Wig-Wags on Posterous http://renetyree.posterous.com Rene Tyree's Digitizations posterous.com Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:59:52 -0700 Military History Carnival - May 2010 | Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/military-history-carnival-may-2010-wig-wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/military-history-carnival-may-2010-wig-wags
Media_httpwwwwigwagsc_jjdai

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 09:31:57 -0800 The American Civil War Experience: Lice, Disease and Quinine | Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-american-civil-war-experience-lice-diseas http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-american-civil-war-experience-lice-diseas
Media_httpwwwwigwagsc_hdzjf

The statistics of those who died during the Civil War, not from injury but from disease, are shocking. Of the 360,222 men known to have died on the Union side, a quarter of a million were lost due to disease rather than the enemy. While the Confederates didn’t keep records, it is estimated that seventy-five percent of the 258,000 Southern deaths could be attributed to disease. http://tinyurl.com/ydtq95r

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:50:16 -0800 Why Men Fought in the Civil War | Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/why-men-fought-in-the-civil-war-wig-wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/why-men-fought-in-the-civil-war-wig-wags

Men who hurried to sign up for the armies of the North and South in the early years of the American Civil War, joined – to varying degrees – for the follow reasons: out of a sense of duty and honor to country (whether North or South), to feel and prove oneself “manly,” a trait tied closely to notions of courage, and in search of adventure and the glory and excitement of battle. Historian James McPherson’s readings of thousands of letters written by soldiers revealed that duty and honor were closely linked to “masculinity” in Victorian America and war presented an opportunity to prove one’s self a man. [i]

D.W.C. Arnold, a private in the Union Army

Photo of D.W.C. Arnold, a private in the Union Army. The National Archives Ref. 111-B-5435

In the South, the ideas of duty and honor were most prevalent in the upper classes while such notions were less class specific in the North. Some men from both sides shared a sense of shame in “not” serving and this need to carry one’s self well remained a motivating factor for many of the men who actually “did” the fighting.

Money was not an apparent motivation for joining the military. Most men – and their families – sacrificed economically as a result of their service. Many gave up the best years of their lives, if not life itself. Later in the war, when recruits were harder to find, motivations broadened. Money may have become more of a factor and was certainly such for those who scammed the system to obtain more than one signing bonus.

Regardless of what brought men to war, their performance as soldiers varied. A good many served well. Others discovered within themselves a lack of courage and joined the ranks of men who shrank into the shadows during battles, assuring themselves safety from injury or death but not from the stigma of “coward” and “shirker.” As the war dragged on, survivors began to change their perspectives on what constituted courage and cowardice as well as their notions of the proper conduct of war.

__________________________

Copyright © 2010 Rene Tyree
[i] James M. McPherson. For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1997), 25.
Follow my blog with bloglovin

  • Share/Bookmark

Edit Post

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:56:57 -0800 Lincoln’s Impact on Military Operations « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/lincolns-impact-on-military-operations-wig-wa http://renetyree.posterous.com/lincolns-impact-on-military-operations-wig-wa
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200911fortsumterjpg_acpdadejdyhegnd

See post on Wig-Wags at http://wp.me/p8D46-Mo

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:58:15 -0800 New Acquisition – Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/new-acquisition-supreme-command-soldiers-stat http://renetyree.posterous.com/new-acquisition-supreme-command-soldiers-stat
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200911supremecommandjpg_sfjauvgukgojelh

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:53:17 -0800 National Geographic’s New Atlas of the Civil War « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/national-geographics-new-atlas-of-the-civil-w http://renetyree.posterous.com/national-geographics-new-atlas-of-the-civil-w
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200911ngcivilwaratlasjpg_wxhilnkbeeselkj

http://wp.me/p8D46-LF

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:42:01 -0700 On the Hunt for Sources on David G. Farragut’s Leadership « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/on-the-hunt-for-sources-on-david-g-farraguts http://renetyree.posterous.com/on-the-hunt-for-sources-on-david-g-farraguts
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200910farragutjpg_uegpaqrlkigkwnz

http://wp.me/p8D46-Lx

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:15:16 -0700 Hargrett Library Rare Map Collection – The American Civil War « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/hargrett-library-rare-map-collection-the-amer http://renetyree.posterous.com/hargrett-library-rare-map-collection-the-amer
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200910mapofthebattleofbetheljpg_gjodhduhfjhvebd

Great cartography. http://wp.me/p8D46-Jr

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:20:52 -0700 Jayhawkers: The Civil War Brigade of James Henry Lane « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/jayhawkers-the-civil-war-brigade-of-james-hen http://renetyree.posterous.com/jayhawkers-the-civil-war-brigade-of-james-hen
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200909jayhawkersjpg_iabovdhbqquspfj

See full post at Wig-Wags... http://wp.me/p8D46-Ji

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Tue, 22 Sep 2009 21:24:51 -0700 New Acquisition – The Complete Gettysburg Guide « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/new-acquisition-the-complete-gettysburg-guide http://renetyree.posterous.com/new-acquisition-the-complete-gettysburg-guide
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200909thecompletegettysburgguidejpg_zjdqphdkfjzcgbc

Full story at http://wp.me/p8D46-J1

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 12 Sep 2009 19:52:00 -0700 Hunting Books for Independent Study … Civil War Naval History « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/hunting-books-for-independent-study-civil-war http://renetyree.posterous.com/hunting-books-for-independent-study-civil-war
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200809thefightbetweenthealabamaandthekearsargenh59354jpg_jveyfzvbnfjvvgg

See current list on WigWags here.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:08:00 -0700 The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/bonfire-the-siege-and-burning-of-atlanta-wig http://renetyree.posterous.com/bonfire-the-siege-and-burning-of-atlanta-wig

Bonfire

 

The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta
Marc Wortman
ISBN 978-1-58648-482-8
Pub date: 08/11/09
Price: $28.95/36.50 Canada
6 1/8 x 9 1/4
464 pages

Share

.

The good folks at PublicAffiars Books sent me a review copy of Marc Wortman’s  The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta viewable on my virtual bookshelves here. I decided to create a shelf specific to “Civil War Sieges” because this book doesn’t quite fit in other categories. That uniqueness is part of its draw.

Full disclosure: This is my usual “pre-read” post where I’ll share some early impressions. Wortman had me before page one because he put six nicely done maps right up front. His poignant introduction left me with no recourse but to read on. A small excerpt:

War is cruelty. Its bloodshed and destruction – the “hard hand of war,” as Sherman really did call it – struck Atlanta with a greater ferocity than it has any American city in history. This is the story of how Atlanta and its people came to be in the direct line of the whirlwind, what one of the besieged city’s Confederate defenders called “a grand holocaust of death.” (Wortman, 2)

Having read the first chapter, I can say that Wortman has a talent for turning a phrase. His depiction of a devastated Atlanta on the morning of September 2, 1864 put me there.

A reeking sulfurous stew that stung the eyes had already settled over the town, filling the railroad cuts, hollows, and streets. Its tendrils wavered along the hillsides and ravines and sifted through the blackened skeletons of what once were houses and factories, railcars and machine shops. It was the silence, though, that shocked people most. Three predawn hours of gut-rattling, earsplitting, and window-shattering explosions and gunfire made the previous night feel like the announcement that the Apocalypse had finally come. But the infernal noise had ended shortly before morning’s light tipped into the eyes of those hunkered down within the earth. (Wortman, 5)

From reading just a few chapters of book, its TOC, and its index, I can add that Wortman’s work emphasizes the broader historical context of the war, covers the importance of railroads during the Civil War, provides insights into the conflict as seen from the perspectives of common soldiers and citizens, and draws upon a substantial amount of primary sources. All of these are pluses.

I look forward to a thorough reading.

Marc Wortman

 

Marc Wortman

Author Marc Wortman, see his website here,  is a freelance journalist of some acclaim. He received his doctorate in Comparative Literature from Princeton University.

An earlier book published by PublicAffairs Books in May of 2007, The Millionaires’ Unit: The Aristocratic Flyboys Who Fought the Great War and Invented American Air Power, also looks like a great read and I recently ordered a copy. Per the publisher, it is in development as a major motion picture. Of note, both of Wortman’s histories are available in Kindle versions which means you can begin reading them in about 40 seconds.

Share

 

 

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:45:38 -0700 A Separate Country « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/a-separate-country-wig-wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/a-separate-country-wig-wags
Media_httpwigwagsfileswordpresscom200909aseparatecountryjpg_dfaefhldudbfpbr

Coming September 23rd.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sun, 23 Aug 2009 18:38:44 -0700 Military History Word of the Day – Salient « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/military-history-word-of-the-day-salient-wig http://renetyree.posterous.com/military-history-word-of-the-day-salient-wig
Media_httpwigwagsfile_gucff

Entrenchment speak.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Thu, 20 Aug 2009 07:23:16 -0700 Stephen Woodworth to Teach Civil War Command and Leadership « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/stephen-woodworth-to-teach-civil-war-command http://renetyree.posterous.com/stephen-woodworth-to-teach-civil-war-command
Media_httpwigwagsfile_gspqh

More about my next course at WigWags.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:02:54 -0700 The Rebel and the Rose « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-rebel-and-the-rose-wig-wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-rebel-and-the-rose-wig-wags
Media_httpwigwagsfile_jalga

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sun, 16 Aug 2009 13:00:58 -0700 Review of History Shots – History of the Union Army, American Civil War 1861 – 1865 « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/review-of-history-shots-history-of-the-union http://renetyree.posterous.com/review-of-history-shots-history-of-the-union
Media_httpwigwagsfile_evgpb

Great tool for Civil War Historians.

Access the full story on http://wigwags.wordpress.com

http://wigwags.wordpress.com/2009/08/16/review-of-history-shots-history-of-th...

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Sun, 02 Aug 2009 10:07:00 -0700 The Monocacy Aqueduct « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-monocacy-aqueduct-wig-wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/the-monocacy-aqueduct-wig-wags

Fascinating piece of Civil War history. Please click wigwags link above to read.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Mon, 27 Jul 2009 23:04:47 -0700 On Geography Lessons and Civil War Cartography « Wig-Wags http://renetyree.posterous.com/on-geography-lessons-and-civil-war-cartograph http://renetyree.posterous.com/on-geography-lessons-and-civil-war-cartograph
Media_httpwigwagsfile_xbjjc

Some of the very best Civil War maps used by the Confederacy and the genius of Jedediah Hotchkiss.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree
Tue, 07 Jul 2009 10:56:00 -0700 Staff Ride Guide - Battle of Antietam http://renetyree.posterous.com/staff-ride-guide-battle-of-antietam http://renetyree.posterous.com/staff-ride-guide-battle-of-antietam
Media_httpwwwhistoryarmymilstaffrideantietamimagescoverjpg_uncpxaygdjijrwe

Informative read about the Battle of Antietam prepared as a "Staff Ride Guide" by Ted Ballard, CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY, UNITED STATES ARMY. This assisted, among other things, with my understanding of artillery, particularly how units were organized who supported the guns. Interesting factoids from page 83 -84 (Note this entire book is available online and can be accessed by clicking on the book image above.):

"The artillery of both armies was generally organized into batteries of four or six guns. Regulations prescribed a captain as battery commander, while lieutenants commanded two-gun "sections." Each gun made up a platoon, under a sergeant ("chief of the piece") with eight crewmen and six drivers.

For transport, each gun was attached to a two-wheeled cart, known as a limber and drawn by a six-horse team. The limber chest carried thirty to fifty rounds of ammunition, depending on the size of guns in the battery. In addition to the limbers, each gun had at least one caisson, also drawn by a six-horse team. The caisson carried additional ammunition in two chests, as well as a spare wheel and tools. A horse-drawn forge and a battery wagon with tools accompanied each battery. A battery at full regulation strength included all officers, noncommissioned officers, buglers, drivers, cannoneers, and other specialized functions and might exceed 100 officers and men. With spare horses included, a typical six-gun battery might have 100-150 horses.

A battery could unlimber and fire an initial volley in about one minute, and each gun could continue firing two aimed shots a minute. A battery could "limber up" in about one minute as well. The battery practiced "direct fire": the target was in view of the gun. The prescribed distance between guns was fourteen yards from hub to hub. Therefore, a six-gun battery would represent a front of about 100 yards. Depth of the battery position from the gun muzzle, passing the limber, to the rear of the caisson was prescribed as forty-seven yards. In practice, these measurements might be altered by terrain."

See my military history blog, WigWags, at http://wigwags.wordpress.com.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/82341/Photo_4.jpg http://posterous.com/users/eLjj93v8S5 Rene Tyree renetyree Rene Tyree