Category Archives: Civil War

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: A World on Fire: Britain’s Crucial Role in the American Civil War

It is not often that I start a review off with a warning, but as good as this book is I feel that this time I need to. Clocking in at just over 1,000 pages tackling this book is going to be a huge project. It is full of fantastic and sometimes dense information that can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. Even as a historian and someone used to tomes such as this I had to walk away from it for periods of time to let it all sink in. Does that make it a bad book? No, not all, but it does make it a commitment. One that I recommend.

If you stick with you will come away with a good understanding about the role that Great Britain played during the Civil War and how its actions and reactions shaped policy for both sides. From the very real possibility that the United States could be facing a war with Britain while fighting the Confederacy to the crisis of conscience in regards to slavery the permeated the halls of Parliament, this book covers a lot of ground. It does it well, I have no quibbles about the style or substance. There is just a lot of it!

When it came out in 2011 it won a number of awards and ended up on a number of “best of” lists, and all well deserved. Click the cover to see more about it.

Though I recommend it, I only do so to those willing to take the journey with it. Certainly not a jumping on point, but if you want a different perspective of the Civil War, this is a god book for you.

Civil War

Darn the Mines! Move in a forward direction!

IMAG0179_48

 

What you are seeing in this picture is a water mine, or as they referred to at the time, a “torpedo”. You can see the anchor and the chain, the barrel that was loaded with explosive and the trigger. A ship would bump against the trigger and detonate the mine. This one was taken from Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

In August of 1864 Mobile, Alabama remained one of the last ports in the Confederacy and outside of the trickle of blockade runners, its last line to the outside world. Mobile Bay was defended by three forts that could pound and attacking fleet into mincemeat. If that wasn’t enough the bay was seeded with mines (torpedoes).  This would not dissuade the Federal forces.
Led by Rear Admiral David Farragut the US Navy, in a joint assault with the US Army, moved to close the bay. They were met by a CSA fleet and a general battle was commenced under the eyes of the three powerful forts. Having to contend with both the enemy fleet, forts and torpedoes Farragut issued his orders. Only one ship, the Tecumseh, fell victim to the mines, but they were still responsible for one of the lasting anecdotes of the war.
It was during this battle that Farragut reportedly told his officer, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” Now, there is some doubt that he actually said it. He probably said something like it, but a lot of these famous sayings, especially ones that happen in the middle of a battle, tend to become more legend than reality. As a way to rally troops or motivate your co-workers, this saying is great in saying just go and do what you need to do, and deal with the consequences later.
The naval battle lasted about three hours. After after a number of weeks the forts all fell one by one. By the end of August 1864 Mobile Bay was securely in the hands of the Federals. The city of Mobile itself would be spared until the end o the war, but as a supply port it was out of the war.
Civil War

Hidden History Atlanta Style — Fort Walker

Down in Atlanta, in a corner of Grant Park you will come across the area in the picture. People pass it everyday walking their dogs, driving by, having the kids play on the hill and in the ditch that surrounds. Odds are they don’t realize what they are passing by. See that earthen redoubt, surrounded by the ditch is what remains of Ft. Walker and is the last of the Confederate fortifications that were built to defend Atlanta during he Civil War.

Built in 1863 the redoubt was part of the 13 mile long line of defenses that surrounded Atlanta. This was the southeastern salient of the inner line and consisted of a number of redoubts on hills, with rifle pits (the ditch surrounding the hill) around the perimeter and connected to the other forts along the line.

In the 1880’s Grant Park was established the location was marked with a granite pedestal, four cannon and two bronze lions. Vandals had field days at the site and eventually in the 1980’s the cannons were finally removed after one was stolen. (If you know the location of the missing cannon please contact the author.) Later the two bronze lions also went missing. (If you know the location of the missing cannon please… ah never mind.)

In 1938 the Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association placed a monument at the site commemorating the last surviving breastwork. It went missing…. just kidding. It is still there and was rededicated in 2014 with a new granite cannon and plaque that was donated by the Georgia Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

So just another case of something so significant that has sort of faded into the background. If you are in the area you should take the time to visit before it’s gone forever.

 

 

Civil War

Juxtaposition

Before he was President Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer for almost twenty five years. Which is not bad considering that when he started he had very little formal education and it was not until an attorney in New Salem, John Stuart, encouraged him and lent him books that started him on that path in 1834. Three years later Lincoln was admitted to the bar and in 1837 he moved to Springfield to join Stuart as a partner.

His law career was wide a varied. Riding the Illinois circuit court, arguing in front of the Illinois Supreme Court. He took cases ranging from murders to runaway slaves he was actually a very successful and well thought of lawyer. Heck, he even gave oral arguments in a case in front of the US Supreme Court.

So what does that have to do with the picture above? Well that photo was taken in the Lincoln Home National Historic Site which is the house he and his family lived in during their years in Springfield. That desk that you see there is the original one that has survived all this time and sits in Lincolns bedroom on the second floor.

Many days he would work late at the law office and then take his work home where he would continue working or reading at that tiny desk above until all hours of the night. And by tiny, I mean tiny. Do you think you would be comfortable spending hours at that desk? This may be a good time to point out that Lincoln was 6′ 4″. I bet that when he sat at that desk his knee’s were up over his ears. Big man, tiny desk, juxtaposition achieved!

Civil War

The 54th Massachusetts

The 54th Massachusetts

54th Massachusetts

The 54th Massachusetts is one of the most famous units in the Federal army during the Civil War. It was one of the first volunteer African-American regiments that was raised by the North in the wake of the Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1862. There is a good chance that you may have seen the movie Glory with Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and many others. That was their story. The painting above was done by Keith Rocco and portrays the units disastrous assault on the Confederate Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

There was no shortage of black men that  volunteered for the regiment, all wanting to do their part for the cause of freedom. Of course it was thought by many in the Army and the civilian leadership that these men were in capable of leadership on their own and many questioned their ability to actually fight.

So the men were given white officers to lead them and were mostly used for grunt work and manual labor. Even when the finally were deployed to the fighting they found that discrimination followed them into the fight. It took the sheer willpower of their commander, Col. Robert Gould Shaw to convince his superiors that his men could fight and they were given the chance.

In July 18th, 1863 the were chosen to lead the attack on Ft. Wagner a tough and as of yet unconquered part of the Confederacy. They were tired, they were hungry and they were tired, but they crossed the sandy beaches in front of the fort under fire and made their way to the walls. But they failed, the attack was stopped and the 54th suffered major casualties including Shaw. They stayed in the shadow of the wall waiting for reinforcements that would never come. The most important thing was they fought hard and brave and did not retreat. They set the standard for African-American troops and proved that given the chance they would fight.

Book Reviews, Civil War, Frontier, Mexican-American War

Book Review: Frontiersmen in Blue

Robert Utley is by far one of the most accomplished experts in his field and that shows in the composition of this book. Dealing with the years between the Mexican War and the Civil War, Utley provides several different views of the period and the task in front of the men in blue.

From the end of the Mexican War, the role of the US Army was focused on expansion of existing trading routs and helping to create settlements that would soon be feeding the great westward migration. At the same time they had to secure much of the vast new mineral wealth that was gained from the war. The men that undertook this task were a special breed and were not always fitted to the role.’

Of course at the center of the story is the many Indian tribes that already lived out on the plains. These people lived a different sort of life, one that was so different from the Americans that the two sides were never going to be able to coexist. Utley spends a lot of time on these conflicts, societal and military that lead to atrocities on both sides of the equation. Once the two groups came into conflict and the Eastern politicians got involved, things became even more messy.

The final sections of the book deal with the coming Civil War and how this small frontier force of regulars would take in and integrate the huge number of “volunteers” that would swell its ranks.

The most interesting aspect of this book is that it sets the stage for the plains wars of the post Civil War era which most people are much more familiar with. In the end it is a good read and is highly recommended.

 

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: After Lincoln

 

In the book After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace, the author A. J. Langguth brings forward two truths about the Civil War that not a lot of people will be willing to face.

First is that the war did not end after the fighting was over. The only thing that changed was the conflict moved away from armies and into the arms of the politicians. In a very good and easily read way Langguth takes you behind the scenes of Reconstruction in a way that makes you realize how much Lincoln was missed on this process and that without his vision, lesser men were allowed to shape the future. Regardless of what you know about the Civil War or Reconstruction, this is book will have you shaking your head at the realization that even good men like Grant were completely overwhelmed with the prospect of reuniting the country while not losing surrendering the gains that were made.

The second truth that comes out of this book is that in many, many ways Reconstruction is still going on. The process never truly ended and the descendants of the  different sides still find themselves searching for meaning. In many ways the Civil Rights movement saw its origins in the years after the Civil War, but Reconstruction set the movement back almost a hundred years.

A good book, but two issues keep it from being great. The author has organized the book with each chapter focusing on a certain personality. Which is fine with the exception that the chapter often meanders away from that personality so it is easy to lose your place. It would have been much better presented in a chronological format, but the timeline shucks and jives. The second issue is that near the end when it does a good job of tying the events to the modern struggle for equality, it makes the case, but the book ends before truly delving deep. If ever a book could have used fifty more pages, this is one.

All said though, well done. If you are curious about the period of Reconstruction, this is an excellent book.

 

Book Reviews, Civil War

Book Review: The Training Ground: Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848

 

The Mexican War is one of those often overlooked conflicts in American history, almost always overshadowed by the Civil War almost twenty years later. It is however a very important piece of history that should not be overlooked by those studying our past.

See in this conflict you get introduced to many of the major players from the next war. Grant, Lee, Sherman, Davis, Jackson, Longstreet are just a few. They are all here, though younger and perhaps a little less world-weary. It is through their eyes that the author brings the war to life.

Where many historians tend to approach the Mexican War from the top down, delving into the politics and manipulations that brought it about. Dugard instead deals with the officers and specifically those that were schooled at West Point and who shared that bond.

It is through their eyes that the war unfolds. A lust for action, and a desire to seek glory and fame, tempered only by the need to see their homes and loved ones again. The story told is not the war, but how it effected those that fought. Through out the interactions of the men you can’t help but feel a sense of foreboding as you know what the future holds for many of those that survive, and how the lessons they learned in Mexico would be applied in their only country.

Dugard tells the story well and includes many bits from the journals letters and reminiscences of the men involved. At times the writing feels a bit rushed and it seems as if there were bits glossed over. Which takes nothing away from the book, but leaves you wanting more if you are looking for the op down. If you want to get to know the men, then this is a great place to start.

 

Civil War

Monumental (Part Three)

 

The image of Confederate General Robert E. Lee astride his white charger could bring his men to tears. Filled with pride and the knowledge that he was there helped the men to fight harder and longer than should have been possible. The men loved Lee as a father and they would follow him to the end of the world.

His monument at Gettysburg, officially the monument of Virginia, shows Lee in all his glory staring stoically out across the open field, surveying the Union lines on the third day of battle. The third day, the day that would not only seal the loss of the battle for Lee, but would be the death kneel of the Confederacy.

This was the day that lee sent General Pickett and his troops across the field, over a mile in the open to try to smash their way through the center of the Union line. A line that had been beaten and bashed for two days. Against the advice of his right hand General Longstreet, Lee knew in his heart he had made the right decision.

The attack got off slow. The bombardment that was to soften the defenses fell short, lack of ammunition kept the fire rate lower than expected. When the time came though Picket and his men advanced. The story of Pickett’s charge is one for another time. Regardless of whose side you sympathize with the bravery and sheer will power that the Confederate soldiers showed as they reached the Union line is beyond measure.

Yet they failed. Crushed by Union artillery. Raked by a withering flanking fire that decimated them as they closed in. Fences, fences that the men had to stop and climb over as rifle and cannon fire tore gaping holes in their lines. They failed and those that could crawled, ran, walked, shuffled back to the stating point of their attack. And there when they arrived was Lee. Tears in his eyes as he realized he had made a mistake and hundreds of men paid the price.

His monument sits at the very spot where he solemnly greeted those that survived the attack. A stone face stares out at the fields of what had to have been worst day of the war for him. The high point of the rebellion had come and gone, and Lee will forever bear witness to that failed attack.

Civil War

Monumental (Part One)

Above we have the North Carolina monument at Gettysburg National Military Park. A monument to the bravery and tenacity of the men from North Carolina that fought in the field for the state and for the Confederacy.

The history of Confederate monuments is fascinating as for many years they were discouraged completely and it was not until much later that they started to appear. Hard feelings and lack of money kept many Southern states from being able to build the monuments. As such there are far more monuments to the Union troops than the Confederates, which makes sense because the battle was  a Union victory and occurred in the North.

The North Carolina monument was dedicated on July 3, 1929. (Interestingly enough the Texas monument was not dedicated until 1982.) To the side of the monument is erected a stone tablet with the following inscription:

1863
North Carolina
To the eternal glory of the North Carolina
soldiers. Who on this battlefield displayed
heroism unsurpassed sacrificing all in sup-
port of their cause. Their valorous deeds
will be enshrined in the hearts of men long
after these transient memorials have crum-
bled into dust.

Thirty two North Carolina regiments were in
action at Gettysburg July 1,2,3, 1863. One Con-
federate soldier in every four who fell here
was a North Carolinian.

This tablet erected by the North Carolina Division United Daughters of the Confederacy.

 

Over 14,000 men of North Carolina were a part of the Army of Northern Virginia, only Virginia provided more men. During the battle NC lost almost 6,000 men or almost 40% of those that took part in the battle. As stated on the tablet over one-quarter of all Confederate casualties these three days came from North Carolina.

We will look at some more of the monuments in the days to come.