Month: August 2013
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A Couple of Civil War Guns
American Rifleman takes a look at two Civil War cavalry long guns. The Model 1847 Cavalry Musketoon: Adopted in 1847, the percussion Cavalry Musketoon was actually an attenuated version of the excellent U.S. Model 1842 Musket. Manufactured at Springfield Armory, the 1847 was handsome and made to high manufacturing standards. All steel parts were polished […]
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What went wrong at the battle of Mansfield?
As described previously, even though overall the US had more men in the campaign, Taylor enjoyed a numerical advantage at the moment he attacked at Mansfield. As a result Taylor was able to overwhelm the US front line, turning it in on itself and driving it back. So for Taylor, not much went wrong that […]
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The First Battle of Deep Bottom
Introduction By the third week of June 1864 Union forces were stalemated in front of Petersburg. The promise of an early victory there wasted by the timidity of the commanders and poorly coordinated assaults. Grant, in an effort to disperse the Confederate defenders ordered Butler to seize and hold a bridgehead on the north shore […]
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From the Engineer Depot – A Civil War Mulberry
With McClellan’s grand campaign design complete it was time to move up the Virginia peninsula from Fort Monroe towards the Confederate capital of Richmond. After a climactic battle there the rebellion would be crushed. The introduction of a large Army and the logistical means required to support it from the water required careful planning. The […]
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Arkansas Post – Conclusion
Conclusion and Assessment The reduction of Arkansas Post was at best a sidelight to the greater operations around Vicksburg. Its success was reasonably assured from the outset given the disparity in the number of forces available to the respective commanders. The Confederates, despite an impressive early showing , had little hope of successfully defending the […]
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Review: The Day Lincoln Was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story by B.F. Cooling
The Day Lincoln Was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III The Scarecrow Press $45.00 May 2013 ISBN: 978-0-8108-8622-3 Most people would put the high water mark of the Confederacy at a copse of trees near the crest of Cemetery Hill just outside of Gettysburg, PA, on the […]