American Civil War Era (Fall 2009)
Furman University | http://facweb.furman.edu/%7Ebensonlloyd/civwar/index.htm
Episodes
- The Union’s Last Resort: A Mining Operation
June 20, 1864 to July 26, 1864
DINWIDDIE, Virginia
Civil War, Battle of Petersburg, Battle of the Crater, Mining Operation, Mining, MineBoth Union and Confederate leaders knew that a decisive battle at Petersburg could mean a decisive battle of the war; but, it is unlikely that Union leaders would have guessed that their best chance for victory would depend on constructing a mineshaft. There was a lot riding on the outcome of Petersburg, Virginia. Bryce Suderow, a Civil War historian, explains the Union’s...
- Waul's Texas Legion in the Battle of Vicksburg May 12, 1863 to July 4, 1863 WARREN, Mississippi Vicksburg, Civil War, Waul's Texas Legion, May 22, 1863, Colonel T.N. Waul
The morning officially began at 10:00 AM as the war-weary men of Waul’s Texas Legion lined up shoulder to gray-clad shoulder in Vicksburg, Mississippi; the perfect time for brunch. But it would forever remain in the minds of the Confederates as the beginning of a fight for their everything-- land, honor, freedom, liberty, property—at the one site most important to hold for any chance of Confederate...
- Trench Warfare and Artillery at the Crater July 30, 1864 DINWIDDIE, Virginia Battle of the Crater, Civil War, Artillery
One of the opening battles of the Petersburg Campaign and one that foreshadowed some of the tactics used in the trench warfare of the First World War was the Battle of the Crater on July 30, 1864. At this point in the war, the armies of Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant had settled into trench warfare in the area just to the south of Richmond, with the U.S. Army attempting...
- Leading up to the Battle of Petersburg: The Mining Operation June 20, 1864 to July 26, 1864 DINWIDDIE, Virginia Mine, Mining, Battle of the Crater, Battle of Petersburg, Civil War
The battle of Petersburg, Virginia was crucial in the minds of both Union and Confederate leaders. A leading Civil War historian Bryce A. Suderow explains the Union Army’s thinking: Grant believed that if Union forces could overpower the Confederate lines and crush the Southern stronghold the Southern capital would inevitably fall, ending the American Civil War in the Union’s...
- Damage to the Confederate Line at the Battle of the Crater July 30, 1864 DINWIDDIE, Virginia Battle Damage, Mine Explosion, Trench Warfare, Civil War
The Battle of the Crater in the early stages of the Petersburg campaign resulted in a massive amount of damage to the center of the C.S.A. breastwork. In the early stages of the Petersburg campaign, as the battle settled into trench warfare, a Union officer named Henry Pleasants hatched a plan to dig, plant explosives, and explode a mine in the middle of the Confederate breastwork. ...
- Union Battery in the Campaign for Vicksburg May 2, 1863 to July 27, 1863 WARREN, Mississippi Civil War, Vicksburg, Union, Joseph R. Reed, Second Iowa Battery
The Union Army achieved a decisive victory in the battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, with the city surrendering to General Ulysses Grant on July 4, 1863. The battery divisions effectively utilized the large guns and cannons of the army, which werecrucial to the Union victory at Vicksburg. First Lieutenant Joseph R. Reed of the Second Iowa Battery in the Union Army belonged to one of these battery...
- Infantry in the Failed May Attacks on Vicksburg May 22, 1863 to May 23, 1863 WARREN, Mississippi Fifty-fifth Illinois, William C. Porter, Union, Vicksburg, Civil War
While the city of Vicksburg eventually fell to Union forces on July 4, 1863, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River, several failed assaults occurred prior to the successful siege. Two of the assaults took place on May 19 and 22, and Vicksburg’s defenses held against the Union infantry and artillery forces on both these occasions. Infantry forces in the Civil War often engaged in the...
- Turning the Tide: Col. Samuel Beatty's experience at Shiloh April 9, 1862 HARDIN, Tennessee The Battle of Shiloh, Civil War
Reversing momentum is a crucial element that is necessary for success, whether on a football field or a field of battle. Often, however, those involved in these critical moments do not realize their own significance. On April 9, 1862, Colonel Samuel Beatty, of the Nineteenth Ohio Infantry submitted a report which detailed the actions of his regiment during the Battle of Shiloh two days earlier. Beatty’s...
- Confederate Disorganization Leads to Chaos at Shiloh April 6, 1862 to April 14, 1862 HARDIN, Tennessee Civil War, The Battle of Shiloh
During the battle of Shiloh, Colonel Issac L. Dunlop discovered that even the clearest laid plans and troop organization can be turned into complete chaos after the start of battle. According to the Official Reports of the battle, Colonel Isaac L. Dunlop and his Ninth Arkansas Infantry are clearly put under the command of Brigadier General J.C. Breckinridge in the Reserve Corps, to the east of the...
- Shiloh: Col. Cyprus Hall, 14th Illionois Infantry. April 6, 1862 to April 7, 1862 HARDIN, Tennessee Civil War, 1862, Shiloh, Pittsburgh Landing, Cyprus Hall, Union Army
Colonel Hall’s experience in the Battle of Shiloh is unique from any common and popular knowledge of what actually took place during the battle. The general populations’ recognition of the battles in the west does not compare to their recognition of the battles in the east such as Gettysburg and Harpers Ferry. The reason is that the battles in the east took place in close proximity to some of the...