Category: Military History
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The Minutemen of ’61
Last month I wrote a bit about the Massachusetts Militia before the war. That led me to think about the response of Massachusetts at the start of the war 152 years ago this week. Years later chroniclers of the Massachusetts militia boasted of their impact: “To the fact that Massachusetts for years had maintained a […]
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The Great Naval Showdown that Wasn’t
On April 14th 1863, 150 years ago this week, a naval battle occurred in the Atchafalaya Basin that could have had a big impact on the war; but instead of a dramatic showdown, it turned into a turkey shoot. ———————————————————————————————- In the beginning of 1863 Confederate naval forces in the Gulf Coast region enjoyed a […]
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From the Engineer Depot – Battle of the Zouaves
On September 18, 1861 roughly 850 men were mustered in as the 50th New York Infantry (later 50th NY engineers) and ordered to Washington without arms. The trip to the capital began with train ride to New York City. Arriving there on the 21st they were marched to the Battery where they made camp. Their […]
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“I like a camp, and long for a war”
In a comment on my previous post [Rattling the Saber], “Let Us Have Peace” suggested I explore further what made the 1859 encampment of the Massachusetts militia different than other militia events. As I see it, the 1859 encampment was significant for its size and its publicity. My theory is that the man at the […]
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From the Engineer Depot – The James River Bridge debate
Bridging the James River was a monumental task and its successful completion led to much disagreement over who was responsible for it. Both the Regular Battalion and the volunteers sought to claim the bulk of the work. LTC Spaulding, reporting for the volunteers, claims that he arrived at 8:00 a.m. on June 14, 1864 to […]
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Rattling the Saber — The Massachusetts Militia in 1859
Previously I posted an illustration by Winslow Homer depicting the review of the Massachusetts Militia conducted in September 1859. Below are two other images of the same event. The first is titled ‘Camp Massachusetts at Concord, Sept. 7,8 & 9, 1859’ with the subtitle ‘His Excellency Nath. Prentice Banks Commander in Chief’. The illustration is […]
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Making Sense of An “Action” Here and a “Skirmish” There
Editor’s Note: This entry has been cross-posted at The Siege of Petersburg Online. — Actions and Skirmishes: How Do I Find Out What Happened? As I continue to study all phases and aspects of the massive nine plus month Siege of Petersburg, one interesting topic I’ve come across is the idea of “actions”, “skirmishes”, and […]