Civil War Chronicles

12/05/2023

George Armstrong Custer was born on this day, December 5, 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio. He graduated last in his West Point class in June of 1861 and was present at the first battle of Bull Run a month later in July. He died in 1876 at Little Bighorn and is buried at West Point Cemetery. Which is an amazing place to visit.

12/04/2023

December 4, 1863, General James Longstreet's Confederate forces abandoned Knoxville, Tennessee. Two days later soldiers under Union General Ambrose Burnside occupy the city. The Union is now in control of eastern Tennessee which was vitally important to the South. Knoxville was where the railroad linked the Confederacy east and west.

12/04/2023

Today the CWC will be attending the annual Memorial Illumination at the Antietam National Battlefield. This is a truly humbling experience that we at CWC, would highly recommend anyone interested in history to attend this. Photo courtesy of the nps website for Antietam.

11/30/2023

Today in 1864, General John Bell Hood, commanding the Army of Tennessee, will catch up with his adversary just outside the town of Franklin, Tennessee. The battle will rage for several hours, leaving at least 6 of his generals dead. The fighting around the Carter House, which was near the center of the line, was especially intense. The pictures are of the Carter farm office showing the intense damage from the battle.

11/23/2023

Wishing all of our followers a very happy Happy Thanksgiving Day. On October 3, 1863, President Lincoln issued a proclamation designating “the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving.” Here's a copy as it appears in Harper's Weekly.

11/20/2023

"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal."

11/18/2023

36 seconds of sunset from Barlow's Knoll under the crescent moon.

11/18/2023

11/17/2023

Remembering the soldiers and citizens of Gettysburg.

11/16/2023

Wishing safe travels to those headed to Gettysburg for Remembrance Weekend. We will try to post some videos and maybe do a live sometime over the course of the weekend.

11/14/2023

Edwin Booth was born November 13, 1833. Although he was one of the most famous actors in 19th-century America he is remembered primarily as the older brother of Lincoln assassin, John Wilkes Booth. Edwin played no part in the assassination, but it damaged his reputation. He was forced to temporarily give up acting.

Edwin Booth is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

11/11/2023

Today, Veterans Day, we honor and respect all that fought during the Civil War.

11/10/2023

These photos are from Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This particular cemetery is the final resting for many notable names in our Civil War history.

11/08/2023

General Oliver Otis Howard was born on this day, November 8, 1830, in Leeds, Maine. Howard attended Bowdoin College and West Point. He bravely served throughout the Civil War losing an arm at the Battle of Fair Oaks in June 1862.

Post War Howard was Superintendent of the Freedman's Bureau. Howard died in 1909 and is buried in Burlington, Vermont.

11/06/2023

To most people who study the civil war, the date September 17, 1862 is known as the bloodiest day in American history. But far away from those bloody fields, the Allegheny Arsenal in Lawrenceville just outside of Pittsburgh suffered a catastrophic explosion. When the dust settled, there were at least 79 dead and hundreds wounded. It was such a sad day that most people today are unaware of it. A small monument in nearby Allegheny Cemetery serves as a reminder to those who perished that day, which were mainly women and children.

11/05/2023

November 5, 1818, Benjamin "Spoons" Butler was born in Deerfield, NH and grew up in Lowell, Massachusetts. Butler was both a controversial politician and a Union General during the American Civil War.

This is a colorful description of Butler by a Union staff officer. The officer wrote in his diary how Butler cut “an astounding figure on a horse! Short, fat, shapeless; no neck, squinting, and very bald headed, and, above all, that singular, half defiant look.”

Butler is buried at Hildreth Cemetery in Lowell, Massachusetts.

11/05/2023

November 5, 1862, President Lincoln replaced Union General George McClellan with General Ambrose Burnside as commander for the Army of the Potomac.

11/04/2023

When going on road trips, it's pretty common that I stop at at least one cemetery and walk amongst the stones of people to find their local civil war soldier's final resting place. Yesterday was no exception to the rule. At a small community cemetery, I found several interesting graves. First was 1st Lt. Samuel Morgan Adams from Co. H of the 62nd Pennsylvania. He was born in 1824 and, unfortunately, like many his age, died in 1864 during a skirmiah at Bethesda Church, part of the overland campaign. And then there was John Gilfillan, who served in Co. E of the 101st PA and lost his life at the battle of Fair Oaks at the age of 23. Sad tales, but these markers honor a generation that gave the ultimate sacrifice and deserve so much. So get out there and explore and find your own local heros!

10/31/2023

https://www.gettysburgtimes.com/news/local/article_9eb69c3c-1fe8-5a1f-a227-b65dd6095907.html

A small space was recently discovered at the birthplace of Jennie Wade in Gettysburg Borough.

10/28/2023

Leaves falling on the 78th and 102nd New York.

10/27/2023

1902 images from Bowdoin College archives. Oliver Otis Howard who passed away October 26, 1909 in Burlington, VT is in these photos. Do you recognize him?

10/19/2023

Francis Channing Barlow was born in Brooklyn, New York October 19, 1834. He rose from Private to Major General throughout the course of the Civil War.

Barlow is most remembered for day 1 at Gettysburg but should be also remembered for his brave and gallant fighting at Seven Days Battles, Antietam, the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and High Bridge in the final days of the war.

10/17/2023

At age 91, on October 17, 1910 Julia Ward Howe died from complications of pneumonia. Howe was a staunch abolitionist, a poet and author of the Battle Hymn of the Republic which was inspired by a visit to President Lincoln in November of 1861. She believed strongly in freeing the slaves but not in equality with whites.

She's buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

10/16/2023

October 16, 1859 the raid on Harpers Ferry took place. 10 of the raiders were killed in the attack and would be yet another tipping point that ultimately leads to Civil War.

10/15/2023

Back in the June 2022 Civil War Chronicles visited the Kernstown Battlefield in Virginia. We were treated to a tour inside the home to see the restoration in progress. The Pritchard Home saw war first hand and was in the crossroads of troop movement by Union and Confederate soldiers alike. The excerpt below is taken in part from the Kernstown Battlefield website.

Samuel and Helen Pritchard lived peacefully on their farm prior to the war. On March 23, 1862 their quiet farm was overrun with troops, both Northern and Southern. A total of sixteen Union cannon were in place atop Pritchard's Hill. Confederate troops were advancing from the south across their farmland toward the hill. Cannon fire roared in a constant rumble slicing through the Confederate ranks, and the sharp report of musket fire cut through the valley felling men in those once peaceful fields. Suddenly the Southern ranks were turned sharply westward and headed for the relative safety of nearby Sandy Ridge.
The Pritchard family were forced to huddle together in their cellar waiting for the end of the battle...hoping for the best but fearing the worst.
After the battle on their farm many wounded were brought to the Pritchard home where they were nursed and given care by the family. This would not be the only time war came to their farm. Throughout the war years countless wounded soldiers, north and south were brought to the Pritchards for care.
In the summer of 1863 just prior to the Second Battle of Wi******er, Union artillery again was placed on Pritchard's Hill in an effort to keep the Confederate army at bay. Luckily for the Pritchards, the next day that battle moved on to Wi******er and they sighed in relief.
July 24, 1864, the Second Battle of Kernstown was upon them and Union artillery again placed guns commanding position atop Pritchard's Hill. The farm was host 12,000 Union and almost 17,000 Confederate forces. Their home became a hospital again.

10/12/2023

Robert E. Lee, after the Civil War, played a crucial role in restoring peace. He passed away, on this date, from the effects of a stroke, October 12, 1870.

Credit to LOC for this 1869 image of Lee.

10/11/2023

Good Morning to everyone from our Headquarters in Gettysburg!
The Sachs Bridge’s 100 foot expansion connects land on either side of Marsh Creek in Gettysburg.
It was used on July 1,1863 by 2 Brigades of the 1st Corps and the 3rd Corps for getting to the field.
After the Battle, General Lee would direct a large portion of his Army of Northern Virginia from Seminary Ridge to use this bridge for the rain soaked retreat out of Pennsylvania.
*pictured here with our mascot Cleo.

10/11/2023

Monument to the 54th Massachusetts in Boston and the grave marker for Robert Gould Shaw at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Shaw was born October 10, 1837 and was killed in action leading the men of the 54th at Fort Wagner in July 1863. At his family's wishes Shaw's body remained in the mass grave with his fallen commrades.

Civil War Chronicles highly recommends a visit to Boston and this incredible cemetery where many other notables are at rest.

https://www.mountauburn.org/?cache

10/09/2023

General George Sykes was born October 9, 1822 in Dover, Delaware. He was a 1842 graduate of West Point where he was nicknamed Slow Trot Sykes. Among his classmates were James Longstreet, Lafayette McLaws and William Rosecrans.

Sykes' military career did not rise to a prominent status and has been called "lackluster." At Gettysburg he commanded the V Corps after Meade's promotion. Here he was in support of the 3rd Corps left wing of the Union army. With the reorganization of the AOP in the spring of 1864 Sykes lost his corps and was sent to uneventful duty in the Department of Kansas.

10/08/2023

Several years ago Civil War Cronicles traveled to the beautiful battlefield of Perryville, KY. This battle was fought today in 1862. Confederate forces under General Bragg and Union forces commanded by General Don Carlos Buell and George Thomas. It would be the largest and bloodiest battle in Kentucky and would end in a strategic victory for the Union with Bragg retreating into Tennessee and the state of Kentucky firmly in Union hands for the rest of the war.

10/06/2023

Civil War Chronicles visited Hildene, the home of Robert Todd Lincoln, the oldest child of Abraham and Mary (Todd) Lincoln. Hildene is located in Manchester, VT on 412 acres. The estate is a Georgian revival mansion. We definitely recommend visiting here. It's rich in history and situated on the most picturesque mountain side.

10/04/2023

One of our favorite Gettysburg monuments is to the 13th Massachusetts. They were formed on July 16, 1861, at Fort Independence in Boston, Massachusetts. In their years of service the 13th Massachusetts lost in total 161 men who perished during the Civil War. Of those, 117 enlisted men were killed or mortally wounded and 40 enlisted men died of disease.

The monument to the 13th Massachusetts at Gettysburg sits on the slope of Oak Ridge on Robinson Avenue. It is the only Massachusetts monument to feature the likeness of a member of the unit, Color Sergeant Roland G. Morris, who fell at this spot on July 1, 1863.

09/29/2023

Louis J. Weichmann was born September 29, 1842 in Baltimore, Maryland. Weichmann, once a suspect in the Lincoln assassination became the main witness in the trial against the conspirators. He testified that he saw John Wilkes Booth, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt and David Herold in Mrs. Surratt's house together.

09/28/2023

Beautiful day for walking the battlefield. From Steven’s Knoll, looking towards East Cemetery Hill.

09/26/2023

From Benner's Hill where 19 year old Joseph Latimer, known as the "Boy Major" was mortally wounded July 2, 1863. His left arm was amputated. Latimer's condition rapidly worsened and he died on August 1, 1863.

09/24/2023

Civil War Chronicles is humbled to announce we reached 6,000 followers today. We want to thank all of you for following our efforts to share Civil War history factually without bias.

09/19/2023

https://youtu.be/od3yGv-7gk0?si=RmaiM74xMfChJoHH
Thanks to the great people of American Battlefield Trust we can enjoy this short tour of the Chickamauga battfield which was fought 160 years ago today.

Jump in the car with author and historian Dave Powell for a full tour of Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park, as well as the Chattanooga Nationa...