150 Years Ago, May 1863

by James Durney May 2, 2013

150 Years Ago May 1863 The quick bloodless war that men afraid they would miss is entering its’ third summer.  Both sides are showing signs of strain.  Black wreaths hang on many doors and the streets are full of maimed men.  Some historians think the dead were deliberately undercounted.  Both sides sent badly wounded and [...]

Read the full article →

Did the Moon Do In Stonewall Jackson?

by Fred Ray May 1, 2013

Or is this just another loony theory? Two astronomers from Texas State University think that the angle of the moon had a lot to do with Stonewall’s fatal wounding at Chancellorsville. If Jackson’s reconnaissance party was riding in bright moonlight, then his own men should have recognized them as they returned from the Union’s side, [...]

Read the full article →

Burnside Expedition Part 7

by Dan O'Connell May 1, 2013

South Mills (Camden) – 19 April 1862 While the preparations for the siege of Fort Macon were being made another issue came to the attention of Burnside. It was believed that the Confederates were constructing ironclad ships at Norfolk with the intention of passing them down the Dismal Swamp Canal into Albemarle Sound. In an [...]

Read the full article →

Civil War Book Review: Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign

by Brett Schulte April 29, 2013

Hess, Earl J. Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign. (The University of North Carolina Press, April 22, 2013). 344 pages, 25 illustrations, 21 maps, 1 table, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-1-4696-0211-0 $35.00 (Cloth). Why did William T. Sherman decide to attack one of the most strongly fortified and imposing positions the Confederates held [...]

Read the full article →

Reader Challenge: Prove Rosecrans was Panicked at Chickamauga

by Brett Schulte April 27, 2013

As I slowly work my way to the end of General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War, I continue to find interesting questions raised.  My goal today is to explore one of those questions, with your help. The Question: First, [...]

Read the full article →

Burnside Expedition Part 6

by Dan O'Connell April 24, 2013

Siege and Defeat of Fort Macon The movement of the artillery for the siege of the fort was a masterpiece of ingenuity and hard work. First the weight of the guns required the repair of the railroad bridge at Newport. The 5th RI Bn, under the command of Major John Wright, was detailed to this [...]

Read the full article →

Was Grant A Liar?

by Brett Schulte April 23, 2013

I suppose I could have titled this one “New Book Challenges Honesty of Grant’s Memoirs,” but then some of you might not be here now.  I’ll admit that my first two thoughts when I first heard of Frank P. Varney’s new book General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →