Civil War Voices » Archive
…the hopes of liberty which they had kept alive…
On July 7, 1862 a fierce but small battle took place near Bayou Cache River in eastern Arkansas. During the fight the Ninth Regiment Illinois Cavalry Volunteers was called into action to help sustain a charge that resulted in the Confederates fleeing from the battlefield. The regiment hisorian noted the arrival after the battle of Contraband, who he described as literally crawling out of the woodwork and flocking to the Union line: On our march the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Contraband, Lincoln's Thinking Bayonets
Video: A letter sent from a man on the front lines to his wife back home
A letter sent from a man on the front lines to his wife back home. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Letters
Unknown Soldier’s Letter with Patriotic Envelope
No name or unit and unable to log into the database. Thomas is the last name, probably a member of a Maine unit: Buds Ferry Camp Hooker Feb. lst Brother George, I now have got a chance to write you a few lines and I will improve it I am well as usual & I had a letter from Ed the other day and he was also well. It has rained here for about a month and the mud is … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Letters
Book Review: Brave Men in Desperate Times: The Civil War Combat Experience
Brave Men in Desperate Times: The Civil War Combat Experience is written by John McKay and published by Globe Pequot. Those of you who know the focus of this blog and my background know that I am a sucker for anything that focuses on “soldier studies” and the Civil War. Every day there are countless amounts of not seen before letters and diaries that appear online at places like Ebay and here on soldierstudies.org, writings … Read entire article »
Filed under: Book Reviews, Civil War Soldiers
The Civil War: Strange and Obscure Facts You Didn’t Know
Some interesting facts from the Smithsonian that are indeed “obscure” and some “strange.” I was interested in this one, which caught be by surprise, it dealt with “glowing wounds” reported by soldiers during the Battle of Shiloh: Glowing wounds. After the Battle of Shiloh in 1862, soldiers reported a peculiar phenomenon: glow-in-the-dark wounds. More than 16,000 soldiers from both armies were wounded during the battle, and neither Union nor Confederate medical personnel were prepared for the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers
Civil War soldiers honored on Veterans Day
This past Veterans day saw several celebrations across the country honor Civil War participants. In Middleboro, Mass., the annual parade at 10 a.m. Friday will honor two Civil War soldiers: Andrew Freeman and Bernard Glancy. They will represent hundreds of other soldiers from the town who served in the war. The event will conclude with a ceremony at the Civil War monument on the town hall lawn. In Milton, Mass, the 150th anniversary of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Veterans
Letter Written to Lieutenant in the 92nd Illinois Infantry by Sister
Letter written to Lieutenant Oscar F. Samis, by his sister. Dear brother Oscar, I was glad to hear from you and that you was well, but very sorry you was in such a fix now. If you will send your pants home I will mend them all nice. I suppose you think by this time you can sew as well as anybody. You must have considerable to do these times. I should be sorry if you lost … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Letters
Exhibit puts Civil War in a New Perspective
Houston Museum of Natural Science recently launched an exhibit honoring the Civil War, Discovering the Civil War, which began a six-month run. The exhibit displays letters, diaries and photos; “terse resignations by career soldiers off to defend a new nation; lofty documents of freedom; and a stark arsenal of tools of death.” The above image credit: The war diary is opened to an entry for Christmas Eve 1864, where he details his experiences defending Fort Fisher off … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, News
PBS’ History Detectives investigates a well known tintype…
A recent episode of PBS’ “History Detectives” investigated a tintype with two Confederate soldiers: Andrew Chandler and Silas Chandler, the issue is whether Silas, who was black, represents what some say was a willing black Confederate. The tintype is not a new discovery and there has already been a previously televised show regarding it and the controversial “Black Confederate” debate. Mary Frances Berry, a history professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said the question of whether … Read entire article »
Filed under: Civil War Soldiers, Soldier Studies
