Often, when studying a battle, I pick up a unit history to see if the author can help me understand what took place. Zack Waters' book on the Florida Brigade of the Huger-Anderson-Mahone Division of the Army of Northern Virginia, A Small But Spartan Band, surpassed all my expectations when I bought it to see what information it could provide about the events of late June 1864. The book draws upon original sources from not only Florida soldiers bur from other troops belonging to the division. I intend to write more about this book, which I plan to read from cover to cover.
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
Chris Mackowski
Tonight I attended a meeting of the Lincoln-Davis Civil War Round Table in Alsip, Illinois. Chris Mackowski gave an excellent presentation on his new book, The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson. If you ever get the chance to hear Chris speak about the Civil War, by all means go and hear him.
Praise for "The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864"
Ralph Peters is the author of several excellent novels about the Civil War, including Cain at Gettysburg, Hell or Richmond, and Valley of the Shadow. Soon he will be out with The Damned of Petersburg. Mr. Peters has this to say about The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864:
"In the course of writing my Civil War
novels, there’s always a book that proves especially resonant for a given
subject. This time, John Horn’s The Siege of Petersburg, The Battles for the
Weldon Railroad, August 1864,
drew me back again and again. It was a
true labor of love for Mr. Horn to write about three battles in which the rest
of us, wrongly, have shown but little interest: Second Deep Bottom, Globe
Tavern and (Second) Reams Station. His
recently revised and expanded edition is, as my old drill sergeant used to say,
'Mighty fine, mighty fine…'"
Thursday, September 3, 2015
Book Signing at Petersburg National Battlefield, December 26, 2015
On December 26, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, I'll be at Petersburg National Battlefield Park to sign copies of The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864. I'll also sign any other title I've authored, such as The Petersburg Campaign, or any other title I've helped edit, such as Civil War Talks: The Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard and His Fellow Veterans.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
NOTICE: No Name Calling and Similar Forms of Incivility
Name calling and similar forms of incivility will not be tolerated in this blog. Comments engaging in them will be deleted. I reserve the right to deal with the substance of those comments. For example, someone who fashions himself "Jubilo" recently commented after some name calling:
"Hardenburg is now thought to have captured the color of a Georgia not an Alabama regiment. This was the subject of much discussion between Bill Rambo of Confederate Memorial Park in Alabama and Greg Biggs of the Clarksville,TN C.W. R.T. Supposedly no Alabama colors were taken at that engagement althought the offical records declare otherwise. The discussion goes on for those who care !"
[This comment refers to Private Henry M. Hardenbergh, Company G, 39th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry, color bearer of the 39th Illinois on August 16, 1864 in an assault on Confederate fortifications above Fussell's Mill, about ten miles southeast of Richmond. After being wounded and having the colors taken from him by an officer, Hardenbergh pressed on and captured the flag of an Alabama regiment after killing its bearer. Hardenbergh was awarded a Medal of Honor and a commission for his achievement.]
My response is that I sympathize because the breakthrough took place on the front of a Georgia brigade, but the only evidence is that Hardenbergh captured the flag of an Alabama regiment in the adjacent Alabama brigade. The evidence is in Hardenbergh's service record and Clark's history of the 39th Illinois. There is no evidence whatsoever that Hardenbergh captured the flag of a Georgia regiment. What people think, what they discuss, and what they suppose are not evidence.
"Hardenburg is now thought to have captured the color of a Georgia not an Alabama regiment. This was the subject of much discussion between Bill Rambo of Confederate Memorial Park in Alabama and Greg Biggs of the Clarksville,TN C.W. R.T. Supposedly no Alabama colors were taken at that engagement althought the offical records declare otherwise. The discussion goes on for those who care !"
[This comment refers to Private Henry M. Hardenbergh, Company G, 39th Illinois Veteran Volunteer Infantry, color bearer of the 39th Illinois on August 16, 1864 in an assault on Confederate fortifications above Fussell's Mill, about ten miles southeast of Richmond. After being wounded and having the colors taken from him by an officer, Hardenbergh pressed on and captured the flag of an Alabama regiment after killing its bearer. Hardenbergh was awarded a Medal of Honor and a commission for his achievement.]
My response is that I sympathize because the breakthrough took place on the front of a Georgia brigade, but the only evidence is that Hardenbergh captured the flag of an Alabama regiment in the adjacent Alabama brigade. The evidence is in Hardenbergh's service record and Clark's history of the 39th Illinois. There is no evidence whatsoever that Hardenbergh captured the flag of a Georgia regiment. What people think, what they discuss, and what they suppose are not evidence.
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