Calmness and Carbines
Observers of a Confederate charge against Union troops during the early morning of Oct. 7, 1864, were in for a surprise. The rebels had just driven them from a position
Tag: Henry
The Mnemonical Anatomy Professor
Tall, slow-speaking William Henry Gobrecht looked every inch the soldier and might easily be confused for a general. His commanding bearing came not from battlefield glory, but lecture halls where
June’s Hero, the Gallant Tompkins
During the first months of the Civil War, the Union urgently needed heroes. Fortunately for the patriotic Northern press, it did not have to look too far to find them.
A Navy Lieutenant Faces Divided Loyalties in His Final Discharge of Duty
By Fred D. Taylor A man of untiring zeal and firmness of character, Lieutenant Otway Henry Berryman was no stranger to the expectations of an officer. In fact, his 32-year
Ogle’s Ruination: How alcohol ended a West Pointer’s promising military career
By William Gorenfeld Ruination by drink is an unfortunate but common tale in military as well as civilian life. In all ranks and all regiments of the antebellum army or,
Foundation of the Rock
Wise. Calm. Self-poised. Steadfast. These words were used by a comrade and biographer of George Henry Thomas to describe the venerable soldier long after he had been christened with the
Overworked, Overwhelmed and Unappreciated
Henry Meigs Meade had his hands full in 1864. The 24-year-old Navy paymaster was designated as the lone disbursing officer for all of the federal vessels in the regional fleet
Secess Cap
No known record exists of how David Henry Bennett, a corporal in the 28th New York Infantry, came into possession of the Confederate cap he wears in this portrait.
CARDOMANIA! How the Carte de Visite Became the Facebook of the 1860s
By Ronald S. Coddington Jesse Harrison Whitehurst knew the ebbs and flows of the photography business better than most of his contemporaries. The daguerreian pioneer had a knack for adapting