Spotsylvania Recap (Links)

As the month nears its close, so does this series on the Battle of Spotsylvania. Here are a list of the posts that comprised the series, in case you missed any. Todd's TavernLaurel HillA Soldier at Laurel Hill"Infernal Engines of War" - Spotsy May 9th"Sheer Madness" - Spotsy, May 10th"More Than Human Flesh Could Stand"…

Trees on the Battlefield

Trees have become a forgotten casualty of war. Accounts from privates and generals throughout the Civil War attest to this. While trying to get across the ferocity of the battle, they’d describe how the branches and limbs would be cut down by artillery fire. As I’ve explained in previous posts, the spark from rifle fire…

Visiting Spotsy

In a previous blog post pertaining to traveling to battlefields, I stressed the point to always, ALWAYS do your research before going so you won’t inadvertently miss any important or interesting spots in the park. Well, I didn’t take my own advice last year when trekking through the Overland Campaign battlefields. I missed quite a…

The Humor in Hell – Bloody Angle, May 12th 1864

“War is hell”, as William Tecumseh Sherman so poignantly put it. This battle series about the Battle of Spotsylvania illustrated that so well. Though there were worse battles before it (Antietam and Gettysburg), the fighting at the Bloody Angle left an undeniable impression on the survivors. Studying history is not for the faint hearted. Especially…

“Saturnalia of Blood” – May 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania

The morning of May 12th, 1864 at Spotsylvania Court House had begun with such promise. An early dawn attack upon the Army of Northern Virginia works that composed what was dubbed the “Mule Shoe” looked to be succeeding. By the end of the day, it would bear another name that echoes through the horrors of…

“More Than Human Flesh Could Stand” – May 11th – 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania

In the face of staggering losses and terribly mangled plans, Ulysses Grant was still optimistic on the morning of May 11th, 1864. Despite his best efforts to find that weakness in Robert Lee’s heavily fortified line along Laurel Hill and the – supposedly vulnerable – salient to the east, Grant was left with more casualties…