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Confederate Cavalry - Microsoft Photo Story - "Jine the Cavalry"

Event Calendar

145th Gettysburg Reenactment - The first order of business is to thank the many re-enactors and living historians for bring history alive at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.  The three day program was outstanding featuring over 12,000 participants.  The re-enactors we spoke to said the event was the best in many years and the battle was the best they had ever been involved with.  Their were between 13,000 - 14,000 re-enactors and 500 horses participating in the event.  The reenactment was attended by 30,000 people.

The event featured the following battles:
      "The Devil's to Pay" - First Day Struggle at Willoughby Run
      "Holding the High Ground" - Defending East Cemetery Ridge
      "Polished Sabers Dazzling in the Sun" - Hanover Road
      "Hold the Line" - Gallant Rally at the Klingle Farm
      "The 20th Maine Saves Little Round Top"
      "We Must Cross the Potomac to Virginia" - Retreat
      "The High Tide Crashes" - Pickett's Charge

In addition to the battles, living historians presented talks each day.  Attendees heard comments from Generals Lee and Meade and their officers. Musicians played Civil War pieces and sutlers sold their wares.

We purchased a print from Grant Sanders who has raised funds for various historic projects in the Gettysburg area.

The program also featured live mortar demonstrations and artillery displays.  Over 100 artillery pieces were present making the event the largest collection of artillery assembled at Gettysburg since the actual battle.   The mortar competition featured six mortars firing at targets at 100 and 200 yards.  The artillery program honored veterans and their spouses.

Civil war cavalry battles included Hanover Road and Protecting the Retreat.

Congress Apologizes for Slavery and Jim Crow Laws - It seems somewhat unbelievable that the House of Representatives has made a public apology for nearly 350 years of human bondage.  Equally amazing is that it took Congress over 100 years to enforce the Constitutional Amendments. 

The Battle of Perryville was the decisive engagement in Gen. Braxton Bragg’s invasion of Kentucky.  On October 7th, the Federal army of Maj. Gen. Don Carlos Buell converged on the small crossroads town of Perryville, KY. Union forces skirmished with Confederate cavalry on the Springfield Pike and the fighting increased when the Confederate infantry arrived.  At dawn the following day, fighting began again around Peters Hill as a Union division advanced up the pike and stopped before the Confederate line.  After noon, Confederate forces struck the Union left flank and forced Union forces to fall back. Union troops on the left flank, reinforced by two brigades, stabilized their line, and the Confederate attack stalled.  A Confederate brigade assaulted a Union division on the Springfield Pike but was repulsed and fell back into Perryville. The Yankees pursued, and skirmishing occurred in the streets in the early evening.  With Union reinforcements threatening the Confederate left flank and the Army of the Mississippi short of men and supplies, Bragg's forces left during the night.  Confederate forces withdrew into East Tennessee ending the offensive and giving the Union control of Kentucky.
The Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site has approximately seven miles of mown paths and over 28 stops. A short loop trail of 1.3 miles contains stops 1-12.  The park also has a gravel road that allows visitors easier access to stops 13-22. This is one battlefield that the terrain needs to be seen and walked to fully appreciate the battle.  We arrived as the visitor center was closing and were unable to view the exhibits. 
One advantage of touring battlefields in the summer is that they are open until dusk which allows you to walk the trails in the "cooler" early evening.      

The Battle of Franklin took place on November 30, 1864 between Union forces lead by Maj. Gen. John M. Schofield and Confederate troops led by Lt. Gen. John Bell Hood. After the battle of Spring Hill, Schofield arrived in Franklin at about 6:00 am and began preparing strong defensive positions around breastworks originally constructed for the First Battle of Franklin in 1863. The defensive line formed approximately a semicircle around the city, from northwest to southeast; the other half of the semicircle was the Harpeth River. Schofield's decision to defend at Franklin with his back to a river was because he had insufficient pontoon bridges available to cross the river and he needed time to repair the permanent bridges. By noon the Union line was ready. Hood's army arrived at 3:00 pm. and he ordered a frontal assault against the  strongly entrenched Union forces behind three lines of breastworks. The Confederate attacks involved 20,000 troops that marched into the guns across two miles and conducted seventeen distinct assaults lasting over five hours. Schofield ordered an overnight withdrawal to Nashville and the Union army reached  Nashville on December 1st.

The Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is located on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near Summersville, WV.  On September 10, 1861 Union troops led by Brig. Gen. William S. Rosecrans engaged the Confederates and forced them to evacuate an entrenched position on the Henry Patterson farm which overlooked the Carnifex Ferry. The Confederate commander , Brig. Gen. John B. Floyd retreated across the ferry to the south side of the  Gauley River and on eastward to Meadow Bluff near Lewisburg. The failure of the Confederate drive to control the Kanawha Valley allowed the movement for West Virginia statehood to proceed without a major threat from the Confederates. Please see Battle of Carnifex Ferry for more information. The park contains three walking trails.

We had an opportunity to visit Prairie Grove, AR for the second time in March 2008. The Prairie Grove, AR battlefield is recognized as one of America's most intact Civil War battlefields. The park protects the battle site and interprets the Battle of Prairie Grove, where on December 7, 1862, the Confederate Army of the Trans-Mississippi clashed with the Union Army of the Frontier resulting in about 2,700 casualties in a day of fierce fighting. 

The park has a self-guided auto tour with 14 stops and a paved walking tour with 11 markers describing the troop movements during the battle.  The park also has a nice museum and 12-minute film of battle. If you can brave the winter weather, the Battle of Prairie Grove re-enactment is scheduled for December 6-7, 2008. See Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park for admission fees and directions.

On July 17, 1863 Union forces under Maj. Gen. James G. Blunt defeated a Confederate command made-up of mostly Native American troops under the command of Brig. Gen. Douglas H. Cooper at Honey Springs, OK. The battle is somewhat unique in Civil War history because of the multi-ethnic composition of the forces.  Blunt's forces were composed of whites, Native Americans, and African Americans.
One of the interesting aspects of the park is how researchers used metal detectors and documents to locate the position of the combatants.  This work is nicely documented in a brief video shown at the interpretive center.
The park is located north and east of Rentiesville, OK and is approximately eight miles from the intersection of Interstate 40 and U.S. Highway 69.  We suggest you call 918-473-5572 for directions.  The site has six self-guided walking trails with numerous wayside exhibits and you should allow several hours to walk the trails and read exhibits.  There is no admission to the park.  The re-enactment will be held in 2008.

Our home page now includes Today in the Civil War as compiled by BlueandGrayTrail.com.

We have added a Lincoln quote of the day to the quotations page.

We have added a new battlefield road trip that explores the sites associated with the Andrew's raid and capture of the General.  Please click on The Great Train Chase to learn about this daring adventure.