Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Military Hard military trivia

WMacD, care to coment? I aint about to let you off that easy. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
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According to Bruce Catton in Mr. Lincoln's Army, they were on a farm when Confederate artillery destroyed some beehives. They were obviously Reb bees because they did a job on the troops.

Mr. Lincon's Army, is that a book on just the Army of the Potomac or the union army. The book I quoted is just about the AotP, interesting read and doubly so as it's only from the point of view of the Army of the Potomac.

It's the first volume of Catton's trilogy, The Army of the Potomac.

In terms of major catastrophic losses, Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg must rank pretty high. Of 15,000 men; 10,000 became casualties in less than an hour.

Funny you should mention Catton's trilogy. I just finished reading all three a month or so ago. Though I love reading Shelby Foote, no-one comes close to Bruce Catton, IMHO.

I'm about halfway through Catton's "The Coming Fury" right now. That's the first of another 3 parter on the whole war. I got it and "Terrible Swift Sword" off a bargain book shelf. Still gots to get the third one, "Never Call Retreat".

Blaine, while Pickett and Pettygrew suffered fearful casualties assaulting Cenetary Ridge, no-one can exactly say what the rate was. Confederate Armies were lousy book-keepers, and alot of the units had already been pretty badly chewed up in the first day's fighting. Most of what I've read give Picketts actual strength a 12,000 to 13,000 men, with about 4,500 getting back to rebel lines unscathed.

I know this will make me REAL popular with the southern board members <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />. If one takes a critical look at quite a few of Lee's campaigns, you'll see some of that same "lack of consideration" for casualties that made Grant famous. Malvern Hill, Antietam, and the assault on Cemetary Ridge all cost him much more than he could afford.
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Here's an easy one and a hard one.

To Bobby Lee who were "those people"?


Who was the first American to use, succesfully, the temporary insanity defence?
Hint he has something to do with the War Between the States.

1. Northerners, i.e. oppressors

2. Gen. Sickles

Here's one for you. What is the purpose of the last rank of a regimental battle formation and what are they called?

Yep, "Those People" for Lee, refered to the Federals.

Dan Sickles shot and killed a fellow named Key. Not sure if it was F Scott Key's son or nephew now. At any rate he beat the rap by pleading "temporary insanity". IIRC, his attorney was none other than Edwin M Stanton.

And the last rank was usually called "file Closers". Their job was to keep the guys with "scared feet" in line. Unless you could show a wound, they'ed jab your butt back in the line with bayonet or pistol.

This is entirely too easy. Been reading this stuff since I ws a kid. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Here's a couple a little tougher.
At the begining of the war, it was Northern officers policy to return escaped slaves back to their master. One Union General came up with the idea of keeping them, coining the term "contraband of war". Who was this general?

Here's another I know aint in you book... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
Lee's second in command throughout the war as Gen James Longstreet. Durring the war he was looked upon as a Souther hero and first rate commander. After the war, he became a social and political outcast, and was accused of commiting treason at Gettysburg.
What mortal sin did Longstreet commit that that caused his fellow Confederate Vetrans to slander him?
(cue Joepardy theme song <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />)
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HMMMM 'file closers', to fill in for the dead guy's? Although I thought there was a line of skirmisher's to the rear, perhaps to prevent guy's from running away.

I don't know the answer to the contraband question, but regarding Longstreet, I thought the criticism of him regarding Gettysburg was that he was insubordinate to Lee due to his remarks that the battle plan was doomed to fail.

After the war, he became a Republican and supported Black suffrage, which caused many Southerners to call him a traitor for those political positions.

Here's another poser:

Which Southern officer spent the first 13 months of the war without taking part in a battle or coming under enemy fire?

Regarding Longstreet, right you are. His cousin Julia Dent was married to U.S. Grant, and he and Grant were friends both before and after the war. His joining the Republican resulted in all sorts of trouble, mostly at the hands of Nelson Pendelton and Jubal Early.

If you're up on your Gettysburg Battle, you'll remember Pendelton as Lee's artillery chief. There were some guns slated to advance with and support Pickett that ended up missing. Pendelton sent them somewhere else. Early had been ordered by Marse Robert to secure Cemetary Hill back on the first day. He did nothing, allowing the Federals plenty of time to dig in and regroup.

By the time Longstreet commited this mortal sin, Lee was already dead, and the best way to avoid incriminatoin yourself is to shift the blame to someone else, so.....

That was Ben "Spoons" Butler that came up with the idea of keeping escaped slaves. About the only thing he did right throughout the war. He's best known for his own line of chamber-pots<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />, and supposedly stealing silverware during the occupatoin of New Orleans. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'm not 100% certain, but I think the officer you refer to was none other than Robert E. Lee himself. AKA "The King of Spades" for his being in charge of defencive works at Richmond.
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Just a guess, Braxton Bragg? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />

Bragg may have been a late starter (I bet his subordinates wish he had never entered the war), but Robert E. Lee is the answer.

shreck, if you're interested in reading Catton's trilogy, The Army of the Potomac, I have a set I will be happy to send to you to read. They should be read in the order in which they were written and published:

Volume 1. Mr. Lincoln's Army. The early years of the Civil War when the army was under the command of General George B. McClellan.

Volume 2. Glory Road. Covers the period from the Battle of Fredericksburg in late 1862 through the Battle of Gettysburg in July, 1863 and concludes with President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in November, 1863.

Volume 3. A Stillness at Appomattox. The account of the final year of the Civil War. This book won the Pulitzer Prize.

Here's another. Didn't know this myself until I recently read it, so extra points will be awarded. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

It's a pretty wel known fact that Robert E. Lee was offered command of the union army before he joined the Confederates. What other well known and highly renouned (by Jeff Davis, at least) Confederate general was also offered the job?
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WMacD, I'll check my local library. I just today finished "The Sword Of Lincoln" and I've got, "The Eloquent President" Lincoln in his own writing as well as a paperback to get thru.
As a book just focused on the Army of the Patomic it was not bad or terribly boring. I am amazed that they didn't simply implode with all the in-fighting and back stabbing. In the end I guess nobody really wanted the job of commander, AoP, once they got it. Except Grant.

Joe Johnson, or mebby Longstreet?
I'm not goung to look this one up, I'll just stab at it.

shreck, here's the deal. I have a second set of these books (my first set are all first editions) that I would like to send to you to read. The postage at the media rate is only about $3.00 or so, which I will gladly pay. If anyone else in this forum wants to read them, you will agree to send the books on to that person, at your expense, after you have finished reading them. That person will do the same, for as long as there is someone interested in reading them. If no one wants to read them after you finish them, you send them back to me. Hopefully, I will never see them again and many more people will enjoy them.

Here's a bit of minutiae, which Union General's wife was captured by Confederates during the war?