After its birth the First National Flag of the Confederacy became known as the Stars and Bars. Now some may raise their eyebrows, believing that term applies to the Confederate Battle Flag. I don’t want to upset anyone, but the Battle Flag was known to soldiers as the Southern Cross. (I’ve written about its […]
West Point Military Academy 1828 As was true of many generals on both sides of the Civil war, Robert E. Lee was a graduate of West Point with a distinguished military career. This was so much the case that in April of 1861 Lincoln offered Lee command of Federal forces, an offer he turned down. […]
This story begins near Appomattox Courthouse, the 12th of April, 1865. Battle-hardened Union and Confederate soldiers are facing each other across a road, both sides holding their weapons and flags. But today there will be no fight. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia is here to surrender its arms, and Union Major General Chamberlain has been […]
There are so many stories of Texan courage in battle that a book about them would need sequel after sequel. In my last article on Texans in battle you heard tell of Audie Murphy of Hunt County, Texas, the most decorated soldier of World War II. Well, let’s not forget fellow Texan Edward Keene, the […]
The bravery of Texans was established long ago. Most Americans know the story of the Alamo, defended without surrender, literally down to the last man. It is also true that the most decorated combat soldier during World War II was a Texan: Audie Murphy was not only awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, but all […]
Ft. Sumpter April 1861 Under Confederate Flag By spring of 1861 seven states had left the Union, but majority sentiment in North Carolina was not in favor of secession. Then came April 12th and the bombardment of Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The Confederate cannon fire resulted in no deaths and only minor injuries, but […]
In Part II of this story we looked at how the design of the famous Southern Cross was conceived. Here we look at how the first flags were made. Once the design of the Confederate Battle flag had been worked out, the army needed some prototypes made. This task fell to three ladies of Richmond, […]
By the summer of 1861 there was a pressing need for a Confederate Battle Flag that was distinctly different from the flag of the North. In Part I of this series we covered how catastrophe was narrowly averted for the Confederacy at Manassas, the first major battle of the Civil War. Here are the words […]
Bull Run during Civil War Signaled by a cannon’s roar at 5:30 AM, General McDowell’s Union army attacked across a Virginia stream known as Bull Run (a run is a small stream or brook). It was still dark and the green troops had a hard time making their way, but soon the battle was in […]
It was June of 1863, in Mississippi, and “…rain fell in torrents flooding the streams, the roads became impassable, and country bridges were washed away. Vicksburg was being besieged by Grant, and reinforcements were ordered… Chunkey River intervened and the bridge across the river was submerged…. The engineer was under military orders, and his long […]
We all know about the Southern rebellion we now call the Civil War. And many know and love the Bonnie Blue Flag, cherished as a symbol of the rebellious and freedom-loving spirit that still lives in so many in the South – and yes, other Americans across our land. It is best known as a […]
Flags were a vital part of the Civil War battlefield. They guided soldiers into and through a battle, and identified other groups of men as friend or foe. Commanders used them to help know what was going on in the disorder and chaos of the field. Loss of a flag might mean troop confusion, and […]
