Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s Report on the 20th Maine at Gettysburg
One of the more well known episodes of the Battle of Gettysburg is the story of the 20th Maine Infantry on Little Round Top on Day 2 of the battle (July2nd, 1863). The 20th...
Category: War
Brigadier General Michael K. Lawler’s Brigade at the Battle of Big Black River Bridge
Following the Union victory at the Battle of Champion Hill, Mississippi on May 16th, 1863, Confederate forces retreated west towards Vicksburg, reaching the Big Black River that night. Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton, commander...
The Iron Brigade in the Chancellorsville Campaign
On January 25th, 1863, Major General Joseph Hooker was promoted to command of the Army of the Potomac. Six weeks earlier, the army had suffered a bloody defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia;...
The 1st Colorado Volunteer Infantry at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, New Mexico
The Territory of Colorado was formed in February 1861, just as the nation was headed to Civil War. Although the citizens of Colorado generally favored the Union, there were also those who favored the...
Lieutenant William B. Cushing’s Raid on Smithville, North Carolina February 29th, 1864
Lieutenant William B. Cushing, USN, was the 19th century equivalent of a modern day commando or special operations fighter. Although Cushing commanded ships in the Union Navy blockade of the Confederate coastline, he was...
African American Troops Played an Important Role in the Battle of Fort Blakely, Alabama
Although Admiral David Farragut’s warships had effectively closed Mobile, Alabama as a port after the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864, the city of Mobile itself remained in Confederate hands. It wasn’t until...
Sherman’s Plan for his March to the Sea: Special Field Orders Numbers 119 and 120
After capturing and occupying Atlanta in early September 1864, Major General William T. Sherman continued to have problems with General John Bell Hood’s Confederates. The Rebel general’s army harassed the Federal supply lines from...
General Montgomery Meigs Observes the Battles of Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge
After Major General Ulysses S. Grant arrived in Chattanooga, Tennessee in late October 1863 and assumed command of the Union forces in that besieged city, he wasted no time in opening a new supply...