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…

William Barksdale – Mississippi Fire-Eater

William Barksdale, in many ways, epitomized the image of the southern general during and after the Civil War. He was born in Smyrna, Tennessee on August 21, 1821, the eldest son of William Barksdale and Nancy Hervey Lester Barksdale. He studied law at the University of Nashville, but for the remainder of his adult life,…

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…

Olustee: Florida Plays its Part

When I started my big research into the Civil War, I had never heard anything about Florida, my current resident state. I took for granted the lack of obvious materials I found, so I just assumed nothing happened in Florida of any significance besides maybe some forts being taken. Well, I was wrong. Especially once…

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…