The American Civil War (1861-1865)

The sesquicentennial is upon us. We need to talk more about the Civil War.

Connecting with the Chancellorsville Battlefield

by Scott Manning May 1, 2013
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After 150 years, the Battle of Chancellorsville (1863) remains a textbook example of maneuver warfare, of Sun Tzu’s maxim to avoid strength and attack weakness. Quite literally, it was one of several examples in my maneuver warfare course at AMU a few years ago. Battlefields always require some imagination, but few battlefields offer visitors such [...]

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William Freehling on Why another Lincoln Biography

by Scott Manning March 24, 2013
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This past Friday, I had the privilege of hearing Dr. William Freehling deliver the keynote lecture at the 18th Annual James A. Barnes Conference, at Temple University in Philadelphia. Freehling has written much about the Civil War, but now he is taking on an effort to write a Lincoln biography. Given that Lincoln’s life is [...]

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A New Gettysburg Casualty

by Scott Manning January 15, 2013
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While giving a tour of Gettysburg on January 5, we encountered loads of snow and ice. I was continually warning folks with me to be careful and not slip. In a twist of irony, I slipped down the last four or five steps of the 44th and 12th New York monument on top of Little [...]

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Escorting Classics Majors at Gettysburg

by Scott Manning January 14, 2013
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On January 5, I had the privilege of playing tour guide for five Classics majors from Temple University. This was my largest group so far and the most rambunctious. Ma’am, please get off the cannon! On the way there, I was able to discuss the antebellum period with three of them, but the others showed [...]

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4 Reasons Why Secession Talk is Nonsense

by Scott Manning November 13, 2012
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My Facebook feed and Inbox have become inundated with the news that there are online petitions for at least 30 states to secede from the Union. Here is why the entire hubbub is nonsense. First, most of these petitioners do not appreciate what it would mean to secede. Several of the petitions state they want [...]

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Keegan on British and Southern Memory of War

by Scott Manning November 1, 2012
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The other day, I watched a talk by the late John Keegan on World War I, given at the Cambridge Public Library in 1999. He spent a good deal of time trying to answer why the war was still important to the British, covering the overwhelming number monuments and the yearly commemorations. Among several anecdotes, [...]

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All Day Hike at Antietam for the 150th

by Scott Manning September 27, 2012
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After the “Sunrise in Cornfield” program, Derek and I headed over to the Battleview Market for omelets and French toast. I was tempted to order the Burnside, but it was too early in the morning. After the heavy attendance of the morning program, we expected the All Day Hike to be packed. We met behind [...]

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Sunrise in the Cornfield on the 150th of Antietam

by Scott Manning September 26, 2012
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My friend Derek and I arrived at Antietam on the afternoon of September 16. We had already missed many of the festivities, but we were determined to spend the next day on the battlefield, exploring and remembering what happened that day, 150 years ago. I tracked down a few park rangers and questioned them on [...]

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James McPherson and Ed Bearss on the Eve of Antietam’s 150th

by Scott Manning September 25, 2012
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While I had read works by both James McPherson and Ed Bears, I finally got an opportunity to hear and meet them in person. On the eve of the sesquicentennial of Antietam, McPherson gave a speech on the importance of the battle, stressing that it was a “titanic conflict” and “the most important turning point [...]

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Naming Artillery from the Medieval World to Gettysburg

by Scott Manning August 13, 2012
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Sitting in front of the headquarters of Daniel Sickles is a 12-pounder Napoleon. While the cannon was not present for the Battle of Gettysburg, it was used in the Civil War.1 The cannon is unique, because it appears a soldier named the cannon “CORA” with paint on the back. While we are almost positive that [...]

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