Tag Archives: American Civil War

General Joe Hooker: The Man, The Myth and the Legend

Joe Hooker was a pretty interesting fellow any way you look at it… Joseph Hooker, Making of a Soldier Joseph Hooker (1814-79) was Massachusetts born, and perhaps genetically destined for the military. His grandfather had been a Captain during the … Continue reading

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Grant, Buckner and the Pillow Flight

Gideon Pillow was first and foremost a “political” general of massive pretensions. The Stuffed Pillow Gideon Pillow (1806-78) was born and raised to a prosperous and well-connected Tennessee family. He attended the University of Nashville, became an attorney, and went … Continue reading

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Mother Bickerdyke: Civil War Ranking Nurse

Right after the Civil War, there was a huge parade in Washington, DC. Leading the Soldiers On May 23, 1865, as the intense mourning over the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln began to slowly ebb, the newly discharged Army of … Continue reading

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Civil War Grub: Feeding Billy Yank and Johnny Reb 

“An army travels on its belly.” – Napoleon Bonaparte First…Some Numbers and Perspectives Sometimes it is difficult to comprehend plain-old numbers.  Like …more than 1,000,000 Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War – and more than 600,000 Rebels. Jiggling … Continue reading

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Ulysses S. Grant: The Appomattox Parole Perks

April 9, 1865 was arguably among the most important days in U.S. history. U.S. Grant: The Surrender The Civil War had dragged on for four long years, and the casualty count was in the hundreds of thousands and would go … Continue reading

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U.S.Grant and the U.S. Mail

Mail call has always been one of the key ingredients of soldier morale and  frequently the high point of his day. A Literate War The Civil War is considered by most historians as the “first modern war” for a variety … Continue reading

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Lincoln. Mary. Robert. War.

Of all the decisions Abraham Lincoln was obliged to make during his administration, few were as personally difficult as his son’s participation in the Army. Robert’s Story Robert Todd Lincoln had just entered Harvard when his father was inaugurated in … Continue reading

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Montgomery Meigs: Civil War Quartermaster

The United States Army in April, 1861 On the eve of the Civil War, the regular United States Army consisted of 16,000 soldiers, most of which were deployed out west. Other than maintaining the always-touchy peace with the native tribes, … Continue reading

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U.S. Grant: The Shiloh Tree HQ

Army Generals in the Civil War usually commandeered the best houses in the area for their Headquarters. Pittsburg Landing, TN Pittsburg Landing, TN was a small village on the Tennessee River. Control of that river, which flowed into the Mississippi, … Continue reading

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Lincoln’s General’s Wives: A Book Review

The American Civil War created powerful generals with powerful and sometimes peculiar personalities. In a remarkably intelligent and readable quadography, author Candice Shy Hooper has brought to life four interesting(ish) women who were thrust into a spotlight(ish) because of the … Continue reading

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