Wrapping the Infantry Up: The 3rd Potomac Home Brigade Infantry

Today's entry will be the last in our introductory series on the infantry regiments that made up the PHB. Now, some of you sharp eyed readers might be thinking "Didn't the ex-governor's call mention four regiments?" You're absolutely right! Francis Thomas envisioned four infantry regiments in May 1861. By the fall of that year the …

Looking Westward in 1861

Driving westward today out of Frederick one can follow the course of the Old National Pike that carried countless settlers westward to the Ohio River Valley and beyond (1). The farmland of Frederick County is only occasionally interrupted by wooded ridges. First you cross Catoctin Mountain at Braddock Heights, then pass through the Middletown Valley …

Getting to know a unionist: Lewis Fiery

I realized the other day as I was rereading Wednesday's post that the title was a bit of a misnomer. Although William Maulsby served as an officer in the Home Brigade, the two other men appointed alongside him - Charles Trail and Lewis Fiery - both declined their appointments to the 1st PHB Infantry. In …

Getting to know an officer: Lt. Col. Charles E. Trail

Unlike Colonel Maulsby, Lt. Colonel Charles Trail's association with the Potomac Home Brigade was relatively short lived. He was, however, to play an instrumental role in the unionist politics of Frederick County during the Civil War, so we'll spend some time looking at his life and career. Charles Edward Trail was born in Frederick on …

Getting to know an officer: Col. William Maulsby

Last time we looked at the early organization of the 1st PHB Infantry in the late summer of 1861. Three field officers were appointed to the command of the Regiment in August - Colonel William P. Maulsby, Lt. Colonel Charles Trail, and Major Lewis Firey. We'll begin today's post with a biographical overview of Colonel …

Francis Thomas: The Father of the Home Brigade

In the last post we looked at the newspaper announcement that went out across Maryland in the summer of 1861. The man behind the article (and the Brigade) was former Maryland Governor Francis Thomas, at the time representing Maryland's 5th district (Frederick, Washington, and Allegany Counties) in Congress. For Thomas the Civil War represented a second …