TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Air Date: 042806 Subject: Patrick Brennan: The Battle of Secessionville Book:Secessionville: Assault on Charleston Guest: Patrick Brennan Summary: If Isaac Stevens hadn’t been killed at Chantilly, he might have commanded the Army of the Potomac at Antietam. Find out more about Stevens and the other remarkable characters behind the Port Royal expedition of 1862 with […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan I finished reading this one on Thursday night, but I’ve only now found time to write about it. The book, despite quite a few typos, was a very good battle history of this small but important battle that decided the fate of Charleston at a time when the […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan Chapter 8 1. The Battle of Secessionville proper continues in the eighth chapter. More attacks were launched against the Tower Battery as both Confederate and Union reinforcements came up. After several more regiments (79th NY, 100th PA, and 46th NY) attacked and either failed or were disrupted by […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan Chapter 7 1. The beginning of the Union Assault on the Tower Battery from 4-4:50 A.M. on June 16 is described. Isaac Stevens’ approximately 3000 officers and men were to lead the way, while Wright’s Division provided support. Defending the Tower Battery at this time were only Lamar’s […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan Chapter 6 1. In Chapter 6, the Yankees worked to strengthen the defenses of their camps, bringing in heavy guns and building emplacements for them. There were also several sharp skirmishes between June 10 and June 14, with the heaviest at Grimball’s Farm on June 10. The 79th […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan Chapter 5 1. This chapter focuses on the preliminary Federal buildup on James Island from June 4-9, 1862. Apparently the heavy rain during this time made the Federal advance proceed slowly. Stevens’ Union Division tried to create more space on Sol Legare and James Islands with daily probes […]

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Secessionville: Assault On Charleston by Patrick Brennan Chapter 3 1. Just as the Campaign was about to begin, Roswell Ripley and two more regiments were sent north to Richmond. Ripley, a cantankerous sort, thought Pemberton was incompetent and this low opinion was at least partly responsible for his transfer. Ripley wanted out from under Pemberton. […]

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