Tag Archives: NPS

After It Is Saved, Then What?

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Emerging Civil War

A fascinating article in the Spring 2018 issue of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust newsletter On The Skirmish Line. If you have not checked out their website, or thought about joining their effort, considering heading on over after reading about their work … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Campaigns, Common Soldier, Memory, Monuments, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Another Mighty Scourge: Weather and the War

Posted on January 25, 2016 by Meg Groeling

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 … Continue reading →

Posted in Armies, Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Civil War Events, Common Soldier, Memory | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Thoughts on Appomattox (part four)

Posted on April 10, 2015 by Chris Mackowski

The doors of Wilmer McLean’s house stand wide open–front and back–and a bevy of Parks Service volunteers stand ready to funnel the throng through. A Park Service ranger stands in the hallway to ensure no one enacts any mischief in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory, National Park Service, Sesquicentennial | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

On the First Day of Christmas . . . The Gift of War Part III

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Meg Groeling

Nothing says Holiday Cheer like an indoor fir tree filled with armaments of war. Or commanded by war leaders. Or bedecked in battle flags. Nothing, I tell you. And it can all be yours with some carefree shopping on your … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Common Soldier, Leadership--Confederate, Leadership--Federal, Memory, Personalities | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shaping Chancellorsville: Cementing the Story

Posted on August 5, 2014 by Chris Mackowski

Part eight of a series The area on the Chancellorsville battlefield known as Fairview was a central point of action during the fighting on May 3. Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park (FSNMP) already owned much of the land there … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Civilian, Memory, National Park Service, Preservation, Slavery | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Shaping Chancellorsville: The New “Heart of the Battlefield”

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Chris Mackowski

Part seven of a series Throughout the seventies, Fredericksburg and Spostylvania National Military Park (FSNMP) continued to fill interior gaps in its land holdings. A pair of major acquisitions came in 1973 and 1975 that opened new ground and, ironically, … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

No NPS? No Problem!—Other Places You Can Go to Get Your Civil War Battlefield Fix

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Chris Mackowski

Prelude to a series My high school history teacher was notoriously passionate about the Civil War. He’d stand at the front of the room amidst a cloud of chalk dust, the blackboard behind him covered with names like “McClellan” and … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, National Park Service | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

My Life as a Black Civil War Living Historian—part two

Posted on May 30, 2013 by stewardthenderson

Part two in a series As a Park Service historian, I give tours on all four of the Park’s battlefields: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House. I loved talking about the military history but never said much about the … Continue reading →

Posted in Civil War Events, National Park Service, Slavery, USCT | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

A Day on the Day One Battlefield at Chancellorsville

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Chris Mackowski

Spring 2006 My daughter and and I arrive at the Day One battlefield—called the “Lick Run Battlefield”—at 8:45 a.m. Several other volunteers have arrived before us. They stand in front of a small building that had once been a farmer’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Civil War Events, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Shaping Chancellorsville: CVC

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Chris Mackowski

part six in a series In 1957, the FSNMP master plan called for the addition of a visitor center at Chancellorsville to replace the contact station built by the CCC.[1] Original plans called for placing the building on the south side … Continue reading →

Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Battles, Memory, Monuments, National Park Service, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment