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As a Southerner and native of the Shenandoah Valley, I offer reflections on the Civil War-era South… and sometimes a little more. But… expect the unexpected
Browsing All posts tagged under »Robert E. Lee«
Faulkner explains his Confederate service
April 30, 2016 by The Wild Pretanī
150 years ago this past week, a letter (though dated April 13) from Charles J. Faulkner (he appears in a few of my blog posts from the past) appeared in the Charles Town, West Virginia newspaper, detailing his “connexion” with the Confederate army. At first I thought, perhaps, he was replying to those who doubted any […]
In the news 150 years ago, today – General Lee’s Testimony Before the Reconstruction Committee
April 10, 2016 by The Wild Pretanī
The following appeared in the Staunton Spectator, 150 years ago, today. Good stuff about postwar Virginia, from Lee’s perspective. In the House of Representatives, on Tuesday week, Mr. Conkling, from the Joint Committee of Fifteen, reported a large amount of evidence on the condition of the Southern States. The following is the testimony of General […]
Confederate-inspired U.S. Military Service?
July 17, 2015 by The Wild Pretanī
My friend, Richard Williams, posted something of interest this morning, and it’s got me wondering. I know how people like Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson touched something within me, and inspired a sense of duty… honor… and, frankly, I knew from an early age that I was going to serve my country. It wasn’t […]
Happy 239th, Marines! Here’s to “Chesty”… and with a Civil War tie-in.
November 10, 2014 by The Wild Pretanī
Ask any Marine, and he/she will know the significance of Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller… period. Likewise, it should be no surprise that the legend of “Chesty” finds its way to the kids of Marines. And, so it goes with me. I don’t know when, exactly, but… it was probably before I was nine, when I thumbed my […]
“I would much like a guide” – Shenandoah Sesqui, December 12, 1863
December 12, 2013 by The Wild Pretanī
By the morning of December 12, Col. Wells’ reported that his command had reached Winchester, on the night prior… I have the honor to report my command here last night. All well. Eighteen miles from here to Strasburg, making the whole distance 48 miles. Have not seen Colonel Boyd, but learn that he is ahead. […]
Fredericksburg150 – That “other guy” on the Confederate right: Capt. Mathias Winston Henry
December 13, 2012 by The Wild Pretanī
No, not about Southern Unionists or the Valley… but there’s a tie to the Valley… just wait for it a bit. In Don Troiani’s print, “Bronze Guns and Iron Men”, there is an officer other than John Pelham, just behind the Napoleon, with binoculars in hand. To most, it might appear like a section commander… […]
Revisiting a family ghost story, from the Civil War…
October 31, 2011 by The Wild Pretanī
This appeared in a post last year, but, I like the story so much… Despite being part of a series of victories in 1862, the “Page Grays” of Co. H, 33rd Virginia Infantry, had seen their fair share of desertions (not, by any means, that the “Grays” were slackers, as the company also saw more than […]
Virginia’s Person of the Year for 1861 would be… ???
February 26, 2011 by The Wild Pretanī
Yes, I know, there are lots of folks out there who would immediately proclaim Robert E. Lee as Virginia’s Man Person of the Year for 1861… without giving the question further thought. Yet, I think that identifies a problem. Personally, I think the question merits further thought. What, exactly, would make someone a “person of […]
Recent reenactments and the media
January 23, 2011 by The Wild Pretanī
We’ve seen a couple reenactments lately, and they haven’t been reenactments of battles. The slave auction reenactment, I think, was high impact. It continues to make an impression on YouTube, but honestly, there are a couple of videos available, and the best is one (=>see a post from a few days ago, in which I […]
Union veterans in postwar reconciliation… giving up ground won?
January 1, 2011 by The Wild Pretanī
Keith Harris has an interesting post up today, discussing how G.A.R. members saw Robert E. Lee in postwar remembrance. Between this and their reaction toward the return of Confederate battleflags, one would think that, though interested in participating in gestures of reconciliation, Union veterans were unwilling to give up ground gained so easily forget the […]
… and from Harper’s Ferry, Strother writes…
October 18, 2010 by The Wild Pretanī
Picking-up from where Strother left off yesterday… Early on the morning of the 18th I went up street and there met Joe Burns who informed me that our boys had had a fight and that seven or eight of them had been wounded, two supposed mortally, this was exciting and hurrying to the Depot I […]
Sunday afternoons with “The Porte”, Part VII
October 10, 2010 by The Wild Pretanī
What?! Did you think the entire month was going to be dedicated to ghosts, witches, and the generally eerie? On and off since May, I’ve been transcribing David Hunter Strother‘s “Personal Recollections of the Civil War. By a Virginian” as originally published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, beginning in June 1866. Though I don’t transcribe […]
How far for “Cause” and “Country?”
April 9, 2009 by The Wild Pretanī
Quick post today, but as I am very aware that today is April 9… the anniversary of Appomattox, I just had a few thoughts driving to school today. At Appomattox, Lee had but a fraction of the men that once filled the ranks of the ANV. Sure, many had died along the way, suffered incapacitating […]
On Lincoln’s 200th Birthday
February 12, 2009 by The Wild Pretanī
In trying to figure out the best way to express my feelings in a post about the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, I think I’ve stepped back a bit in my own memory. In my youth, Lincoln was, quite honestly, a significant factor in developing my interest in the American Civil War. I can still […]
Some thoughts on Lee-Jackson Day
January 17, 2009 by The Wild Pretanī
It is fine to both privately and, to a degree, publicly reflect upon the lives of historical persons. It fulfills various needs of the living. Look at a historical person (or persons) and consider the part of the historical person’s character, actions, etc., and consider how one may take meaning from these reflections. For some, […]
Testimony of Wesley Norris… and an investigation of the Custis/Lee-Burke story
December 7, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
I did not know this… My name is Wesley Norris; I was born a slave on the plantation of George Parke Custis; after the death of Mr. Custis, Gen. Lee, who had been made executor of the estate, assumed control of the slaves, in number about seventy; it was the general impression among the slaves […]
Civil War “forgetfulness?” Ummm, sure… so “where did the love go?”
December 1, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
Noting a remark in a post made on Richard William’s blog that demonstrates Richard’s belief that saying “Civil War ‘forgetfulness'” is more appropriate than saying “Civil War ‘memory'” (I would argue that both “forgetfulness” and “memory” have valid places in understanding the way people reflect on the war, but that will come in another post), something came to mind. […]
The Tipsy Historian on Stonewall Jackson
November 3, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
Mark at The Tipsy Historian blog has an interesting post about Stonewall Jackson. In terms of how hero-worship can impact historical analysis, he makes some excellent points. He also leaves us with a good deal to think about. Think of this… Jackson, Grant, Lee, Longstreet, Chamberlain, Lincoln, etc., they each achieved great things in history, but […]
What is the South and who is really attacking it?
October 31, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
When considering the study of Civil War memory, I read regularly, and with great interest, the stories about Southern culture being under attack. What’s even more interesting is when Southern culture is defined by certain people through Confederate symbology (e.g., the Confederate flag, monuments, heroes, etc.). Is it, therefore, to be assumed that Confederate symbology […]
If the shoe was on the other foot… Confederate troops in the North
July 18, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
When I read about the “horrors of war” inflicted upon Southerners (most especially civilians) by Union troops, I wonder what stories would have come out of the war if the Confederate army spent more time on “Northern soil.” But then, why wonder when what little time they spent there was documented… with atrocities. Yes, I’m […]
The need to lay aside animosities for dead men
February 26, 2008 by The Wild Pretanī
While I clearly have grievances with the way some people like to distort history for modern agendas, I think that there should be a cut-off point between being aggravated with people today and bashing people of yesterday. To some degree, it reminds me of modern political campaigns where mudslinging runs rampant in an effort to […]
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Southern Unionists Chronicles
- 34th Massachusetts POWs and Harrisonburg Unionists
- Letter from Botts, laying “bare the tyranny of Jeff. Davis”, November 21, 1863
- Hensley-Lamb (Rockingham & Page County) refugees, documented in Gettysburg newspaper
- In the case of Mr. Nicholas Breeden, Rockingham County, Virginia
- When a Confederate soldier came-a-courtin’ a Southern Unionist’s daughter
- Rebecca Wright: Winchester Unionist and Sheridan’s “Little Quaker Girl”
- “The reign of terror in Loudoun, Va.”
- Looking for photos of Galvanized Yankees
- Reuben Kite’s story
- New markers in Waterford, Va. highlight Southern Unionism there
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September 10, 2016 by The Wild Pretanī
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