Showing results for "Chancellorsville"

Words “in Praise of General Berry”: Hiram Berry Memorial Poems

“Not a word in praise of General Berry’s services, but half a column laudatory of Stonewall Jackson can be found in the Bath Courier,” a newspaper reader complained on May 23, 1863, in a letter to the Bangor, Maine, Whig & Courier. He was referring to Maj. Gen. Hiram Berry, commanding a division of the […]

Read more...

Question of the Week: 5/2-5/8/22

What is your favorite “What If” related to the Battle of Chancellorsville?

Read more...

The “Fighting Naturalist” of the 19th Massachusetts

It was hot and muggy most of the time. It rained frequently and the men made acquaintance of the “wood tick,” and enumerable bugs and specimens of insect life hitherto unknown to them. The very earth moved with “new life.” Sticks and twigs were endowed with motion. The men would watch a black twig two […]

Read more...

Occupied Cities of the South: Alexandria, Virginia

Part of a Series Ripples of fear and uncertainty spread throughout the United States when war broke out between the North and the South in 1861. In every state, citizens worried that war could arrive at their front door at any moment. Nowhere was this fear more intense than in Alexandria, Virginia.  Alexandria was a […]

Read more...

Sunrise at Salem Church

Historic Salem Church looked exceptionally pretty in the morning light earlier today. This sanctuary was fought over during the Chancellorsville Campaign in May 1863 as Union General John Sedgwick tried to advance west and Confederates hurried to block his route.

Read more...

ECW Weekender: Hiking at Bentonville Battlefield

In mid-February some work travels took me to the Carolinas, and I decided to take a stretch break at Bentonville Battlefield in North Carolina. After exploring the welcoming visitor center and getting a map, I headed out on the trails. Come take a hike through some of the photos! The battle of Bentonville occurred on […]

Read more...

Book Review: The Howling Storm

The Howling Storm: Weather, Climate, and the American Civil War By Kenneth W. Noe Louisiana State University Press, 2020, $59.95 hardcover Reviewed by Meg Groeling I rarely make statements like this, but Kenneth W. Noe’s book The Howling Storm is an exception: If you write about the military side of the American Civil War, you must own […]

Read more...

The Myth of Mrs. Bixby’s Letter

One of my favorite movie scenes of all time comes from Saving Private Ryan when Gen. George Marshall, informed about the deaths of three brothers, tells his staff that they’re going to send a special mission to retrieve a fourth, surviving brother. The staff protests, but Marshall will have none of it. Director Steven Spielberg […]

Read more...

Book Review: Voices of the Army of the Potomac

Voices of the Army of the Potomac: Personal Reminiscences of Union Veterans By Vincent L. Burns Casemate Publishers, 2021 $37.95 hardcover Reviewed by Doug Crenshaw “Here is recorded the small talk of camp, and many incidents that are too trivial for big histories… And one can get a very fair idea of the manner of […]

Read more...