Friends,
The Civil War Addict blog is relocating to a new URL with a new title. Rather than just focusing on the Civil War, it will encompass history in general. You can click here to visit the new home.
Thank you,
Lee Hutch
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Sunday, January 19, 2014
An Odd Connection
Dear Readers,
I came across this article today concerning a Confederate soldier who shared a name with NFL Quarterback Peyton Manning. Though I am a die hard Saints fan, I have followed Manning's career since he was in college and consider him to be one of the last of the "nice guy" professional athletes. (Like Drew Brees of the Saints) What is perhaps the most interesting about that story is that the two are not related as ar as anyone can tell, despite sharing a name and birthplaces that are in relatively close proximity to one another.
The article does point out that Manning's great-grandfather is believed to have served in the 36th Mississippi Infantry. I'm sure that there is some element in society that will be calling on Manning to apologize for his ancestor's service. On a somewhat amusing note, I like how the article says there was a connection "between Manning and Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery in the United States." The article goes on to say nothing about slavery or Lincoln.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is still upset that the Saints lost last week.
I came across this article today concerning a Confederate soldier who shared a name with NFL Quarterback Peyton Manning. Though I am a die hard Saints fan, I have followed Manning's career since he was in college and consider him to be one of the last of the "nice guy" professional athletes. (Like Drew Brees of the Saints) What is perhaps the most interesting about that story is that the two are not related as ar as anyone can tell, despite sharing a name and birthplaces that are in relatively close proximity to one another.
The article does point out that Manning's great-grandfather is believed to have served in the 36th Mississippi Infantry. I'm sure that there is some element in society that will be calling on Manning to apologize for his ancestor's service. On a somewhat amusing note, I like how the article says there was a connection "between Manning and Abraham Lincoln's battle to end slavery in the United States." The article goes on to say nothing about slavery or Lincoln.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is still upset that the Saints lost last week.
Sunday, January 12, 2014
A Long December
Friends,
Music defines my life. I identify certain times in my life by the songs that were popular then. People often joke about their life having a soundtrack, but mine really does. One song that stand out in my mind to this day is "Long December" by the Counting Crows. If you are not familiar with it, you may listen to it here. I first heard it on the radio while I was driving home to attend my Grandmother's funeral in February 1997. As those of you who listen to the radio are aware, popular songs tend to get played over and over again. I became well versed, pardon the pun, in the song in a matter of a few weeks and could even hear it in my sleep.
So what do the Counting Crows have to do with the Civil War. I imagine that if the Crows wrote this song during the War, the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee might very well have sang it following the Battle of Stones River which took place from Dec. 31st through January 2nd 1862-3. This battle, called Murfreesboro in the South, doesn't get the air time that other battles do despite the fact that the two sides suffered a combine 24,000 casualties (including captured/missing). It all started when Davis visited Bragg's army in mid December and said that things looked so good that Bragg could spare some of his infantry and ordered him to transfer Stevenson's Infantry Division to Vicksburg. The Confederates felt that loss of 7,500 men during the ensuing battle. Meanwhile in Nashville, the new commander of the Army of the Cumberland William Roscrans read about this in the newspapers. Lincoln put pressure on Rosecrans to move against Bragg and so when he found out that Bragg's forces had been weakened by the transfer, Rosecrans set out from Nashville on Dec. 26th.
The night before the battle, the two armies camped within 700 yards of one another. In a strange parody of the deadly contest to come, both armies waged a battle of the bands. Confederate bands played "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag" while the Federal bands played "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia". Afterwards, one of the bands (I'm not sure which side) played "Home Sweet Home" and soldiers on both sides came together in song. Voices drifted across the lines. For many of the men, this was the last night of their lives.
The next morning, the Confederates attacked the Federal right flank, catching them by surprise. Though initially successful, any battle in which Bragg had overall command was doomed to failure! Confederate troops drove the Federals back on both flanks but this had the effect of pushing the them back into a tighter and more defensible position. The two armies did little fighting on New Years Day, preferring to rest troops and tend to the wounded. When the battle resumed on January 2nd, the Confederates suffered heavy casualties. At the end of the day, Bragg realized that Rosecrans wasn't going anywhere and he made preparations to withdraw his army to Tullahoma, Tennessee.
The Battle of Stones River ended any Confederate threat to Kentucky or Middle Tennessee (at least until Hood's invasion in 1864). This battle had one of the highest percentages of casualties to soldiers engaged of any battle of the war, yet it is not one that is "popular" such as a Shiloh or a Gettysburg. That is a shame. For those who would like further reading on this battle, I can recommend No Better Place to Die by Peter Cozzens.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who, like the song says, is hoping this year will be better than the last.
Music defines my life. I identify certain times in my life by the songs that were popular then. People often joke about their life having a soundtrack, but mine really does. One song that stand out in my mind to this day is "Long December" by the Counting Crows. If you are not familiar with it, you may listen to it here. I first heard it on the radio while I was driving home to attend my Grandmother's funeral in February 1997. As those of you who listen to the radio are aware, popular songs tend to get played over and over again. I became well versed, pardon the pun, in the song in a matter of a few weeks and could even hear it in my sleep.
So what do the Counting Crows have to do with the Civil War. I imagine that if the Crows wrote this song during the War, the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee might very well have sang it following the Battle of Stones River which took place from Dec. 31st through January 2nd 1862-3. This battle, called Murfreesboro in the South, doesn't get the air time that other battles do despite the fact that the two sides suffered a combine 24,000 casualties (including captured/missing). It all started when Davis visited Bragg's army in mid December and said that things looked so good that Bragg could spare some of his infantry and ordered him to transfer Stevenson's Infantry Division to Vicksburg. The Confederates felt that loss of 7,500 men during the ensuing battle. Meanwhile in Nashville, the new commander of the Army of the Cumberland William Roscrans read about this in the newspapers. Lincoln put pressure on Rosecrans to move against Bragg and so when he found out that Bragg's forces had been weakened by the transfer, Rosecrans set out from Nashville on Dec. 26th.
The night before the battle, the two armies camped within 700 yards of one another. In a strange parody of the deadly contest to come, both armies waged a battle of the bands. Confederate bands played "Dixie" and the "Bonnie Blue Flag" while the Federal bands played "Yankee Doodle" and "Hail Columbia". Afterwards, one of the bands (I'm not sure which side) played "Home Sweet Home" and soldiers on both sides came together in song. Voices drifted across the lines. For many of the men, this was the last night of their lives.
The next morning, the Confederates attacked the Federal right flank, catching them by surprise. Though initially successful, any battle in which Bragg had overall command was doomed to failure! Confederate troops drove the Federals back on both flanks but this had the effect of pushing the them back into a tighter and more defensible position. The two armies did little fighting on New Years Day, preferring to rest troops and tend to the wounded. When the battle resumed on January 2nd, the Confederates suffered heavy casualties. At the end of the day, Bragg realized that Rosecrans wasn't going anywhere and he made preparations to withdraw his army to Tullahoma, Tennessee.
The Battle of Stones River ended any Confederate threat to Kentucky or Middle Tennessee (at least until Hood's invasion in 1864). This battle had one of the highest percentages of casualties to soldiers engaged of any battle of the war, yet it is not one that is "popular" such as a Shiloh or a Gettysburg. That is a shame. For those who would like further reading on this battle, I can recommend No Better Place to Die by Peter Cozzens.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who, like the song says, is hoping this year will be better than the last.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Mightier Than the Sword
Friends,
Forgive the longer than usual gap between posts. I am gearing up for the start of another fun and exciting semester wherein I get to fill the heads of my students with stories from the American Past. They call this "teaching history". I guess that is what I do, but I prefer to call it "having fun". Just don't tell the colleges that I teach for that I said that. They'll try to make me do it for free. I'm also working on a novel. I've been writing steadily and am about 20 pages shy of the halfway point. I set a target of 300 pages for the first draft that I can then play with and increase or decrease as I go through the multiple revisions that my little redhead says that it will need. Don't get your hopes up though. It isn't a Civil War novel. That one comes next. I have to get this one out of my head and onto paper before I can work on my Magnum Opus. (I always wanted to use that phrase!)
So the writing process has got me thinking, which is always dangerous. I'm sure since many of you are fellow Civil War Addicts, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, you've probably read some memoirs written by those who lived through the War. I'd like to focus on those written by the higher ups. I think that a Confederate general's worst enemy after the war was not advanced age or illness but other Confederate generals. It seems like they spent more time shooting at each other (metaphorically speaking) than they ever did the Yankees.
Jefferson Davis, a man who I do have a lot respect for despite his personality, wrote The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government in the post war period. It took a lot of work and a lot of dedication on his part. The book (books actually since it was published in two volumes) is massive. It totals somewhere along the lines of 1500 pages. I think I can sum it up briefly. "I was right. Everyone else was wrong." If you want some insight into the mind of Jefferson Davis, read it. But know going in that it is a difficult book to read. I don't know if it is available as an audio book or not, but if it is, I promise you it will take care of any issues you may have with insomnia.
His memoir is not all that different from those written by his contemporaries. All of them try to portray themselves in the best light possible. Sherman and Grant were not surprised at Shiloh. They expected the Rebels to attack all along. I guess Sherman was just acting then when his staff was surprised by a group of Confederates who burst out of the treeline and fired on them, striking Sherman in the hand. His words at the time "My God! We're attacked!" We believe you Uncle Billy......you weren't surprised at all! General Hood blamed his subordinates for the, shall we say, foul up at Spring Hill. And those are just a couple of examples.
I say all of this not to cast aspersions on any of these gentlemen who risked their lives for the causes that they believed in. My point in doing so is to merely point out the irony that men who may have served together in a common cause could turn on each other when they considered what their "legacy" might be for future generations. If anything, they've given us something to talk about.
And now if I may ask you all for a favor. You will notice on the right side of the screen a link to the Civil War Addict Facebook site. If you haven't already done so, and you are willing, please "like" my Civil War Addict page. Right now I have 170 likes and I'm really hoping to hit 200. Feel free to share it with all of your friends.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who never stops being grateful for the kind readers that this blog has. Though we are all from different parts of the country (or world), we all share a common interest in the "fiery trial" that was our Civil War.
(Or War of Northern Aggression as Nell Christine Fitzgerald, my great-grandmother, called it. She was a remarkable woman and I would not even be remotely interested in history had it not been for her. She's been gone for almost 20 years and I still miss her every single day. I learned a lot of history from her...and also a little bit about historical bias!)
Forgive the longer than usual gap between posts. I am gearing up for the start of another fun and exciting semester wherein I get to fill the heads of my students with stories from the American Past. They call this "teaching history". I guess that is what I do, but I prefer to call it "having fun". Just don't tell the colleges that I teach for that I said that. They'll try to make me do it for free. I'm also working on a novel. I've been writing steadily and am about 20 pages shy of the halfway point. I set a target of 300 pages for the first draft that I can then play with and increase or decrease as I go through the multiple revisions that my little redhead says that it will need. Don't get your hopes up though. It isn't a Civil War novel. That one comes next. I have to get this one out of my head and onto paper before I can work on my Magnum Opus. (I always wanted to use that phrase!)
So the writing process has got me thinking, which is always dangerous. I'm sure since many of you are fellow Civil War Addicts, otherwise you wouldn't be reading this, you've probably read some memoirs written by those who lived through the War. I'd like to focus on those written by the higher ups. I think that a Confederate general's worst enemy after the war was not advanced age or illness but other Confederate generals. It seems like they spent more time shooting at each other (metaphorically speaking) than they ever did the Yankees.
Jefferson Davis, a man who I do have a lot respect for despite his personality, wrote The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government in the post war period. It took a lot of work and a lot of dedication on his part. The book (books actually since it was published in two volumes) is massive. It totals somewhere along the lines of 1500 pages. I think I can sum it up briefly. "I was right. Everyone else was wrong." If you want some insight into the mind of Jefferson Davis, read it. But know going in that it is a difficult book to read. I don't know if it is available as an audio book or not, but if it is, I promise you it will take care of any issues you may have with insomnia.
His memoir is not all that different from those written by his contemporaries. All of them try to portray themselves in the best light possible. Sherman and Grant were not surprised at Shiloh. They expected the Rebels to attack all along. I guess Sherman was just acting then when his staff was surprised by a group of Confederates who burst out of the treeline and fired on them, striking Sherman in the hand. His words at the time "My God! We're attacked!" We believe you Uncle Billy......you weren't surprised at all! General Hood blamed his subordinates for the, shall we say, foul up at Spring Hill. And those are just a couple of examples.
I say all of this not to cast aspersions on any of these gentlemen who risked their lives for the causes that they believed in. My point in doing so is to merely point out the irony that men who may have served together in a common cause could turn on each other when they considered what their "legacy" might be for future generations. If anything, they've given us something to talk about.
And now if I may ask you all for a favor. You will notice on the right side of the screen a link to the Civil War Addict Facebook site. If you haven't already done so, and you are willing, please "like" my Civil War Addict page. Right now I have 170 likes and I'm really hoping to hit 200. Feel free to share it with all of your friends.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who never stops being grateful for the kind readers that this blog has. Though we are all from different parts of the country (or world), we all share a common interest in the "fiery trial" that was our Civil War.
(Or War of Northern Aggression as Nell Christine Fitzgerald, my great-grandmother, called it. She was a remarkable woman and I would not even be remotely interested in history had it not been for her. She's been gone for almost 20 years and I still miss her every single day. I learned a lot of history from her...and also a little bit about historical bias!)
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
The Cruelest Year
Dear Readers,
"Year in Review" type posts theme to be popular on blogs around this time of year. That poses a problem for this blog since we deal with Civil War topics and not modern rounds. Along about midnight last time, I had an idea. So why don't you hope into my Civil War Addict time machine with me? We will travel back in time to New Year's Day 1864. Instead of reviewing 2013, we will have a year in review of a different kind. 1863.
In many ways, 1863 was the cruelest year for the Confederacy. The Confederacy rang in the New Year by recapturing the port city of Galveston in a daring military operation. At the time, Galveston was the best deep water port available west of New Orleans. It is significant because it is one of the few battles fought in Texas. On that same day, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect though I imagine that fact went largely ignored in the South.
In March, Lincoln signed the Enrollment Act into law. Widely unpopular in some parts of the North, it was intended to supply fresh troops for the Union war effort. It had a couple of provisions that gave most people grief. First, it allowed for "substitutes" to replace the person actually drafted. Second, a man could pay $300 to avoid service. That money represented a year's wages for a working class person in New York City. No wonder they called it a rich man's war and a poor man's fight.
In April, Quantrill's Raiders raid Lawrence, Kansas.
Things really got rolling in May. Early in the month, General Lee's troops mauled the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville. It was a bittersweet victory, as General Thomas Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men and died a short time later. In the West, General Grant won a victory at Jackson, Mississippi opening the way to Vicksburg which he would put under siege later in the month.
West Virginia became a state in June. We also had the Battle of Brandy Station that month, the largest cavalry engagement ever fought in the Americas.
All Civil War Addicts can recite what happened in July of 1863. We have the Battle of Gettysburg which did not work out so well for the Confederacy. Worse yet, at least in my opinion, was the surrender of Vicksburg on the 4th of July. Port Hudson fell just a few days later. Tensions over the aforementioned draft law exploded into outright violence in New York City. For days, angry mobs roamed the city doing all sorts of misdeeds in the worst case of urban violence this country has ever seen, though it was downplayed by the government at the time and the history books in the future. Later that month, the 54th Massachusetts saw combat at Fort Wagner. To round out the month, John Hunt Morgan raids Ohio but is captured with a few hundred of his men near Salineville.
Both sides seem to have collapsed out of sheer exhaustion in August, though Quantrill launched a larger and more notorious raid on Lawrence, Kansas towards the end of the month.
September started off well enough for the Confederacy as a gallant, noble, and intrepid band of Irish-Confederates turned back a invasion fleet destined for Texas at the Battle of Sabine Pass. In the west, the Battle of Chickamauga, one of the bloodiest of the war, ended with a rare (for the west) Confederate victory. Best rest assured, with Braxton Bragg in command, he will figure out a way to screw up a victory!
Said victory is screwed up in November when Grant combines his troops with Sherman's and routes Bragg's troops after heavy fighting at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. But on the bright side, John Hunt Morgan escapes from prison in Ohio and makes his way back to the South. Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address in November as well.
The year comes to an end with the war no closer to being over than when the year started, though from the looks of things, the South's star is falling fast. 1863 started with such hope and promise for the Confederacy, but all that as gone now. Tens of thousands of men who were alive on New Years Day 1863 did not live to see 1864. Sadly, the same is true for tens of thousands more on New Years Day 1864.
This is not a comprehensive list of everything important that happened that year. I tried to pick out a mix of major and minor events that I find to be important.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
"Year in Review" type posts theme to be popular on blogs around this time of year. That poses a problem for this blog since we deal with Civil War topics and not modern rounds. Along about midnight last time, I had an idea. So why don't you hope into my Civil War Addict time machine with me? We will travel back in time to New Year's Day 1864. Instead of reviewing 2013, we will have a year in review of a different kind. 1863.
In many ways, 1863 was the cruelest year for the Confederacy. The Confederacy rang in the New Year by recapturing the port city of Galveston in a daring military operation. At the time, Galveston was the best deep water port available west of New Orleans. It is significant because it is one of the few battles fought in Texas. On that same day, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation took effect though I imagine that fact went largely ignored in the South.
In March, Lincoln signed the Enrollment Act into law. Widely unpopular in some parts of the North, it was intended to supply fresh troops for the Union war effort. It had a couple of provisions that gave most people grief. First, it allowed for "substitutes" to replace the person actually drafted. Second, a man could pay $300 to avoid service. That money represented a year's wages for a working class person in New York City. No wonder they called it a rich man's war and a poor man's fight.
In April, Quantrill's Raiders raid Lawrence, Kansas.
Things really got rolling in May. Early in the month, General Lee's troops mauled the Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville. It was a bittersweet victory, as General Thomas Jackson was accidentally shot by his own men and died a short time later. In the West, General Grant won a victory at Jackson, Mississippi opening the way to Vicksburg which he would put under siege later in the month.
West Virginia became a state in June. We also had the Battle of Brandy Station that month, the largest cavalry engagement ever fought in the Americas.
All Civil War Addicts can recite what happened in July of 1863. We have the Battle of Gettysburg which did not work out so well for the Confederacy. Worse yet, at least in my opinion, was the surrender of Vicksburg on the 4th of July. Port Hudson fell just a few days later. Tensions over the aforementioned draft law exploded into outright violence in New York City. For days, angry mobs roamed the city doing all sorts of misdeeds in the worst case of urban violence this country has ever seen, though it was downplayed by the government at the time and the history books in the future. Later that month, the 54th Massachusetts saw combat at Fort Wagner. To round out the month, John Hunt Morgan raids Ohio but is captured with a few hundred of his men near Salineville.
Both sides seem to have collapsed out of sheer exhaustion in August, though Quantrill launched a larger and more notorious raid on Lawrence, Kansas towards the end of the month.
September started off well enough for the Confederacy as a gallant, noble, and intrepid band of Irish-Confederates turned back a invasion fleet destined for Texas at the Battle of Sabine Pass. In the west, the Battle of Chickamauga, one of the bloodiest of the war, ended with a rare (for the west) Confederate victory. Best rest assured, with Braxton Bragg in command, he will figure out a way to screw up a victory!
Said victory is screwed up in November when Grant combines his troops with Sherman's and routes Bragg's troops after heavy fighting at Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain. But on the bright side, John Hunt Morgan escapes from prison in Ohio and makes his way back to the South. Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address in November as well.
The year comes to an end with the war no closer to being over than when the year started, though from the looks of things, the South's star is falling fast. 1863 started with such hope and promise for the Confederacy, but all that as gone now. Tens of thousands of men who were alive on New Years Day 1863 did not live to see 1864. Sadly, the same is true for tens of thousands more on New Years Day 1864.
This is not a comprehensive list of everything important that happened that year. I tried to pick out a mix of major and minor events that I find to be important.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Friday, December 27, 2013
Civil War "Firsts"
Friends,
The Civil War had a lot of "firsts". Some were firsts just for the United States while others were firsts for military history/society as a whole. For an exhaustive list of those firsts, check out the list provided by Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War here. I have not gone through that list in detail and so I cannot comment on the accuracy of everything provided, but it does provide some food for thought. During the course of the Civil War, the nation first experienced conscription, resistance to conscription, aerial reconnaissance, a Presidential assassination, and combat between ironclad vessels just to name a few. Many people have called the American Civil War the first modern war.
But what do people mean when the say that? If you take modern to mean the weaponry used, then it certainly was by the standards of the time. As we discussed above, we certainly did have some innovations. However, part of the reason for the casualty rates is due to the fact that the tactics did no adapt to the weaponry until the latter part of the war, and even then we had the occasional lapse (ie; Battle of Franklin). That said, a soldier from Grant or Lee's army who served in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond would certainly have recognized the type of fighting that took place later during World War 1. But does that fact alone make the Civil War "modern"?
Others have spoken of Sherman waging "Total War" on his March to the Sea. The dictionary defines total war as "a war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territories or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued; especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded." Sherman did not "make war" on the civilian population in Georgia in the same way that we would do to Germany or Japan in the 20th Century. Yes, his objectives were not fully military in nature to the extent that he wanted to destroy the ability of the South to wage war, but he did not intentionally set out to kill civilians and though yes, some private homes were destroyed, there is not, to my knowledge, any written order to his troops telling them to burn every home they came across. If Sherman waged total war in Georgia, what then do we call our practice of firebombing Japanese cities during World War 2? Are each of those examples total war, just taken to a higher degree (no pun intended)?
I happen to think that Winston Churchill was a wise man. In 1901 while speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, he said "The wars of peoples will be more terrible than the wars of kings." I know that Mr. Churchill was an adept student of history. Perhaps he looked back to our Civil War as a reference when he made that statement. We certainly proved that it was true, at least in our country. And World War 1 proved that he was right as well.
So whether you agree or disagree as to how modern the Civil War was or to whether or not Sherman waged total war on his March to the Sea, I think we can all agree that Americans between 1861-1865 became very proficient at killing each other on a wide scale which has become almost unfathomable to us today.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
The Civil War had a lot of "firsts". Some were firsts just for the United States while others were firsts for military history/society as a whole. For an exhaustive list of those firsts, check out the list provided by Shotgun's Home of the American Civil War here. I have not gone through that list in detail and so I cannot comment on the accuracy of everything provided, but it does provide some food for thought. During the course of the Civil War, the nation first experienced conscription, resistance to conscription, aerial reconnaissance, a Presidential assassination, and combat between ironclad vessels just to name a few. Many people have called the American Civil War the first modern war.
But what do people mean when the say that? If you take modern to mean the weaponry used, then it certainly was by the standards of the time. As we discussed above, we certainly did have some innovations. However, part of the reason for the casualty rates is due to the fact that the tactics did no adapt to the weaponry until the latter part of the war, and even then we had the occasional lapse (ie; Battle of Franklin). That said, a soldier from Grant or Lee's army who served in the trenches around Petersburg and Richmond would certainly have recognized the type of fighting that took place later during World War 1. But does that fact alone make the Civil War "modern"?
Others have spoken of Sherman waging "Total War" on his March to the Sea. The dictionary defines total war as "a war that is unrestricted in terms of the weapons used, the territories or combatants involved, or the objectives pursued; especially one in which the laws of war are disregarded." Sherman did not "make war" on the civilian population in Georgia in the same way that we would do to Germany or Japan in the 20th Century. Yes, his objectives were not fully military in nature to the extent that he wanted to destroy the ability of the South to wage war, but he did not intentionally set out to kill civilians and though yes, some private homes were destroyed, there is not, to my knowledge, any written order to his troops telling them to burn every home they came across. If Sherman waged total war in Georgia, what then do we call our practice of firebombing Japanese cities during World War 2? Are each of those examples total war, just taken to a higher degree (no pun intended)?
I happen to think that Winston Churchill was a wise man. In 1901 while speaking on the floor of the House of Commons, he said "The wars of peoples will be more terrible than the wars of kings." I know that Mr. Churchill was an adept student of history. Perhaps he looked back to our Civil War as a reference when he made that statement. We certainly proved that it was true, at least in our country. And World War 1 proved that he was right as well.
So whether you agree or disagree as to how modern the Civil War was or to whether or not Sherman waged total war on his March to the Sea, I think we can all agree that Americans between 1861-1865 became very proficient at killing each other on a wide scale which has become almost unfathomable to us today.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Santa Claus Came to Town
Friends,
Sorry for the long lag in posting. I have been feeling a little bit under the weather of late. But the show must go on. Santa Claus came to visit me yesterday. (We do our Christmas on the 24th since so that my son can have Christmas with me and then go back to his mother's house that night so he can have Christmas there on the 25th.) Naturally I got a lot of New Orleans Saints items. However, I also acquired several new Civil War books. (Plus some Amazon gift cards that I can use to buy some more!) You know, I was expecting switches and a lump of coal this year though to be honest, I expect that every year. So these books will be what I am reading over Christmas Break.
1. Sickles at Gettysburg by James Hessler. This is another book about America's favorite scoundrel, Daniel Sickles. I am two chapters in thus far and it is really good. The author is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg and a d--n good writer too!
2. Miracles and Massacres by Glenn Beck. I am not a Glenn Beck fan. But I thought that this book might contain some interesting stories that I can work into my classes.
3. Bags to Riches by Jeff Duncan. Another non-Civil War book. This one relates how the New Orleans Saints helped the city rebound in the aftermath of Katrina.
4. Into the Fight: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg by John Michael Priest. I read this one last night. It is incredible. He is the author of one of my favorite Civil War books, Antietam: The Soldier's Battle. I am happy to say that Into the Fight continues that fine tradition. It gives you almost a minute by minute account of Pickett's Charge from the point of view of the men who actually did the fighting. At times brutal and at times humorous, I cannot recommend this book enough. (The caveat to that is that the book may be a tad bit confusing for the casual Civil War reader since it sort of assumes some knowledge of the battle on the part of the reader.)
5. Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers by James Gannon. This is a regimental history of the 6th Louisiana Infantry. I am proud to say I am descended from some of the men who served in this regiment. This is next on my list as soon as I finish the Sickles book!
6. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War by David Eicher. I remember seeing some mixed reviews of this book when it first came out. However, I believe in giving all Civil War books a chance. I've seen some scathing reviews of books that I actually enjoyed. To each his own. I plan on reading this one in chunks as it is a large book.
7. The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command by Edwin Coddington. I have heard that the Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg refer to this book as the "Bible" of the Gettysburg Campaign. This was Dr. Coddington's magnum opus but he died shortly before it was published. It has been a standard work on this subject for 50 years. I really have no excuse for not already owning a copy.
So that is what Confederate Claus brought me for Christmas this year. I am going to be busy over the break doing lots of reading. That's fine, I don't really have anything else to do anyway.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who wishes all of you a Merry Christmas (or Winter Solstice if you prefer me to be politically correct)!
So what Civil War gifts did Santa Claus (or Confederate Claus) bring you?
Sorry for the long lag in posting. I have been feeling a little bit under the weather of late. But the show must go on. Santa Claus came to visit me yesterday. (We do our Christmas on the 24th since so that my son can have Christmas with me and then go back to his mother's house that night so he can have Christmas there on the 25th.) Naturally I got a lot of New Orleans Saints items. However, I also acquired several new Civil War books. (Plus some Amazon gift cards that I can use to buy some more!) You know, I was expecting switches and a lump of coal this year though to be honest, I expect that every year. So these books will be what I am reading over Christmas Break.
1. Sickles at Gettysburg by James Hessler. This is another book about America's favorite scoundrel, Daniel Sickles. I am two chapters in thus far and it is really good. The author is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg and a d--n good writer too!
2. Miracles and Massacres by Glenn Beck. I am not a Glenn Beck fan. But I thought that this book might contain some interesting stories that I can work into my classes.
3. Bags to Riches by Jeff Duncan. Another non-Civil War book. This one relates how the New Orleans Saints helped the city rebound in the aftermath of Katrina.
4. Into the Fight: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg by John Michael Priest. I read this one last night. It is incredible. He is the author of one of my favorite Civil War books, Antietam: The Soldier's Battle. I am happy to say that Into the Fight continues that fine tradition. It gives you almost a minute by minute account of Pickett's Charge from the point of view of the men who actually did the fighting. At times brutal and at times humorous, I cannot recommend this book enough. (The caveat to that is that the book may be a tad bit confusing for the casual Civil War reader since it sort of assumes some knowledge of the battle on the part of the reader.)
5. Irish Rebels, Confederate Tigers by James Gannon. This is a regimental history of the 6th Louisiana Infantry. I am proud to say I am descended from some of the men who served in this regiment. This is next on my list as soon as I finish the Sickles book!
6. The Longest Night: A Military History of the Civil War by David Eicher. I remember seeing some mixed reviews of this book when it first came out. However, I believe in giving all Civil War books a chance. I've seen some scathing reviews of books that I actually enjoyed. To each his own. I plan on reading this one in chunks as it is a large book.
7. The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command by Edwin Coddington. I have heard that the Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg refer to this book as the "Bible" of the Gettysburg Campaign. This was Dr. Coddington's magnum opus but he died shortly before it was published. It has been a standard work on this subject for 50 years. I really have no excuse for not already owning a copy.
So that is what Confederate Claus brought me for Christmas this year. I am going to be busy over the break doing lots of reading. That's fine, I don't really have anything else to do anyway.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who wishes all of you a Merry Christmas (or Winter Solstice if you prefer me to be politically correct)!
So what Civil War gifts did Santa Claus (or Confederate Claus) bring you?
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Civil War Animals
Dear Readers,
Since college is out for Christmas break at the moment, I am spending time with my feline companions. This has got me thinking about regimental mascots during the Civil War. I read a very interesting article here that details many of the mascot stories from the Civil War. Naturally, "Old Abe" the eagle is perhaps the best known, but there are many other stories out there. Dogs seem to be the most common as they are, after all, man's best friend. But there are others too. I haven't seen anything about cats though, much to my dismay.
I have two questions for you today, Dear Readers. 1. Who had the best mascot of the war? 2. Does anyone know of any good stories about cats during the Civil War?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who lives with a hot redhead and the following feline friends:
Simon Diogenes Legree
George Armstrong Custer ("Autie")
Charles Dickens
Margaret Mitchell ("Maggie")
Bedford Forrest
Remember, as Mark Twain said "When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction."
Since college is out for Christmas break at the moment, I am spending time with my feline companions. This has got me thinking about regimental mascots during the Civil War. I read a very interesting article here that details many of the mascot stories from the Civil War. Naturally, "Old Abe" the eagle is perhaps the best known, but there are many other stories out there. Dogs seem to be the most common as they are, after all, man's best friend. But there are others too. I haven't seen anything about cats though, much to my dismay.
I have two questions for you today, Dear Readers. 1. Who had the best mascot of the war? 2. Does anyone know of any good stories about cats during the Civil War?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who lives with a hot redhead and the following feline friends:
Simon Diogenes Legree
George Armstrong Custer ("Autie")
Charles Dickens
Margaret Mitchell ("Maggie")
Bedford Forrest
Remember, as Mark Twain said "When a man loves cats, I am his friend and comrade without further introduction."
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Fire Bells in the Night
Friends,
When I was eight years old or so, I was thumbing through a copy of Bruce Catton's The Civil War. I believe it was published by American Heritage Press. There was a Civil War timeline included in the appendices. As I scanned through it, I came across the following entry for November 25, 1864: "Confederate agents try to burn New York City". For some reason, that caught my eye, so much so that I put a star next to it. And then I promptly forgot about it.
Fast forward several years (actually about two decades). I again rediscovered the subject by virtue of research that I was doing on another topic. Pardon the pun, but this rekindled the fire! (He who would pun would also pick a pocket!) I filled two notebooks while investigating this event with the idea towards writing a book about it. But finally, someone beat me to it. (See here.) Not to be deterred, I had always thought this might translate better into a novel anyway. For that matter, it would make one heck of a movie too!
Eight Confederate officers traveled from Canada to New York City full of promises that the Sons of Liberty (no, not the Revolutionary War ones) would rise up and help them take over the city on election day. They promised that they had 20,000 armed men just waiting for the signal. That signal would be a series of fires set by the Confederates at various points throughout the city. Though hotels were the eventual target, the evidence suggests that the plot actually involved setting fires in other locations.
But the New York City authorities were ready. They learned their lesson from the Draft Riots. Certain measures were put in place to prevent any unrest and the "Sons of Liberty" backed out of the plot. The Confederates decided to return to Canada but then they read stories in the paper about Sherman's March to the Sea. Suddenly revenge became the motive. They picked up "Greek Fire" from a chemist in Washington Square. (Incidentally, the site of another famous fire.....the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.)
On the night of November 25, the men set a series of fires in hotel rooms across Lower Manhattan. The fire department promptly put them out with very little damage. The newspapers the following morning had descriptions of all of the men, yet they managed to slip out of the city and made it back to Canada safely. Later on, one of them, Robert Cobb Kennedy, was apprehended as he tried to cross back into the United States. He was put on trial, convicted, and hanged on March 25, 1865.
I fear I have not done the topic justice here. There is a lot more to it than what I have time to write. One of the men, John Headley, wrote his memoirs "Confederate Operations in Canada and New York" which is available for a free download here. It makes for some interesting reading, but take it with a grain of salt! Also, the OR's contain a lot of information too.
One of these days, I'll finish the novel.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
When I was eight years old or so, I was thumbing through a copy of Bruce Catton's The Civil War. I believe it was published by American Heritage Press. There was a Civil War timeline included in the appendices. As I scanned through it, I came across the following entry for November 25, 1864: "Confederate agents try to burn New York City". For some reason, that caught my eye, so much so that I put a star next to it. And then I promptly forgot about it.
Fast forward several years (actually about two decades). I again rediscovered the subject by virtue of research that I was doing on another topic. Pardon the pun, but this rekindled the fire! (He who would pun would also pick a pocket!) I filled two notebooks while investigating this event with the idea towards writing a book about it. But finally, someone beat me to it. (See here.) Not to be deterred, I had always thought this might translate better into a novel anyway. For that matter, it would make one heck of a movie too!
Eight Confederate officers traveled from Canada to New York City full of promises that the Sons of Liberty (no, not the Revolutionary War ones) would rise up and help them take over the city on election day. They promised that they had 20,000 armed men just waiting for the signal. That signal would be a series of fires set by the Confederates at various points throughout the city. Though hotels were the eventual target, the evidence suggests that the plot actually involved setting fires in other locations.
But the New York City authorities were ready. They learned their lesson from the Draft Riots. Certain measures were put in place to prevent any unrest and the "Sons of Liberty" backed out of the plot. The Confederates decided to return to Canada but then they read stories in the paper about Sherman's March to the Sea. Suddenly revenge became the motive. They picked up "Greek Fire" from a chemist in Washington Square. (Incidentally, the site of another famous fire.....the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.)
On the night of November 25, the men set a series of fires in hotel rooms across Lower Manhattan. The fire department promptly put them out with very little damage. The newspapers the following morning had descriptions of all of the men, yet they managed to slip out of the city and made it back to Canada safely. Later on, one of them, Robert Cobb Kennedy, was apprehended as he tried to cross back into the United States. He was put on trial, convicted, and hanged on March 25, 1865.
I fear I have not done the topic justice here. There is a lot more to it than what I have time to write. One of the men, John Headley, wrote his memoirs "Confederate Operations in Canada and New York" which is available for a free download here. It makes for some interesting reading, but take it with a grain of salt! Also, the OR's contain a lot of information too.
One of these days, I'll finish the novel.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Friday, December 13, 2013
War and Remembrance
Dear Readers,
I have reached the end of my first semester since I made the decision (or actually my back made the decision) to end my law enforcement career and return to the classroom. To me, final exam week is always a melancholy experience. You know, the first day of class is like a first date. It can go really good or really bad. (And is usually awkward!) The last day of class feels like a break up, though not in a bad sense. You get to know your students over several months and realize that most of them you won't see again. That feeling always makes me a little sad.
This has got me thinking about what the end of the war must have felt like for the veterans. Many of them spent as many as four years of their lives fighting alongside men who must have felt very much like brothers to them by the time it was all over. They lost many of them along the way too both to combat and the ever present threat of disease. And then one day it ended. How did they part ways? Was it as simple as a handshake and a "See you in hell"? The fact that many of the companies were raised in certain geographic locations meant that they would perhaps see each other in civilian life sometimes.
But that raises another question. How could someone who went on Pickett's Charge or fought at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania simply go home and farm again like nothing had ever happened? Yet so many of them did. After the war, the men on both sides formed veterans associations. The Northern veterans and their Grand Army of the Republic proved to be a potent political force in the post-war world. The United Confederate Veterans were important in their own right in the south. My great-grandmother always talked about the UCV men that she knew as a child. She said they were "fine old men". Of course, when she knew them they were 40+ years removed from the war. She told me once that those she knew were all very old and had the long white beard which it seems that many Confederate veterans adopted. But she also said that you couldn't let their age fool you. They were tough, very tough. Their legs had carried them thousands of miles. Their shoulders carried heavy burdens. And their eyes had seen far too much.
One of my favorite songs from this period is "Long Ago" which you can listen to here. I don't know all of the back story on this song, but I do know that it was written by a Civil War veteran. I think it sums up the feelings of a lot of Confederate Veterans quite well.
And if I may end with some thoughts of a different kind. To any of my students who may be reading today's blog post, I would like to say this. It has been a long semester for us all. I've been dealing with back pain, PTSD issues, and a crazy schedule. You made it all worthwhile. Over the past few months we've shared laughter and even the occasional tear. Some of you have opened up to me about issues that you are facing and I have done the same. I can honestly say that I feel that I am a better person for having gotten to meet all of you. This semester I have had the best classes that I have ever had in all my years of being an adjunct. Thank you for not only making that happen, but for also showing me what was important in life. Remember that no matter what happens to you in life, I'll always be in your corner.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who has come to realize what my purpose in life truly is thanks to my students.
I have reached the end of my first semester since I made the decision (or actually my back made the decision) to end my law enforcement career and return to the classroom. To me, final exam week is always a melancholy experience. You know, the first day of class is like a first date. It can go really good or really bad. (And is usually awkward!) The last day of class feels like a break up, though not in a bad sense. You get to know your students over several months and realize that most of them you won't see again. That feeling always makes me a little sad.
This has got me thinking about what the end of the war must have felt like for the veterans. Many of them spent as many as four years of their lives fighting alongside men who must have felt very much like brothers to them by the time it was all over. They lost many of them along the way too both to combat and the ever present threat of disease. And then one day it ended. How did they part ways? Was it as simple as a handshake and a "See you in hell"? The fact that many of the companies were raised in certain geographic locations meant that they would perhaps see each other in civilian life sometimes.
But that raises another question. How could someone who went on Pickett's Charge or fought at the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania simply go home and farm again like nothing had ever happened? Yet so many of them did. After the war, the men on both sides formed veterans associations. The Northern veterans and their Grand Army of the Republic proved to be a potent political force in the post-war world. The United Confederate Veterans were important in their own right in the south. My great-grandmother always talked about the UCV men that she knew as a child. She said they were "fine old men". Of course, when she knew them they were 40+ years removed from the war. She told me once that those she knew were all very old and had the long white beard which it seems that many Confederate veterans adopted. But she also said that you couldn't let their age fool you. They were tough, very tough. Their legs had carried them thousands of miles. Their shoulders carried heavy burdens. And their eyes had seen far too much.
One of my favorite songs from this period is "Long Ago" which you can listen to here. I don't know all of the back story on this song, but I do know that it was written by a Civil War veteran. I think it sums up the feelings of a lot of Confederate Veterans quite well.
And if I may end with some thoughts of a different kind. To any of my students who may be reading today's blog post, I would like to say this. It has been a long semester for us all. I've been dealing with back pain, PTSD issues, and a crazy schedule. You made it all worthwhile. Over the past few months we've shared laughter and even the occasional tear. Some of you have opened up to me about issues that you are facing and I have done the same. I can honestly say that I feel that I am a better person for having gotten to meet all of you. This semester I have had the best classes that I have ever had in all my years of being an adjunct. Thank you for not only making that happen, but for also showing me what was important in life. Remember that no matter what happens to you in life, I'll always be in your corner.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who has come to realize what my purpose in life truly is thanks to my students.
One of my Civil War Ancestors.
A "Fightin' Fool" of the 8th Ohio!
And a native son of Ireland!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Flags of Our (Great-Great-Grand) Fathers
Dear Readers,
I must confess that I was at a bit of a loss for the topic of today's post. So I did what I normally do when I get a case of blogger's block, I turned to my little redhead for advice as to what to write about. She suggested that I write a bit about flags during the Civil War. I had to promise her that I would at least mention some of her ancestors in a favorable light in this post, so please look here for a picture of the regimental flags for the Ninth Illinois Infantry. She had three ancestors who served in this regiment. (Unlike the rest who avoided service entirely!)
Though Gods and Generals is far from being an Academy Award worthy movie, I must confess that I did really like the opening scene where we saw one battle flag after another. The song in the background was also good. The movie went steadily downhill from there. The flags meant something to the soldiers. They represented their regiment, brigade, or corps. Units could be identified by their banners. When speaking of Cleburne's Division flag, General Sherman is quoted as saying "That flag meant fight!" (And he should know!) Who among us would want to hold a position if we saw the green banner of the Irish Brigade moving towards us? Or Hood's Texas Brigade?
The flags that my great-great-great grandfathers fought under were varied, as is the location and regiments of their service. Most of them served under Polk's Corps (later Cheatham) in the Army of Tennessee. As such, they had an easily identifiable Corps flag until the standardization of battle flags in the Army of Tennessee. After that, only Cleburne's men were allowed to keep their own flag.
I must confess that I was at a bit of a loss for the topic of today's post. So I did what I normally do when I get a case of blogger's block, I turned to my little redhead for advice as to what to write about. She suggested that I write a bit about flags during the Civil War. I had to promise her that I would at least mention some of her ancestors in a favorable light in this post, so please look here for a picture of the regimental flags for the Ninth Illinois Infantry. She had three ancestors who served in this regiment. (Unlike the rest who avoided service entirely!)
Though Gods and Generals is far from being an Academy Award worthy movie, I must confess that I did really like the opening scene where we saw one battle flag after another. The song in the background was also good. The movie went steadily downhill from there. The flags meant something to the soldiers. They represented their regiment, brigade, or corps. Units could be identified by their banners. When speaking of Cleburne's Division flag, General Sherman is quoted as saying "That flag meant fight!" (And he should know!) Who among us would want to hold a position if we saw the green banner of the Irish Brigade moving towards us? Or Hood's Texas Brigade?
The flags that my great-great-great grandfathers fought under were varied, as is the location and regiments of their service. Most of them served under Polk's Corps (later Cheatham) in the Army of Tennessee. As such, they had an easily identifiable Corps flag until the standardization of battle flags in the Army of Tennessee. After that, only Cleburne's men were allowed to keep their own flag.
I, of course, also had ancestors who served in Cleburne's Division. Their flag, like the above is distinctive. Each regiment would, of course, add their unit and list the battles that they participated in if they so desired.
If we turn our attention to the Eastern Theater, I had some relatives in the 6th Louisiana. Part of Hayes' "Fighting Tigers".
And lest I be accused of Confederate bias, I would also like to mention my ancestors in the 8th Ohio Infantry. Now how an Irish immigrant ended up in Ohio is beyond me, but he did nonetheless. He and his brothers enlisted in the 8th Ohio at the beginning of the war. They served in most of the battles in the Eastern Theater as part of the famed Gibraltar Brigade. They assaulted Bloody Lane at Antietam, managed to outflank Pickett's Charge, and saw action in the Overland Campaign. In fact, they reenlisted during the midst of that one! So here too is their flag.
I think it would really be cool to one day have a room in my house decorated with all of the flags from the various regiments in which my ancestors served. But I have two hurdles to overcome. One is getting replicas of all of those flags. The other is my little redhead. But a man can dream, right? As suggested in the comments, when I am ready to undertake this task, I just might visit the Alabama Flag Depot. It looks like they do some very nice work!
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Friday, December 6, 2013
The Wilderness of War
Dear Readers,
For the last week or so I have been working my way through Gordon C. Rhea's series about the Overland Campaign. I finished the first volume which is about the Battle of the Wilderness and have now turned to the second volume concerning Spotsylvania. I'm not sure what drew my attention in that direction, other than the fact that I haven't read his series before. When I teach about the Civil War, the last lecture day covers 1864-5 which includes those campaigns plus the March to the Sea, etc. Maybe that is why.
You know, Grant's casualty rates in that campaign were staggering. I can't help but thing that we would never allow a general today to lose soldiers at the rate that Grant did. My how times have changed. I guess it stirs up the old debate. Was Grant a good general? Yes, he lost large numbers of soldiers but he still bled Lee's Army dry. Of course, the flip side to that is tactically, he seemed to follow a relatively simple plan, "Hey Diddle, Diddle, Straight Up the Middle!"
I have ancestors who fought on both sides during that campaign. Let me rephrase, I have ancestors on the Confederate side and ancestors on the Union side. They stayed loyal to their respective causes until the end. Unlike some of the ancestors of my little redhead who seemed to favor whichever side was winning at that particular moment. My Union ancestors were not "Yankees" in the traditional sense of the word as they all hailed from the Emerald Isle, as did my other ancestors who wore the gray. Still, they collided in some of the worse bloodletting this country has ever seen.
I often wonder what kept my Irish Confederate ancestors in the ranks at a time in which they had to have known that the cause was lost. Before you tell me that slavery was why they stayed in the ranks so long, I would suggest that you look into the types of jobs available to the Irish in New Orleans at the time. They left Ireland to escape English oppression only to end up fighting here in a hopeless war in the land of the "free". Did they ever have second thoughts about why they came here? I can only imagine that they stayed the course because of a combination of pride, comradeship, and the desire to not let their families down. But who knows, really. They arrived here with nothing and the war also left them with nothing. (Other than a few of them that were nice enough to donate a limb or two to the Cause.)
My Irish-Union ancestors had their enlistments expire in the midst of the Overland Campaign. They could have gone home! But they chose to reenlist and see the war through to the end. Plenty of other men did too. Was that an endorsement of Grant's generalship or was that simply a desire to finish what they had started? I wish I could say one way or the other with certainty, but I feel it was more the latter than the former.
Sorry to break slightly off topic, but here is my question for you, Dear Readers. Was Grant a good general or simply a butcher who cared nothing for the lives of his soldiers?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who should be grading papers instead of writing blog posts.
For the last week or so I have been working my way through Gordon C. Rhea's series about the Overland Campaign. I finished the first volume which is about the Battle of the Wilderness and have now turned to the second volume concerning Spotsylvania. I'm not sure what drew my attention in that direction, other than the fact that I haven't read his series before. When I teach about the Civil War, the last lecture day covers 1864-5 which includes those campaigns plus the March to the Sea, etc. Maybe that is why.
You know, Grant's casualty rates in that campaign were staggering. I can't help but thing that we would never allow a general today to lose soldiers at the rate that Grant did. My how times have changed. I guess it stirs up the old debate. Was Grant a good general? Yes, he lost large numbers of soldiers but he still bled Lee's Army dry. Of course, the flip side to that is tactically, he seemed to follow a relatively simple plan, "Hey Diddle, Diddle, Straight Up the Middle!"
I have ancestors who fought on both sides during that campaign. Let me rephrase, I have ancestors on the Confederate side and ancestors on the Union side. They stayed loyal to their respective causes until the end. Unlike some of the ancestors of my little redhead who seemed to favor whichever side was winning at that particular moment. My Union ancestors were not "Yankees" in the traditional sense of the word as they all hailed from the Emerald Isle, as did my other ancestors who wore the gray. Still, they collided in some of the worse bloodletting this country has ever seen.
I often wonder what kept my Irish Confederate ancestors in the ranks at a time in which they had to have known that the cause was lost. Before you tell me that slavery was why they stayed in the ranks so long, I would suggest that you look into the types of jobs available to the Irish in New Orleans at the time. They left Ireland to escape English oppression only to end up fighting here in a hopeless war in the land of the "free". Did they ever have second thoughts about why they came here? I can only imagine that they stayed the course because of a combination of pride, comradeship, and the desire to not let their families down. But who knows, really. They arrived here with nothing and the war also left them with nothing. (Other than a few of them that were nice enough to donate a limb or two to the Cause.)
My Irish-Union ancestors had their enlistments expire in the midst of the Overland Campaign. They could have gone home! But they chose to reenlist and see the war through to the end. Plenty of other men did too. Was that an endorsement of Grant's generalship or was that simply a desire to finish what they had started? I wish I could say one way or the other with certainty, but I feel it was more the latter than the former.
Sorry to break slightly off topic, but here is my question for you, Dear Readers. Was Grant a good general or simply a butcher who cared nothing for the lives of his soldiers?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who should be grading papers instead of writing blog posts.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
Last Night I Had a Dream
Friends,
Last night I had a dream.
When I looked to my left, I could see a long line of Confederate infantry stretching as far as I could see. When I looked to my right, it was the same. In front of us were what appeared to be a very strong line of Federal works. Our rifles were loaded, bayonets fixed. I heard a single cannon shot. Then we received the order to advance.
From somewhere behind, I heard the band playing. The sound seemed somewhat out of place. The strains of "Dixie" floated through the air. The only other sound was the steady tread of our feet. The earth shook with the sound of 20,000 footsteps. In front of us, there was nothing but open ground between us and the enemy. As we marched, scared animals darted in front of us towards the Yankees. Our battle lines were bathed in a sea of red as our flags marked the place of each under sized regiment making the attack.
So many were gone. The blood of our comrades stained dozens of fields from Shiloh to Chickamauga and from Perryville to Murfreesboro. Those of us who remained did so, not out of any dedication to a cause, but out of dedication to one another. Gone were the cheerful days in which we marched off to war, thinking one Southerner worth ten Yankees. Instead, we discovered that these Yankees could put up one hell of a fight. They had gotten the better of us on numerous days, but this day would be different.
The bands began to play "The Girl I Left Behind Me" as we continued to move forward. Perhaps that was a fitting song for the occasion. Given the strength of the Federal works, it looked as though lots of us would leave wives and sweethearts behind by the time the sun finally set. In front of us we could see the advance line of the Federal troops. They were in a precarious position, but we also knew what lay behind them.
The order was given to charge bayonets! The Rebel yelled sounded from thousands of throats as our line surged forward. As we did, the bands, their notes still audible over the sounds of the battlefield, began to play "The Bonnie Blue Flag." We were close enough to make out the faces of our Northern opponents. Many looked scared, uncertain as to what to do their officers yelling orders for them to hold fast. They leveled their rifles and then all hell exploded in our faces.
Today, Dear Readers, marks the 149th Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin. 20,000 men of the Army of Tennessee made that brave, ill advised, and oft forgotten charge on that beautiful November afternoon. Over 6,000 of them would be killed or wounded by the time the smoke cleared.
On this, the anniversary of the battle, let us never forget the brave men who made the charge, nor the equally brave men who opposed it.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Postscript: My ancestors were with the following regiments in this fight:
1st Louisiana Infantry
10 Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
14th Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
33rd Alabama Infantry
24th Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
1st Tennessee Infantry
48th Tennessee Infantry
9th Tennessee Cavalry
19th Tennessee Cavalry
Last night I had a dream.
When I looked to my left, I could see a long line of Confederate infantry stretching as far as I could see. When I looked to my right, it was the same. In front of us were what appeared to be a very strong line of Federal works. Our rifles were loaded, bayonets fixed. I heard a single cannon shot. Then we received the order to advance.
From somewhere behind, I heard the band playing. The sound seemed somewhat out of place. The strains of "Dixie" floated through the air. The only other sound was the steady tread of our feet. The earth shook with the sound of 20,000 footsteps. In front of us, there was nothing but open ground between us and the enemy. As we marched, scared animals darted in front of us towards the Yankees. Our battle lines were bathed in a sea of red as our flags marked the place of each under sized regiment making the attack.
So many were gone. The blood of our comrades stained dozens of fields from Shiloh to Chickamauga and from Perryville to Murfreesboro. Those of us who remained did so, not out of any dedication to a cause, but out of dedication to one another. Gone were the cheerful days in which we marched off to war, thinking one Southerner worth ten Yankees. Instead, we discovered that these Yankees could put up one hell of a fight. They had gotten the better of us on numerous days, but this day would be different.
The bands began to play "The Girl I Left Behind Me" as we continued to move forward. Perhaps that was a fitting song for the occasion. Given the strength of the Federal works, it looked as though lots of us would leave wives and sweethearts behind by the time the sun finally set. In front of us we could see the advance line of the Federal troops. They were in a precarious position, but we also knew what lay behind them.
The order was given to charge bayonets! The Rebel yelled sounded from thousands of throats as our line surged forward. As we did, the bands, their notes still audible over the sounds of the battlefield, began to play "The Bonnie Blue Flag." We were close enough to make out the faces of our Northern opponents. Many looked scared, uncertain as to what to do their officers yelling orders for them to hold fast. They leveled their rifles and then all hell exploded in our faces.
Today, Dear Readers, marks the 149th Anniversary of the Battle of Franklin. 20,000 men of the Army of Tennessee made that brave, ill advised, and oft forgotten charge on that beautiful November afternoon. Over 6,000 of them would be killed or wounded by the time the smoke cleared.
On this, the anniversary of the battle, let us never forget the brave men who made the charge, nor the equally brave men who opposed it.
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict.
Postscript: My ancestors were with the following regiments in this fight:
1st Louisiana Infantry
10 Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
14th Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
33rd Alabama Infantry
24th Texas Cavalry (dismounted)
1st Tennessee Infantry
48th Tennessee Infantry
9th Tennessee Cavalry
19th Tennessee Cavalry
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
The War's Defining Moment
Dear Readers,
When pondering the Civil War, as I often do in my spare time, my mind is drawn to certain events which I think define the war, or at least they do in my mind. Among those topics which my mind seems drawn to are the Irish Brigade assaulting Marye's Heights, Stonewall Jackson standing, well, like a stone wall, Pickett's Charge (of course), George H. Thomas at Chickamauga, and the Peach Orchard at Shiloh.
Those are just a few. The war was made up of moments like these, too numerous to count and too numerous to include in a simple blog post. Since I am a historian of the Western Theater, the single event that sums up the war for me is the Confederate assault at Franklin, Tennessee on November 30, 1864. Most of the men who made the attack were veterans. They knew what happened to infantry who assaulted fixed positions, yet they went anyway. This was a point where the Lost Cause really was, yet they went anyway. Oh to be a witness to that gallant charge as they moved forward, flags flying, bands playing. The Army of Tennessee marched into immortality, yet few but the serious Civil War student even know the truth of what happened on that fateful November afternoon.
That, dear readers, sums up the entire war in my mind, both the gallantry and the carnage. So my question to you is this: What, if any, single event defines the war for you?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who wishes all my readers a Happy Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Civil War: The Untold Story Interview
Friends,
Today we have a very special post. I had the good fortune to interview Chris Wheeler, producer/director of the upcoming Civil War documentary The Untold Story. It focuses on the Western, yes, you read that correctly, the Western Theater! You may see a trailer for it here.
Today we have a very special post. I had the good fortune to interview Chris Wheeler, producer/director of the upcoming Civil War documentary The Untold Story. It focuses on the Western, yes, you read that correctly, the Western Theater! You may see a trailer for it here.
1. Could you please tell me a little bit about
yourself and the project?
We have been producing historical documentaries for more
than 20 years. Some may remember “How
the West Was Lost,” a 13-part series that aired on Discovery. We’ve also produced films on the Korean War
and John Glenn’s Friendship 7 mission.
Additionally, we have produced Visitor Center films for more than 25
National Park sites. These sites also
include many of our National Battlefields.
That is how we began this journey of producing “Civil War: the Untold
Story.”
2. Why
did you choose the Western Theatre as your subject?
In 2010, we began producing the new film for Shiloh
National Military Park. The next year,
we began production on a new film for Chickamauga & Chattanooga NMP. In 2012, we began working on the new film for
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.
Through the process of creating films on these specific battles, we
began to gain a deeper understanding of the significance of the Western Theatre.
While this story is well-known amongst historians, we felt it was relatively
‘untold’ to most Americans. The National
Park Service kindly gave us permission to use the battle scenes created for the
Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Kennesaw films. Having access to this footage became
the impetus to produce a series that looks at Civil War through the lens of the
Western Theatre.
3. What
is one of the biggest challenges in making a Civil War documentary?
From a business perspective, the biggest challenge has
been raising the dollars needed to create a quality 5-hour series. From an
editorial perspective, the biggest challenge is: trying the get my head around the
volumous and complicated story of our Civil War. It’s difficult to fully understand a single
battle such as Shiloh, but even more difficult when trying to put these battles
into context of the larger story of the Civil War. Fortunately, we have had
excellent guidance from historians from the National Park Service as well as
distinguished professors from major universities. Another challenge has been trying to edit
down all the stories to 5 hours. It’s
not nearly enough to fully tell the story of the Civil War. We will be
criticized for not including certain battles or events, something that I think
is understandable. But the reality of
producing any film comes down to dollars.
If we had a larger budget, we could produce something more
comprehensive. As it is, we have had to
make difficult choices regarding what to include, and what not.
4. What
would you like for viewers to take away from watching Civil War: The Untold Story?
Our primary storylines are:
a. Looking
at the war through the lens of the Western Theater – the lands between the
Appalachians and the Mississippi River. Instead of what was happening in
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, our series features such as battles as
Fort Donelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw
Mountain, and Atlanta.
b. Telling
the story the African American experience is an important goal. Every hour devotes time to the African
American experience - from enslaved, to ‘contraband,’ to emancipated, to
fighting to defend freedom
c. The
Southern Civilian experience. The entire
Western Theater was fought in southern states.
Thus, the war experience was much different – and in many ways more
personal – than for those in the North. In
Western Campaign, cities like Corinth, Vicksburg, and Atlanta were
destroyed. Civilians become caught in
the crossfire between the large armies of the Union and Confederacy. Perhaps the most graphic example is at
Vicksburg, where hundreds of civilians build caves to protect themselves from
Union artillery. In the Western Theater, thousands are displaced. Many have
their homes plundered or destroyed. As
Dr. Amy Murrell Taylor puts it: “No longer was the war something far, at a
distance, something that was on some remote battlefield. What it showed is that that kind of distance
between home front and battlefield had collapsed, that really, there wasn’t
much of a distinction anymore and the war was now literally on people’s
doorsteps.” So the war experience for
those in the South in dramatically different from those in the North.
d. Abraham
Lincoln – for the millions that saw Spielberg’s “Lincoln,” we think our series
can be regarded as a ‘prequel.’
Spielberg’s film begins in January 1865, around the time our series ends. Those watching our series will
gain a great understanding Lincoln’s trials during the war.
As producers, we acknowledge that this is a painful story
to hear, even 150 years later. In many
ways, the wounds are still fresh. Ultimately, we hope that our film can help
promote healing in a nation that is arguably as divided as we were in 1861.
5. As
best you can, please describe the process that went into making The Untold Story?
It begins with devoting a great deal of time to
researching the story. From the research
emerges an outline, then a first draft script.
A team of historians then review the scripts and give us feedback. The script is revised. Concurrent with the script process is the
planning of battle recreations. The
filming of these scenes if very much like creating a feature film. Makeup and special effects are important
tools used to create authentic and dramatic battle scenes. Once filming is completed, we revise the
scripts to best incorporate our visuals.
Our team of historians review the revised scripts. We then begin the editing process. Maps and other graphics are created. Original music is composed. One of the last tasks is recording the
voiceover of our narrator, who in this case is Elizabeth McGovern, one of the
stars of “Downton Abbey.”
6. Without
spoiling it for the viewers, is there any particular part of your documentary
that you find particularly moving?
I am personally moved by stories of African Americans
like Emma Stephenson. She was born into
slavery, then emancipated by Sherman’s army.
Emma chose to join the Union army as a battlefield nurse. If captured, Emma would be returned to
bondage. So for her and other Africans Americans joining the fight, the stakes
are high.
I am also touched by the letters between Alabaman Joshua
Callaway and his wife Dulcinea. Like so
many fighting for the Confederacy, Joshua Callaway does not own slaves. But he joins the Confederate army to protect
his family and his home from the invading Union armies. Meanwhile, Dulcinea is left behind to care
for their two small children and their property. Everyday she is faced with the reality of
receiving the news of the death of Joshua.
7. Do
you have any future Civil War projects planned?
While we do not have any planned, we would like to do
additional Civil War projects. I’m very interested in the Trans-Mississippi
Campaign. I also think it would be
fascinating to produce a documentary taking an in depth look at the collision
course North and South were on before the war.
It could be a ‘prequel’ to Civil War: the Untold Story. It really depends on whether we can raise the
funding. Creating these kinds of films
is a very expensive endeavor.
8. When
and where can people see your film?
The series is slated to be distributed to 360+ public
television stations nationwide at the end of January. Airdates and times will be up to the
discretion of local public television stations.
There is a chance that the series release will be delayed until
April. The best way to find out is by
joining our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/CivilWarTheUntoldStory
Through Facebook, we can keep everyone updated on the
project status and also let folks know where and when the series will be
airing.
The Civil War Addict would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Wheeler for taking the time out of his schedule to do this interview. Please visit their facebook page for more video previews and to stay up to date with all the latest news.
The Civil War Addict would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Wheeler for taking the time out of his schedule to do this interview. Please visit their facebook page for more video previews and to stay up to date with all the latest news.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
My Bookshelf
Friends,
Since we have been discussing the written word this week, I thought I would take a moment today to mention my current reading project. I am (slowly) working my way through The Bloody Crucible of Courage by Brent Nosworthy. You can find it here. It is a fairly weighty tome, coming in at 752 pages. That breaks down into 660 pages of text and 68 pages of notes/bibliography. The remainder belongs to the index. The author sets out to examine not just the fighting methods of the Civil War, but also place it alongside the combat experience of the soldiers.
It is a massive undertaking! This book is not for the faint of heart. Only serious Civil War students would enjoy this. Mr. Nosworthy seeks to set the Civil War within the context of other military tactical and technological developments from Europe which took place before and after our Civil War. To that end, I think he does a very good job. Plus, he includes a lot of tactical maps which I love! I could stare at a battlefield map all day. But for those who want a really good examination of all matters tactical and technological, this is the book you'll want to read.
Dear Readers, do you ever find yourself reading a Civil War book and saying "D--n! I wish I had written that!" Alas, I do. And all too often. So I will leave you with this question, "What Civil War book are you currently reading?"
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is happy to announce an upcoming special blog post featuring an interview with the producer/director of a documentary on the Western Theater that will air in the spring. Stay tuned for more!
Since we have been discussing the written word this week, I thought I would take a moment today to mention my current reading project. I am (slowly) working my way through The Bloody Crucible of Courage by Brent Nosworthy. You can find it here. It is a fairly weighty tome, coming in at 752 pages. That breaks down into 660 pages of text and 68 pages of notes/bibliography. The remainder belongs to the index. The author sets out to examine not just the fighting methods of the Civil War, but also place it alongside the combat experience of the soldiers.
It is a massive undertaking! This book is not for the faint of heart. Only serious Civil War students would enjoy this. Mr. Nosworthy seeks to set the Civil War within the context of other military tactical and technological developments from Europe which took place before and after our Civil War. To that end, I think he does a very good job. Plus, he includes a lot of tactical maps which I love! I could stare at a battlefield map all day. But for those who want a really good examination of all matters tactical and technological, this is the book you'll want to read.
Dear Readers, do you ever find yourself reading a Civil War book and saying "D--n! I wish I had written that!" Alas, I do. And all too often. So I will leave you with this question, "What Civil War book are you currently reading?"
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is happy to announce an upcoming special blog post featuring an interview with the producer/director of a documentary on the Western Theater that will air in the spring. Stay tuned for more!
Friday, November 22, 2013
A Writer's Life (Part 2)
Friends,
In keeping with my previous post asking if you could write a Civil War book, what would it be, I decided to take a different approach with this post. The Civil War has given us a veritable treasure trove of literature that grows every year. I read an estimate that was published in 1997 saying that we had over 50,000 Civil War titles. I'd love to know how much we have now. I was at Barnes and Nobles the other day and I was actually surprised to see that the World War 2 section was twice as big as the Civil War section. Though I hate to use the term, those are our two "popular" wars and in the past the local B&N has given them equal shelf space. Does this mean that interest in the war is fading?
Some Civil War topics seem to get more attention than others. Just compare the number of books on Gettysburg to the number of books on Franklin for an illustration of that statement. So here is my question for you, Dear Reader, what Civil War topic do we NOT need another book about?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who apologizes for the short post, but I am headed off to be a guest speaker on Civil War Medicine in my little redhead's US History classes this morning.
In keeping with my previous post asking if you could write a Civil War book, what would it be, I decided to take a different approach with this post. The Civil War has given us a veritable treasure trove of literature that grows every year. I read an estimate that was published in 1997 saying that we had over 50,000 Civil War titles. I'd love to know how much we have now. I was at Barnes and Nobles the other day and I was actually surprised to see that the World War 2 section was twice as big as the Civil War section. Though I hate to use the term, those are our two "popular" wars and in the past the local B&N has given them equal shelf space. Does this mean that interest in the war is fading?
Some Civil War topics seem to get more attention than others. Just compare the number of books on Gettysburg to the number of books on Franklin for an illustration of that statement. So here is my question for you, Dear Reader, what Civil War topic do we NOT need another book about?
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who apologizes for the short post, but I am headed off to be a guest speaker on Civil War Medicine in my little redhead's US History classes this morning.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
A Civil War Writer's Life
Friends,
I've been a little nostalgic of late. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is due to approaching holidays. Or maybe it is due to the fact that I am not getting any younger. For some reason I have found myself thinking a lot about my graduate school days. I got my Master's Degree in History from here. As anyone who has attended graduate school in any subject knows, it can be both the best of times or the worse of times (to quote Dickens). I had a decent experience in graduate school, primarily because that is where I met my little redhead. In fact, I met her in a Civil War class. The teacher was lecturing about King Cotton and I reached over and took her folder and quickly sketched a picture of a cotton ball wearing a crown. I guess there are worse ways to meet one's future spouse. She still has the notebook too. Of course, I took her to Dairy Queen for our first date and luckily that didn't end the relationship!
When thinking about graduate school it has left me thinking about all of the Civil War papers that I have written both as an undergraduate and a graduate student. You know, academic papers are kind of like ex-girlfriends in that you tend to only remember the bad ones! Not all of the papers I wrote were about Civil War subjects. I wrote a really good (or at least I thought) paper on the growing influence of politics on the German Army during the 1930s. I wrote another one on slavery in Texas. That one fell into the bad girlfriend category. The professor agreed. My favorite paper had to be the one I wrote on the impact of the terrain on the Battle of Shiloh. I argued that given the conditions of their army that there was very little chance of the Confederates finishing off the Northern Army as the sun set on April 6th. Others may disagree, of course, but it was my paper!
What amuses me to no end is that military historians like myself are often seen as the redheaded stepchild of the academic world. (No offense meant to my wife!) But if you look at the bookshelves at you local bookstore or take a gander at Amazon or Kindle, you'll note that military history sells very well. There seems to be a huge disconnect between academic historians and the reading public. I am okay with that. Go ahead and write your massive tome on the impact of cotton underwear on farm prices in Central Alabama in December of 1862. I'll stick to reading about the Battle of Shiloh. Or Franklin. Or even Gettysburg!
So I'll leave you to ponder this question, Dear Readers. If you could write a Civil War book, what would it be? (Let's stick with non-fiction for this one.)
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is just happy he has time to read.
I've been a little nostalgic of late. I'm not sure why. Perhaps it is due to approaching holidays. Or maybe it is due to the fact that I am not getting any younger. For some reason I have found myself thinking a lot about my graduate school days. I got my Master's Degree in History from here. As anyone who has attended graduate school in any subject knows, it can be both the best of times or the worse of times (to quote Dickens). I had a decent experience in graduate school, primarily because that is where I met my little redhead. In fact, I met her in a Civil War class. The teacher was lecturing about King Cotton and I reached over and took her folder and quickly sketched a picture of a cotton ball wearing a crown. I guess there are worse ways to meet one's future spouse. She still has the notebook too. Of course, I took her to Dairy Queen for our first date and luckily that didn't end the relationship!
When thinking about graduate school it has left me thinking about all of the Civil War papers that I have written both as an undergraduate and a graduate student. You know, academic papers are kind of like ex-girlfriends in that you tend to only remember the bad ones! Not all of the papers I wrote were about Civil War subjects. I wrote a really good (or at least I thought) paper on the growing influence of politics on the German Army during the 1930s. I wrote another one on slavery in Texas. That one fell into the bad girlfriend category. The professor agreed. My favorite paper had to be the one I wrote on the impact of the terrain on the Battle of Shiloh. I argued that given the conditions of their army that there was very little chance of the Confederates finishing off the Northern Army as the sun set on April 6th. Others may disagree, of course, but it was my paper!
What amuses me to no end is that military historians like myself are often seen as the redheaded stepchild of the academic world. (No offense meant to my wife!) But if you look at the bookshelves at you local bookstore or take a gander at Amazon or Kindle, you'll note that military history sells very well. There seems to be a huge disconnect between academic historians and the reading public. I am okay with that. Go ahead and write your massive tome on the impact of cotton underwear on farm prices in Central Alabama in December of 1862. I'll stick to reading about the Battle of Shiloh. Or Franklin. Or even Gettysburg!
So I'll leave you to ponder this question, Dear Readers. If you could write a Civil War book, what would it be? (Let's stick with non-fiction for this one.)
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who is just happy he has time to read.
The Civil War Addict giving a tour of San
Jacinto State Park. Sat. Nov. 16, 2013
Saturday, November 16, 2013
I Have Returned!
Friends,
Just like General Douglas MacArthur (who's father was a Civil War veteran), I have returned. All of you have my sincerest apologies for my dropping off the face of the earth. Actually, I didn't really do that. I'm still in La Porte. But nonetheless, here I am. I am teaching nine, yes you read that right, nine classes this semester including one that I have never taught before and it is literally kicking my ever living Irish-American butt!
Today I had the opportunity to lead a group of my students (and my wife's students) on a tour of the San Jacinto Battlefield. For those of you who don't know, this is the spot where Texas won their independence from Mexico. Today the park is surrounded by the lovely glow of chemical plants. My first law enforcement job was with the State Parks and Wildlife Department and I was assigned there as a Park Police Officer. (In some states they call them Park Rangers...as in the Park Rangers who carry guns. Here we call them Park Police.) I even got to live in a house on the park property!
So as I was wandering the battlefield today with the students, I remembered the last time I visited a battlefield and that happened to be Shiloh. I believe if you look down in my earlier posts I referenced that trip. That got me to thinking that I have really let my blog go to waste and I needed to remedy that. Luckily I still remember my password!
I am teaching about the Civil War right now in my 1301 courses and to be honest, it is hard. I've literally spent my entire life either studying or reenacting the war. When you have gained such a body of knowledge about something it is often difficult to decide what to include in a class and what to leave out. This is a basic US History survey course and so it doesn't call for a level of detail that one might want to include. Many of my fellow colleagues run out of time and don't even cover the war at all. That is a travesty if you ask me. I move fairly quickly through the semester so that I can include ample time for studying what people far smarter than me have called the defining event in American History.
Here is how I cover it:
Class 1: Election of Lincoln through First Manassas
Class 2: 1862 (Including fall of New Orleans, Shiloh, McClellan in Virginia, Antietam, The Proclamation)
Class 3: 1863 (Battle of Galveston, Gettysburg, Draft Riots, Sabine Pass)
Class 4: 1864-5 (Wilderness Campaign, March to the Sea, Franklin/Nashville, Appomattox)
Class 5: Civil War Medicine
I am a military historian and so I focus a lot on that, but of course we also draw in a little of the social history while we move along. My students have always told me that my Civil War lectures are the best ones that I do, but that could also be because it is the end of the semester and they know that they'll be done listening to me beat my gums for 3 hours a week soon!
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who must apologize over and over again to all my readers for disappearing!
Just like General Douglas MacArthur (who's father was a Civil War veteran), I have returned. All of you have my sincerest apologies for my dropping off the face of the earth. Actually, I didn't really do that. I'm still in La Porte. But nonetheless, here I am. I am teaching nine, yes you read that right, nine classes this semester including one that I have never taught before and it is literally kicking my ever living Irish-American butt!
Today I had the opportunity to lead a group of my students (and my wife's students) on a tour of the San Jacinto Battlefield. For those of you who don't know, this is the spot where Texas won their independence from Mexico. Today the park is surrounded by the lovely glow of chemical plants. My first law enforcement job was with the State Parks and Wildlife Department and I was assigned there as a Park Police Officer. (In some states they call them Park Rangers...as in the Park Rangers who carry guns. Here we call them Park Police.) I even got to live in a house on the park property!
So as I was wandering the battlefield today with the students, I remembered the last time I visited a battlefield and that happened to be Shiloh. I believe if you look down in my earlier posts I referenced that trip. That got me to thinking that I have really let my blog go to waste and I needed to remedy that. Luckily I still remember my password!
I am teaching about the Civil War right now in my 1301 courses and to be honest, it is hard. I've literally spent my entire life either studying or reenacting the war. When you have gained such a body of knowledge about something it is often difficult to decide what to include in a class and what to leave out. This is a basic US History survey course and so it doesn't call for a level of detail that one might want to include. Many of my fellow colleagues run out of time and don't even cover the war at all. That is a travesty if you ask me. I move fairly quickly through the semester so that I can include ample time for studying what people far smarter than me have called the defining event in American History.
Here is how I cover it:
Class 1: Election of Lincoln through First Manassas
Class 2: 1862 (Including fall of New Orleans, Shiloh, McClellan in Virginia, Antietam, The Proclamation)
Class 3: 1863 (Battle of Galveston, Gettysburg, Draft Riots, Sabine Pass)
Class 4: 1864-5 (Wilderness Campaign, March to the Sea, Franklin/Nashville, Appomattox)
Class 5: Civil War Medicine
I am a military historian and so I focus a lot on that, but of course we also draw in a little of the social history while we move along. My students have always told me that my Civil War lectures are the best ones that I do, but that could also be because it is the end of the semester and they know that they'll be done listening to me beat my gums for 3 hours a week soon!
My name is Lee Hutch and I am a Civil War Addict who must apologize over and over again to all my readers for disappearing!
Monday, August 19, 2013
I Shall Return!
My dear friends,
I have not forgotten you! With my wife being gone for the funeral and me trying to get ready to start teaching again next week, I have been busier than a one legged man in an a$$ kicking contest. I am busier now than I can ever remember being, and that includes the times when I had a heavy case load in my now previous life.
I PROMISE that I will have a Civil War related post for you by the end of the week. I am elbow deep in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome right now, so the Roman civil wars are the ones that I am working one now. So Friends, Romans, Countrymen, I don't need you to lend me your ears, but I will gladly accept topic suggestions should you have any. Post them in the comments below or reply on Google plus. All will be considered.
My name is Lee Hutch and I have been a busy Civil War Addict.
I have not forgotten you! With my wife being gone for the funeral and me trying to get ready to start teaching again next week, I have been busier than a one legged man in an a$$ kicking contest. I am busier now than I can ever remember being, and that includes the times when I had a heavy case load in my now previous life.
I PROMISE that I will have a Civil War related post for you by the end of the week. I am elbow deep in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome right now, so the Roman civil wars are the ones that I am working one now. So Friends, Romans, Countrymen, I don't need you to lend me your ears, but I will gladly accept topic suggestions should you have any. Post them in the comments below or reply on Google plus. All will be considered.
My name is Lee Hutch and I have been a busy Civil War Addict.
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