The Union Cavalry on the Northern Neck – Part 3

Note – This post is Part 3 in a series of articles highlighting unpublished documents related to Union activity on Virginia’s Northern Neck in 1863. I closed my August post (Part 2 in this series) with the following (published) message from Col. Judson Kilpatrick to his division commander, Gen. David Gregg. I include the same…

The Union Cavalry on the Northern Neck – Part 2

Note – This post is Part 2 in a series of articles highlighting unpublished documents related to Union activity on Virginia’s Northern Neck in 1863. In a letter to a Chicago newspaper, a soldier correspondent, described an incident in which several men, he thought to be civilians, confronted and fired upon a patrol from the…

A Little Self-Promotion

As I accept few speaking engagements anymore, it has been a little while since I posted a self-promotion piece. I was asked back in December if I might be interested in speaking with the hosts of the ‘Battlefields and Bourbon Podcast.’ Unfamiliar with the podcast, I listened to several past programs and found the format…

Cleaning your Canteen

A very short post before starting a longer series in July. I never know what might catch my interest as I look through documents at the National Archives. In terms of how I usually discuss the cavalry, the following is outside my norm but it caught my eye. We live in a world of clean…

Inspectors and Horse Doctors – Part 3

On January 12, 1863, General Meigs responded to a letter from a Robert McClure in Philadelphia. McClure may have served in the 4th Pennsylvania Infantry as a captain and major and later may have received a commission as colonel of the 154th Pennsylvania Infantry, a nine-month regiment, that never mustered into service. McClure’s letter may…

Inspectors and Horse Doctors – Part 2

In early 1862, names of enlisted men filling the role of veterinary surgeon or veterinary sergeant begin to appear in my files. In a special order dated January 6, 1862, Col. Henry Davies, 2nd New York, announced, “On recommendation of Major [Alfred] Duffie … Farrier Henry Wickett of Co. A is hereby promoted to Veterinary…