Showing results for "Atlanta Campaign"
Loyal Union Citizens and the Summer of 1864
ECW welcomes guest author M. Keith Harris The funny thing about turning points in the popular memory of the Civil War is that folks tend to think of them in relation to certain Union victory. I suppose that makes some sense on the surface. We all know how things turned out, and so we look […]
Read more...Repurposing Captured Enemy Vessels Part 1: Confederate Ironclads Flying the US Flag
Ever wonder why there was a US Navy warship during the Civil War named after Confederate General Braxton Bragg? Or why there is a Confederate warship named after US President James Buchannan’s niece and de facto first lady? These confusing ship names have a simple explanation that adds to the complexities of naval warfare. Simply […]
Read more...John Wesley Powell and the Wounds of War
In the hundreds of pages Major John Wesley Powell wrote about his postbellum career as an explorer of the American West, he seldom mentioned the injury he sustained at the battle of Shiloh. During the fighting at Pittsburgh Landing in April 1862, Powell was hit by a bullet in his right forearm. The wound required […]
Read more...“Give it to ‘em:” Cleburne at Ringgold Gap
ECW welcomes back guest author Ed Lowe “No satisfactory excuse can possibly be given for the shameful conduct of our troops on the left in allowing their line to be penetrated,” lamented Confederate Army of Tennessee commander General Braxton Bragg after the Union breakthrough at Chattanooga’s Missionary Ridge on November 25, 1863. Panic ensued with […]
Read more...The fall of Vicksburg: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion
On July 4, 1863, Major General U.S. Grant’s army captured Vicksburg, Mississippi. This campaign often gets hastily passed over in history conversations. Gettysburg and Fourth festivities take precedent. I’m at fault for neglecting this event as well. Still, the fall of this small, quiet town played a pivotal role in the destruction of the Confederacy […]
Read more...Southerners Have Fun with McClellan’s “Change of Base”
At the end of the day, June 27, 1862, George McClellan knew he had been whipped. Fitz John Porter’s V Corps had been fiercely attacked. Its center had broken and Porter’s troops retreated, leaving behind twenty-two guns.1 Porter was north of the Chickahominy; the rest of the army lay encamped to its south.2 Mac, in […]
Read more...Week In Review: June 6-13, 2022
More historic anniversaries highlighted this week, some primary sources, photography, a new podcast episode, and more! If you missed posts or want to re-read, here’s the Week in Review list: Monday, June 6: Question of the Week dived into the Gettysburg Campaign. Kristen Trout added Part 2 of the battle of Athens in Missouri.
Read more...Week In Review: May 16-22, 2022
It’s a nice balance of east and west Civil War feature articles this week, along with some international flair, too… Monday, May 16: Question of the Week highlighted the history of the Gulf States. Edward Alexander wrote about a Pennsylvania family on Petersburg’s front lines.
Read more...“Battlefield Season”
“Battlefield season,” as I refer to early May, is always an especially busy time of year for me. Of the five battlefields I live among, the battles of Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania all took place in early and mid-May, with North Anna (another of my favorites, and nearby) taking place immediately thereafter.[1] In the midst […]
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