Feeling that the war was nearing its end, I desired my cavalry to be in at the death.Sheridan on his desire to rejoin the Army of the Potomac
With both Jubal Early and most of the civilians in the Shenandoah Valley still choking on the smoke of “The Burning,” General Philip [...]
A brown, chunky little chap, with a long body, short legs, not enough neck to hang him, and such long arms that if his ankles itch he can scratch them without stooping.Abraham Lincoln, describing Philip Henry Sheridan
Philip Henry Sheridan, or “Little Phil” as the 5 feet 5 inch tall officer came [...]
The divisions in American that resulted in the Civil War were hardly drawn at the Mason-Dixon line. While divisive opinions about slavery abounded throughout the United States, and to an extent the Confederacy, the issue of secession caused more disagreement throughout the South than slavery did. For these “Unionists,” as they [...]
Regardless of one’s personal feelings about the factors that created the Confederacy, it is difficult to deny the accomplishments of the military officers of the Confederacy. No one would argue that Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson were not impressive military generals, or that J.E.B. Stuart or P.G.T. Beauregard was not [...]
If there is any place on God’s fair earth where wickedness ’stalketh abroad in daylight’ it is in the army.” a Confederate soldier, in a letter to his family
General William Tecumseh Sherman’s declaration that “war is all hell” was never more true than when applied to the Civil War. A long, [...]
It’s hard to imagine a time before television news and radio news, not to mention news on the Internet, but during the Civil War, citizens had to rely on two major sources of news - word of mouth and newspapers.
Although word of mouth was the most expedient source of news about [...]
Early submarines and submarine warfare were very risky operations. Many early submarines were plagued with problems and it took about 100 years from launch of the first military submarine - the Turtle in 1775 - until the first successful military mission - by the Hunley on [...]
The second Battle of Franklin Tennessee in late November of 1864 took its toll on the citizens of Franklin. Many had offered their homes as hospitals for the wounded, while others had assisted with the burial of the dead. Few, however, made the sacrifices that the McGavock family of Carnton Plantation [...]
When Civil War historian and preservationist Robert Hicks released his book The Widow of the South in 2005, he fictionalized the story of Carrie McGavock, who turned acres of her family’s home, Carnton Plantation, into a cemetery for the Confederate dead after the second Battle of Franklin, Tennessee. A best-seller, [...]
After his election to the presidency, Abraham Lincoln made appointments to his cabinet that perplexed not only his advisors but the entire nation. Of the Republicans he appointed, he chose men who openly disagreed with his policies, who’d supported his opponent, and even a couple who’d run against him for the [...]
