Thomas Smith is my great, great, great, grandfather that fought in the Civil War. In the Civil War many soldiers were issued swords, such as artillerymen, Cavalry men, and Musicians(Stoddard). Thomas Smith was a Civil War soldier in the 128th regiment of Pennsylvania, wounded and involved in the battle of Antietam and owned and fought with a sword as many others did in the Civil War.
Thomas was a private in company C of the 128th regiment. This Regiment was organized in August of 1862 and Thomas was mustered in August 14th of 1862. On the August 16th the regiment left for Washington D.C.They were stationed there until September 6th then they then moved to Frederick, Maryland a trek that took 8 days. They then attached to the 1st brigade, 1st division, 12th army corps, and Army of Potomac.(National Park Service)(PA Roots)From there the Regiment moved to Antietam where the Regiment and Thomas would experience their first battle.
The battle of Antietam was the first battle that Thomas and his regiment were involved in.His regiment formed in the woods and marched toward the battle around 6 o'clock. Once they reached the battlefield they were met by the confederate General, General Mansfield.General Mansfield’s regiment was hiding in a cornfield at around 60 or 70 yards ahead of the 128th regiment. The regiment was “under fire immediately”(Wanner) and there was much confusion on how the regiment would apply an attack on the confederate forces due to that they were concealed by the cornfield. Before the 128th regiment could be deployed their Colonel was killed by a bullet to his skull.Soon after their Lieutenant Colonel was wounded in the arm. Putting the Major, Major Joel B. Wanner in charge of the regiment. He is q...
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...ell me what I have here. vBulletin, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2013. .
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Stoddard, Brooke C., and Daniel P. Murphy. The Everything Civil War Book : Everything You Need To Know About The Conflict That Divided A Nation. Avon, Mass: Adams Media Corp, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
Wanner, Joel B. “HDQRS. ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-EIGHTH PA. VOLS.” Letter. 23 Sept. 1862. TS.
While many variables are vital to a successful army on the battlefield, none should be neglected. Each variable discussed in this examination will prove to be important, but the information battle will be paramount in the battle of Gettysburg. Gettysburg After the Confederate victory at Chancellorsville in May of 1863, General Robert E. Lee and his Army of Northern Virginia embarked on their 2nd invasion of the north. General Lee’s first campaign into the north resulted in the Confederate defeat at Antietam. The failure of Lee’s first northern campaign raises the question of his motives.
Heidler, David Stephen, and Jeanne T. Heidler, eds. Encyclopedia of the American Civil War: a
The novel The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara depicts the story behind one of the bloodiest, and highly significant, battles of the American Civil War, the battle of Gettysburg. The battle consisted of 51,000-casualties between the Union and Confederate army forces. Mainly focused on letters, journal entries, and memoirs, Shaara tells the story of Gettysburg by using characters from both sides of the war. The characters chosen grasp the divergent views regarding the impending days of the war, and countless numbers of those views develop throughout the novel. Such views come from the Confederates own General Lee and General Longstreet, and the Unions own Colonel Chamberlain and soldiers from both sides. From those depicted
Many famous people were involved in these battles. Paul Revere was a patriot who is well-known for his famous midnight ride.
The town itself located along the Rappahannock River was a crucial battle for the Union’s push towards the Confederate Army’s capital in Richmond, Virginia. The battle endured over a five-day period ending on December 15, 1862. The events that led to and shaped the battle occurred throughout the year and culminated in November, deep into the harsh winter months. The Union forces defeated the Confederate army at the Battle of Antietam; they pushed General Lee’s forces south, but did not advance despite the continued requests of the President. “The hard fighting and rapid marching of the 1862 campaign had significantly reduced the army’s strength and the defeat at Antietam on 17 September had greatly affected its morale. Despite the opportunity offered the Federal Army, McClellan remained north of the Potomac regaining strength in his slow, methodical manner, all the while fending off President’s Lincoln’s repeated calls for action.” (Runals,
McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY. 1994.
Robertson, James I., Jr. Civil War! America Becomes One Nation. New York, New York; Alfred A. Knopf Inc., 1992.
Luvaas J., & Nelson H.W. (1987). The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battle of Antietam The Maryland Campaign of 1862. (pg. 302). 3/21/2014
Book Title: The American Civil War: A Handbook of Literature and Research. Contributors: Robin Higham - editor, Steven E. Woodworth - editor. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1996
The Civil War was a bad experience for the country, but there were many improvements in weaponry during this era. Some improvements like the Henry rifle was one of the first lever action breech loading rifles. This allowed quicker reloading of the gun. Other than the Henry rifle, soldiers started using pre loaded brass shells which were also a big improvement compared to hand reloading like with the musket. Not only were guns being improved, they also made upgrades in cannons and not so much in bayonets. Because of the use of all these new weapons, the war was much bloodier than previous wars.
Perman Michael, Amy Murrell Taylor. Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction. Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2011.
The most popular gun during the Civil War was the rifle loaded with minié balls. Both the Confederates and Unions used the rifle-muskets, but the Springfield was more popular among the North and the Enfield was more popular in the South. Since there was a weapon shortage for an amount of time the Union and Confederates had to get guns shipped from Europe or had to use their personal hunting guns.
The Battle of Gettysburg is considered to be the turning point of the Civil War. Late in May the Confederate army marched toward Pennsylvania with shoes in mind. Their soar feet were aching and it was understood to be a large supply of shoes in the state of Pennsylvania. General Robert E. Lee’s 70,000 men were dived up into three different cores. The leaders of the three cores were James Longstreet, Stonewall Jackson, and A.P. Hill. As the Confederates traveled through Pennsylvania they had no respect for the civilians. The Confederate troops stole livestock, clothing and food from the civilians. They sent African Americans back into the south. The Union army followed the confederates through Maryland to see what they were up to. The commander in charge of the union army was George Mede.
The Battle of Gettysburg lasted three days in the summer of 1863. On July 1st, the confederates drove the Union defenders back to Cemetery Hill. The following day Lee attacked the flanks of the Union line which resulted in brutal fighting at Devil’s Den, Little Round Top, the Wheatfield, Peach Orchard, Culp’s Hill and East Cemetery Hill. Although the confederates gained ground on July 2nd, they failed to budge the Union army from many of their positions. On the third day of the battle,...
Meade, George. "Major General George Meade's Account of the Battle of Gettysburg (October 1, 1863)." The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 1st ed. Vol. 1. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1889. 305, 307–9, 324–25. Print. Ser. 1.