It would have been more accurately called “Longstreet’s Charge” as it involved three of his divisions – Pickett, Pettigrew, and Trimble. That was a total of 12,500-15,000 men. It was Lee’s desperate attempt to end the Civil War in one day. In the first two days of the battle, he Read more…
The Civil War has often been called a war of brothers versus brothers. The fact that all the soldiers were Americans was exemplified by moments of fraternization like depicted in this sketch. Pickets were soldiers stationed at the front of an army as an early warning system of an enemy Read more…
Sharpshooters were first used in the Civil War in America. They were what we would call snipers today, but they also served as skirmishers. Skirmishers were soldiers placed in front of the line to either make first contact when the army was attacking or provide warning of an approaching force. Read more…
The Battle of Cedar Creek occurred on Oct. 19, 1864 in the war-ravaged Shenandoah Valley. Confederate Gen. Jubal Early initiated the action with an attack on a Union camp. The Yankees were taken completely by surprise and beat a hasty retreat, losing 1,300 prisoners and 24 cannons. The Union commander Read more…
One of the most famous units in Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was the Louisiana Tigers. They had a reputation of being terrors on the battlefield … and in camp. The nickname originated with a volunteer company raised by Maj. Chatham Wheat in New Orleans. It was called the “Tiger Read more…
There were at least four major snow ball fights (“snow balling”) between Confederate units in the Civil War. The biggest occurred on Jan. 29, 1863 after two feet of snow blanketed the Rappahannock Valley in Virginia. It started when the 1st and 4th Texas Regiments took on the 5th. When Read more…
The parole system originated in Europe and was used in America for the first and only time in the Civil War. It basically involved the exchange of prisoners. Until an exchange could be arranged, the prisoner was paroled meaning they could not participate in any military activities that would benefit Read more…
Interesting Facts about the Battle of Chancellorsville Gen. Joseph Hooker had replaced the incompetent Ambrose Burnside after his frontal lunacy at Fredericksburg. Hooker quickly whipped the Army of the Potomac into shape and stole a march on Lee by crossing the Rappahannock River and descending on Lee’s left. Lee’s Army Read more…
Drummer boys go back hundreds of years. They were used in the Revolutionary War, but are most famous for their role in the Civil War. If you were too young to enlist as a soldier, you could join the army as a drummer boy. Some were as young as 12. Read more…
Battle of Antietam – Interesting Facts Most history books use the Northern names for the battles because the victors write the history books. Many Civil War battles had a Northern name and a Southern name. Northerners tended to name battlefields after natural landmarks like rivers because they were memorable for Read more…