An Encyclopedia of Early Civil War Virginia
Yesterday saw a respectable turnout for the 43rd Annual Relic Show in Fredericksburg, Virginia, brought to you by the Fredericksburg Relic Hunters Association. It was held at the Fraternal Order of Eagles #4123 and featured a variety of vendors, focusing mainly on the American Civil War, though there were a few other items related to…
Continue reading ➞ 43rd Annual FRHA Relic Show in Fredericksburg, VA
Welcome to issue #3 of the Brass Bugle, Spirit of ‘61’s monthly newsletter. The American Civil War was truly a war of brother against brother, and no state experienced that more profoundly than Virginia. As the nation tore apart in the spring of 1861, Virginians were forced to pick a side: stand with their state,…
Fans of Civil War-Era newspapers rejoice - we have added new high-quality scans of Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper and Harper's Weekly from July 1861. Something about these old news magazines really catches my interest. Whether it is the dramatic reporting, or the beautiful but often imaginative illustrations, it's a window into the past. This month,…
Continue reading ➞ New Issues of Frank Leslie’s and Harper’s Added
If you search for any mention of a Civil War skirmish in Buckhannon, West Virginia in 1861 in the usual sources, you won't find it. In fact, any information about Buckhannon prior to George McClellan's occupation on June 30-July 1st is in short supply. There are a few references to a brief Confederate expedition to…
While staunch unionists were rare among Virginia's political class, opinions differed on the secession question. The events of early 1861, however, would push nearly all of them into the same camp. When the Civil War broke out, Virginia had one sitting governor and eight living ex-governors. All owned slaves, though their opinions on slavery and…
Continue reading ➞ How Did Virginia’s Governors Respond to Secession?
The Doyle brothers see the elephant in 1861 Guest Post by Steve Litteral, featured in Issue 2 of the Brass Bugle. If you have traveled through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, then you know it is one of the most beautiful places in the country. The surrounding ancient rolling hills have seen men fighting men…
Welcome to issue #2 of the Brass Bugle, Spirit of ‘61’s monthly newsletter. The American Civil War was truly a war of brother against brother, and no state experienced that more profoundly than Virginia. As the nation tore apart in the spring of 1861, Virginians were forced to pick a side: stand with their state,…
When sources are lacking, historians attempt to fill in the blanks, but we can use deduction to arrive at the most likely answer. The 9th Battalion Virginia Infantry, otherwise known as Hansbrough's Battalion, was a small unit consisting of four companies led by Lt. Col. George W. Hansbrough. It formed shortly after the Action at…
Following the Union occupation of Philippi, Virginia in early June 1861, a black soldier was accused of shooting down an elderly man in cold blood. Who was he, and how did he end up in the Union army so early in the war? A few days ago, we wrote about James Humbles, a freeman of…
James Humbles, a freeman of mixed ancestry, served with distinction in the 1st Virginia Cavalry in 1861. Spared & Shared has an extensive collection of transcribed Civil War Era letters across multiple websites. While searching for letters from 1861, I came across this one from Philip Henry Powers, 1st Virginia Cavalry, to his wife shortly…
Spirit of '61 