Learn about the people, battles, and impact of the Civil War!
Background Jane Cannon was born on December 6, 1815, in Pittsburg, PA. Jane’s father died when she was just eight years old, leaving Jane to help support her mother, as well as her family. She did so by lacemaking. At the age of just fourteen, she became a schoolteacher. Then, in 1836, Jane married James... Continue Reading →
Background Carl Schurz was born on March 2, 1829, in Cologne, Germany. Schurz studied at the University of Bonn and there he became interested in radical politics. In 1848, Schurz took part in the German Revolution. Following this, Schurz had to flee the nation and go to Switzerland. Following this, Schurz went to France and... Continue Reading →
Background Following the Battle of Antietam, McClellan failed to pursue the Army of Northern Virginia like President Abraham Lincoln would have liked. In October, following the bloodiest day in American history, Lincoln visited the Army of the Potomac and later had Halleck, general-in-chief, message McClellan to “Cross the Potomac and give battle… Your army must... Continue Reading →
Background The Mississippi River was key to both the North and South during the American Civil War. The Mississippi flowed south to New Orleans, a major port city that farmers would ship their goods to and through. From 1859-60, over 2 million tons of goods were shipped to New Orleans along the Mississippi. This amounted... Continue Reading →
Introduction The Battle of Pea Ridge, which took place March 7-8, 1862, is a highly obscure military action in large part because none of the generals became heroes after the war. But its impact on the course of the war was immense. Background On Christmas Day 1861 Major General Henry W. Halleck placed Brigadier General... Continue Reading →
Intro One June 2, commander-in-chief Ulysses S. Grant spent a rainy day prepping for an attack to be made the following day. It was at dawn on June 3 that 60,000 Union men rushed the Confederate lines at Cold Harbor. This horrific attack would be over by noon as the Federals charged head on into... Continue Reading →
Background George Henry Thomas was born in 1816 to a plantation and slave owning family in Virginia, just hardly out of North Carolina. George’s father died in 1829, leaving Thomas’ uncle to do the fatherly duties in George’s life. Thomas would frequently break the Virginia law making it illegal to teach enslaved peoples to read... Continue Reading →
Background Erasmus Joseph Allton was born on November 30, 1834. When the American Civil War broke out, Allton joined the Union Army on August 16, 1861. Quickly after enlisting, Erasmus received a promotion to Company First Sergeant in the 30th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Company D. He would see action at many battles, including Second Bull... Continue Reading →
Background Late in June of 1863, Ulysses S. Grant was completing his attempt to take Vicksburg. Meanwhile, Robert E. Lee was beginning his second invasion of the North and was moving his army into Pennsylvania. While these major moves were being made, William S. Rosecrans began moving his army that had been motionless at Murfreesboro... Continue Reading →
Background Following Braxton Bragg’s invasion of Kentucky that culminated in the Battle of Perryville, Bragg left his army and traveled to Richmond. Here, he met with the president of the Confederacy: Jefferson Davis. Bragg, unsurprisingly, had been criticized by his subordinates for his command decisions during the Perryville Campaign. In response to this, Davis decided... Continue Reading →
