On March 3, 1865, as the nation entered what became, though it could not have been known at the time, the final campaign of the war in the east, Congress approved an amendment offering amnesty to Union deserters, provided they returned to the ranks by May 10. President Lincoln announced the amnesty on March 11…
I met Patrick O’Donnell several years ago during an event at Goose Creek Bridge on the Upperville Battlefield. He, along with Dan Murphy, hung around afterwards until most everyone had left and then the three of us introduced ourselves and enjoyed a nice conversation. Not long afterwards, I gave them a tour of the battlefields…
Well, almost new. I am a little late posting this announcement of Edward Longacre’s new biography of Jeb Stuart. I hope to post another new book announcement later this week.
Readers who are not fans of George Custer may soon groan that I have changed the focus of my Small but Important Riots blog to a Custer blog. Not true. I have spent a lot of time with Custer for the last year, as I have worked on a couple presentations, and he will appear…
For many years now, my focus of study has been the development of the Union cavalry through 1863. During the last several years, however, I have prepared a couple presentations on the cavalry postwar. While researching those programs, several carbine related documents have caught my eye. Following the Grand Review, the men of the Michigan…
I have long viewed Col. Benjamin Franklin ‘Grimes’ Davis as a bit of an enigma or a mystery. Davis was a Southerner, who honored his oath and remained loyal to the country, a cavalryman who showed defiance and courage at Harpers Ferry, and a Regular Army officer in the mold of his friend John Buford.…
One might argue that George Custer earned his brigadier’s star during the Loudoun Valley fighting, between June 17 and 21, 1863. Putting a finer point to the argument, one could say he earned the promotion on June 21, at Upperville. General Pleasonton recommended Custer for his actions at Aldie and Upperville, which would suggest the…
I want to pass along information from friend, author, historian and Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide, Jim Hessler. Jim, along with fellow GLBG Chris Army, and historian Phil Spaugy have, for a couple of years, been running several tours a year. I believe these are generally run as car caravans, which helps to keep costs reasonable.…
Many of us view Marcus Reno through one lens, the battle of the Little Big Horn, June 25, 1876. And based on our viewpoint, namely our like or dislike of George Custer, we may rate Reno either just above or just below Benedict Arnold on our list of most disliked American military officers. But this…
Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of guiding three Licensed Battlefield Guides from Gettysburg and several of their friends over the June 1863 battlefields in the Loudoun Valley. While standing at the site where the men of the 1st Rhode Island Cavalry met their demise on June 18, we had a long discussion regarding…
Small But Important Riots 