At the Battle of Chickamauga, 18 – 20 September 1863, the second bloodiest battle of the Civil War, LTC Bishop and the 2nd Minnesota face CPL Carter and the 27th Mississippi in vicinity of the Reed’s Bridge Road on 19 September. As the reserve for the XIV Corps on 20 September, they plug a hole in the line made by LTC Ray and the 60th North Carolina’s Division around noon. After the Army of the Cumberland is split in two by LTG Longstreet’s Corps, LTC Bishop and the 2nd Minnesota rush to Horsesh...
Aug 13, 2025•37 min
At the Battle of Gettysburg, 1 July 1863, CPT Frederick Otto Baron von Fritsch and the 68th New York face PVT George Washington Nichols and the 61st Georgia north of the town of Gettysburg along Rock Creek and what would soon be known as Barlow’s Knoll. The 68th New York retreated with the rest of the XI Corps and reformed south of the town on Cemetery Hill. On 2the evening of July, CPT Neill W. Ray and the 6th North Carolina advance upon CPT Fritsch, the 68th New York and their entire division ...
Jul 02, 2025•35 min
At the Battle of Brandy Station, 9 June 1863, SGT Edward P. Tobie of the 1st Maine Cavalry in the Left Wing of the Cavalry Corps attempt a double envelopment of MG J.E.B. Stuart’s Cavalry Division. After crossing the Rappahannock River and riding for several miles, SGT Tobie and the 1st Maine Cavalry formed with their brigade and charged upon Fleetwood Hill, the site of MG Stuart’s Headquarters. Sources used for this episode: Tobie, Edward P. History of the First Maine Cavalry, 1861-1865. Boston...
Jun 04, 2025•22 min
At the First Battle of Bull Run, PVT Casler and the 33rd Virginia formed on the left flank of BG Thomas J. Jackson’s all Virginia 1st Brigade on Henry Hill. The Virginians stood like a Stonewall through several Union advances. During this time, PVT Casler and the 33rd Virginia charged and captured a Union Battery that unlimbered too close them but eventually returned to the line on Henry Hill. The Virginians became the anchor of the Confederate line, which brough in enough fresh troops to defeat...
May 21, 2025•24 min
At the Battle of Missionary Ridge, 25 November 1863, 1LT Charles T. Clark and the 125th Ohio advanced in the Second Line of their brigade in what was intended to be the seizure of Confederate Rifle Pits at the base of the ridge. Once completing this, the Ohioans rallied with the rest of their Division and joined in the spontaneous charge of the Army of the Cumberland up the face of Missionary Ridge. Sources used for this episode: Clark, Charles T. Opdyke Tigers 125th O.V.I. A History of the Regi...
Apr 30, 2025•20 min
At the Battle of Globe Tavern, 21 August 1864, SGT William V. Izlar and the 25th South Carolina advanced alongside the rest of Hagood’s Brigade against what was perceived to be an open flank of the Union V Corps, but in reality occupied by BG Lysander Cutler’s 4th Division. Sources used for this episode: Izlar, William V. A Sketch of the War Record of the Edisto Rifles, 1861-1865. Columbia: The State Company, 1914. https://www.loc.gov/item/19014528/. Davis, George B., Perry, Leslie J., Kirkley, ...
Apr 16, 2025•20 min
At the Battle of Yellow Tavern, 11 May 1864, MAJ James H. Kidd, commander of the 6th Michigan Cavalry faced the Confederate Cavalry under MG J.E.B. Stuart. After a fight that lasted several hours, MG Sheridan, commander of the Union Cavalry Corps, ordered his men to charge. Sources used for this episode: Kidd, James H. Personal Recollections of a Cavalryman with Custer’s Michigan Cavalry Brigade in the Civil War. Ionia: Sentinel Printing Company, 1908. https://www.loc.gov/item/09002245/ . Scott,...
Apr 02, 2025•17 min
At the Battle of Wilson’s Creek, 10 August 1861, SGT William H. Tunnard and the 3rd Louisiana advanced north against an artillery battery which opened upon them only to run into a Battalion of US Infantry. After being repulsed, the regiment hastened south to face a Union Brigade marching from the south. Sources used for this episode: Tunnard, William H. A Southern Record. The History of the Third Regiment Louisiana Infantry. Baton Rouge, 1866. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc2.ark:/1396...
Mar 05, 2025•20 min
At the Battle of Secessionville, PVT Herbert W. Beecher and the 1st Connecticut Light Artillery Battery supported the advance of the 2nd Division upon the Tower Battery on James Island with their 4x 14-inch James Rifles. Though the Confederate Artillery mostly focused on the several infantry advances upon the Tower Battery, they eventually dueled with the men from Connecticut. Sources used for this episode: Beecher, Herbert W. History of the First Light Battery Connecticut Volunteers, 1861-1865....
Feb 19, 2025•20 min
At the Battle of Champion Hill, 16 May 1863, CPL Ephraim M. Anderson and the 2nd Missouri (Confederate) rush north along with their entire division to bolster the Confederate left flank which was crumbling under an advance by the Union Army of the Tennessee. After forming in line of battle, the Missourians charged and successfully routed this first Union line, and advanced toward Champion Hill where a second Union line formed. Sources used for episode: Anderson, Ephraim M. Memoirs: Historical an...
Feb 05, 2025•19 min
At the Battle of Cold Harbor, 3 June 1864, PVT Martin A. Haynes and the 2nd New Hampshire, just days from the expiration of their enlistments, advanced into what would become one of the great debacles of the Civil War as the XVIII, VI and II Corps suffered heavy casualties during their failed advance upon Confederate fortifications. Sources used for this episode: Haynes, Martin A. A History of the Second Regiment, New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, In the War of the Rebellion. Lakeport, 1896. htt...
Jan 22, 2025•19 min
At the Battle of Cherbourg, 19 June 1864, Seaman Magee aboard the USS Kearsarge spotted the CSS Alabama, commanded by CPT Semmes as it departed the safety of Cherbourg Harbor to do battle in the English Channel. While both sloops-of-war were almost evenly matched in terms of cannon, the USS Kearsarge also had an armored hull, which became a deciding factor in the coming engagement. Sources used for this episode: Bradlee, Francis B. C. The Kearsarge-Alabama Battle. The Story as told to the writer...
Jan 08, 2025•27 min
On the evening of 24 February 1863, the expedition that captured the USS Indianola involved a Confederate force of four ships: CSS Queen of the West, CSS Webb, CSS Batey and CSS Grand Era, the latter two being support vessels only. MAJ Joseph L. Brent commander of the expedition, caught up with the USS Indianola as it steamed up the Mississippi river to rendezvous with MG Grants army. Though outmatched in terms of firepower, the Queen of the West and the Webb steamed ahead, intent on ramming the...
Nov 27, 2024•24 min
At the Second Battle of Charleston Harbor, July – September 1863, CH Denison and the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery supported the X Army Corps as it occupied Morris Island at the mouth of the Harbor and assaulted Fort Wagner in July. In the wake of these failed assaults, BG Gillmore, the Union Army commander, ordered the 3rd Rhode Island Heavy Artillery and several other units to dig gun emplacements for siege artillery. On 17 August, the Rhode Islanders fired the first shots of a bombardment ...
Nov 13, 2024•23 min
At the Battle of New Market, 15 May 1864, Cadet Captain Frank Preston and the Cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, as an infantry battalion, marched north from Lexington to the town of New Market Virginia, where they joined the Confederate Army under MG Breckenridge. Initially placed in a reserve linethey advanced across the muddy fields north of New Market. After a failed Union Advance, CPT Preston and the VMI Cadets filled a gap between two regiments. Now in the front rank, they prepared...
Oct 30, 2024•22 min
At the Battle of the Wilderness, 5-7 May 1864, 2LT Camille Baquet and the 1st New Jersey marched to the aid of the V Corps which discovered the Confederate 2nd Corps along the Orange Turnpike. The thick vegetation of the Wilderness meant the Jerseymen fought blind, unable to see the Confederate lines in front of them or in some cases the lines of adjacent Union regiments. Sources used for this episode: Camille, Baquet. History of the First Brigade, New Jersey Volunteers, from 1861 to 1865. Trent...
Oct 16, 2024•21 min
At the Action at Mount Zion Church, 6 July 1864, PVT John W. Munson and the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion, or Mosby’s Rangers, intercepted a Union Cavalry detachment that had perused them for three days after their successful raid of the Army Garrison at Point of Rocks Maryland. Mosby’s Rangers specialized in disrupting lines of supply and communication but were more than capable of fighting in the open when the occasion required. Sources used for this episode: Munson, John W. Reminiscences of...
Oct 02, 2024•19 min
At the Second Battle of Corinth, 3-4 October 1862, CPT William H. Chamberlin and the 81st Ohio alongside the entire 2nd Division are driven from their first position but manage to rally around a White House. After holding the line for the rest of the day, the Ohioans march with their division further east and face another day of hard fighting on 4 October around Battery Powell. Sources used for this episode: Chamberlin, William H. History of the Eighty-First Regiment Ohio Infantry Volunteers: Du...
Sep 18, 2024•20 min
At the Battle of Williamsburg, 5 May 1862, the 2nd Florida engaged two Union regiments southeast of the town. COL Ward, the 2nd Florida’s commander, was killed in action and the regiment was forced to retreat to a second position. Once the lines stabilized, 1LT Fleming joined a party to recover COL Ward’s body, but was himself wounded. Brought to the town of Williamsburg by his brother and several volunteers, 1LT Fleming was not evacuated as the Confederates retreated from the town and he was ca...
Sep 04, 2024•18 min
At the Battle of Pea Ridge, on the morning of 7 March 1862, an advance Cavalry and Artillery force which included CPL Dysart and the 3rd Iowa Cavalry witnessed some of the first shots of the battle as three artillery pieces fired into the Confederate Right Wing as it marched along the Ford Road toward Elkhorn Tavern. A “running cavalry fight” ensued, but the Union force was routed, and CPL Dysart made for Union lines forming south of him. Sources used for this episode: Dysart, Henry M. Civil War...
Aug 21, 2024•20 min
At the Battle of Dallas, 28 May 1864, 2LT Lot D. Young and the 4th Kentucky as part of the Orphan Brigade advanced upon a heavily entrenched Union Army. What was intended to be a three-brigade advance was cancelled by the division commander, but the Orphan Brigade and the Floridians to their south, never received the order. Sources used for this episode: Young, Lot D. Reminiscences of a Soldiers of the Orphan Brigade . Paris Kentucky, 1918. https://www.loc.gov/item/42011058/ . Davis, George, B. ...
Aug 07, 2024•19 min
At the Third Battle of Winchester, 19 September 1864, 1LT Lemuel A. Abbott and the 10th Vermont, form as part of a two Corps advance upon the first Confederate position east of the town of Winchester Virginia. By virtue of rugged terrain and a fierce cannonade, the assaulting force fractures and 1LT Abbott’s Brigade faces the Confederates alone. Sources used for this episode: Abbott, Lemuel A. Personal Recollections and Civil War Diary 1864. Burlington: Free Press Printing Co. Printers, Binders,...
Jul 24, 2024•19 min
At the First Battle of Collierville, 11 October 1863, 1LT Dinkins and the 18th Mississippi Cavalry Battalion form in the center of an attacking Confederate force that possessed five times the men against a fort and ammunition depot held by approximately 500 men at Collierville Tennessee along the Memphis and Charleston Railroad. The Confederates send a flag of truce and asked for surrender. Under orders from his superior, COL Anthony, commander of the 66th Indiana which garrisoned the fort, reje...
Jul 10, 2024•22 min
At the Battle of Gettysburg, 3LT Rogers and the 47th North Carolina on 1 July advance through a wood line into an open field. As they march toward McPherson’s Ridge, a line of infantry appears on its crest, CPL Strong and the 121st Pennsylvania, and unleash a withering fire upon the North Carolinians. On 3 July, following the largest artillery barrage of the war, 3LT Rogers and the 47th North Carolina march in the front rank of a three-division assault known as Pickett’s Charge. After enduring U...
Jul 03, 2024•32 min
At the Battle Thompson’s Station, 5 March 1863, CPL McBride and the 33rd Indiana, alongside their reinforced brigade meet MG Earl Van Dorn’s Cavalry while conducting a reconnaissance from Brentwood TN toward Spring Hill. Sources used for this episode: McBride, John W. History of the Thirty-Third Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry During the Four Years of Civil War From Sept. 16, 1861 to July 21, 1865. Indianapolis: WM. B. Burford, 1900. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.hx2nfa&seq=9...
Jun 26, 2024•21 min
At the Battle of Ringgold Gap, PVT William E. Bevens and the 1st Arkansas are ordered to the top of White Oak Mountain, just north of the gap, to repel advancing Union Regiments and give the retreating Army of Tennessee time to reach Dalton Georgia. Sources used for this episode: Bevens, William E. Reminiscences of a Private Company “G” First Arkansas Regiment Infantry May, 1861 to 1865. 1912. https://www.loc.gov/item/81180866/ . Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Of...
Jun 19, 2024•22 min
At the Battle of Glendale, the evening of 30 June 1862, SGT Charles Augustus Fuller and the 61st New York advance at the head of their brigade north of the Long Bridge Road. As night descends on their position, an unfamiliar voice asks the 61st New York to identify themselves. Sources used for this episode: Fuller, Charles A. Personal Recollections of the War of 1861 as Private, Sergeant and Lieutenant in the Sixty-First Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry. Sherburne: News Job Printing House, ...
Jun 12, 2024•20 min
At the Battle of Peach Tree Creek on 20 July 1864, COL James Cooper Nisbet and the 66th Georgia, participate in an echelon assault upon the Army of the Cumberland. After being repulsed, COL Nisbet reforms his command and advances again in support of a separate Confederate Brigade. Sources used for this episode: Nisbet, James C. Four Years on the Firing Line . Chattanooga: The Imperial Press, 1914. https://www.loc.gov/item/14008722/ . Davis, George B., Perry, Leslie J., Kirkley, Joseph W. The War...
Jun 05, 2024•18 min
At the Battle of First Manassas, also known as First Bull Run, CPT William W. Goldsborough and the 1st Maryland meet PVT Bicknell and the 5th Maine on the battlefield at Chinn Ridge late in the afternoon of 21 July 1861. Sources used for this episode: Goldsborough, William W. The Maryland Line in the Confederate States Army . Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Company, 1869. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/58632/pg58632-images.html . Bicknell, George W. History of the Fifth Regiment Maine Volunte...
May 22, 2024•23 min
At the Siege of Vicksburg, 1SG Marshall and the 83rd Ohio participated in two separate assaults upon the Confederate works and conducted siege operations that culminated in the 4 July 1863 surrender of the city. Sources used for this episode: Marshall, Thomas B. History of the Eighty-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry, The Greyhound Regiment . Cincinnati: The Eighty-Third Ohio Volunteer Infantry Association, 1912. https://www.loc.gov/item/13020149/. Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compil...
May 15, 2024•17 min
