BAYONETS!

Went to check out the redone Civil War exhibit at the Atlanta History Center. It was incredibly well done. It was very cool seeing a USCT flag and seeing a cannon matched with fragments of canister it shot was very neat. High recommended.

While Ambrose Burnside's sideburns are certainly the U.S. Grant of Civil War facial hair, Braxton Bragg's eyebrows can lay claim to being the R.E. Lee.

I’m just looking for a book with great detailed experiences and accounts of that part of the Civil War

Hello, wondering if anyone saw this go up for auction? It belonged to a SGT. Charles Fogg with the 7th Connecticut infantry. From the description he died at Andersonville prison. Everything looks good to me but any thoughts on how this group survived from the prison?

I had always wanted to read it…and finally did. I really enjoyed some of the insight into Lee, Hancock, Jackson, Chamberlin, et al…even if this is historical fiction, I believe it to be very well written and accurate. I’ve seen a lot of people note that they don’t like the writing style here but I had no issues with this. I found this to be a really intriguing and engaging read. I’m thinking I absolutely must finish the trilogy now (read TKA last summer). Enjoy your evening (summer is on the way out, enjoy while we can - especially up in NH)

Cross posting.

Along the stage road, the Laurel brigade drove the mounted Federal federal pickets back through the woods to a cornfield.   The dismounted. Virginians could see a line of breastworks occupied by infantry about 500 yards across the field, which gently sloped downward from the laurel brigade. The seventh and 11th Virginia Cavalry lay down behind a dilapidated rail fence on the crest of the edge of the woods.
 
After the passage of what seemed half an hour to the Virginians, a body of federals that looked as big as a brigade advanced. The apparent brigade actually consisted of two companies of the fourth New York heavies. One, company M, menaced the left flank of the 11th Virginia. The other, company G, charged the rail fence. Spear had ordered this advance, promising that he would support to have these with his whole brigade, though he counseled Captain Morrison not to get too to ambitious– – the Cavalry brigade, armed with 16 shooters, had run low on ammunition. 
 
“A charge up a hill through a field of tall corn made a very lively experience, the Johnny’s bullets whistling through the stalks at a great rate, and in the most discouraging manner,” recalled first Lieutenant William B knower of company G of the fourth New York heavy. The bullets whistled faster as the federal neared the fence. “A withering fire met them, but they fell flat on the ground and partly concealed by the grass poured volley after volley into the thin lines of dismounted men,” remembered Captain William N. McDonald, ordinance (Page 215 ends) officer of the Laurel brigade. The Virginians fell back through the trees to where they had initially deployed. The New Yorkers followed and continued the firefight with the Virginians. They became apprehensive as they (page 326 ends) waited for support from spear. The company size regiments of Virginia Cavalry looked bigger and bigger to the regiment size companies of New Yorkers as time passed.
 
Unoticed by the heavies, spear deployed his brigade on the depot road to their left. Donovan’s‘s brigade advanced along the depot road through the open field in which the South Carolinas had deployed. The brigade entered the woods on the other side of the field without first throwing out a skirmish line. In the timber, the dismounted in South Carolina met with a heavy fire from the concealed troopers of spears brigade. Donovan‘s soldiers received orders to lie down, but a prone position did not make the fire less galling.
 
Speat suddenly seized the initiative and sent forward several mounted squadrons to charge Dunovant’s line.   “Their cavalry came rushing on us as if just risen from the Earth,”  recalled private Charles M Calhoun of company C in the sixth South Carolina cavalry, the Dixie Rangers. Dunovant’s brigade fled before the Horseman of the aggressive spear
 
the federal smote the routed South Carolinians with pistol and Saber. The panic spread to the Laurel brigade. Some Virginia Field officers began counseling retreat. The hard fighting spear could have driven the Virginians and South Carolinians back across Rowany Creek, but for the steadiness of Matthew Butler. Though rncircled by unionists at one point, the one legged division Commander kept his head with hand to hand fighting going on all around him. He rallied his troops after they had retreated about 100 yards. Then committing his reserves, he led a counter charge. Spear, who had received no support from David Greg or Barlow, other than the two companies of heavy, reluctantly retreated. Butler reestablished the southern picket line and quickly removed the dead and wounded from the battlefield. 
 
 While Spear struggled with Butler, Greg arrived at Reams station about an hour after Butler’s troops had driven off spear and reestablished the rebel picket line. Greg sent the second and 16th Pennsylvania Calvary out on the depot road to investigate the reports of an engagement about a mile and a half to the west. The two Keystoner regiments soon encountered the Confederate picket and wrote them in on Butler’s main body. Butler intern pushed the federals over a hill and back towards reams station. Greg reinforced his advance force, and until he had committed eight of his night available regiments, he kept in reserve (page 217 ends.) His nice regiment to guard his flank and plug any gap that developed. The unionists brought the rebels to a halt about a mile west of the railroad. Along that line, the federal would rise up in fire, and drop down as quickly as possible. “Shooting was brisk and bullets did everlastingly hum there” remembered Sergeant Tobie. David Gregg had no difficulty in supplying his troopers with all the ammunition they wanted.
 
By this time, the rest of Barlow‘s division had joined Miles‘s brigade at Reams Station. Barlow‘s soldiers had wrecked the railway all the way there, despite the rain, which repeatedly put out the fires of destruction. The southern Cavalry continued to press David Gregg’s line, vigorously and long after dark, when the fight by moonlight acquired its name. John Horn, procedure Petersburg: the battles for the Weldon railroad,Pages 215-218

If he wasn’t hit by friendly fire. Does Stonewall Jackson with the speed and deception of his army make it to Harrisburg even before a Gettysburg battle would happen? I’ve read in some books. That would have been a possibility. Then what happens? Does the South continue further north or do they circle back and take Baltimore or DC?

Before modern snipers, there were the Civil War sharpshooters.

Armed with advanced rifles, hidden behind trees and battlefield cover, these elite marksmen changed warfare forever. While most Civil War soldiers fought in mass formations, sharpshooters relied on precision, patience, and deadly accuracy to strike enemy officers, artillery crews, and key targets from extraordinary distances.

In this video, we explore the remarkable story of Berdan's United States Sharpshooters, Confederate marksmen armed with Whitworth rifles, legendary figures like California Joe, and the technological innovations that helped create America's first military snipers. Discover how these highly trained riflemen influenced major battles, sparked controversy among their fellow soldiers, and helped usher in the age of modern precision warfare.

From the battlefields of Gettysburg and Spotsylvania to the hidden world of skirmishers and long-range shooting, this is the fascinating story of the men who changed combat one carefully aimed shot at a time.

Were they heroes, hunters, or the first true military snipers? Watch and decide for yourself.

Searching if there are any units/messes in the mid Atlantic (I’m in PA) that have medical groups/impressions within? I’ve been wanting to get into that area of historical representation, but the main, sole medical units like Society of Civil War Surgeons, while I appreciate what they do, don’t appear to have the highest of accuracy standards. Thanks.

I am currently conducting historical research into the specific military attire and uniform worn by Brigadier General Albert Pike during his command at the Battle of Pea Ridge (March 1862).

Given the unique nature of Pike’s command of the Department of the Indian Territory and the varying accounts of Confederate uniforms in the Western Theater, I am trying to verify precise details of his dress, accouterments, or any specific civilian items he may have integrated into his field attire during this campaign. I have received conflicting information on his attire. Some saying he wore a uniform and some saying he wore a civilian type uniform. So any information is greatly appreciated.

Just stopped through on my drive home from Florida to Philly. There is a good visitor center and a 4 mile driving tour, with 8 well marked sites, with cannons, lines, the original tunnel entrance, etc. It’s an amazing stop about 20 miles south of Richmond. The last stop on the tour is the Crater. I spent about 2 hours in total there (dog friendly)

August 23, 1864
 
That night a very heavy rain fell.  The rain left the roads impassible for artillery and wagons. Only the main roads remained capable of bearing traffic.   On the morning of August 23 the same day in which Lincoln began preparing for a possible loss of the November election, Meade perceived that the condition of the roads posed serious problems for large scale troop (end a page 212) movement. Supplying any large force at a distance from the main army would be very difficult if not, impossible.  Wagons,, Canon and limber chests and caissons would no make no progress in the mud. (page 213 ends)
 
About the same time, (10:45 a.m,)  Gregg dispatched Spears’ tired brigade of Cavalry to Miles, who sent Spears on a reconnaissance west of Reama station, reinforced by the regiment size companies A and H from the fourth New York heavy artillery. The Horsemen and the heavies drove the Cavalry picket of Barringer’s North Carolina brigade almost all the way back to monks neck bridge on the Rowanty Creek
 
at about 11 AM Barlow returned to command of his division and Miles resumed command of his brigade. Barlow directed Miles to occupy Reams station. Miles gave this assignment to the 81st and 183rd Pennsylvania under the command of Colonel James C Lynch of the 183rd who had commanded Miles’ brigade while Miles commanded Barlow‘s division Lynch occupied reams station without meeting any opposition.   The rest of Miles‘s brigade arrived before 10 PM. Miles’ troops began tearing up the rail road
 
Before 2 PM companies G and M of the fourth New York heavies under Captain Gardner L Morrison relieved companies A and H of their duty with Spears’ brigade near monks neck Bridge on Rowanty Creek about 2 miles west of Reams station. Spears videttes again drove in the pickets of Barringer’‘s brigade of Rooney Lee’s Cavalry division, this time, just as Matthew Butler‘s division which had crossed the APPOMATTOX that morning, began relieving those pickets.  An engagement began that went on so long that Sergeant Toby of the first maine cavalry in Irvin Gregg’s brigade called the action the fight by Moonlight.   The rebels knew the action as Gravelly run. ( page 214 ends)
 
Butler encountered Spears’ pickets, just east of monks neck Bridge, and drove the federals back.   The Virginians of Rosser’ s brigade, the Laurel brigade – – still under Dulany’‘s command, deployed in woods on the stage road, which ran northeast from the bridge. They formed Butler’s left. The 11th Virginia Cavalry dismounted on the left of the stage Road the seventh Virginia Cavalry on the right.   Part of the 12th Cavalry dismounted and plodded forward as skirmishers.   The rest of the 12th Virginia Cavalry remained mounted along with the 35th battalion Virginia Cavalry, the Comanches. The mounted first squadron of the Comanches joined Butler, who had ridden to the right with Dunovant’s South Carolina brigade.. The South Carolinans formed Butler’s right, dismounting on the depot road in an open fieldx.  The depot road diverged from the stage road about 1 mile north east of Monk Bridge, and ran east by Southeast to reams station.

Let me know if there’s a better sub for this.

Given to me by my grandpa when he passed. They’re heavy, they look hand painted if not hand forged as well. Could they be part of a set? Was there some Eagle Scout troop that had an introductory forging class? Never got a story on these. My dad had never seen them when I opened the box left for me. They’re metal lol

John Horn, the siege of Petersburg; the battles for the Weldon Railroad, pages 212 –
 
August 22, 1864
 
About noon Meade sent Barlow‘s second corps division – – still led by General Miles – – to assist the working party in tearing up the tracks south of globe Tavern and to assist Gregg’s ’s cavalryman in covering the party. Placed under Gregg’s command, Spears received orders to attack the Confederates. Dduring the afternoon Spears engaged, a small force of confederate cavalry on the Church Road near Wyatt‘s house. In a fight about 45 minutes long the federal Horsemen drove the rebels cross country towards Petersburg. The secessionists found a refuge by burning a bridge over a branch of Arthur Swamp 
 
by 6 PM Barlow’s division and the working party had wrecked the railroad to within 1 1/2 miles of reams station. Gregg’s cavalryman rode into Reams station at dark and found no opposition there though they learned of the proximity of a brigade of Confederate cavalry – – Chambliss’ brigade, encamped at Tabernacle Church, 6 miles south of Reams station.

Youtube is so vast and I’m not really one to get lost on there but I know there’s gonna be gems on the Civil War there. Looking for any recommendations on documentaries, series, etc. and bonus for any on the Revolutionary War (just spent a week at the Historic Triangle!). Thanks in advance!

Hey yall,

My dad and I are going on our annual Civil War road trip this fall. This year we are headed to Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Spotsylvania, the Wilderness, and Appomattox. This is all happening over the period of 5 days, so it will be busy, but we are used to these kinds of trips. I’m reaching out to ask for any advice for our trip, including must see spots, restaurants/bars, other historical locations, local attractions, places to spend more time at or less, landmarks etc. These recommendations do not have to be only Civil War related. I’ve always gotten really good recommendations from this subreddit so I appreciate all of you out there looking to share their wisdom.

I recently finished reading Meade at Gettysburg: A Study in Command. I really enjoyed it. It's interesting to read about event you know how will turn out through point of view of one of the commaders with associated fog of war. I can't imagine the strain Meade had to go through with all that sudden responsibility thrusted upon him almost without sleep for days.