From Clerk to Colonel – The Nelson Miles Story

Call it odd, but whenever I read about Civil War battles and come across a peculiar case where a soldier, officer, or civilian was supposed to die from a fatal wound and then lived, I tend to pay a little closer attention to that human interest story. One such case comes from a Union colonel…

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson – The Man and Myth

I would be remiss if I chose to talk about the battle of Chancellorsville without some spotlight shined on one of the most pivotal moments of Civil War history. Of course, I’m referring to the wounding of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson. Whatever your opinions of Stonewall may be, any historian cannot deny that his wounding…

Irvin McDowell – A Reluctant General

At the time of the Civil War, Irvin McDowell’s family was loaded with military and political connections. His cousin-in-law was the famed John Buford who played a role in the battle at Gettysburg, and his younger brother, John Adair McDowell, also joined the army but did not achieve the same level of renown as the…

Alfred Colquitt – Lawyer, Politician, Soldier

When one looks at the roster of Civil War generals and soldiers alike, there’s a fair amount of war veterans or West Point graduates. However, what I find the most interesting are the soldiers who work up through the ranks with little or absolutely no battle experience prior to the start of the war between…

Albert Sidney Johnston: A Veteran Legend

While there are plenty of high-ranking veteran generals who served in the Civil War, only one came out as permanently immortalized on a battlefield for a death, rather than a smashing victory. Last week, I shared with you about the battle of Shiloh in April of 1862, but didn’t go into detail about its Confederate…