The Civil War Centennial HandbookPrice, William H.
History
The Civil War Centennial Handbook
Price, William H.
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
At the battle of the Monocacy in 1864 Union General LEW WALLACE, author
of _Ben-Hur_, commanded the force defending Washington against General
Jubal Early's attack. After the war he served as Governor of New Mexico
and Minister to Turkey.
When the Marion Rangers organized in 1861, SAMUEL CLEMENS (Mark Twain)
joined as a lieutenant, but he left this Missouri Company before it was
mustered into Confederate service, having fired only one hostile shot
during the war.
Confederate Private HENRY MORTON STANLEY, of "Doctor Livingstone, I
presume" fame, survived a bloody charge at Shiloh only to be taken
prisoner. Later he joined the Union ranks and finished the war in Yankee
blue.
ANDREW CARNEGIE was a young man in his mid-twenties when he left his
position as superintendent of the Pittsburgh Division, Pennsylvania
Railroad to pitch in with workers rebuilding the rail line from
Annapolis to Washington. Later in 1861 he was given the position of
superintendent of military railways and government telegraph.
HENRY A. DUPONT, grandson of the DuPont industries founder, was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor for gallantry at the battle of Cedar
Creek in October 1864. Captain DuPont, who had graduated from West Point
at the head of his class in 1861, went on to serve as United States
Senator from Delaware.
ELIAS HOWE presented each field and staff officer of the 5th
Massachusetts Regiment with a stallion fully equipped for service.
Later, he volunteered as a private, and when the State failed to pay his
unit, he met the regimental payroll with his own money.
At the age of 15 GEORGE WESTINGHOUSE ran away from home and joined the
Union Army. Neither he nor Elias Howe rose to officer rank, but both are
today in the Hall of Fame for their achievements--the air brake and the
sewing machine.
In 1861 CORNELIUS VANDERBILT presented a high-speed side-wheel steamer
to the United States Navy. At the time, there were less than 50 ships in
active naval service. The cruiser, named the _Vanderbilt_, captured
three blockade-runners during the war and in 1865 participated in the
bombardment and amphibious assault on Fort Fisher. The Federal Navy at
that time had grown to a fleet of more than 550 steam-powered ships.
Admiral GEORGE DEWEY, of Manila Bay fame, served as a young lieutenant
under Admiral Farragut during the attack on Port Hudson in 1863. His
ship was the only one lost in the engagement.
Colonel CHRISTOPHER C. ("Kit") CARSON commanded the 1st New Mexico
Volunteers (Union), and campaigned against the Comanche, Navajo, and
Apache Indians during the Civil War. In 1866 he was promoted to
brigadier general.
In his mid-teens JESSE JAMES joined the Confederate raiders led by
William Quantrill. The famous "Dead or alive" reward for Jesse in 1882
was issued by an ex-Confederate officer, Governor Thomas T. Crittenden
of Missouri.
[Illustration]
THE SOLDIER, THE BATTLE, THE LOSSES
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account