Showing results for "First Manassas"
Have a Voice in Building the Bristoe Battlefield
If the modern preservation movement has taught us anything, it’s that we understand our history less well than we think we do. If we really understood the action at Fredericksburg, for instance, the Slaughter Pen Farm would have been included in the original battlefield park; instead, preservationists had to save it from near destruction more […]
Read more...Black Confederates: Laborers or Soldiers? (part one)
part one of a series When I first arrived at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park in 2005, I was very interested in researching black Confederate soldiers. Over the past 11 years, I have read books on this subject, talked with Civil War historians, participated in symposiums, given Civil War presentations, discussed with living […]
Read more...Mexican-American War 170th: The Battle of Palo Alto
Following Cpt. Seth Thornton’s ambush in late April, both armies along the Rio Grande prepared for the war that, as of yet, still remained undeclared. Events were transpiring too quickly for word to get back to Washington, D.C. or Mexico City, so responsibility for decisions came to rest on the Zachary Taylor and his […]
Read more...A Review of Mercy Street: The Miniseries That Could Have Been Worse
Today we’re pleased to welcome guest author Paige Gibbons Backus, the Historic Site Manager for Ben Lomond Historic Site, a Civil War hospital museum located in Manassas, Virginia. The Civil War is arguably one of the most studied subjects in American history. As a result, when the producers at PBS aired Mercy Street, a Civil War period […]
Read more...Another Mighty Scourge: Weather and the War
It seems there is no end to the snowy weather in the East. Several years ago (2013-14?) it was pretty snowy as well. ECW published the following article then, and it seems appropriate to shovel it out from beneath the drifts and look at it again. Sincerely, Meg Groeling. * * * […]
Read more...Winners and Losers
Cannae. Waterloo. Some battles are so decisive that they define victory or defeat for generations – or millennia – to come. Most battles aren’t like that. Much more often, war is grinding attrition. Especially when the combatants have harnessed their national will and resources to the effort. Technology plays a role, and sometimes skill; but […]
Read more...Two Presidents’ Invitations To Give Thanks
Modern media apprises its viewers of the president’s plans and habits for the Thanksgiving holiday. Some presidents have returned to their private homes, others celebrate at the White House, and one flew to Iraq to be with U.S. troops. During the Civil War, Thanksgiving Day was not an official holiday, but both presidents – Jefferson […]
Read more...State Park Initiative in Culpeper County Virginia
Today, we are pleased to welcome back guest author Mike Block As the Vice-President of the Friends of Cedar Mountain Battlefield, as well as a former member of the Board of Directors of the Brandy Station Foundation, I have spent the last 11 years immersed in Civil War Culpeper. Due to my positions and relationships, […]
Read more...“He fell at his post…” The Death and Remembrance of Cumberland George Orrison
Sometimes working in the history field you come across a story that personalizes your view of the past. One of the moments of childhood I can remember clearly was when I read a roster of the 43rd Virginia Battalion of cavalry (Mosby’s Rangers) and found an “Orrison” listed. Since that time, I have found many other […]
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