American Civil War

1864: “I Can Make The March”

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

Allatoona 7:30 P.M.

Oct. 9th 1864

Lt. Gen. Grant, City Point

It will be a physical impossibility to protect this road now that Hood, Forrest, Wheeler and the whole batch of Devils are turned loose without home or habitation. I think Hoods movements indicate a direction to the end of the Selma and Talladega road to Blue Mountain about sixty miles south west of Rome [Georgia] from which he will threaten Kingston, Bridgeport and Decatur and I propose we break up the road from Chattanooga and strike out with wagons for Milledgeville Millen and Savannah.

Continue reading →

Civil War Artillery: Load & Fire A Cannon

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

So…what were the steps for loading and firing a Civil War cannon on the battlefield? In this blog post, we’ll explore the basic steps for that process, but keep in mind that “protocol” and rules were sometimes changed by necessity, especially if a gun crew lost men in battle.

The process for loading and firing would have been usually done on orders and under the direct supervision of the battery’s captain. Unless told otherwise, the crew would have fired the cannon on his command. This is a quick overview of the process.

Continue reading →

Artillery – A Few Notes

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

Artillery! The big guns of the forts and battlefields. For the last year, I’ve been studying Civil War artillery with a focus on tactics and artillery officers. It’s been fascinating and the project has led me into large archives and to remote, unprotected battlefields.

In the next couple weeks, I’m looking forward to sharing some historical notes, and today I thought we’d start with some “general rules” about Civil War artillery and a few helpful tips for looking at gun lines on battlefields. Let’s get started…

Continue reading →

Searched & Answered: Ulysses S. Grant

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

He’s the most famous Union general and remembered for his winning strategy that led to his role at Appomattox, accepting the Confederate surrender. Today, we’re answering suggested search questions about Ulysses S. Grant…

We’ll talk about his battles, how he’s remembered, some of his life accomplishments, and the story about how he was forced to change his name. Check out the new video!

Continue reading →