The American Civil War Diaries (1 Viewer)

[Rob]

Wonderful stuff Bob, really really good. I love the way you get the real feel of the drama and trauma of close up and personal hand to hand action, great to have you back on the forum mate.

Rob

 

[jazzeum]

I hate it when you do this "To Be Continued" stuff Bob! You paint a very good picture in the viewer's mind of the Union soldiers bearing down on the Rebs. A scary sight.

 

[UKReb]

Love it Reb!! I am so glad you keep adding to this thread. You are truly an inspiration with the way you present your work.

Mark

Thanks Mark much appreciated

I must admit I get totally absorbed into the history of the struggle between the states. The comments I have coming out of my figures in my dios are in fact actual quotes from American soldiers who fought in that war recorded in their diaries and letters.

And yet I still remain puzzled as to why most of my American colleagues on here show absolutely no interest whatsoever in this part of their country's history because it is jam packed with such literary and eloquent men and women who wrote such stirring and moving correspondence.

Bob

 

[kogu]

I am very glad to see another episode of the fascinating ACW Diaries.
Thank you, Reb, for keeping them coming.
Konrad

 

[The Lt.]

Battle of Five Forks Part II

Following Warren being relieved of his command by Sheridan the gauntlet was passed to Maj. Gen. Charles Griffin. He wasted no time and swiftly brought in his reserve division alongside Maj. Gen Romeyn Ayres regiments.

To the north Maj. Gen Samuel Crawford wheeled his division into line next to Ayres men adding more pressure to the buckling Confederate lines

Together they began to drive the leaderless Confederates before them while Sheridan's dismounted cavalry swept around the Reb right flank

Under continuous fire, outnumbered almost three to one and now fighting on three sides, with no orders or support forthcoming the defenders fell back almost in a rout.

As the Reb infantrymen fell back in an attempt to form a new defensive line their action exposed the left flank Confederate battery

The three gun battery was under the command of 23 year old Lt Col. Willie Pegram. This young artillery officer had amassed a commendable combat record, for he had fought valiantly in every major action that the ANV had been engaged in. His fame was assured throughout the Confederate army as in the hearts of the Southern people. He had never lost a single gun to the enemy and had often stated to his artillerists.

"Men whenever the enemy take a gun from us look for my dead body in front of it"

An experienced combat officer Pegram immediately knew that his battery was now in a desperate situation but he remained perfectly calm calling out to his cannoneers as they swung their cannons to meet this Yankee onslaught

"Men, Fire your canister low"

Sgt. Milo Boyd had enlisted in the 32nd Massachusetts Infantry regiment in May 1862. He was a hardened veteran and had fought at Antietam; Fredericksburg; Gettysburg and The Wilderness. He called out to the men of his unit

"I have three bullet holes in my pants and two in my sleeve. By God this is a grand fight. So c'mon boys I do believe we can end this war today"

As the Massachusetts men moved forward bringing up the rear was the oldest man in the regiment Herbie "Pappy" Yates nursing a minie wound to his left arm. As he passed a nervous youth feverishly attempting to re-load his rifle he muttered to him

"You heard the sergeant lad.Let's finish this as I'm tired of this damm war".

As the Reb gunners struggled to reposition their gun one of the cannoneers glanced to his front...froze for a moment before uttering

"Judas Priest!"

for it appeared to him as if............

............the whole damm Yankee army was advancing towards Pegram's guns

To Be Continued
The Reb

Another Gem provided by our UKReb. Thanks Bob

 

[artmabigor]

beautiful collection and achievements.
Congratulations and thank you for sharing these beautiful photos.
cordially.

 

[Louis Badolato]

Thanks Mark much appreciated

I must admit I get totally absorbed into the history of the struggle between the states. The comments I have coming out of my figures in my dios are in fact actual quotes from American soldiers who fought in that war recorded in their diaries and letters.

And yet I still remain puzzled as to why most of my American colleagues on here show absolutely no interest whatsoever in this part of their country's history because it is jam packed with such literary and eloquent men and women who wrote such stirring and moving correspondence.

Bob

Bob,

Great job, as always on your most recent battle scenes!^&cool^&cool^&cool^&cool

In answer to your question, I can't speak for the remainder of my compatriots, but for me, I can never appreciate the Civil War, because every man and boy who died in that tragic conflict was one of my countrymen. That being said, I have learned a lot more about the conflict from your presentation than I ever did in school, and you have managed to personalize the individuals involved with the quotations in your narrative. Thank you for bringing characters like Lt.Col. Pegram and Sgt. Milo Boyd to life for me.

 

[GICOP]

Absolutely wonderful Bob, great pictures, great story line, can't wait for the next part {bravo}}:salute:::salute:::salute::

Cheers

Martyn

 

[mestell]

Thanks Mark much appreciated

I must admit I get totally absorbed into the history of the struggle between the states. The comments I have coming out of my figures in my dios are in fact actual quotes from American soldiers who fought in that war recorded in their diaries and letters.

And yet I still remain puzzled as to why most of my American colleagues on here show absolutely no interest whatsoever in this part of their country's history because it is jam packed with such literary and eloquent men and women who wrote such stirring and moving correspondence.

Bob

I agree with you Bob and am also puzzled by the lack of interest in the ACW. It was such an exhilerating time in U.S. history with a soldiers' perspective saved forever by their letters and personal journals that have survived. Like you, I try to keep it in the forefront . . . wouldn't have it any other way. Once again another just brilliant job in photography and story telling from the master. Huzzah!
:smile2: Mike

 

[playsetaddict]

Wow! It doesn't get any better than this! You tell the story so well. Great photos. The Collectors Showcase yanks have never loked so good in any photos I've seen. Fantastic job. My kepi is off to you.

Joe

 

[jazzeum]

It's not just the Civil War that is interesting but the period leading up to it and the development of the country and the sense, in hindsight, that you're witness to events that were in some ways probably avoidable. Notwithstanding that, civil wars are events in the development of a nation that sometimes have to happen to reconcile power elites or interests that no longer seem to agree, where interests have become irreconcilable. It also takes the folly of civil war to realize that maybe the disagreements were manageable and that this should never happen again, e.g. the Spanish Civil War.

Parenthetically, I would note that European wars have basically involved men killing men who might be considered the countrymen of Europe.

 

[aujj65]

I’ll tell you what Bob; this is the highlight of the forum for me.{bravo}}

I spent so much time talking to your very lovely young wife at the London show that I didn’t get much of a chance to see what you had purchased on the day ACW wise. Are any of those incorporated in this latest chapter?

Looking forward to seeing the next round of pics.

Jeff

Btw, are you really that old? {eek3}^&grin

 

[6th Wisconsin]

Bob, Great job as usual. It is wonderful to see another stirring installment, and I see you incorporated some of the new CS Mass figures - you really made me want to think harder about getting them. The battery setup is very well done with the landscaping and placement of the limbers. And the charge with the cannon in the foreground is dramatic. I have spent several days going up to the Petersburg area and visiting all of the battle sites, including Five Forks. I can't wait to see the rest of your installments as you bring the war to a conclusion.

I also wonder about why more Americans are not interested in Civil War history because it is such a fascinating and formative period full of amazing stories. I think that is particularly true in the north, whereas here in the south there is a somewhat more pesonal connection for many, not to mention that most battlefields are in the South. Like any war, and perhaps moreso than many wars because it was a civil war, it was a sad occurence, and most will say it was a great waste. I am not sure exactly why more are not interested; probably for a number of reasons - they are tired of hearing about it, it seems old fashioned, it can be controversial - civil rights, flag arguments, slavery, the lost cause mythology, it was much longer ago than WWII. All that said, I visit Civil War battlefields very often, and I can tell you that while many don't care a lot of Americans do find it fascinating. I helped my niece and nephew along as they got interested in it, and I had the pleasure of leading them on a tour of Gettysburg, but I am having more difficulty with my own children (although my son does love to play with toy soldiers).

Keep up the great work my friend.

 

[aujj65]

Bob, Great job as usual. It is wonderful to see another stirring installment, and I see you incorporated some of the new CS Mass figures - you really made me want to think harder about getting them. The battery setup is very well done with the landscaping and placement of the limbers. And the charge with the cannon in the foreground is dramatic. I have spent several days going up to the Petersburg area and visiting all of the battle sites, including Five Forks. I can't wait to see the rest of your installments as you bring the war to a conclusion.

I also wonder about why more Americans are not interested in Civil War history because it is such a fascinating and formative period full of amazing stories. I think that is particularly true in the north, whereas here in the south there is a somewhat more pesonal connection for many, not to mention that most battlefields are in the South. Like any war, and perhaps moreso than many wars because it was a civil war, it was a sad occurence, and most will say it was a great waste. I am not sure exactly why more are not interested; probably for a number of reasons - they are tired of hearing about it, it seems old fashioned, it can be controversial - civil rights, flag arguments, slavery, the lost cause mythology, it was much longer ago than WWII. All that said, I visit Civil War battlefields very often, and I can tell you that while many don't care a lot of Americans do find it fascinating. I helped my niece and nephew along as they got interested in it, and I had the pleasure of leading them on a tour of Gettysburg, but I am having more difficulty with my own children (although my son does love to play with toy soldiers).

Keep up the great work my friend.

Bob, Bob, the placement of the limbers! :wink2: I'm glad to see that you have them right now! ^&grin^&grin

Jeff

 

[UKReb]

I’ll tell you what Bob; this is the highlight of the forum for me.{bravo}}

I spent so much time talking to your very lovely young wife at the London show that I didn’t get much of a chance to see what you had purchased on the day ACW wise. Are any of those incorporated in this latest chapter?

Looking forward to seeing the next round of pics.

Jeff

Btw, are you really that old? {eek3}^&grin

Older!

 

[jazzeum]

Older!

Like in "four score and seven years ago"?^&grin

Belated Happy Birthday! Any big plans?

 

[UKReb]

Bob, Great job as usual. It is wonderful to see another stirring installment, and I see you incorporated some of the new CS Mass figures - you really made me want to think harder about getting them. The battery setup is very well done with the landscaping and placement of the limbers. And the charge with the cannon in the foreground is dramatic. I have spent several days going up to the Petersburg area and visiting all of the battle sites, including Five Forks. I can't wait to see the rest of your installments as you bring the war to a conclusion.

I also wonder about why more Americans are not interested in Civil War history because it is such a fascinating and formative period full of amazing stories. I think that is particularly true in the north, whereas here in the south there is a somewhat more pesonal connection for many, not to mention that most battlefields are in the South. Like any war, and perhaps moreso than many wars because it was a civil war, it was a sad occurence, and most will say it was a great waste. I am not sure exactly why more are not interested; probably for a number of reasons - they are tired of hearing about it, it seems old fashioned, it can be controversial - civil rights, flag arguments, slavery, the lost cause mythology, it was much longer ago than WWII. All that said, I visit Civil War battlefields very often, and I can tell you that while many don't care a lot of Americans do find it fascinating. I helped my niece and nephew along as they got interested in it, and I had the pleasure of leading them on a tour of Gettysburg, but I am having more difficulty with my own children (although my son does love to play with toy soldiers).

Keep up the great work my friend.

Great post and thank you kindly for your comments.

I fully appreciate that the ACW was the single most devisive event in the history of your country. No other war, political event or national crisis has ever approached the levels of animosity and hatred that war caused. Some historians have described it as the last "romantic" and the first modern war with all of it's inherent horrors. The introduction of the rifle and advanced field artillery- unfortunately- allowed men to destroy and maim each other over much farther distances and with greater accuracy than their ancestors ever thought possible. Subsequently, for America it was it's most costliest.

However, my comment was not just meant to refer to the battles and the blood-shed but also to include the politics, the aftermath and the building of a great nation. And also the hundreds of Americans who through personal letters and diaries recorded and captured in such eloquent words theirs and others feelings during those troubled times.

I vividly remember when the first chapter of Ken Burns Civil War was aired everyone in the US and the rest of the world were all moved by Union Major Sullivan Ballou's final letter to his wife Sarah. I had read it years before Burns ended his first episode with a moving reading of it. I suppose my bemusement is the fact that this is just one of literally hundreds of such moving pieces that I have unearthed over the years of studying this conflict and it's causes.

If Ballou's letter aired on TV could move half of America I'm pretty sure that others I have read would continue to tear fill eyes.

Bob

 

[UKReb]

Like in "four score and seven years ago"?^&grin

Belated Happy Birthday! Any big plans?[/QUOTE]

Thanks Brad

Attached is "the old old man" at his birthday bash last night-executed very professionally by my beloved. Brits cannot hire such venues on the Sabbath hence Saturday night.

Jeff
Trudi said if she had had your mobile number she would have invited you :tongue:

Bob

 

[jazzeum]

It's not right that one person can look like he's having so much fun but it is your birthday after all

 

[Njja]

So glad you are posting again! Looks like you had a great time at your party!

Congratulations!