It Happened in the Civil War

by Michael R. Bradley

• ISBN13: 9780762711659
• ISBN10: 0762711655
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2002-03-01
• Publisher: TwoDot

Summary

This compelling collection of true anecdotes from America's Civil War offers a lively look at thirty unusual, little-known, and bizarre incidents that impacted the course of the war.

Author Biography

Professor Michael R. Bradley lives in Tullahoma, Tennessee, on the former picket line of a Civil War fort. In addition to authoring five other books on the Civil War and many articles and papers, he is a member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Southern Historical Association, American Association of University Professors, and the Society for Military History.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Gunpowder from Urine	1	(4)
The Story of ``Taps''	5	(4)
The Death of the Wooden Navy	9	(4)
An Unusual Air Force	13	(4)
The Double Life of Frank Thompson/Emma Seelye	17	(4)
The Stranger	21	(4)
The Battle Caused by Three Cigars	25	(4)
From the Island of Malta to South Mountain, Maryland	29	(5)
The Female Moses-Harriet Tubman	34	(4)
The Angel of Marye's Heights	38	(4)
His Country's Highest Award for Bravery	42	(5)
Loyal Servant-Valiant Sergeant	47	(4)
Thunder and Lightning at Hoovers Gap	51	(4)
The Old Man of Gettysburg	55	(4)
A Daring Prison Escape	59	(4)
Even His Enemy Congratulated Him	63	(4)
The Historic Voyage of the CSS Hunley	67	(4)
A Battle off the Coast of France	71	(5)
He Died in Place of His Brother	76	(5)
Raiding Rebels on the Rampage	81	(4)
The Plot to Destroy Chicago	85	(5)
A Sad Homecoming	90	(4)
Lincoln's Favorite Song	94	(4)
He Broke Into a Prisoner of War Camp	98	(4)
The Angel of the Battlefield-Clara barton	102	(4)
Bom Dia, Y'All	106	(4)
The War Taught Him to Love Horses	110	(4)
United in Death	114	(4)
A Little Bit of Dixie in Wisconsin	118	(4)
Little Sorrel's Story	122	(4)
A Potpourri of Civil War Facts	126	(3)
Bibliography	129	(3)
Index	132	(4)
About the Author	136

Excerpts

With the first puff of smoke a shell came screaming over the stockade. The second hit the wall, cutting off the timber and sending jagged splinters of wood flying like spears across the interior of the small enclosure. Every shot hit the wall and the cannon were too far away for the Michiganders' rifles to be effective. In a few minutes it was all over. The stockade was blown to smithereens. Of Baldwin's fifty men, forty-nine were dead or wounded. Regretfully, Frank Baldwin waved a towel as a flag of surrender. Out of the smoke came riding a small, dapper man in a neat gray uniform. Three stars surrounded by a wreath on his collar indicated his a rank as a general. "Lieutenant, this is the biggest piece of foolishness I have ever seen. I have not lost a man and your command has been wiped out. It is mere luck you aren't causality yourself. If you had surrendered, you would have saved a lot of good men from death and suffering." Saluting, Baldwin replied, "General, please read this paper. It is from my commanding officer and it orders me to hold this position until relieved. As yet, I have not been relieved."

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Excerpted from It Happened in the Civil War by Michael R. Bradley
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