Tales from the North and the South : Twenty-Four Remarkable People and Events of the Civil War

by Casstevens, Frances H.

• ISBN13: 9780786428700
• ISBN10: 0786428708
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-22
• Publisher: McFarland Publishing

Summary

In June 1862, James J. Archer was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by Robert E. Lee. Serving with distinction in prominent battles such as those at Bull Run, Chancellorsville and Harpers Ferry, this lawyer-turned-general earned not only the respect of his superiors but the esteem and admiration of his men. Imprisoned first at Fort Delaware and then at Johnson's Island, Archer was one of the First Fifty (and as it turned out only) officers to be part of a Confederate/Union prisoner exchange. Upon returning to the Confederacy, Archer resumed command and served until his death from battle wounds in October 1864. From doctors to lawyers and privates to generals, this volume records the stories of a few special people--such as General James Archer--who chose to serve their country during the Civil War. Twenty-four individuals from both sides of the Mason-Dixon line are remembered for their extraordinary and often little known contributions to the Confederate and Union causes. These include Colonel Thomas Rose, who was in charge of the Libby Prison tunnel; Colonel John R. Winston, who was one of the few to escape from the Federal prison on Johnson's Island; Sally Tompkins, who ran a private hospital in Richmond; and Sergeant Richard Kirkland, who risked his life to take water to the Federal troops at Fredericksburg. Other featured individuals include Susie Baker King Taylor, Colonel Hector McKethan, Dr. Mary Walker and Richard Thomas Zarvona. Contemporary sources include a variety of correspondence and diaries from these subjects and those who knew them. Appendices contain a roll of participants in the Great Locomotive Chase; a list of Federal prisoners who escaped through the Libby Prison tunnel; a directory of Confederate officers on board the Maple Leaf; and the history of the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Confederate Roll of Honor. A number of contemporary photographs are also included.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
The Union
James J. Andrews and the Great Locomotive Chase (The Andrews Raid): A Civilian Who Risked His Life and Lost	p. 3
Private Jesse Virgil Dobbins: Patriotic Hero or Murdering Traitor?	p. 16
Captain Dan Ellis: The Slippery "Old Red Fox" of East Tennessee	p. 28
General William Jackson Palmer: An Officer and a Gentleman Sometimes Equals a Hero	p. 43
Colonel Thomas Rose: Architect of the Libby Tunnel	p. 58
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw: "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13	p. 73
Mrs. Susie Baker King Taylor: Among Noble Women, Courage Has No Color	p. 89
Brigadier General John Basil Turchin and Nadine Turchin: The "Mad Cossack" and His Courageous Wife	p. 97
Miss Elizabeth Van Lew: "Crazy Bet," the Disguise of a Master Spy	p. 108
Dr. Mary E. Walker: Slightly Ahead of Her Time, but Time Has Proven Her Correct	p. 119
Brigadier General Edward A. Wild: Beelzebub or Avenging Archangel?	p. 128
Colonel Powell T. Wyman: Somewhat Tarnished, but Still a Hero	p. 152
The Confederacy
Brigadier General James J. Archer: A "Little Gamecock" or a "God of War"	p. 165
Captain Robert Carson Duvall: Winner of First Naval Battle of the War Between the States	p. 179
Captain E. W. Fuller: Escape of Confederate Prisoners from the Maple Leaf	p. 188
Sergeant Richard Rowland Kirkland: "The Angel of Marye's Heights" or the "Southern Samaritan"	p. 199
Colonel Hector McAllister McKethan: From Big Bethel to Fort Fisher	p. 207
Lieutenant Robert Winship Stedman: Once, Twice, Three Times a Hero	p. 214
Colonel M. Jefferson Thompson: A Blundering Falstaff or the "Swamp Fox of the Confederacy" or a Military Renaissance Man	p. 225
Captain Sally Louisa Tompkins: The Angel of Richmond	p. 236
Brigadier General Stand Watie: A Cherokee Who Fought with the Confederate Army	p. 245
Captain Reuben Everett Wilson: Unreconciled, Faithful Soldier or Cold-Blooded Murderer?	p. 254
Colonel John Reynolds Winston: A Long, Cold Journey Home	p. 275
Colonel Richard Thomas Zarvona: The Spymaster, a.k.a. the "French Lady"	p. 282
Participants in the Great Locomotive Chase	p. 299
Federal Prisoners Who Escaped Through the Libby Prison Tunnel	p. 300
Confederate Officers Onboard the Maple Leaf	p. 303
Congressional Medal of Honor and Confederate Roll of Honor	p. 306
Chapter Notes	p. 309
Bibliography	p. 349
Index	p. 363
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