American Civil War

I have no hesitation in calling what I am about to write a "war record," for my life was "twice in jeopardy," as will be seen later on, and I served faithfully as a volunteer, though without compensation, during the entire war of the Rebellion. It is true I was not in the ranks, but I was at the front, and perhaps had a more continuous experience of army life during those four terribly eventful years than any other woman of the North. Born in Charleston, S. C., my sympathies were naturally...Read Full Story

ADVERTISEMENTS The  Stonewall  was a foreign-built ironclad which joined the Confederate service toward the end of the Civil War. Named for Lee's inspiring general,  Stonewall Jackson , the ship was built at Bordeaux, France by L'Aman, ostensibly for the Danish navy. Like the  Scorpion  and  Wivern , she was the object of intense Union pressure, and it was only with much legerdemain that  Stonewall  was delivered to the Confederates and commissioned in October 1864. The...Read Full Story

In recent years there has been a movemet afoot to remove Confederate monuments and other remembrances of our proud Southern heritage from the landscape.  In such a "politically correct" age it is heartening to see that in some communities monuments to the C.S.A. are still being erected instead of being torn down.  Here is one such example of a Confederate monument unveiled in March, 2001, in Charlotte, Tennessee, 42 miles west of Nashville. Dickson County Courthouse and Confederate Monumernt...Read Full Story

Always on the hunt for opportunities to inform my understanding of history, I’ve hit a gold mine. In addition to my fascination with the Civil War, I am equally passionate about maritime history and am a degreed engineer. Those three fields of study converge in a fascinating symposium hosted by the DeepArch Research Group in Technology, Archaeology and the Deep Sea at MIT in April 2003 which they have made available for viewing on MIT Earth (TM). The symposium, Civil War High Tech...Read Full Story

On the anniversary of President Lincoln’s 1863 Gettysburg Address, a volunteer in period dress lights luminarias. The candles illuminate markers commemorating soldiers killed at the Battle of Gettysburg. Fort Sumter National Monument Charleston, South Carolina The U.S. Civil War began at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, when Confederate artillery unleashed a barrage on the Federal fort. Sumter’s Union defenders surrendered after 34 hours; two soldiers (both from the Northern ranks...Read Full Story