Herman Melville on the Gray Ghost
The Gray Ghost, as John S. Mosby was known, inspired both the Union and Confederate armies. Mosby and his men inspired pride in the South and struck fear in the hearts of Union soldiers. That fear...
Iron Brigader Blog
John S. Mosby Captures General Edwin Stoughton
John S. Mosby was a Virginia lawyer when the Civil War broke out in 1861. He was a member of a Virginia militia company at the time, and went off to war. His militia...
Lt. William B. Cushing and the Destruction of the C.S.S. Albemarle
In an earlier post, I discussed Lt. Alonzo Cushing of the 4th U.S. Artillery, who died at Gettysburg during Pickett’s Charge July 3rd, 1863, and after years of lobbying by supporters, has been awarded...
I’m Afraid To Go Home
Happy July 4th. We hope you have a great holiday. The cost of freedom is recorded not only in books and photographs, but in poetry and music. Here is a Civil War song by...
Alonzo Cushing, Medal of Honor Winner
For a June 2012 update on the status Cushing’s Medal of Honor click here. The anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg on July 1st-3rd, is an appropriate time to remember the heroics of the...
The Sinking and Raising of the U.S.S. Cairo
From the very beginning of the Civil War, both sides understood the importance of control of the Mississippi River. To that end, the United States government built gunboats specifically designed for military operations in...
Fort Scott National Historic Site
Fort Scott National Historic Site is located in the southeast Kansas city of the same name. Fort Scott was an important western military base for the Union Army during the Civil War, but it...
John Wilkes Booth Facts and Trivia
John Wilkes Booth was almost 27 years old when he shot President Lincoln on April 14, 1865 — it was about four weeks before Wilkes’ May 10th birthday. John Wilkes Booth was his father’s...