Jackson in the Shenandoah; Peninsula Campaign Continues; Confederates Evacuate Corinth, MS: May 1862
150 Years Ago in the Civil War After several Union victories in the west in April 1862, much of the fighting in May shifted to Virginia. After a string of defeats in the first four months of the year, the Confederacy finally began to see its first significant successes of 1862. The fighting in Virginia was [...]
Following the historic clash between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack) on March 9th, 1862, Virginia returned to port in Norfolk, Virginia for repairs and refitting. Besides repairing battle damage, the vessel was given a heavier ram, and 100 tons more ballast which increased the ship’s draft to 23 feet. The [...]
Continue reading about The Destruction of the CSS Virginia May 1862
150 Years Ago in the Civil War As winter drew to a close, the fighting picked up on several fronts. The Union Armies continued the success they enjoyed in February with several victories in March. And at sea, a new era in naval warfare began with the first battle between iron ships. Battle of Pea Ridge [...]
One of the more prominent socialites and colorful characters in Richmond society during the Civil War was displaced Marylander Hetty Cary. A descendant of Thomas Jefferson, Cary was born near Baltimore in 1836, and was living in that city when the Civil War began in 1861. Baltimore had a large number of Confederate sympathizers, and after [...]
Continue reading about Magnificent Hetty Cary: Betsy Ross of the South
150 Years Ago in the Civil War As the second year of the Civil War began, the main armies on both sides remained inactive for the most part. In Washington, President Abraham Lincoln continued to press for movement by the Federal armies under Major Generals Don Carlos Buel and Henry Halleck in Kentucky and Missouri, and [...]
Civil War seacoast mortars were very large mortars used defensively in fixed fortifications and in coast and river defense. They were also used in siege operations and occasionally in other offensive endeavors. The largest mortar in the Federal arsenal was the 13 inch seacoast mortar, so named for the size of the weapon’s bore. Perhaps the most [...]
Continue reading about The Seacoast Mortar called “The Dictator” at the Siege of Petersburg 1864
