74 Pages
Cover Story
Toward a Better Understanding of George McClellan…..28
by Ethan S. Rafuse
Are Little Mac’s Whig Party roots the key to understanding his relationship with Lincoln?
Fellow blogger Ethan Rafuse discusses McClellan’s Whig roots and his “attachment to Statesman Whig philosophy” to explain his actions during the Civil War. Rafuse first went over the general consensus view of McClellan as a poor general, but then stated his own views of what he thought McClellan did well in the war, including piecing together an army after Second Manassas to defeat Lee only three weeks later at Antietam. He showed how incoln’s “Paractical Whig” tendencies and beliefs led to conflict with Statesman Whig McClellan.
Plus: McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign
David Fuller’s detailed map, complete with a day-by-day chronology.
Features
Glory at Battery Wagner…..36
by Gerald S. Henig
William H. Carney saved the 54th Massachusetts’ flag-and earned a memorable place in history.
Wlliam H. Carney of the 54th Massachusetts, a former slave, became the first African-American Medal of Honor winner in American history when he saved a flag from capture at Battery Wagner.
‘That Reminds Me of a Story’…..40
by Ernest B. Furgurson
Old Abe’s folksy humor helped him through some of the nation’s darkest days.
Lincoln’s love of funny stories, and his ability to tell them well, helped to get him through the long and often incredibly sad Civil War.
‘A Sight to See Before You Die’…..46
The Gettysburg Cyclorama, through the eyes of Union General John Gibbon.
John Gibbon wrote a letter to Henry Hunt in September 1884 telling him about Paul Philipoteaux’s great Gettysburg Cyclorama. Gibbon visited the massive work of art three times while in Chicago, Illinois. He did find some things wrong with the Cyclorama, but he was also amazed at how real it all looked.
The South Did Rise Again…..50
by Stephen Budiansky
Dispatched to battle postwar terrorists, Major Lewis Merrill found many Southerners bent on revenge.
Major Lewis Merrill of the 7th U.S. Cavalry was sent to Yorkville, South Carolina with Company K of his regiment in order to protect Blacks and White Republicans from the Ku Klux Klan. Budiansky is impressed with Merrill’s abilities to wage counterinsurgency operations which were ahead of their time. Ultimately, though, Merrill and other United States troops were ineffective in what was a very real set of military operations.
For Whom the Bell Tolled…..56
by Parke Pierson
A newly discovered image documents the 1864 burning of Chambersburg, Pa. at the hands of John McCausland.
On July 30, 1864, John McCausland burned the town of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania after citizens could not raise the $500,000 in greenbacks or $100,000 in gold he demanded. Carlisle, Pennsylvania resident Douglas Gibboney recently picked up a photo many experts believe was previously unknown.
Departments
Mail Call…..9
Civil War Today…..14
Edited by Linda Wheeler
Water Witch ahoy; presidential portraits in pastry.
Gary W. Gallagher’s Blue & Gray…..18
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the movie Glory.
Gary Gallagher discusses his feelings on the movie Glory on the 20th anniversary of its release. Glory told the story of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and his 54th Massachusetts, an African-American regiment which fought at Fort Wagner. Gallagher enjoyed the acting in the movie, its portrayal of combat at the Battle of Antietam early in the movie, and its importance as “the first film to present black soldiers as significant military actors in the Civil War.”
Field Guide…..22
Explore the streets of the war’s most famous town.
The town of Gettysburg is shown in a detailed map which presents some interesting sites to see while there on a visit. Some of the sites mentioned include the Farnsworth Tavern, the David Wills House where Lincoln slept prior to giving the Gettysburg Address, and the Cannonball Ice Cream Parlor.
Interview…..24
by Jay Wertz
Glory inspired and educated actor Andre Braugher.
Andre Braugher, who played Corporal Thomas Searles in Glory, talked to Jay Wertz about how he got the part, what it was like on the set, and what the movie means to him today.
Letter From Civil War Times…..26
Dana Shoaf wonders why it is so horrible to link Robert E. Lee, a slave owner, with the defense of slavery.
Reviews…..62
1. Vicksburg 1863 by Winstom Groom
2. Southerners at Rest: Confederate Dead at Hollywood Cemetery by Chris L. Ferguson
3. Faces of the Confederacy: An Album of Southern Soldiers and Their Stories by Ronald S. Coddington
4. Webb Garrison’s Civil War Dictionary: An Illustrated Guide to the Everyday Language of Soldiers and Civilians by Webb Garrison and Cheryl Garrison
Classics
1. Attack and Die: Civil War Military Tactics and the Southern Heritage by Grady McWhiney and Perry D. Jamieson
Lincoln Anniversary Books, 1809-2009
1. The Last Lincoln Conspirator: John Surratt’s Flight from the Gallows by Andrew C.A. Jampoler
2. Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Plays
1. The Heavens Are Hung in Black by James Still
Resources…..70
McClellan books; terrifying Klan letter.
Looking at Lincoln…..74
by Harold Holzer
Abe’s most mysterious image.
The image shown on this page is a photograph of Abraham Lincoln taken in the summer of 1860. Harodl Holzer postulates the image was taken at the request of sculptor Leonard Wells Volk.
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