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
Category: Vignette
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
“The Rash Act”
By Scott Valentine Occasionally, the ordeal of war is too much to bear. Such was the case for Cpl. Thomas Sturges Thorp, Jr., of the 23rd New York National Guard.
My Darling Clementine
By Scott Valentine The 1864 Battle of the Monocacy determined the fate of a back door to Washington, D.C. If Lt. Gen. Jubal Early’s Confederates broke through it, the path
The Water Tiger vs. the Long Board With a Hogshead
By Scott Valentine Corporal William Charles Henry Reeder sent dozens of letters to his parents about his Civil War experience. A keen observer, Reeder and his comrades in the 20th
Running Away to Join the Magnificent Eleventh
By Scott Valentine Charles Augustus Oliver ran away from home to join the army in the summer of 1862. The 17-year-old son of a patriotic New Jersey family slipped away
Alone in His Glory
By Scott Valentine Fate had been unkind to the 6th New Hampshire Infantry during the 1864 Overland Campaign. In The Wilderness on May 6, it suffered 48 casualties. By the