First Blood at Raceland Station
By Scott Valentine The officers and men of the 8th Vermont Infantry wondered if they’d ever face an armed enemy. For months after their 1862 assignment to Maj. Gen. Ben
Category: Vignette
“Better Men Were Never Better Led”
By Scott Valentine Many a Northern man did not answer the call to join the Union army in 1861. One of them, Samuel Augustus Duncan, continued teaching students at Dartmouth
The Death of a Tenacious Veteran
By Scott Valentine Brigadier Gen. Joseph King Fenno Mansfield mastered the art of soldiering long before many of those commanded by him were a twinkle in their parents’ eyes. Thomas
Turning the Tables at Laurel Hill
By Scott Valentine First Lt. and Acting Adjutant Orett Lyman Munger and his comrades in the 44th New York Infantry rushed to capture, along with the rest of 5th Corps,
A Plucky Mortar Boat Crew at Plum Point Bend
By Scott Valentine Ever since the Army of the Mississippi had been diverted to Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck’s campaign against Corinth, Miss., the Union’s Western Gunboat Flotilla had been
In the Bowels of Hell at Antietam
By Scott Valentine When William Estes Hacker regained consciousness after a bullet knocked him off his feet at Antietam, he became aware of the appalling human carnage around him. The
Sabers at Shepherdstown
By Scott Valentine Seeking to relieve pressure on the Army of Northern Virginia besieged at Richmond and Petersburg in the summer of 1864, Gen. Robert E. Lee ordered a diversion
Wounded at Fort Wagner, Death after Bermuda Hundred
About half an hour after the 54th Massachusetts Infantry and the rest of Brig. Gen. George Strong’s Brigade charged Fort Wagner, another Union brigade joined the offense. Commanded by Col.
The Strange Cask of Captain Leeds
Francis Randolph Leeds enjoyed a sterling reputation as a cashier at the Stamford Bank in Connecticut. Popular with customers and others in town, the 27-year old applied to raise a
“The Little Doctor” With a Big Reputation
By Scott Valentine The fighting at Bull Run, the Civil War’s first major battle, seemed touch and go for a while. In the end, the Rebels controlled the field and