The excitement, anticipation and enthusiasm continue to build in the reenactment community, the Gettysburg community and the international community for the 150th Gettysburg National Civil War Reenactment on July 4 – 7, according to the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee. Soldier registration has hit the 9,000 mark with 133 registered full size artillery pieces (with 10 horse drawn) and 375 registered horses. Reenactors registered by May 15 will have their name included
Dolinger, 73, a Pembroke, VA, barber, recently visited his post office and saw the Civil War photograph on the back of stamp sheet in the Postal Service’s philatelic catalog. He shared this fascinating story with the postmaster. He’s a direct descendant to the three Confederates who were captured July 3, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg. They are pictured without weapons and are carrying extra bedrolls. As POWs, they were
May 18, 1863: Siege of Vicksburg Begins One of the great campaigns of military history came to an end as Grant’s triumphant Federal army moved across the Big Black River, took Haynes’ Bluff, and began to invest Vicksburg. Confederate Johnston orders Pemberton to evacuate the city, but he decided to stay. The siege has begun. Major fighting elsewhere at Hog Island, Bates County, Mo., and near Cheneyville, La. Skirmishes broke
On alternating weeks, public can tour eight Gettysburg churches Historic Church Walking Tours of Gettysburg celebrates its 10th season of providing local residents and tourists alike with visits to their historic churches. On Wednesday evenings during the summer months, church volunteers provide short programs about their church and how it played a crucial role during and after America’s most significant Civil War battle. When the Battle of Gettysburg ended on
The North-South Skirmish Association held its 127th National Competition May 17-19, 2013 at Fort Shenandoah near Winchester, Virginia. Member units competed in live-fire matches with original or authentic reproduction Civil War period muskets, carbines, breech loading rifles, revolvers, mortars and cannons. It is the largest Civil War event of its kind in the country. The 110th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) returned to the musket match winners circle with a scorching
A Day of Music, Living History, and Special Programs at Historic Ellwood Manor A cooperative program of the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield and the National Park Service On Saturday, June 1, 2013, the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield (FoWB) and the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park will host a full day of activities at historic Ellwood on the Wilderness Battlefield. “Voices of Freedom—At the Crossroads of Virginia” will recall the
It is with mixed emotions that the staff of the Crystal River Raid, Inc. announce the retirement of our event. Our land manager and event coordinator, Curtis Peters, has been offered a position with another mining company and he has decided to accept their offer. He officially left the Holcim US, Inc. Crystal River site on March 24th, and began his new job on March 25. We congratulate Curtis and
Wynne, Lewis N., & Taylor, Robert A. This War So Horrible: The Civil War Diary of Hiram Smith Williams, (2007), Tuscaloosa, AL: The University of Alabama Press, 175pp., $27.50, ISBN: 0-8173-0642-0 “There is something awful in the bursting of a shell and the shrill hiss of a minnie ball that has to be heard to be fully appreciated.” (29-30) These words of wisdom came from Hiram Smith Williams, a highly
In Clash at Kennesaw: June – July, 1864, Russell W. Blount, Jr. briefly touched on the contentious relationship between General Albert Sidney Johnston and Confederate President Jefferson Davis – a relationship that seriously colored their ability to work well together. He points out that with both men “sensitive” to criticism (Page 23), Johnston’s close friendship with Senator Louis Wigfall – an outspoken Davis critic – quite possibly exacerbated the difficulties
It was October 20, 1865, and the time had come for Champ Ferguson to die. The weather had been cold in Nashville leading up to Ferguson’s execution date, but crowds still gathered near the State Penitentiary on the corner of Stonewall and Church Streets. A large contingent of soldiers stood guard not only at the Penitentiary but also along the streets in order to maintain order. Ironically, the Union troops