War.” This week Steve Phan looks at Fort Stevens.
When was the last time you visited eastern Tennessee? Well, we may have a reason for you to visit again very soon.
Greeneville, is nestled in to the hills of East Tennessee, just a few miles from the mountainous North Carolina border. Let us tell you, Greeneville is a history lovers treasure trove. The historic downtown is rich with sights and structures whose significance cover numerous time periods. Continue reading
Last week’s podcast episode brought you a conversation with Sarah Kay Bierle, Chris Mackowski, and Dan Welch about women during the Civil War and some of the best primary sources written by the ladies. We’ve collected details about the mentioned books and a few other articles from the ECW archives.
And if you haven’t heard the podcast yet, it’s available by subscription at Patreon. Continue reading
River Defense Fleet Ship “Stonewall Jackson” and Louisiana gunboat “Governor Moore” engage the “USS Varuna” during the Battle of Forts Jackson and Saint Philip, April 24, 1862.
US Naval History and Heritage Command, Photo NH 59077
ECW welcomes back guest author Neil P. Chatelain.
The ECW post on September 27, 2018 titled “Order of Battle – Why Those Lists Matter” reminded me of my own research, and I began doing what historians do: using thoughts and research of others to augment my own. The result was a reemergence in my own mind of just how the order of battle can reflect and impact political and military issues. Where this stood out was in representing Confederate naval forces at New Orleans, where a more in-depth examination of the Southern order of battle highlights tensions faced there during the first year of the US Civil War. Continue reading
The Battles of Kernstown, McDowell, Front Royal, Winchester, Cross Keys, Port Republic were fought during the 1862 Shenandoah Valley Campaign.
In your opinion, which was most significant to the campaign and why?
March is really here, and this week you’ll find several posts for Women’s History Month – thoughts from ECW’s ladies and a couple historic articles. And, of course, there’s military history with Eric Wittenberg, a weekender with Dwight Hughes, and “extra, extra” with Civil War News.
Enjoy the week in the review and have a relaxing day…
Sunday, March 3:
In the evening, we shared the upcoming presentations on ECW members’ schedules! Will we see you soon? Continue reading
