Civil War Traveler and Blogger
Visiting the site of Appomattox Court House today is a treat of mid-nineteenth century and Civil War living history interpretation. It’s not just a museum or a single house that’s been set up to rebuild the surrender scene. It’s a recreation of the sleepy town of Appomattox Court House, complete with homes, shops, and streets… Continue reading Walking the Surrender 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… Continue reading The Final Fight at Appomattox Court House
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.… Continue reading Down By the Banks of Sailor’s Creek
The fight thus far at Spotsylvania had been nothing short of a slaughter house. The continuous fighting for twenty hours at the Bloody Angle was the pinnacle of that slaughter with 17,000 casualties in all. Who was to blame? Many pointed fingers at Lieutenant General Ulysses Grant’s “grit of a bulldog” as Abraham Lincoln called… Continue reading The Final Week of Bloodshed – Conclusion to 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… Continue reading “Saturnalia of Blood” – May 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… Continue reading “More Than Human Flesh Could Stand” – May 11th – 12th, 1864, Spotsylvania
Since we're about to talk about how one of the most famous Civil War Union generals completely upended the eastern theater in 1864, I thought it'd be prudent to share a live video broadcast from earlier in March. In light of the Corona virus, many national parks and museums made efforts to bring history education… Continue reading White Haven – U.S. Grant’s Home in Illinois
While I don't know what movie or documentary this is from, I like it. Though it's highly dramatized, it does hold a few poignant quotes from Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses Grant. As we begin to dive into the Battle of the Wilderness and the Overland Campaign, I thought it'd be nice to share this before… Continue reading Lincoln Asks for Grant
The battle around Shiloh Chapel in southern Tennessee was considered to be something like the first big, major battle of the Civil War. By early 1862, there have been plenty of battles and engagements across both fronts, but the casualties and the significance of Shiloh rocked both sides of the war. With staggering numbers of… Continue reading Shiloh, 1862: A Rude Awakening
Belle on the Battlefield 