Showing results for "North Anna"
North Anna Graffiti
I ran across some interesting graffiti while I was talking along the hiking trail at North Anna Battlefield Park the other day….
Read more...Lee’s Curious Order at North Anna
Reading primary sources is an especially fun part of researching a book. Not only is it interesting to read other people’s mail, as a once-upon-a-time radio newscaster, I’m always on the lookout for great “soundbites”—those great lines or pieces of descriptions that really jump out as colorful or insightful or unique. Another cool part of […]
Read more...Saving Jericho Mills at the North Anna River
Some great news from our friends at the Civil War Trust: They announced this week a major initiative to preserve more than 600 acres of the North Anna battlefield. “This is one of the largest parcels of historic battlefield land we have ever attempted to secure at one time” CWT President Jim Lighthizer told ECW. “In fact, […]
Read more...Gordon Rhea’s “To the North Anna River”—History Writing at Its Best
I can’t let the sesquicentennial anniversary of North Anna slip away without tossing in a plug for Gordon Rhea’s book To the North Anna River. Rhea’s monumental four-volume study makes him the unquestionable master of Overland Campaign studies, but his third book in the series really stands out for me as the best of the […]
Read more...“We Must Strike Them a Blow!”—Robert E. Lee at North Anna (part three)
part three of three That night, as time slipped by for the Army of Northern Virginia to attack Hancock’s portion of the Army of the Potomac, Lee’s demeanor worsened. Because of his dysentery, his immobility, his lack of sleep, his frustration with his commanders, and now the missed opportunity, he began to take his situation […]
Read more...“We Must Strike Them a Blow!”—Robert E. Lee at North Anna (part two)
part two of three The Confederate line along the North Anna was one of the strongest the Army of Northern Virginia held during the war. Laid out by engineers, the line was an inverted “V” positioned along the heights of the river. The line was designed to encourage Grant to cross his various wings across […]
Read more...“We Must Strike Them a Blow!”—Robert E. Lee at North Anna (part one)
Part one of three Much is written on Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s health throughout the Civil War. Possible heart attacks, strokes and fatigue began to take a toll on Lee’s health during the war. Most physicians agree today that Lee suffered a heart attack spring/summer of 1863 and that his death in 1870 was […]
Read more...A Run Along North Anna
I tighten the laces of my sneakers, stretch my calf muscles, and head down the path toward the battlefield at a brisk walk. After a hundred yards or so, the path takes a steep tumble over some landscaping timbers set into the hillside as a stairway, and at the bottom, I begin my jog—although to call […]
Read more...The Race to North Anna, 150 years ago
Hancock’s departure on the night of May 20 got underway ahead of schedule under the cloak of darkness. Confederates found out about it quickly, though, and Lee, anticipating another of Grant’s flanking maneuvers, had prepared for such an eventuality. On May 11, Lee had entertained similar suspicions and mobilized part of his army to counter, […]
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