Tag Archives: Knoxville 1863

Those sharpshooters

Posted on January 28, 2016 by Dick Stanley

Sharpshooters, like the unknown Rebel one who felled Fort Sanders’ namesake, General William P. Sanders, from more than a mile away, were special troops with their own drill and esprit. It helped that they often had special arms such as … Continue reading →

Posted in Bleak House, Civil War armament, Gen. William P. Sanders | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Reprise: General McLaws’ courts martial

Posted on December 16, 2015 by Dick Stanley

Although convened in February, 1864, McLaws’ courts martial for dereliction of duty in the assault on Fort Sanders at Knoxville, was on-again, off-again, for the next several weeks. Finally, on March 11, the trial commenced at a private home in … Continue reading →

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Jacob Lyon, Fort Sanders defender

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Dick Stanley

Simon Lyon of Chicago has written me of his great grandfather, Jacob Lyon, who fought in the defense of Fort Sanders as a member of Lieutenant Benjamin’s battery E of the 2nd U.S. Artillery. Benjamin commanded the defense in the … Continue reading →

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Phillips Legion at Knoxville

Posted on September 17, 2015 by Dick Stanley

The Phillips Georgia Legion (or Phillips Legion of Georgia or simply Phillips Legion) rates its own chapter in the novel, for its co-starring part in the attack on Fort Sanders. Although this stirring little animation of its battle flag does … Continue reading →

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Reprise: The Unfortunate Friendship

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Dick Stanley

Unfortunate, that is, for the boys age 14 to 17 who comprised the majority of Captain/Doctor William Watts Parker’s Sixth Virginia Light Artillery. Meaning his friendship with Colonel Edward Porter Alexander, Longstreet’s chief of artillery. For as Alexander put it … Continue reading →

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USS Monitor restoration continues

Posted on August 27, 2015 by Dick Stanley

The USS Monitor ironclad is featured in the novel in the recollections of Sergeant Timothy Chase of the 29th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The fictional sergeant saw the Monitor’s successful fight against the CSS Virginia ironclad in 1862 and has “dined … Continue reading →

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Colonel Kennon McElroy’s grave

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Dick Stanley

Here’s a possible correction in the Afterword—not in the novel itself. In the Afterword, I asserted that the grave of Colonel Kennon McElroy was unknown. It was as far as I knew at the time I wrote the novel. Apparently … Continue reading →

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Firing the 1861 Springfield

Posted on August 7, 2015 by Dick Stanley

This Hungarian fellow who styles himself capandball on the Internet has a really thick accent but if you listen closely you can get the gist of his description of the 1861 Springfield percussion rifle-musket he’s firing here. Most Confederates, if … Continue reading →

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