Showing results for "First Manassas"
“A Mosquito Fighting an Elephant”: A Carolinian’s Recollection of the Breakthrough
I found it challenging while writing Dawn of Victory to not slant my narrative too largely toward the Federals. This was largely the result of a paucity in material from the southern perspective. Many Confederate officers did not see the purpose in writing a report for the final days of the Petersburg campaign. No correspondence from those […]
Read more...“Little Billy’s” Big Mausoleum
Another installment in the “Tales From the Tombstone” series. Although never a physically imposing man, William Mahone, left a lasting impact on 19th century Virginia, as a civilian, military officer, and politician. In one way or another, all these pursuits had a connection to the transportation sector. Not surprising, Mahone born on the first day […]
Read more...A Civil War Witch Hunt: George Gordon Meade, The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War
Part one in a series My two most recent posts dealt with the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War’s attempt to crucify George Gordon Meade for allegedly deciding to retreat from the battlefield at Gettysburg. Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles made those allegations in an attempt to deflect criticism from his disobedience to […]
Read more...An Elusive Doctor at Gettysburg
Today, we are pleased to welcome back guest author Sarah Kay Bierle. Generals oversee battles. Soldiers fight. Civilians hide. Surgeons amputate. What does a medical director do during a battle? More specifically: what did Dr. Hunter McGuire do at Gettysburg? The medical director of the Second Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia is elusive […]
Read more...The Curmudgeon, The Eccentric, and the “Norse God”: How Three Men Impacted the Battle of Gettysburg: Part Nine
Part nine in a series. “…a timely diversion…” Everything was seemingly going well for the Confederates on July 1st. Although the Army of Northern Virginia had blundered into the enemy, they had engaged two Federal corps and driven them from the field. All that remained was to land the killing blow, a feat that eluded […]
Read more...What ESPN Classic Teaches Us About Civil War History
Hindsight is always 20/20. We look back at historic events possessing information not available to the participants. In hindsight, things that were important at the time have faded while others assume a larger importance. I suggest we need to try and read history forward – focus on what people knew at the time and not […]
Read more...The Curmudgeon, The Eccentric, and the “Norse God”: How Three Men Impacted the Battle of Gettysburg: Part Seven
Part Seven in a Series Lee’s Bad Old Man Takes the Field: At the outset of the Chancellorsville Campaign, Major General Jubal A. Early was the junior ranking division commander in Lee’s army. By the time he arrived at Gettysburg on July 1st he was the senior division commander in Ewell’s Second Corps. Born in […]
Read more...From the ECW Archives—A Grand Charge: Emory Upton’s Assault on the Mule Shoe Salient, Conclusion
Click here to read the first part of the series. The men from New York, Pennsylvania, Maine, Wisconsin and Vermont milled about the clearing in the middle of the afternoon. A cool spring breeze rustled the leaves on the trees around them. Some talked, while others smoked, chewed on hardtack or quietly read. While they passed the time in […]
Read more...The Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg: Part Two
The Conclusion of a Series The Army of the Potomac benefited greatly early on July 1st due to the fact that no high ranking Confederate officer seemed to want to take control of the fight. Division commander Henry Heth has started the battle of Gettysburg, which was growing from a minor skirmisher to a pitched […]
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