Chancellorsville – The Carnage Was Fearful – Part 2

The Battle – Part 2 At a quarter past 5 o’clock in the morning, the Confederates stormed out of the Wilderness, the Rebel Yell like barreling thunder to those startled Federals. A short resistance was put up by Colonel Adolphus Bushbeck’s 154th New York, about 5,000 men, but it was still no use. The left…

Chancellorsville – The Carnage was Fearful – Part 1

(Because this battle - just one front, mind you - is so massive, I've split this blog into two parts for reading convenience) Background After the failed “Mud March” of late January, 1863, the Army of the Potomac was put under the command of Joseph Hooker. The man who replaced Ambrose Burnside was the same…

Fredericksburg – A Crucible of Valor

Within the Civil War era exists a certain preconceived image of how wars were fought and how soldiers behaved. There’s this idea of valiant heroism. Who else would have been brave enough to charge across an open field into a storm of bullets? It was a different time, but the mindset of the soldier –…

“Here we go again” – Second Manassas, 1862

Thirteen months after the first major engagement of the Civil War, the Union and Confederate armies are converging upon the same point of interest. By now, many of the troops are seasoned veterans. Commanders are earning reputations for themselves (good and bad) and volunteers are learning what it means to be a soldier. Players John…

A Bird’s Eye View of Bull Run

A book recently came into my possession that was suggested on a Civil War podcast station. They said that “Fighting for the Confederacy” by Edward Porter Alexander was a great companion text for any Civil War enthusiast who wanted to get an officer’s view of battles in Virginia. I expected it to be something similar…

Mayhem At Manassas

Civilians and soldiers on both sides of the war thought the conflict would be swift and decisive. The southerners, fueled by their convictions and need for independence, was equally matched by the northerner’s enthusiasm to preserve the Union and future of their nation. Yankees believed they could whip the uncultured farm boys, while the Rebs…

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…