“Owing to the very bitter feeling…between the officers and men”

Today we'll return to Cumberland to take a quick look at an incident involving the 2nd PHB Infantry early in 1863. During this time the entire 8th Army Corps - the Middle Department that defended Maryland and parts of West Virginia - was undergoing a reorganization. The defenses along the Upper Potomac were under the command of …

“Altogether filthy in the extreme”

Civil War hospitals tend to conjure up a particularly hellish image in the minds of most people. Piles of amputated limbs, screaming men, blood everywhere. A perfect charnel house. There is, of course, some truth to this mental image. Military hospitals have been scenes of unimaginable suffering since the dawn of warfare and the Civil …

Field Dispatch: Leesburg, Virginia

A sunny day made for a quick visit to Leesburg, Virginia. The historic core of the town dates to the latter half of the 18th century, so history is easy to come by as you walk the narrow streets. Brick and stone townhomes from the turn of the nineteenth century mingle with stately Victorians and …