Battle of Olustee mini-documentary online for 150th anniversary

My new mini-documentary on the Battle of Olustee is now online as Florida commemorates the 150th anniversary of its largest Civil War battle.

Fought on February 20, 1864, the battle took place in the open pine woods between Lake City and Jacksonville and was a stunning defeat for the Union army of Brigadier General Truman Seymour. He had advanced west despite orders to the contrary from his superiors.

Expecting to meet only light resistance, Seymour instead ran into the 5,000 man army of Brigadier General Joseph Finegan. A fiery Irishman, Finegan and his second in command - Brig. Gen. Alfred Colquitt - demolished Seymour's force in a stand up fight.

To learn more, watch the video above and be sure to visit our main Battle of Olustee page at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/olustee.

Stafford Civil War Park in Virginia preserves memory of Union Army's "Valley Forge"

Stafford Civil War Park

The remarkable new Stafford Civil War Park is a fascinating heritage preserve in Stafford County, Virginia. It preserves part of the scene of the Army of the Potomac's "Valley Forge" during the winter of 1862-1863.

Opened to the public in April of this year, the park encompasses 41 acres of pristine historic landscape where the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the XI Corps camped following the Battle of Fredericksburg. It was here and in surrounding Stafford County that the Army of the Potomac weathered what some have called its "Valley Forge" in January through April 1863.

Ruins of fire pit or chimney from Union hut

The park features a driving tour, walking trails, interpretive signs, cannon, stone bridge ruins and the well-preserved earthworks of three artillery batteries.  It is one of the best places in the nation to explore visible remains of a major Civil War camp. The stone fire pits and chimneys of the huts built by Union soldiers can still be seen, along with the foundations of blockhouses and holes left by soldiers who dug holes into which they built their huts, using the earth as additional insulation.

To learn more about this fascination heritage destination, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/staffordwar.

"Night at the Museum coming to Andersonville NHS in Georgia

Andersonville National Historic Site

Andersonville National Historic Site in Georgia is preserves the site of the massive Camp Sumter Civil War prison and is home to the National Prisoner of War Museum.

The park is normally open during daylight hours, but on November 16th visitors will have a rare opportunity to explore the national park area after dark.

The national historic site and museum will open its doors to the public beginning at 6 p.m. on November 16th to allow visitors to explore the museum and its exhibits, attend special films and hear a presentation on the 15 American Indian men from the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters who were held prisoner at Camp Sumter.

In addition, lanterns will light the way from the museum to the restored northeast corner of the prison stockade. Living history presenters will be there to interact with visitors and portray life at Andersonville during the winter of 1864-1865.

It should be a fascinating event and will be the last chance to see the prison after dark until 2014.

Please click here to learn more about "Night at the Museum.

Please click here to learn more about Andersonville National Historic Site.

Port Hudson, Louisiana - July 7, 1863

Confederate gun at Port Hudson State Historic Site

150 years ago today, Major General Franklin Gardner (CS) at Port Hudson learned that Vicksburg had fallen three days earlier.

The news came not from the Union commander, Major General Nathaniel P. Banks, but from his soldiers themselves, who called across the lines to let the Confederate defenders of the Louisiana bastion know that they alone remained to defend the Mississippi River for the South. The intelligence was passed up through command to General Gardner, who penned a brief inquiry to General Banks and had it delivered through the lines under a flag of truce:

Museum Display of Heavy Artillery Shells at Port Hudson

GENERAL: Having received information from your troops that Vicksburg has been surrendered, I make this communication to ask you to give me the official assurance whether this is true or not; and, if true, I ask for a cessation of hostilities with a view to consider terms for surrendering this position. - Maj. Gen. Franklin Gardner, CSA (July 7, 1863).

It was a remarkable fact of the 19th century that commanding officers believed they could trust their enemies to be honorable and provide them with accurate information under such situations.

The siege at Port Hudson had continued longer than any other siege of the War Between the States (or Civil War). The first attempt by the Union army to storm the defenses of the Confederate bastion had ended in disaster (please see Fighting goes on at Port Hudson, Louisiana). Not only did it leave nearly 2,000 Union officers and soldiers dead, wounded or missing, the assault gave a significant boost to the morale of the surrounded Confederates. They had plenty of gunpowder and believed they could beat the Union army any time it chose to advance.

Field gun on display at Port Hudson

General Gardner and his men proved this again on June 13-14, 1863, when Banks attempted a three-pronged infantry assault on the fortifications of Port Hudson. The Confederates now had just over 3,500 men capable of fighting, while the Union army numbered more than 30,000.

The attack began at 11:15 in the morning of June 13 when more than 100 Union cannon opened fire on the earthworks and trenches of Port Hudson. After one hour of bombardment that could be heard in Baton Rouge and other towns throughout the region, General Banks demanded that Gardner surrender. The Confederate general replied that duty required him to defend his post and told Banks simply, "I decline to surrender."

Indiana Artillery firing on Port Hudson
Courtesy Library of Congress

The bombardment was resumed and continued through the night and into the pre-dawn hours of July 14, 1863. Then, at 3:30 a.m., the Union infantry began its assault. The attack was confused and poorly organized. Fog and the smoke of the bombardment created even more confusion in the dark. The result was a Confederate victory so lopsided that it was matched by few other engagements of the war. The Union army lost 1,792 men killed, wounded and missing. The Confederates lost only 47.

Even as their food and bullets ran out, the Confederates kept fighting. Reduced to eating rats and their own mules, they made up for their lack of bullets and artillery shells by salvaging the ones fired into the front of their earthworks by the Union army. They carried out quick raids against the Union infantry that was slowly digging its approach trenches toward them. When they learned that the Federals were trying to dig mines under their works to plant gunpowder in order to blow them up, the Confederates dug mines of their own and blew up the Union mines.

Looking out from Confederate lines at Port Hudson
Courtesy Library of Congress

One can not help but wonder what might have happened at Vicksburg had Gardner been in command there.

Gardner and his tiny command, in fact, held out longer than any other force under siege during the war. It was not until he learned that Vicksburg had fallen that he finally accepted the fact that there was no further need for sacrifice on the part of his men. Port Hudson was the southern defense for the stretch of the Mississippi River used to move supplies and men from west of the river to the railroad at Vicksburg. With Vicksburg in Union hands, Port Hudson no longer served a purpose for the Confederacy.

So, late in the day on July 7, 1863 - 150 years ago today, Gardner sent his inquiry through the lines asking for official confirmation from Banks that Vicksburg had surrendered. The Union commander would not reply until early the next morning, and for one more night the fighting continued to rage.

Please click here to learn about the surrender of Port Hudson.

Read more about Port Hudson battlefield at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/porthudson.

Vicksburg 150th Anniversary Events Set for Memorial Day Weekend

Stockade Redan at Vicksburg

Memorial Day Weekend this year also marks the 150th anniversary of the Siege and Battle of Vicksburg, Mississippi, one of the most critical battles of the Civil War.

The battle for Vicksburg actually began on May 19, 1863 - 150 years ago today - when Gen. Ulysses S. Grant hurled his army against the Confederate fortifications at the Stockade Redan in an attempt to break through the Southern lines and capture the city without resorting to a long siege. The Confederate Army of Gen. John C. Pemberton, however, hurled back the attack in bloody fashion. Pemberton lost only 8 men killed and 62 wounded, compared to 157 killed and 777 wounded for Grant.

Battery De Golyer at Vicksburg

A second, larger attack came three days later on May 21, 1863, after a horrible bombardment of both military and civilian targets in Vicksburg, but ended in an greater disaster for the Union army. Some 3,000 U.S. soldiers were killed or wounded, compared to around 500 Confederates.

The fighting would go on for more than six weeks, ending only after the Confederate defenders and civilians in Vicksburg had been reduced to eating rats, mules and boiled shoe-leather. Gen. Pemberton surrendered the city to Grant on July 4, 1863, the same day that Pickett's Charge failed at Gettysburg.

To learn more about the Battle of Vicksburg, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/vicksburg1.

In commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the bloody siege and battle at Vicksburg, the National Park Service has planned numerous events that are now underway and will continue thorugh Memorial Day Weekend.  Here is a schedule:

Sunday, May 19

First Assault Programs:
10:00 a.m. - Confederate Perspective, Begins at Stockade Redan (Tour Stop 12)
1:00 p.m. - Union Perspective, Begins at Stockade Redan Attack Display (Tour Stop 5)

Wednesday, May 22

Memorial Day Event:
7:30 a.m. - Placement of flags on graves at Vicksburg National Cemetery.

Second Assault Programs:
10:00 a.m. - The Forlorn Hope, Begins at Stockade Redan Attack Display (Tour Stop 5)
10:00 a.m. - Second Texas Lunette Attack, Begins at Second Texas Lunette (Tour Stop 12)
10:00 a.m. - Assault on the Great Redoubt, Begins at the Great Redoubt (Tour Stop 11)
1:00 p.m. - Assault on Railroad Redoube, Begins at Railroad Redoubt (Tour Stop 13).

Thursday, May 23

Memorial Day Events:
10:00 a.m. - U.S. Postal Service Sesquicentennial Stamp National Event at USS Cairo Museum.
7:00 - 10:00 p.m. - Shadows of the Past walk at Vicksburg National Cemetery.

Friday, May 24

Memorial Day Event:
7:00 p.m. - U.S. Navy Band Concert at Park Visitor Center.

Saturday, May 25

Memorial Day Events:

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - Soldiers Thru the Ages Display at USS Cairo Museum
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Programs held throughout the day at:

• Shirley House/Illinois Monument/Old Jackson Road 
• Pemberton's Headquarters (Crawford Street, downtown Vicksburg)
• Old Administration Building (Pemberton Ave., inside park) - U.S. Camel Corps program.
• Living History programs at various locations in the park.

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Book Signings at the Park Visitor Center featuring Jeff Shaara, Dr. John Marszalek, Tim Isbell, Jeff Biambrone and Rebecca Drake.

10:00 a.m. - Re-Dedication of the Iowa State Memorial.

7:00 p.m. - Concert featuring Mississippi Symphony Orchestra with guest appearance by Trace Adkins at Park Visitor Center.

Sunday, May 26

Memorial Day Events:

9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Soldiers Thru the Ages Display at USS Cairo Museum
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Programs held throughout the day at:

• Shirley House/Illinois Monument/Old Jackson Road 
• Pemberton's Headquarters (Crawford Street, downtown Vicksburg)
• Old Administration Building (Pemberton Ave., inside park) - U.S. Camel Corps program.
• Living History programs at various locations in the park.

7:00 p.m. - Concert by Jackson Mass Community Choir at the Park Visitor Center.

Monday, May 27

Memorial Day Events:

10:00 a.m. - Vicksburg City Memorial Day Parade in Downtown Vicksburg.

11:00 a.m. - Vicksburg City Memorial Day Program at Vicksburg Civic Center.

12:00 noon - Wreath Laying at Vicksburg National Cemetery.

Wednesday, July 3

Luminary Commemoration:

7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - 20,000 luminaries will be placed throughout the park and on Confederate Avenue in Vicksburg at every State Memorial to honor the casualties suffered by each state, North and South, during the Vicksburg Campaign.

Two Forgotten Alabama Battles of the Civil War

Reenactors fire a salute commemorating Battle of Fairview

I've just added new pages to the main site on the Battle of Fairview and the Battle of Newton, two all but forgotten Civil War actions that took place in the Wiregrass region of South Alabama.
These two battles were unique in that both were fought by citizens to defend or avenge their communities against outlaw raider gangs, not by soldiers of the Union and Confederacy lining up to fight each other.

Battle Branch, Site of the Battle of Fairview, Alabama

The Battle of Fairview took place on September 2, 1864, in Coffee County, Alabama. A band of outlaws called Ward's Raiders and led by Jim Ward had burned the courthouse in the county seat of Elba the previous spring, trying to destroy the conscription or draft records there. The records were saved, so on the night of September 1 the raiders came back and set fire to buildings all around the square as well as the bridge over the Pea River. Local citizens took up arms and gave chase, cornering the raiders at Battle Branch in the Fairview Community. To learn more about the Battle of Fairview, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fairview.

Battle of Newton Monument in Newton, Alabama

The Battle of Newton took place in nearby Dale County, Alabama, on March 14, 1865. Joseph Sanders was a lieutenant in the 1st Florida Cavalry (U.S.) but exceeded his orders and led a mixed band of U.S. cavalrymen and outlaw guerrillas against the Dale County seat of Newton. His target, as had been the case with the Battle of Fairview, was the courthouse and its conscription or draft records. And just as had been the case in Elba, the citizens of Newton took up arms. The battle evolved differently because at Newton, the citizens were waiting when Sanders and his men rode into town. To learn more about the Battle of Newton, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/newtonbattle.

Sketoe's Hole Memorial

If you are interested in the Civil War in the Wiregrass, you might also enjoy reading the story of Ghost of Sketoe's Hole. The legend revolves around the hanging of a man in Dale County, Alabama, during the closing months of the war and the "hole that will not stay filled." To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/sketoe.

You can also read about many other Alabama battles and forts by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com/battlefields.

Cumberland Gap National Historical Park - Middlesboro, Kentucky

Civil War cannon and earthworks at Cumberland Gap

One of America's truly great national parks, the Cumberland Gap is a beautiful mountain pass that was the original gateway to the West for American pioneers.

The gap takes its name because it cuts through Cumberland Mountain. It is 26 miles long and 1-4 miles wide. Prior to Daniel Boone's blazing of the famed Wilderness Road in 1775, it was the route of the Warrior's Path used by Shawnee and Cherokee Indians. These tribes hunted in Kentucky and considered the "dark and bloody ground" to be their exclusive hunting grounds. They often warred with each other over use of the pass and hunting rights.

Cumberland Gap NHP

Daniel Boone opened the Wilderness Road in 1775 and despite bloody violence in Kentucky during the American Revolution, it did not take long for thousands of American frontier families to follow in his footsteps. The National Park Service, in fact, estimates that as many as 47 million Americans can trace their ancestors to settlers who passed through the Cumberland Gap.

Rock Formations at Cumberland Gap

The natural pass through the mountains was a strategic point during the Civil War and both Union and Confederate armies each held it twice. The remains of Fort Lyon and Fort McCook are popular historic sites in the park today. Visitors can explore Civil War fortifications and look out at the Gap from the view of the soldiers that once held the forts.

Cumberland Gap today is a national historical park. Over 20,000 acres of beautiful mountain scenery is protected by the National Park Service, which also provides campsites, picnic areas, hiking trails, a visitor center, historic sites and even guided tours of the Gap Cave, one of a number of natural caves and caverns in the park.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/cumberlandgap.

First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, Georgia

First Presbyterian Church of Augusta

First Presbyterian Church of Augusta celebrates a remarkable anniversary this year: its 200th year in the same sanctuary!

Designed by Robert Mills, architect of the Washington Monument, the magnificent church was completed in 1812, 200 years ago. The congregation itself is even older, having celebrated its bicentennial in 2004.

Much of Mills' original design can still be seen at First Presbyterian, although the Augusta church was "modernized" in 1847 with the addition of crenellations and Romanesque windows. The shape and scale of the historic building, however, is classic Mills.

Woodrow Wilson, ca. 1870

The church appears almost identical today as it did in 1858 when the Rev. Dr. Joseph Ruggles Wilson became its minister. His family included a young boy who would become the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson.

The future President, then called "Tommy," likely was present for at least parts of the session when the church hosted the first meeting of the General Assembly of the Church of the Confederate States of America in 1861. He definitely witnessed the conversion of the sanctuary to a hospital following the Battle of Chickamauga. Pews were removed from inside the building to create the floorspace needed to treat badly wounded men from both sides.

First Presbyterian Church of Augusta

The boy who would become President attended First Presbyterian Church of Augusta until 1870 when he moved with his family to Columbia, South Carolina. His boyhood home, now a museum, stands just across Telfair Street from the sanctuary. Later in life, Wilson would remember his boyhood in the South with the significant quote, "The only place in the country, the only place in the world, where nothing has to be explained to me, is the South."

First Presbyterian was a gathering place for soldiers who came to Augusta to train during World War I, then sometime's called "Mr. Wilson's War." The former boy from Augusta was President of the United States when the country joined the allies to battle Germany in Europe.

To learn more about historic First Presbyterian Church of Augusta, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/augustapresbyterian.

To learn about other historic sites across the South, be sure to visit our main site at www.exploresouthernhistory.com.

The Battle of Baton Rouge - The American Revolution in Louisiana

Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Battlefield at Right)

It is a little known fact that one of the most important battles of the American Revolution took place not in New England or along the East Coast, but far to the west on the banks of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Hoping to gain advantage over Great Britain, the King of Spain declared his support of the fledgling United States on May 8, 1779, and declared war on Spain's long-time rival. Two months later he extended the right to make war to his subjects in North America.

Spain then possessed what later became known as the Louisiana Purchase, which included the parts of present day Louisiana west of the Mississippi River, as well as the city of New Orleans. Spanish territory also extended up the great river to include present-day Arkansas, Missouri and other states.

Revolutionary War Cannon at Baton Rouge

Great Britain, in turn, held the colonies of East Florida and West Florida, which had not joined in the revolution against the King. West Florida then extended from the Apalachicola River on the east all the way to the Mississippi River on the west. The modern cities of Baton Rouge, Mobile and Pensacola were included in this domain and were garrisoned by British troops.

Learning of the King's declaration, the Spanish Governor of Louisiana immediately began to prepare a campaign against the British at Baton Rouge. His name was Bernardo de Galvez and he was one of the most successful year least known generals of the American Revolution.

The British fort stood near the Pentagon Barracks (right)

Moving north from New Orleans with an army of 580 Spanish regulars, 60 local militiamen, 80 free blacks, 10 American volunteers and an irregular force of some 600 Acadians and Indians, Galvez took Fort Bute, an English post at Bayou Manchac, on September 7, 1779.  He then moved on Baton Rouge, where 550 British soldiers manned the new and strong Fort New Richmond.

Nothing remains above ground of the fort today, but it stood adjacent to the spot where the historic Pentagon Barracks were later built overlooking the river. The earthwork fortification was armed with cannon and held 400 British regulars from the 16th and 60th regiments, some militia, a few regular artillerymen and several companies from the 3rd Waldeck Regiment (Germans).

Memorial to the 1779 Battle of Baton Rouge

Galvez laid siege to the fort on September 12, 1779, moving his troops completely around its land sides and preparing siege trenches and hidden batteries. On September 21, 1779, the Patriot army opened its bombardment of Fort New Richmond. The British fired back long enough to defend the honor of their king, but then raised the white flag.

The Battle of Baton Rouge gave the Spanish control of the western end of West Florida and ended forever Great Britain's claim to the Mississippi River. Galvez went on to take Fort Charlotte at Mobile and Fort George at Pensacola in one of the most remarkable campaigns of the American Revolution. The Spanish general with his mixed army eliminated any British claim to the Gulf Coast and opened the door for the eventual United States capture and acquisition of the territory making up the modern states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana.

To learn more about the Battle of Baton Rouge, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/batonrouge1779.

Archaeologists bring story of Civil War prison camp to life

Archaeological Excavation at Camp Lawton

A second season of research by archaeologists from Georgia Southern University is adding a great deal to our understanding of life at Camp Lawton, a Civil War prison camp near Millen, Georgia.
Millen is about an hour south of Augusta and was along the route of Sherman's March to the Sea. Camp Lawton had only been in use for about six weeks when the approach of Sherman's army forced its evacuation. During that short time of operation, however, more than 10,000 Union prisoners of war were confined in the 42-acre stockade and over 700 died.

Stream and Prison Site

The site has long been preserved as part of Magnolia Springs State Park and the adjacent Bo Ginn National Fish Hatchery. Because of this preservation, the site of the stockade and its related components has been protected for years and the artifacts associated with the prison and its inmates have been left in the ground where they fell nearly 150 years ago.

Interpretive Kiosk at Camp Lawton Site

As archaeologists uncover these artifacts, they are pushing away the fog of time to learn much about what life was like in the prison. Not only has their work revealed traces of the stockade and other structures, it has located places where prisoners lived. Artifacts found so far include a unique ring, traces of huts lived in by prisoners and even buckles and other items bearing regimental insignia. The latter items help pinpoint where men from various units lived in the prison.

In addition to the prison site itself, Magnolia Springs State Park features the well-preserved earthworks of the Confederate fortifications that surrounded the stockade. In addition, there are interpretive panels and signs to help visitors learn about the prison and its history.

To learn more about Camp Lawton, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/camplawton.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park - Kennesaw, Georgia

Kennesaw Mountain Battlefield

A park that commemorates the Atlanta Campaign and preserves the scene of some of its heaviest fighting, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park is a rare Civil War landscape in the rapidly spreading Atlanta metropolitan area.
Fought on July 27, 1864, the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain was one of the few direct Union assaults of Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's campaign to take Atlanta. The Federal troops tried to storm heavily fortified position along the slopes of the mountain but were hurled back with severe losses. More than 4,000 men were reported killed, wounded or missing in just a few short hours.

Cannon on top of Kennesaw Mountain

The battle developed as Sherman pushed the last few miles to the Chattahoochee River, beyond which no natural barriers separated him from the vital rail junction of Atlanta. To reach the river, however, there was one more great natural barrier to pass - Kennesaw Mountain and its connected ridges.

The high ground, however, was held by the outnumbered but still determined Confederate Army of Tennessee led by Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. His Southern forces had entrenched themselves heavily on the mountain and connected slopes and his cannon were firing from the summit of the mountain on the trains that brought Sherman's supplies down from Tennessee.

Monument at the Dead Angle

Recent rains had made a flanking maneuver too difficult to undertake, so on the morning of July 27, 1864, Sherman hurled his forces at the mountain.  The attack went wrong almost immediately. The Confederate positions were just too strong and the Union attacking columns were swept by Southern cannon and musket fire.

The Confederate victory at Kennesaw Mountain would be the last Southern triumph of the Atlanta Campaign. Five days later Sherman was able to move his army around one of Johnston's flanks and Southern troops were forced to give up the mountain and fall back first on the line of the Chattahoochee and soon into the defenses of Atlanta itself.  Johnston was replaced by Gen. John Bell Hood who launched poorly coordinated and futile attacks on Sherman's forces, decimating his army and losing Atlanta in the process. The fall of the city drove a bayonet into the heart of the Confederacy.

To learn more about this beautifully preserved battlefield, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/kennesaw.

War Eagle Mill & Bridge - Northwest Arkansas

War Eagle Mill & Bridge

One of the most charming scenes in the Ozarks of Northwest Arkansas is the view of the War Eagle Mill and Bridge from across the historic mill pond.

The current structure is the latest version of a mill that has stood on the banks of War Eagle Creek (sometimes called the War Eagle River) since the 1830s. Originally built by Sylvanus Blackburn, the mill was a thriving enterprise for two decades before the Civil War.

War Eagle Mill

The first structure was washed away by a flood in 1848, but was quickly replaced. When the Civil War swept with brutal force across the Ozarks, the War Eagle Mill was used to grind grain for both the Union and Confederate armies (at different times, of course!). After the Battle of Pea Ridge, a portion of General Earl Van Dorn's shattered Southern army passed by the mill during their retreat from the battlefield.

The second mill, like most such structures in the region, did not survive the war but was burned before the end of the conflict. The brutual economic conditions of the years after the Civil War prevented the rebuilding of War Eagle Mill until 1873. After it returned to operation, however, the mill served the people of the area for many decades to come.

The present structure, completed in 1973, is the fourth operating mill to stand on the site and is a recreation of previous structures. It is open to the public and is the focal point of major art & craft shows each fall and spring. It is also one of the most picturesque locations in Northwest Arkansas.

To learn more about War Eagle Mill, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/wareagle.

The First Shot of the Civil War - A Controversy Ignited?

Fort Barrancas, Florida

If you have seen today's Associated Press article quoting me, it looks like quite a stir has been created over where the actual first shot of the Civil War took place. 

The AP story is about an incident that took place on the drawbridge at Fort Barrancas in Pensacola, Florida, on January 8, 1861. Union troops there opened fire on a party of mysterious figures who approached the fort, hours before cadets from The Citadel fired on the supply ship Star of the West and three months before Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. Back in January, I posted an article about the shooting on one of my other blogs, Civil War Florida (Please click here to read it.)

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

Last week I was contacted by a writer from the Associated Press and spoke with her briefly about the incident. That interview, of course, was condensed down to a couple of lines in the article. I hadn't thought much more about it until I woke up this morning to find the article had appeared in newspapers and on media websites literally around the world. (Please click here to read it.)

The reaction has been fascinating and from my browsing around the web, it seems that people from the United States to Australia and back are debating it.  Its enjoyable to me to see so many people discussing history, although it is a shame that far too many are just using it as a chance to be rude and insulting to Southerners in general.

Since the AP writer didn't have space to include much of what I actually think on the topic, I wrote up my thoughts this morning and posted them at Civil War Florida. If you are interested in reading more, I hope you'll take a few minutes to read them. Here is the link:  http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com/.

Reenactment of the Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida set for this Weekend

Natural Bridge Battlefield

The 146th anniversary of the Battle of Natural Bridge will be commemorated this weekend with a reenactment and other activities at Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park near Tallahassee, Florida.

Fought on March 6, 1865, the battle was one of the last significant Confederate victories of the Civil War. It preserved Tallahassee's status as the only Southern capital east of the Mississippi not captured by Union troops, kept the small port of St. Marks open to blockade runners and prevented the economic destruction of an important area of North Florida and South Georgia by Federal forces. It came just five weeks before General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House, Virginia.

The Battle of Natural Bridge resulted from a major amphibious assault by Union troops. Moving up the Gulf of Mexico from posts at Key West and Cedar Key, U.S. transport steamers arrived off the mouth of the St. Marks River in late February of 1865. Joined there by a large flotilla of Union warships, the steamers held position while General John Newton and his officers developed their plans.

Confederate Earthworks at Natural Bridge

During the first week of March, demolition parties were sent ashore to destroy railroad bridges east and west of Tallahassee and then the navy began the difficult task of bringing the main body of Newton's command to shore at the St. Marks Lighthouse south of Tallahassee. The amphibious night landing was hampered by shallow water and darkness, but the men finally got ashore and started inland. The warships, meanwhile, began a move up the St. Marks River to engage Confederate batteries and put ashore hundreds of sailors who were to serve as additional infantry during the expedition.

The naval side of the expedition was a complete failure, due to difficulty encountered navigating the narrow twisting river channel. Things went even worse for the land force. Despite eight courageous charges, the Union troops (composed primarily of the 2nd and 99th USCT regiments) were handed a bloody defeat at the Battle of Natural Bridge.

To learn more about this unique and often overlooked battle, please consider the expanded edition of my book, The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida (also available as a Kindle download). You can also learn more and access a  schedule of this weekends events at www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nbindex.

An Eyewitness Account of the Nancy Harts - LaGrange, Georgia

Home of 2nd Lieutenant, Mrs. Peter Heard

The events commemorating the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War reminded me of one of my favorite stories about the war, the almost legendary tale of the Nancy Harts.

The Nancy Harts, as the story goes, were an all female military company that organized in LaGrange, Georgia, to defend the city against Union raiders. Most of the city's men and boys were away in the Confederate service and the community was only lightly defended, so the women of LaGrange took it upon themselves to provide for their own defense. They gave their company the name of Georgia's legendary female fighter of the American Revolution, Nancy Hart.

They drilled regularly under the direction of a disabled Confederate soldier and became quite proficient in their marksmanship and military order. The legend continues that when Union troops approached the city in 1865 during Wilson's Raid, the Nancy Harts formed ranks and marched out to meet them. A truce was negotiated, however, and bloodshed was averted.

It is a fascinating legend and I recently came across an 1861 account of the actual formation and naming of Georgia's all female Confederate company. The article first appeared in the LaGrange Reporter, but was reprinted by the Atlanta Southern Confederacy a few days later:

The Company Drilled near Belleview House

June 1, 1861,

Southern Confederacy (Atlanta), p. 2.

The “Nancy Harts” of LaGrange.

We are informed that the ladies of LaGrange, to the number of about forty organized themselves, on Saturday last, into a military corps for the purpose of drilling and target practice. They elected Dr. A.C. Ware as their Captain; and, we believe, resolved to meet every Saturday. The following are their officers:

Dr. A.C. Ware, Captain

Mrs. Nannia Morgan, First Lieutenant

“  Peter A. Heard, Second Lieutenant

Miss Aley Smith, Third Lieutenant.

“ Andelle Bull, First Sergeant.

“ Augusta Hill, Second Sergeant.

“ M.E. Colquitt, Third Sergeant.

“ Pack Beall, First Corporal

“ Lelia Pullen, Second Corporal

“ Sallie Bull, Third Corporal.

“ Ella Key, Treasurer.

The corps not having a name, and it being their determination to prepare to defend their homes, if necessary, as did Nancy Hart of olden time, we have taken the liberty of calling them the “Nancy Harts” until they shall adopt one. We have no doubt they will prove as true as did Nancy Hart if the emergency ever presents itself; and, therefore, we do not think a more appropriate name could be suggested. The “Nancy harts” of LaGrange! That’s it, ladies. – LaGrange Reporter.

To learn more about the Nancy Harts, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/nancyharts.

Civil War Daily - A New Blog of Interest!

Fort Barrancas, Florida

I've launched a new blog that might be of interest as we observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War (or War Between the States).

Civil War Daily can be found at http://civilwardaily.blogspot.com.

The site will feature daily posts on the events, battles, campaigns, people and places of the Civil War to help those with an interest in the military aspects of the conflict to learn more about the war as it happened, day by day, 150 years ago. Today's post, on the state seizure of Fort Pulaski, Georgia (January 3, 1861), is the first.

Fort Sumter in 1861

I hope to continue to post new articles daily (or as close to it as I can) for the next four years. I hope you will visit Civil War Daily regularly and join in posting comments, information, questions and otherwise discussing the military history of the war. The purpose of this site is to focus on military aspects only. There are plenty of other places to discuss (or argue about) the causes of the war, etc., but I thought it would be nice for those of us with an interest in military history to have a place to learn and share.

If you are in Florida or have an interest in Florida history, you might also be interested in a series that I have started at Civil War Florida on the military aspects of the secession of that state from the Union. You can read those at http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

Fort Barrancas, Florida - First Hostile Shots of the Civil War

Note: We are observing Confederate History Month by looking at historic sites and points of interest in the South related to the War between the States.

It might require a little rewriting of history, but the first hostile shots of the War Between the States were fired by U.S. troops in Florida, not by Confederate troops in South Carolina.

On January 6, 1861, sentries at Fort Barrancas, an important post protecting Pensacola Bay and the Pensacola Navy Yard, observed shadowy figures approaching the main gate of the fort through the darkness. Barrancas was then the only one of the harbor fortifications at Pensacola occupied by the U.S. Army in any strength at all. The nearby posts of Fort Pickens and Fort McRee were held only by caretakers and the Advanced Redoubt, a subsidiary work to Fort Barrancas, was not occupied at all.

The men occupying Fort Barrancas that night normally occupied more comfortable quarters in the nearby Barrancas Barracks, but Lt. Adam J. Slemmer had moved them into the main fort after hearing rumors that state militia troops planned to seize the fort. According to a report filed just three days earlier, Barrancas was heavily armed. The Ordnance Department in Washington had reported on January 3rd that the fort contained 44 seacoast and garrison cannon and 20,244 pounds of gunpowder.

The rumors that Southern troops might try to seize the fort, however, had the sentries on edge. As they saw the unknown men walking onto the drawbridge on January 6th, they reacted quickly. After the mysterious figures did not respond to their calls, the sentries opened fire. The figures disappeared, but the first hostile shots of the Civil War had been fired. Deciding to move his command to the more secure Fort Pickens on Santa Rosa Island, Lieutenant Slemmer began preparing to evacuate Fort Barrancas the next day.

It was later disclosed that the figures on the drawbridge had been volunteer soldiers from Alabama who approached the fort after hearing a rumor that it had been evacuated by the Federals. Instead they found themselves facing the firing end of the muskets of Slemmer's sentries and scrambled for cover. No one was injured in the incident, which happened before the firing on the Union ship Star of the West by cadets from The Citadel a short time later and more than three months before the bombardment of Fort Sumter.

To learn more about Fort Barrancas, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortbarrancas1.

New Book on the Civil War in Florida is now Available

 I'm pleased to announce the release of my latest book, The History of Jackson County, Florida: The War Between the States.

Available at Amazon.com, the book is 330 pages long and focuses on the history of the people - white and black - of a typical plantation county of the Deep South during the Civil War years. Jackson County was then one of the most prosperous and heavily populated counties in Florida. The home of the state's Confederate governor, it suffered more severe economic devastation during the war than any other county in Florida. The county seat, Marianna, was the objective of the deepest penetration of Confederate Florida by Union troops during the war.

Events covered range from suicides and escape attempts in the county's slave community to "brother against brother" battles between local troops and their former friends and neighbors who became members of guerrilla bands and Union cavalry regiments. The book also includes a large amount of previously unpublished material on the life of Governor John Milton, who committed suicide in Jackson County on April 1, 1865, after telling friends that death was preferable to defeat at the hands of the North.

If you are in Jackson County, signed copies are available at Chipola River Book and Tea in Downtown Marianna (across the street from the Battle of Marianna Monument).  If you prefer to order directly from Amazon.com, please just click the ad above.