Stonewall Jackson’s Way
Probably the most famous poem about Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is “Stonewall Jackson’s Way,” a poem that was set to music. The authorship of the poem is generally attributed to John Williamson Palmer, a doctor...
Iron Brigader Blog
The Ulysses S. Grant Home in Galena, Illinois
In August 1865, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant returned home to Galena, Illinois following the conclusion of the Civil War. Earlier that summer, several prominent citizens of Galena had pooled their money and purchased a...
Battle of Malvern Hill; U.S. Grant Named Commander of Western Union Armies: July 1862
July 1862 in the Civil War In late June 1862, General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate forces launched a series of battles that pushed Major General George McClellan’s Army of the Potomac back from the...
Visiting Antietam National Battlefield, Sharpsburg, Maryland
The September 17th, 1862 Battle of Antietam was the single bloodiest day in U.S. history, with approximately 23,000 total casualties on both sides including about 3600 killed in action. At the end of the day,...
Frank A. Haskell Wrote a Vivid Account of the Union Defense of Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg
Frank A. Haskell was born July 13th, 1828 in Tunbridge, Vermont. In the fall of 1848, Haskell left New England for the Midwest, and joined his brother Harrison in Columbus, Wisconsin. Harrison was a...
The Destruction of the Gunboat Indianola
By the winter of 1863, the Mississippi River was in Union hands except for the stretch between Vicksburg, Mississippi and Port Hudson, Louisiana. The Union Navy was busy trying to secure the Mississippi as...
Update on Alonzo Cushing Medal of Honor: June 2012
Two years ago, I wrote about how years long lobbying efforts to award Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing the Congressional Medal of Honor had been successful as the Secretary of the Army had recommended that Cushing...
Memphis falls to Union forces; Robert E. Lee Assumes Command of the Army of Northern Virginia; The Seven Days Battles: June 1862
June 1862 in the Civil War The month began with the conclusion of the two day Battle of Seven Pines near Richmond, Virginia on June 1st. Confederate forces attacked Union lines that had been...