Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT: Cemetery Employees Additional Photos Andrew Birdsall (shown here later in life) and his family (bottom) lived in the cemetery from 1883 to 1892. Birdsall and his wife, Julia (middle), are buried there. *     *     * One of the Birdsall girls *     *     * Andrew Birdsall’s calling card while he was […]

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Chapter Eight

CHAPTER EIGHT: “Far Better in the Present Emergency”: John Bell Hood Replaces Joseph E. Johnston” by Stephen Davis Commentary  ·  Images  ·  Additional Resources  ·  Suggested Reading  ·  About the Author Commentary In 2014, in conjunction with the Sesquicentennial anniversary of the Franklin-Nashville Campaign, ECW ran a nine-part series titled “Hood Remembered.” *     *  […]

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The Lead Mine Men

Coming Soon: The Lead Mine Men: The Enduring 45th Illinois Volunteer InfantryThomas Mack “Engaging the Civil War” SeriesSouthern Illinois University Press, 2022 Publications in this Series

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Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE: Interments Additional Photos Examples of some Fredericksburg’s corrected headstones: *     *     * Admol L. Jett and his son, Admol G. Jett, share the a common grave. This image shows Admol G. Jett’s headstone inscription. His father’s inscription appears on the other side of the stone. *     *     * In a […]

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Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE: “The Point of No Return: Turning Points within the 1864 Presidential Election and the Doom of the Confederacy” by Rea Andrew Redd Commentary  ·  Images  ·  Additional Resources  ·  Suggested Reading  ·  About the Author Commentary By Brian Matthew Jordan, co-editor, “Engaging the Civil War” Series In November of 1864, Abraham Lincoln posted […]

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Without Concealment, Without Compromise

Without Concealment, Without Compromise: The Courageous Lives of Black Civil War Surgeons by Jill L. NewmarkSouthern Illinois University Press, 2023 (click here for ordering information) Of some twelve thousand Union Civil War surgeons, only fourteen were Black men. This book is the first-ever comprehensive exploration of their lives and service. Jill L. Newmark’s outstanding research […]

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Chapter Ten

CHAPTER TEN: Special Populations Additional Photos   James Crowther is one of just two colonels known to be buried at Fredericksburg. His headstone looks like any other. *     *     * Moses Humphrey is one of five black Civil War soldiers known to be buried at Fredericksburg National Cemetery. Early records indicate that two unidentified […]

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Conclusion

CONCLUSION by Chris Mackowski Commentary  ·  Images  ·  Additional Resources  ·  About the Author Commentary The conclusion to Turning Points of the American Civil War suggests a variety of other possible turning points beyond those explored in the book’s essays. To spark additional conversation, ECW writers have written about a number of other possible turning […]

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Chapter Eleven

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Stories Additional Photos   Corporal John Warner of the Twelfth New York received a mortal wound at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Friends buried him at the Carpenter farm in Stafford County. One of them later sketched his grave. *     *     * Second Lieutenant Peter Froeligh had the distinction of serving in two […]

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