I first visited Spotsylvania’s Bloody Angle on Memorial Day weekend in 1998. My family had spent the holiday camping on the beach at the Outer Banks, and on the way home to western New York, we did a pass-through tour of the battlefields around Fredericksburg. My four-year-old daughter, Stephanie, had recently discovered Stonewall Jackson and was hungry for more Civil War.

The trip from the Outer Banks home was a twelve-hour drive, so we really only had time for a windshield tour of the battlefields. However, a name like “the Bloody Angle” sounded cool to Steph, and she pleaded for a chance to stop and look around. To her surprise, it was beautiful and peaceful.

“Where’s all the blood?” she asked.

There was plenty of blood there, I assured her. We just couldn’t see it because it was in the ground.

Since that first visit, I’ve returned to the Bloody Angle hundreds of times, first as a tourist, later as a historian and battlefield guide, later as a writer. Now, it’s practically in my backyard, and I visit often, sometimes for exercise, sometimes to give tours, sometimes for contemplation and reflection.

Because I now live so close, I make it a point to visit the Bloody Angle every year on its May 12 anniversary. On years when it’s rained, I’ve gotten a particular thrill. While such weather scares off most people, it was historically accurate for the day, so it always makes me feel just a little bit closer to the men who were there at the time.

This year, the skies could not have been more blue. I walked the field with my youngest son, Maxwell (above), who, like his sister on her first visit, is four. The battlefield is a place to keep an eye out for deer who might be peeking out of the high grass. It’s place to study the scurrying ants, busy around their anthills in the middle of the hiking paths. It’s a place to wonder if there are snakes coiled in the grass next to the trail, ready to spring out or to slither away.

He asks about the blue army and the gray army. He asks where all the fighting was.

There was plenty of blood here, I tell him. We just can’t see it. But there's plenty else to look at, and it's all beautiful.

-- Chris Mackowski, Ph.D.

Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kay Bierle (right) assisted with two tours and a book signing in New Market for the battle anniversary on May 15. She says she's readjusting to in-person events again, but is thrilled to see history enthusiasts on the battlefield and not via a Zoom screen.

Stephen Davis’ essay, “Bonnie Blue Flop: G T. Beauregard and Confederate Strategy in the Autumn of 1864,” has just been published in Crossfire, the journal of the American Civil War Round Table of the United Kingdom. Steve was flown across the pond a few years ago to give a couple of talks on the Atlanta Campaign at the group's annual meeting near London. In his Editor's Report for this issue, Greg Bayne refers to our author as “Stephen ‘Y’all’ Davis.” Quite a nickname, Steve!

David Dixon just returned from Sequoia where he reunited with the General Sherman tree— the subject of a future post. He had seven Zoom talks this month but is happy to be resuming in-person appearances beginning in September.

Bert Dunkerly and Doug Crenshaw visited Manassas battlefield and enjoyed hiking. “We also found the site of Wilmer McLean's house (you know, the guy who moved to Appomattox to get away from the war),” Bert added.

Bert is working on a post about Cold Harbor for an upcoming ECW book project, as well as a series of posts on Antietam (thanks, Kevin Pawlak!). He's also looking forward to warmer weather and hiking more of the Appalachian Trail this summer.

Dwight Hughes reports that writing has pretty much come to a halt in such a beautiful spring with yard and garden that need tending, new perennials and annuals getting planted. "Azalais and rhododendrons are blooming like never before. Not sure if it is the cool weather or just that I finally got around to fertilizing them. But when the heat hits, I get motivated to stay behind the keyboard.” He is heading down to the Hampton Roads CWRT for the first in-person presentation in over a year. 

Dwight has been accepted to speak at the U.S. Naval Academy McMullen Naval History Symposium in Annapolis, September 23-24, on “The Sailor and The Soldier at Vicksburg: Grant, Porter and Unprecedented Joint Operations” based on his essay in the upcoming The Summer of '63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma.

On May 17, Chris Mackowski joined historian Vanessa Smiley and Taylor Bishop of the American Battle Field Trust’s Youth Leadership Team for ABT’s annual “Fantasy Draft.” Kris White and Connor Townsend served as the masters of ceremony for the event, which was broadcast live on the Trust’s Facebook page. On a personal note, Chris’s oldest son, Jackson, graduates from college this month (huzzah!), and Chris took his youngest son, Maxwell, to his first baseball game (go, Yankees!).

Ryan Quint recently gave a Zoom talk to the Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table. It was about the civilians of Dranesville and the roles they played in 1861. The Round Table recorded it and put it on YouTube. It’s available here.

From Terry Rensel: “May's been a busy month for me. I joined Gordon Rhea and the folks from the Tri-Cities, TN, CWRT on a tour of the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield. Visited the Capt. Thomas Espy GAR Post in Carnegie, PA (thanks, Jon-Erik Gilot!). as well as the Hagen History Center in Erie, PA, and got a cool look behind the scenes at some great Civil War artifacts in both of their collections.

Jon Tracey graduated from West Virginia University with an MA in Public History and a Certificate in Cultural Resource Management.

Civil War Monitor gave a nice review to Imagining Wild Bill: James Butler Hickok in War, Media, and Memory by Paul Ashdown and Edward Caudill, part of ECW’s Engaging the Civil War Series with Southern Illinois University press. Reviewer Aaron David Hyams called it “a well-written and accessible study of historical memory that should be welcome to popular audiences....” The full review is available here.

ECW Behind the Scenes: ECW’s Relationship with the blog Maine at War

By Brian Swartz

A lifetime Civil War buff and a Virginia veteran’s descendant, I started writing a monthly Maine at War column for my employer, the Bangor Daily News, in April 2011. A year later, I launched a similarly titled weekly online blog highlighting ordinary Mainers and their wartime adventures.

The blog’s affiliation with Emerging Civil War began a few years ago, when Chris Mackowski interviewed me and graciously wrote a multiple-part column for ECW readers. That led to ECW posting a monthly column about MAW’s latest columns with an invitation for ECW’s readers to read them. The relationship continued to grow, and Chris later invited me to write for ECW a wartime biography of Joshua L. Chamberlain, with whom I share a hometown; Savas-Beatie will publish that book, Passing Through the Fire, this summer.

As for Maine’s contribution to the war, most people—even here in Maine—only know about Chamberlain, the 20th Maine, and Little Round Top. There are so many other Mainers, men and women alike, who served during the war, however.

The Pine Tree State raised 32 infantry regiments, seven artillery batteries, and two cavalry regiments, all their movements traceable through history sources. But Mainers are a wandering lot, and we turned up in just about every campaign, by organized units in the Eastern Theater and individually in the Western Theater. Some served the South, some proved cowards or scoundrels, and most went unnoticed.

My research has discovered treasure troves of Mainer-related Civil War narratives. More than 500 posts later, Maine at War has many stories yet to tell.

10 Questions . . .

with Frank Jastrzembski

Frank Jastrzembski is one of ECW’s Polish historians not named “Chris” (Kolakowski and Mackowski being the two that are). His column, “Final Bivouac,” appears in American’s Civil War magazine. Frank was first profiled in the June 2018 ECW newsletter (https://conta.cc/2IuA2yS). You can read his full ECW bio here.

You’ve launched a new collaboration with America’s Civil War magazine. Can you tell us about that? 

It has been a pleasure working with Chris Howland, Melissa Winn, and the team at America’s Civil War. We launched the column “Final Bivouac” to share Civil War soldiers’ gravesites. I am happy to say that many of the graves featured in the column are Shrouded Veterans projects. The column has been a wonderful opportunity to feature graves located not only in the U.S. but throughout the world. In many instances, the photos of these international gravesites are being published for the first time. We just shared a grave in Hawaii, and we previously featured a tomb in Germany. The next article will be a grave located in Italy.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of your work? 

Raising the funds to cover installation/foundation fees charged by cemeteries for my Shrouded Veterans projects. Not all cemeteries charge a fee to install a veteran headstone, but for those that do, the price can range anywhere from $200 to $1,500. In these cases, I have to cover the expense myself or raise the funds by asking for donations.

Do you have a particular behind-the-scenes story that’s become a favorite?

One of my favorites is the case of Brevet Major General Robert Allen and his son, First Lieutenant Robert Allen, Jr. General Allen retired from the army in 1878, and traveled to China, England, and Switzerland. He died on August 5, 1886, and was buried at Cimetière de Chêne-Bougeries in Geneva, Switzerland. His remains were disposed of since his grave lease was never renewed. (This is a common practice in Europe.) I set out to get him a veteran memorial headstone, which was quite challenging since I had to track down his living descendants. Meanwhile, I discovered that his son, Lieutenant Robert Allen, Jr., was wounded in the leg at the Battle of Fair Oaks on June 1, 1862, and it was amputated by Confederate surgeons. He was exchanged soon after, and a second surgery was performed on the same leg. Unfortunately, he died in New York City on July 27, 1862, at the age of 21. He was buried in an unmarked grave at Western Cemetery in Portland, Maine. I managed to get permission from the cemetery to install headstones for both.

Who’s a soldier you’ve “met” along the way whose story has struck you as particularly compelling? 

I have always been interested in soldiers of fortune. One that I have been recently researching for an article is Jean Napoleon Zerman. The French officer and filibuster was appointed a brigadier general of volunteers by President Lincoln in March 1862. The Senate confirmed the nomination on May 5, but recalled it the next day. There is a juicy story behind why, but that I won’t get into the details here. Zerman never served as a general. I was able to track down his burial location in California and discovered that it was unmarked. I’m currently working to add a veteran headstone to his grave. Also, I own a CDV of Zerman taken by Matthew Brady. It is the only image of Zerman I have seen before.

Are you working on any other writing projects at the moment? 

I have been plugging away at a book exploring the emotional experiences of Civil War generals during the Mexican War. It will explore their reactions to death on and off the battlefield, how the war affected their families, how it impacted their health, and more. The book is a monumental undertaking. I’m leaving no stone unturned, and I’m pouring over every memoir, journal, diary, or letter I can get my hands on. Once completed, I believe the book will change how Civil War enthusiasts view the Mexican War. I plan to submit the first chapter to the journal Civil War History for publication.

Lightning Round (short answers with a one-sentence explanation) 

Favorite primary source? 

It would have to be Generals in Bronze: Interviewing the Commanders of the Civil War, mainly because these generals are speaking off the record to artist James Edward Kelly.

Favorite Civil War-related monument? 

It is Major General John F. Reynolds’ monument marking the site where he was killed at Gettysburg.

Favorite unsung hero of the Civil War era? 

This is a tough one. I’m going to go with Major General Charles Ferguson Smith. If this guy would have lived past 1862, I believe he would have accomplished great things during the war.

What’s a bucket-list Civil War site you’ve not yet visited? 

I have always wanted to visit the Mansfield State Historic Site. Richard Taylor doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his victory there.

Favorite ECWS book that’s not one of your own? 

I would have to say Grant’s Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.