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Tag Archives: Rappahannock River
Under Fire: The 17th Maine in “the immediate presence of death”
On the evening of December 12, 1862, Pvt. John Haley of the 17th Maine huddled around “the very smallest” of fires and tried to keep quiet. The regiment had moved into a reserve position along the Rappahannock River near the … Continue reading
Edwin V. Sumner, Fredericksburg, and Lessons Learned Along the Chickahominy
Ambrose Burnside’s campaign in the winter of 1862 went belly-up because of his inability to get across the Rappahannock River. Standing on the far bank of the river, swollen because of winter rain and snow, Burnside could do nothing but … Continue reading
ECW Weekender: Belle Isle State Park (on the Rappahannock)
Mention Belle Isle to a Civil War buff and images of the prison camp on the island near Richmond will probably come to mind. But…over Labor Day weekend I took a drive along the Rappahannock River to find a different … Continue reading
Posted in ECW Weekender
Tagged Belle Isle State Park, ECW Weekender, Lancaster County, plantations, Rappahannock River, Weekender
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The Bizarre Life of States Barton Flandreau
Few Civil War soldiers have a story quite like States B. Flandreau. The New York native first fought in a Confederate regiment, switched teams across the Rappahannock, and was separately wounded and captured while serving in both armies. Throughout his … Continue reading
The Battle of Bank’s Ford and a Preview of Gettysburg
May 4, 1863, might have been one of the most frustrating days of the war for Robert E. Lee—no small bar considering some of his other frustrating days. But with the Federal Sixth Corps pinned against the Rappahannock River after … Continue reading
Modern Development at Rappahannock Station
Earlier this week, Chris Mackowski highlighted the new housing development on the November 7, 1863 Rappahannock Station battlefield. Preservationists over the last decade attempted to draw attention to this possibility but could not rally enough cooperation and interest. I overlaid … Continue reading
The Lost Line at Rappahannock Station
I had the chance yesterday to explore the former Rappahannock Station battlefield, courtesy of my ECW colleague Rob Orrison. I drive through the battlefield all the time, but believe it or not, I’ve never even realized it. Rob generously took … Continue reading
Pontoon Bridges: Hellespont & Rappahannock
Pontoon Bridges: an engineering construction used throughout history to get armies across rivers. Prior to the First Battle of Fredericksburg, Union General Burnside delayed his forward advance toward Richmond at the banks of the Rappahannock River. The pontoon bridges he … Continue reading
Posted in Ties to the War
Tagged General Burnside, greeks, hellespont, persians, Pontoon Bridges, Rappahannock River, Xerxes I
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Christmas on the Rappahannock
About twenty years ago my parents bought me a Civil War painting by Ray W. Forquer. The painting, “Christmas on the Rappahannock,” has always been one of my favorites. It’s not the artistry that I love so much, but the … Continue reading
Posted in Armies, Common Soldier, Holidays
Tagged 140th Pennsylvania, 140th Pennsylvania Infantry, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Gettysburg, Battle of Spotsylvania Court House, Christmas, Christmas in the Civil War, Dr. Jonathan Letterman, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Henry Bingham, John Fraser, John Paxton, Mule Shoe, Po River, Rappahannock River, Spotsylvania, Stony Hill, The Wheatfield, Thomas Paxton, Vincennes Rifles, Wilson Paxton
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