In March of this year, I wrote an article regarding the Spencer carbine postwar. I had been intrigued as to why the army ordered several cavalry regiments, including those of the Michigan Brigade, to turn in their Spencers and later replaced them with single-shot Joslyn carbines. Searching for a definitive answer as to why the…
On the quarterly ordnance return for March 30, 1863, the men of the 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry reported carrying the Merrill carbine exclusively; 555 Merrills in nine companies. On the June 30 report, the men carried 337 Burnside carbines and only Burnsides. On the September 30 return, the men of 11 companies reported carrying 528 Burnsides…
Before the pandemic forced a hiatus from the National Archives, I had several avenues of interest on my shortlist of topics to investigate, including finally looking at some of the Ordnance Department records. Shortly after the facility re-opened and while preparing a presentation on the Michigan Brigade after the Civil War, I read comments from…
In January, I wrote a piece on the Army of the Potomac’s advance back into Virginia in mid-July 1863. I focused on George Custer, temporarily commanding the 3rd Cavalry Division, in the Loudoun Valley, and you can find the story here. On July 22, Custer wrote a detailed message, telling Gen. Alfred Pleasonton of a…
Monday, June 22, 1863, must have been a hectic, tension filled day for the exhausted cavalrymen of Maj. Gen. Alfred Pleasonton’s corps and Maj. Gen. Jeb Stuart’s division. Following the near constant combat of the past several days, Pleasonton had determined to return to Aldie on Monday morning. Col. John Taylor’s Brigade had not participated…
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…
Small But Important Riots 