Hunting Down a Soldier – Part 2

To catch up on my adventures in research, check out Part 1. The 6th Louisiana Infantry’s baptism of fire would come on May 23rd, 1862 at the town of Front Royal, Virginia in the Shenandoah Valley. General Richard Taylor’s Louisiana Brigade under General Thomas “Stonewall Jackson” chased Maryland skirmishers through the town and storm a…

Hunting Down a Soldier – Part 1

All I had was a name. A name that meant little, but it sparked a search that turned into something obsessive.   When I first began studying the Civil War, I wanted to know what most historians or budding history scholars wanted to know. Do I have any connection to the war? Do I have…

The Final Fight at Appomattox Court House

For a short preface on what the Union and Confederate armies were up to before arriving to Appomattox Courthouse, check out this post on the battle at Sailor’s Creek. After the Confederates under General Robert E. Lee abandoned Farmville to the Union forces under General Ulysses S. Grant, his next objective was to keep pushing…

Down By the Banks of Sailor’s Creek

In the first months of 1865, the Army of Northern Virginia had been whittled down to a mere 55,000 as it left the trenches of Petersburg. Desertion rates were high, driving General Robert E. Lee to accept volunteers and conscripts from southern Virginia, as well as a Naval Brigade full of sailors – not soldiers.…

Walking in the Footsteps of the Cadets

Virginia Museum of the Civil War (author photo 2019) While many of the major battlefields of the Civil War have been preserved and interpreted by the National Park Service, a great many are protected by the state in which they preside. New Market Battlefield State Historical Park and the Virginia Museum of the Civil War…

The History Behind “Field of Lost Shoes”

Besides Winchester, one of the most well known Civil War battles to take place in the Shenandoah Valley – thanks to some Hollywood magic – is the battle at New Market on May 15, 1864. And the most famous aspect of the battle is the charge of the Virginia Military Institute cadets across the muddy…

Belle Grove Plantation at Cedar Creek

Major Isaac Hite Jr. Belle Grove Plantation, like many homesteads in the south during the Civil War, witnessed the horrors and devastation of battle. On the morning of October 19, 1864, the home would play a part in a drama that unfolded for a wounded general. In 1783, Major Isaac Hite Jr - grandson of…

Surprises and Counterattacks – Cedar Creek, October 19, 1861

I typically try to provide short, easy to digest battle blog posts regarding the places I've visited. The last few weeks, however, have been packed with deadlines and personal life adjustments. As a result, I'll be providing a great video that summarizes the activity at Cedar Creek instead of a written summary. This comes from…

“Thunderstruck” at Fisher’s Hill – September 22, 1864

Following his defeat at Winchester on September 19, 1864, Confederate General Jubal Early led his army south through the Shenandoah Valley, looking desperately for a new defensive position upon which to hold his ground against the Federals and their commander, Phillip Sheridan. He found a piece of high ground called Fisher’s Hill between Massanutten Mountain…

“Disasters Commenced” – Battle of Third Winchester, September 19th, 1864

1864 was a productive and effective year in the Civil War. With Ulysses S. Grant at the helm, the Union armies in all theaters of the war had made progress in tightening the noose around the Confederacy. The branches of Grant’s ultimate plan included his Overland Campaign against Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia,…