When the 14th Virginia Cavalry Regiment of the Confederate Army was formed in 1862, thousands of southerners heard the call to arms. The men of the Scotch Irish McClung Clan, whose ancestors had settled in the mountains of Western Virginia before the Revolutionary War, were among the first to answer that call, in greater numbers than those of any other family. This is their story.
Thomas W. Colley served in one of the most active and famous units in the Civil War, the 1st Virginia Cavalry, which fought in battles in the Eastern Theater, from First Manassas/Bull Run to the defense of Petersburg. Colley was born November 11, 1837, outside Abingdon, Virginia, and grew up knowing the daily demands of life on a farm. In May 1861, along with the other members of the Washington Mounted Rifles, he left his home in Washington County and reported to camp in Richmond. During the war, Colley received wounds on three different occasions: first at Waterloo Bridge in 1862, again at Kelly’s Ford in 1863, and finally at Haw’s Shop in 1864. The engagement at Haw’s Shop resulted in the amputation of his left foot, thereby ending his wartime service. The first modern scholarly edition of Colley’s writings, In Memory of Self and Comrades dramatizes Colley’s fate as a wounded soldier mustered out before the war’s conclusion. Colley’s postwar reflections on the war reveal his struggle to earn a living and maintain his integrity while remaining somewhat unreconciled to his condition. He found much of his solace through writing and sought to advance his education after the war. As one of an estimated 20,000 soldiers who underwent amputation during the Civil War, his memoirs reveal the challenges of living with what many might recognize today as post-traumatic stress disorder. Annotations from editor Michael K. Shaffer provide further context to Colley’s colorful and insightful writings on both his own condition and the condition of other veterans also dealing with amputations
The winter of 1862-63 found Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Ambrose Burnside's Army of the Potomac at a standoff along the Rappahannock River in Virginia, following the Union defeat at Fredericksburg. In January 1863 Major General Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker relieved the disgraced Burnside, reorganized his troops and instituted company colors, giving his soldiers back their fighting spirit. Lee concentrated on maintaining his strength and fortifications while struggling for supplies. By spring, cavalry units from both sides had taken on increased importance--until the largest cavalry battle of the war was fought, near Brandy Station, Virginia, on June 9, 1863. Researched from numerous contemporary sources, this detailed history recounts the battle that marked the opening of the Gettysburg campaign and Lee's last offensive into the North. Forces commanded by J.E.B. Stuart and Alfred Pleasanton fought indecisively in an area of 70 square miles: Confederate troops maintained possession and counted fewer casualties, yet Union forces had definitely taken the offensive. Historians still debate the significance of the battle; many view it as a harbinger of change, the beginning of dominance by Union horse soldiers and the decline of Stuart's Confederate command.
The 5th Virginia Cavalry was organized in eastern Virginia in 1861. In 1862 its men were assigned to the 13th and 15th Virginia Cavalry regiments. A new 5th regiment was organized in 1862 with men from Virginia and other states. In 1864 it was consolidated with the 15th Virginia Cavalry Regiment and sometimes designated as the 5th Virginia Cavalry Regiment (Consolidated).
Provides a brief history and "certain information such as organization, campaigns, losses, commanders, etc." for each unit listed in "Marcus J. Wright's List of Field Officers, Regiments, and Battalions in the Confederate States Army, 1861-1865."--Intro., p.xi.
This “very satisfying blow-by-blow account of the final stages of the Gettysburg Campaign” fills an important gap in Civil War history (Civil War Books and Authors). Winner of the Gettysburg Civil War Round Table Book Award This fascinating book exposes what has been hiding in plain sight for 150 years: The Gettysburg Campaign did not end at the banks of the Potomac on July 14, but deep in central Virginia two weeks later along the line of the Rappahannock. Contrary to popular belief, once Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia slipped across the Potomac back to Virginia, the Lincoln administration pressed George Meade to cross quickly in pursuit—and he did. Rather than follow in Lee’s wake, however, Meade moved south on the east side of the Blue Ridge Mountains in a cat-and-mouse game to outthink his enemy and capture the strategic gaps penetrating the high wooded terrain. Doing so would trap Lee in the northern reaches of the Shenandoah Valley and potentially bring about the decisive victory that had eluded Union arms north of the Potomac. The two weeks that followed resembled a grand chess match with everything at stake—high drama filled with hard marching, cavalry charges, heavy skirmishing, and set-piece fighting that threatened to escalate into a major engagement with the potential to end the war in the Eastern Theater. Throughout, one thing remains clear: Union soldiers from private to general continued to fear the lethality of Lee’s army. Meade and Lee After Gettysburg, the first of three volumes on the campaigns waged between the two adversaries from July 14 through the end of July, 1863, relies on the official records, regimental histories, letters, newspapers, and other sources to provide a day-by-day account of this fascinating high-stakes affair. The vivid prose, coupled with original maps and outstanding photographs, offers a significant contribution to Civil War literature. Named Eastern Theater Book of the Year byCivil War Books and Authors
