Tag Archives: Army of the Potomac

“I Intend to the Make the Yankees Pay”: J.E.B. Stuart’s Operations in August 1862

Posted on August 16, 2017 by

Part one in a series James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart was one of the Confederacy’s emerging stars in the summer of 1862. A Major General at 29, Stuart headed the cavalry division in Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Campaigns, Cavalry, Leadership--Confederate | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

In the Wake of Vicksburg, U. S. Grant as Commander of the Army of the Potomac?

Posted on August 15, 2017 by

By early August, 1863, Ulysses S. Grant had settled into administrative routine following the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi—but Grant wasn’t one to sit idle long. He had set his eye on Mobile, Alabama, which he was “very anxious to take” … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Leadership--Federal, Lincoln, Western Theater | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

New Research on Lincoln, Elmer Ellsworth, and the First Federal Militias

Posted on July 27, 2017 by

Within a week of taking the presidential oath, Mr. Lincoln wrote Secretary of War Simon Cameron regarding his young friend, Elmer Ellsworth:  You will favor me by issuing an order detailing Lieut. Ephraim E Ellsworth, of the First Dragoons, for … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Books & Authors, Emerging Civil War, Leadership--Federal, Lincoln, Memory, Mexican War, Personalities, Politics, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Lost Opportunities in the Army of the Potomac—A Pair of Examples

Posted on July 12, 2017 by

Army management is a complicated skill in which the personality and temperament of commanders influence the inner workings and culture of the organization. The Union had no army which was as political, and influenced by outside politics, as its primary … Continue reading →

Posted in Emerging Civil War | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Book Review: “Confederate Waterloo: The Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865 and the Controversy that Brought Down a General”

Posted on June 30, 2017 by

It is difficult to choose a dissertation topic in military history, especially about the American Civil War. No matter how good an idea seems at first, a little digging around and one finds that others have also been intrigued by … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Book Review, Books & Authors, Campaigns, Cavalry, Leadership--Federal, Memory, Personalities, Politics, Primary Sources | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

My Favorite Historical Person: General Philip Kearny

Posted on June 16, 2017 by

Emerging Civil War welcomes back guest author Frank Jastrzembski My first knowledge of General Kearny came about ten years ago, around the age of nineteen. My grandmother purchased for me a reissued copy of Ezra J. Warner’s excellent Generals in … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership--Federal, Mexican War, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

ECW Digital Shorts: The Long Encampment at Seven Pines by Robert Dunkerly

Posted on June 6, 2017 by

The latest Emerging Civil War Digital Short is now available in the wake of the anniversary of the Battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines. The Long Encampment at Seven Pines, June 2-28, 1862 by Robert M. Dunkerly tells the story of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Common Soldier, Emerging Civil War Digital Shorts | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

We Happy Few…

Posted on May 24, 2017 by

Here’s a little curtain-raiser for Battle Above the Clouds. In September 1863, United States Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton initiated one of the more remarkable troop movements of the American Civil War. Stanton, alarmed by the recent Union defeat at … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Emerging Civil War, Leadership--Federal, Personalities, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Civil War, Chemistry, and Football?

Posted on April 3, 2017 by

Civil War battles are complex things.  When leading folks around a battlefield, I (as I’m sure all of you do) try to make complicated movements of thousands of men simple, and draw ideas from these places that they can relate … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battles, Leadership--Federal | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Pontoon Bridges: The Great Crossings

Posted on March 28, 2017 by

Yesterday Sarah Kay Bierle looked at the ancient uses of pontoon bridges and its perspectives on the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg. While she addressed the difficulties of bridging rivers, I would like to look at the other side of the coin: … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Arms & Armaments, Campaigns, Ties to the War, Weapons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments