In April 1865, Richmond had fallen, and the Confederacy was dying. Robert E. Lee had surrendered his army to Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. Joseph Johnston was in North Carolina negotiating the surrender of his army to William T. Sherman. But in South Carolina, General Edward Potter was leading 2,500 Union soldiers, including the famed African American regiment the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts, through the state's interior, intent on destroying the railroads and equipment. This is the story of Potter's Raid. Using rare and nearly forgotten accounts, historian Tom Elmore has compiled the story of this often-overlooked campaign that featured the last shots of the Civil War in the state that started it.
Despite its fascinating cast of characters, host of combats large and small, and its impact on the course of the Civil War, surprisingly little ink has been spilled on the conflictÕs final months in the Carolinas. Resisting Sherman: A Confederate SurgeonÕs Journal and the Civil War in the Carolinas, 1865, by Francis Marion Robertson (edited by Thomas H. Robertson, Jr.) fills in many of the gaps and adds tremendously to our knowledge of this region and those troubled final days of the Confederacy. Surgeon Francis Robertson fled Charleston with the Confederate garrison in 1865 in an effort to stay ahead of General ShermanÕs Federal army as it marched north from Savannah. The Southern high command was attempting to reinforce General Joseph E. JohnstonÕs force in North Carolina for a last-ditch effort to defeat Sherman and perhaps join with General Lee in Virginia, or at least gain better terms for surrender. Dr. Robertson, a West Pointer, physician, professor, politician, patrician, and Presbyterian with five sons in the Confederate army, kept a daily journal for the final three months of the Civil War while traveling more than 900 miles through four states. His account looks critically at the decisions of generals from a middle ranking officerÕs viewpoint, describes army movements from a ground level perspective, and places the military campaign within the everyday events of average citizens suffering under the boot of war. Editor and descendant Thomas Robertson followed in his ancestorÕs footsteps, conducting exhaustive research to identify the people, route, and places mentioned in the journal. Sidebars on a wide variety of related issues include coverage of politics and the Battle of Averasboro, where one of the surgeonÕs sons was shot. An extensive introduction covers the military situation in and around Charleston that led to the evacuation described so vividly by Surgeon Robertson, and an epilogue summarizes what happened to the diary characters after the war.
Eleven battles and seventy-three skirmishes were fought in North Carolina during the Civil War. Although the number of men involved in many of these engagements was comparatively small, the campaigns and battles themselves were crucial in the grand strategy of the conflict and involved some of the most famous generals of the war. John Barrett presents the complete story of military engagements across the state, including the classical pitched battle of Bentonville, the siege of Fort Fisher, the amphibious campaigns on the coast, and cavalry sweeps such as Stoneman's raid. From and through North Carolina, men and supplies went to Lee's army in Virginia, making the Tar Heel state critical to Lee's ability to remain in the field during the closing months of the war, when the Union had cut off the West and Gulf South. This dependence upon North Carolina led to Stoneman's cavalry raid and Sherman's march through the state in 1865, the latter of which brought the horrors of total war and eventual defeat.
While policy makers are perpetually conceptualizing new reform packages, the actual enactment of those reforms is typically more challenging. Remarkably, the one public institution that is able to meet that challenge is also the largest. The United States Department of Defense, which employs over 600,000 people and deals with $500 billion in fundin
A fascinating chronicle of the endeavors of African Americans who fought for their country: this book recounts their stories, their bravery, and their contributions. African Americans at War puts a human face on this neglected area of history. From pre-Revolutionary fighting against the French to cutting-edge combat against Saddam Hussein, these A–Z volumes underscore significant military contributions from African Americans. The two volumes provide comprehensive coverage of aspects including important historical figures; key battles, legislation, and rulings; honors awarded; regiments, formations, and squadrons; and significant places. Individuals portrayed include celebrated Revolutionary hero Crispus Attucks and Lieutenant Vernon J. Baker, who led his platoon in a near suicidal attack on German positions in 1945. Often marginalized in support functions and frequently given suicidal missions, African Americans have served with distinction and honor in all U.S. conflicts. Their stories, endeavors, and bravery are now chronicled in one accessible resource. This set investigates each war, the interwar years, integration periods, and acceptance of African American men and women on the military team. This is a fascinating compendium spanning all U.S. history.
These sketches are the result of years of inquiry, research and compilation intended to give such traditions and facts as could be had from reliable sources and records. The demand for sketches of many of Pitt's prominent men made necessary the addition of a second part. Advertisements were necessary from a financial standpoint and are included in the back, separate and apart.
Hundreds of African American soldiers and regimental employees represented Wisconsin in the Civil War, and many of them lived in the state either before or after the conflict. And yet, if these individuals are mentioned at all in histories of the state, it is with a sentence or two about their small numbers, or the belief that they all were from slaveholding states and served as substitutes for Wisconsin draftees. Relative to the total number of Badgers who served in the Civil War, African Americans soldiers were few, but they constituted a significant number in at least five regiments of the United States Colored Infantry and several other companies. Their lives before and after the war in rural communities, small towns, and cities form an enlightening story of acceptance and respect for their service but rejection and discrimination based on their race. Make Way for Liberty will bring clarity to the questions of how many African Americans represented Wisconsin during the conflict, who among them lived in the state before and after the war, and their impact on their communities
This book is the author's Civil War diary from February 18, 1861, to June 26, 1865. She was an eyewitness to many historic events as she accompanied her husband to significant sites of the Civil War.
