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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 […]
July 17, 2015 by Robert Moore
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 […]
January 23, 2014 by Robert Moore
I know that this is way off the Sesqui timeline, but, I think I’m more inspired to post this as something that follows close on the heels of Lee-Jackson Day. I just get the sense that the topic needs to be better grounded, with extremists (in my opinion) flying off from both directions (first, the extremists […]
December 23, 2013 by Robert Moore
The date… is December 23, 1863… and quite a lot transpired since my last coverage of events which lead up to December 17, 1863. Not only had the stalled Federal advanced picked-up, by the 23rd, there was another force of Union cavalry arriving at Luray, in Page County. First things first, however… Wells and Boyd […]
August 24, 2013 by Robert Moore
Not long ago, while perusing the papers of Confederate civilians in Fold3, I dropped in the names of some relatives in the Valley, just to see what I might find. For starters, I found that my third great grandfather, William M. Dorraugh, was of help to Gen. Richard S. Ewell. It was a small thing, […]
July 28, 2013 by Robert Moore
I was disappointed when I saw a few posts recently that suggest the Sesquicentennial is… more or less… done. I anticipated such projections in the wake of Gettysburg, but to make them so soon after Gettysburg is not a good idea. A vacuum in the wake of Gettysburg was inevitable. I agree that nothing will […]
May 10, 2013 by Robert Moore
I’ve seen a lot of it over the last week or so. How things like the wording of a place (“Jackson Shrine”) and the larger than life myth of a man are flawed. The man, place and myth… “bad juju”. Apparently more “bad juju” than a lot of folks realize. It’s a Sesqui moment I […]
May 1, 2013 by Robert Moore
May 1, 2013… so begins the Sesqui of the Battle of Chancellorsville. As such, I’ve been thinking… What if Stonewall Jackson lived to command beyond Chancellorsville? Frankly, any forward speculation of his possible performances in battles after Chancellorsville is subject to so many factors that it’s not even funny. As such, forward speculation is a […]
April 29, 2013 by Robert Moore
I’ve been seeing postings lately, mostly on Face Book, about the last four surviving children of Civil War veterans (actually, it focused on the last four just in Virginia alone… and I didn’t seem to catch that last part), and I added to each that I thought they were missing somebody. I’m sorry to say… […]
December 6, 2012 by Robert Moore
Some might expect to see this title this coming May. Others might get what I’m saying, realizing that I’m referring to Jackson leaving the Valley, 150 years ago last month. As things were I just wasn’t able to post within the Sesqui envelope, in conjunction with the actual dates… but it was on my mind […]
August 12, 2012 by Robert Moore
Having spent the day out and about yesterday, on Rt. 11, in what is known as the famous (and growing) “Rt. 11 Yard Crawl”, I lucked into landing several Carte de Visite (CDVs) and cabinet cards from a number of photographers from the mid-19th century. There were several from New York, one from Philadelphia, and […]
July 8, 2012 by Robert Moore
Since the “wires” seem to be hot with stories of Southern Unionism (Craig offered-up yet another story of Southern Unionism just today!)… here comes another meaty morsel which I ran across recently. I don’t recall, exactly, how it came to my attention, but recently, while perusing the Web, I ran into a biographical sketch of […]
July 4, 2012 by Robert Moore
I looked through a few of the resources I have at my disposal, for accounts of Union soldiers who remained in the Shenandoah Valley, and were still present here, on July 4, 1862. Regretfully, I could only come up with two accounts that were either written on that day, or described, in brief, what happened […]
July 1, 2012 by Robert Moore
Up and moving again on the morning of July 1, Carrington’s Battery reached the action at Malvern Hill between 2 and 3 p.m. Once there the company took shelter in a wooded area and out of sight of the enemy. Even so, enemy shells came in on them. “Finding myself in the presence of ‘Stonewall’, […]
July 1, 2012 by Robert Moore
I thought… with all the focus on matters occurring 150 years ago around Richmond… it might be interesting to point out a little something about matters back here, in the Shenandoah Valley, which were occurring at that same time. Stonewall Jackson had successfully cleared the Valley of “Yankees”! Right? Not so fast, there… Truth of […]
June 7, 2012 by Robert Moore
In writing about Turner Ashby yesterday, I kept thinking about (but wrote nothing of it) how all has gone, so far, in the Sesqui of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1862, and feel that the 150th has served as a benchmark of sorts. I think when the Sesqui began, many of us in the CW blogosphere, asked if […]
May 6, 2012 by Robert Moore
Because of the move, I’m still without certain notes and books to back me up with quotes and whatnot… so, I’m going to wing it again… The masses are flocking (or so it would seem) to McDowell, Virginia this weekend for the 150th anniversary of the battle, but… it’s not the actual Sesqui until Tuesday. […]
May 5, 2012 by Robert Moore
I’ve seen a good deal of “Stonewall Jackson praising” going on lately, and while I can appreciate his part in the history of the Valley for that time, that’s not quite all of the story. In short, not everyone was cheering the arrival (and in some cases, the return) of Confederate troops in the Valley, […]
April 18, 2012 by Robert Moore
While some folks might be focusing on some larger events that cover the next few days, 150 years ago, I highly doubt a small incident in my home county will gain much attention, between today and tomorrow. Yet, to the folks who lived in Page County, it must have been big… and to me, with […]
January 22, 2012 by Robert Moore
Of course, my interests are a bit narrow in scope… being a native (and resident) of the Shenandoah Valley, I’m incredibly happy to see Virginia’s state legislature taking initiative in recognizing yet another Valley-connected Civil War personality in the proposed Washington-Lincoln Day. Think of it… first we have Jackson who lived here and made a […]
January 14, 2012 by Robert Moore
A day late, but… While some may reflect on various aspects of the lives of Lee and Jackson, on their day, here in Virginia, I’d dare say that the heaviest focus is likely on their lives during four years of war, yet while hardly giving time to consider the complexities of family ties caused for […]
December 18, 2011 by Robert Moore
So many of us go to battlefields and imagine the damage done by artillery, yet, are unable to see the impact on the ground. There is, however… here and there… evidence of damage done to structures. While not the site of intense artillery fire, the lockhouse at Dam #5, on the Potomac, may have the […]
October 31, 2011 by Robert Moore
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 […]
July 21, 2011 by Robert Moore
I was there… got to Manassas early… The pretty cool looking Virginia 150 Historymobile… Crowd was relatively light, but then… it was hot, and on a workday. Did I say it was hot?! Of course, the Stonewall on steroids statue… A view toward the speakers’ platform from the rear hooves of Stonewall’s mount. Also had […]
June 4, 2011 by Robert Moore
I was asked a question by a reader yesterday, and thought I’d give a little more background about the Jackson Prayer Oak/Tree. Why is it called Jackson’s “Prayer Oak”? In the wake of victories at Cross Keys and Port Republic, Stonewall Jackson moved his army into Brown’s Gap for a few days. A few days […]
June 3, 2011 by Robert Moore
See =>here, from NBC 29 out of Charlottesville, and =>here, from the Daily News Record, Harrisonburg. More to follow…
January 1, 2011 by Robert Moore
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 […]
October 31, 2010 by Robert Moore
As I’ve mentioned several times in my postings throughout the month, October brings to mind stories of witches and ghosts, but one ghost story captures my thinking frequently throughout the month. I suppose, one can almost say that it literally “haunts” me. The story actually developed over time, with each piece of information I uncovered […]
September 7, 2010 by Robert Moore
Those who are regulars here know that I have an interest in antique apples. Among those varieties is the Milam. In all likelihood, most who read this probably won’t know about this variety. It’s not as popular as those you find in the grocery stores today… at least not popular today as it was in […]
December 24, 2009 by Robert Moore
… Haddon Sundblom. It’s probably common knowledge to many in the Civil War blogosphere. Personally, whenever I see a Haddon Sundblom Santa image adorning a Coca-Cola bottle or Coca-Cola advertising, I can’t help but recall my favorite image of Stonewall Jackson. It appeared on the cover of Civil War Times many, many moons ago (well, […]
April 30, 2016 by Robert Moore
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