A
Second Newsletter for April 2018
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We have so much stuff going on we had to send out a second newsletter for the first time ever!
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From the Editor
For a change of pace, I took my 13-month-old son out to Spotsylvania for our afternoon run the other day instead of Chancellorsville. Whenever Maxwell and I are out, I like to talk to him about the battlefields and the stories of what happened there because, even though we’re using the space for recreation, I think it’s still important to remember the history. So far, Maxwell hasn’t had many questions, but we chatter back and forth, enjoying the sound of each other’s voices.
I don’t like to run through the tip of the Mule Shoe, though. I think it’s disrespectful. I slowed our pace to a walk as we passed along the rubberized walking trail, and I told Maxwell a little bit about what took place there.
How do you tell that story to a 13-month-old?
Well, for me, at that moment, walking through the Bloody Angle with my youngest son, the story became one about all the fathers who lost sons in the fight, and all the sons who lost fathers...about all the men who didn’t go home to their families...and about those lucky men who did.
For all the different ways and reasons we all study the war, for me, it always comes down to one thing in the end: these were guys just like me. They were stuck in places they didn’t really want to be, trying to do their duty as they best saw it. At the Mule Shoe, how many of those men, on either side,
really wanted to be there? How many were thinking of home and family just before the storm broke on May 12, 1864? How many of the wounded and dying afterwards?
That’s why I keep studying the war and telling these stories: for all those fathers and sons.
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Emerging Civil War
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ECW's First-Ever Pop-Up Tour is Coming
to Antietam's Cornfield May 26th
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Of all the Union brigades to fight in and around Antietam's bloody 24-acre cornfield, few suffered such a terrifying ordeal as the Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York soldiers of George Hartsuff's First Corps brigade. Hartsuff's soldiers were some of the first Federals into David Miller's cornfield. They passed through the corn and fell into their positions south of the field. "Never did I see more rebs to fire at than that moment presented themselves," recalled one brigade veteran.
Hartsuff himself (
pictured, right
) fell wounded early in the fight, but his soldiers slugged it out with their Confederate counterparts for 30 minutes before low ammunition and an enemy counterattack forced them from the field. In those 30 minutes of brutal fighting, Hartsuff's brigade suffered losses as high as 51%. One of its regiments, the 12th Massachusetts Infantry, lost 67% of their strength in the brief firefight.
Join ECW contributors
Dan Welch
and Kevin
Pawlak
for an in-depth look at the actions and personalities of George Hartsuff's brigade from the battlefield to the hospital sites to the final resting place of Hartsuff's soldiers.
The tour will begin at 9:30 am on
Saturday, May 26, 2018
and will conclude by 12:30 pm. The tour will begin at the New York State Monument adjacent to the Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center and will visit the Cornfield, the site of the Smoketown Hospital, Antietam National Cemetery, and more.
Please register in advance
, as space is limited. The cost is $20 per person. Proceeds from the tour benefit ECW's battlefield preservation fund.
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by Symposium co-organizer Dan Welch
It's hard to believe that we are just months away from the Symposium.
We hope you’ve enjoyed the last few weeks of blog posts, getting to know this year’s speakers and getting a preview of their presentations. I know some of their previews have encouraged me to pick up some books on their topics and begin reading up on them.
Speaking of books related to this year's symposium, if you have not already picked up Turning Points of the American Civil War, part of our Engaging the Civil War series with Southern Illinois University Press. Click here to order it.
Now that the weather has turned, our very own Chris Mackowski has been out walking the Chancellorsville battlefield, preparing for Sunday's field tour focusing on the wounding and death of Stonewall Jackson. You will not want to miss it!
Keep checking in on the blog for more updates and previews as we get closer to August!
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Facebook LIVE with the Civil War Trust and ECW
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Emerging Civil War is once more teaming up with the
Civil War Trust
for a series of Facebook LIVE events in May. We’ll be commemorating the 155th anniversary of the battle of Chancellorsville early in the month, and in mid-May, we’ll be commemorating the 155th anniversary of the Vicksburg Campaign. ECW co-founders
Kristopher D. White
, education manager for the Civil War Trust, and
Chris Mackowski
will co-host the broadcasts, with several great guests joining in along the way.
On
May 2 and 3
, we’ll cover Chancellorsville from start to finish, beginning with the Civil War Trust’s First Day at Chancellorsville battlefield and going right on up through the battle of Salem Church. National Park Service historian
Beth Parnicza
will join us, as will ECW’s
Daniel T. Davis
. Expect to see some other familiar faces, too.
On
May 10
, we’ll cover the death of Stonewall Jackson. The Friends of Wilderness Battlefield will be opening Ellwood Manor for us (location of Jackson's arm!), and National Park Service historian
Frank O’Reilly
will join us at the Jackson Shrine in Guiney Station. Because May 10 is also the anniversary—in 1864—of Emory Upton’s attack at Spotsylvania Court House, we’ll also visit the Spotsy battlefield for part of the day. Look for a few other surprises, as well.
On
May 16
, we head to the banks of the “Father of All Rivers," where we’ll follow in the footsteps of Grant’s first overland campaign, hitting such sites at Raymond and Champion Hill. On
May 17
, we’ll focus on the siege of Vicksburg at Vicksburg National Battlefield, complete with a tour of the battleship
Cairo
. Historians
Timothy Smith
and
Parker Hills
will join us for both days, and we have several other guests lined up, too.
The Civil War Trust and ECW will both post schedules on our Facebook pages so you can easily follow along.
We had a great time back in December for the anniversary of the battle of Fredericksburg, and of course, Kris White and Garry Adelman just got back from several days of events that spotlighted
the Civil War in California
. You can check out all the previous Facebook LIVE events at the Civil War Trust’s Facebook page. This May promises to be just as much fun, so be sure to join us.
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Fredericksburg National Cemetery will host its annual luminary ceremony on Saturday, May 26. It’s a powerful, poignant event (read more here).
This year, Emerging Civil War is pleased to announce the availability of Don Pfanz’s
Where Valor Proudly Sleeps: A History of the Fredericksburg National Cemetery. The book is the second in our “Engaging the Civil War” Series from Southern Illinois University Press.
Don, a former historian at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, is the authority on the cemetery’s history. His book also overs an excellent overview of the creation of the National Cemetery System, so it’s not just limited to Fredericksburg—it’s a must-have for anyone interested in our national Civil War cemeteries.
Order your copy today! Copies will also be available at the event at the Fredericksburg Battlefield Visitor Center's bookstore.
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May
20th-23rd
: Dwight Hughes, “Civil War on the Rivers,” North American Society for Oceanic History Annual Conference, St. Charles, MO
23rd:
Rob Orrison, “The Potomac River Blockade,” Fredericksburg (VA) Civil War Round Table
30th – June 3:
Chris Kolakowski, Civil War Trust Annual Conference, Newport News (exact schedule TBD)
June
2nd:
Gazette665 Civil War History Conference 1863: Battling For Freedom, Temecula, CA
- Daniel T. Davis – “First Command: George A. Custer in the Gettysburg Campaign”
- Sarah Kay Bierle – “A City at War: Richmond’s 1863”
2nd & 3rd:
Chris Mackowski, North Anna and Mine Run battlefield tours, Robert E. Lee Civil War Roundtable of Central New Jersey
15th:
Chris Kolakowski, “MacArthur as Military Leader,” Kennesaw State University Dooley Leadership Series
21st:
Daniel T. Davis: “The Battle of Yellow Tavern and the Death of Jeb Stuart,” Powhatan Civil War Roundtable, Powhatan, VA
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