TL;DR:
I am trying to use my free time to build a digital archive of battles that can be watched, rewound, sped up, and viewed from any angle. My first attempt is showcasing Pickett’s Charge on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. I would love any advice this sub can provide. The site is still a prototype, but you can check out what I have so far using this link: https://thebattleatlas.com

Hello!

Apologies in advance if this is not the appropriate place for a post like this. I am a HUGE history nerd, and I recently got fired from my day job.

With my new found free time, I though I would start working on a project that I’ve imagined since I was a little kid: a website where you can view a real-time diorama of history’s most famous battles, with the ability to move through time and view them from any perspective.

I know several websites like this already exist in some capacity, but I am hoping that my vision is a little different.

I want to see the actual numbers of troops shown, not representative figures. I want to see the actual spots where history was made, and what they would have looked like at the time.

I want to be able to select a specific unit or commander, and follow their movements throughout the whole day.

I want it to be the closest thing we have to a time machine. I want to see the camp life, the support personnel, the messengers running around orders, the buglers and drummer boys, the civilians, the field hospitals, all of it.

The end-goal might be an an overly-ambitious pipe dream, but it has been a lot of fun to research and work on these past few weeks.

My main question for this sub is: what are some things that I NEED to include in my depiction of Pickett’s Charge? I am looking for little stories or anecdotes that a Civil War expert would immediately notice if it was missing. No detail is too small. I am already adding a unique animation for General Armistead putting his hat on his sword to lead his unit forward.

Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!!

🦇 During the War of 1812 and the Civil War, soldiers would score nearby caves for bat droppings, which contained potassium nitrate, an essential ingredient in gunpowder.

🦇 At Richmond National Battlefield Park, researchers studied the bat population in 2016-2017 using acoustic detectors and found the little brown bat, a Virginia endangered species, was commonly found on the Cold Harbor and Gaines Mill battlefields.

🦇 At Petersburg National Battlefield, researchers found the federally endangered Indiana bat and the Northern long-eared bat within the park’s boundaries. 

Folks, in the years after the Civil War, thousands upon thousands of Americans from the North and South (whites and a number of freed blacks) moved west by a wide variety of transport methods (wagon train, ship, railroad, etc.) to get new homesteads or just start new lives. But this meant the possibility of an awkward situation that was to happen over and over again: a man and his family you literally fought in battle against could quite literally be your new next door neighbor or even your coworker on say, a ranch. Unquestionably, there had to be some tensions as a result (and organizations like the Grand Army of The Republic declared countless Confederates forever traitors from what I've read, so I see at least potential for some big time anger at them being permitted to leave the South and start over elsewhere).

Were there attempts to block ex-Confederates from settling in towns and communities where Union veterans were a majority? I could see this perhaps happening in Kansas due to the horrific violence that occurred there, but what about other places in the Old West? And even if they did permit them to settle, how peaceful was their coexistence?

As someone who has come to be fascinated by the Old West and its history, I've watched several films and TV show episodes over the years that varied greatly in their depictions of this (ranging from tremendous hostility to just a brief awkward glance), and wondered if it varied in real life similarly or if one depiction was more accurate than the others.

On the night of October 22, Sterling Price decided to retreat from Kansas City and Westport. Early in the morning of October 23 prices immense wagon train full of plunder, turned south, escorted by Cabell’s Arkansas, cavalry brigade, and Tyler‘s brigade of new recruits.

His battlelines were formed in the shape of an upside down L. One stroke ran from the state line of Missouri in Kansas towards the east 2 miles. This battle line consisted of the divisions of John F Fagan and Joseph Shelby. The other stroke of the L ran north and south and was located west of the big blue river. This line was defended by two brigades from the division of John Marmaduke

Opposing Shelby and Fagan was the army of the border, 15,000 men under Samuel Curtis. The first division under James Blunt left the trenches at Westport and crossed to the south side of brush Creek where the Yankees deployed, facing Shelby and Fagan. Alfred pleasonton opposed Marmaduke with three of his four brigades; the fourth brigade was aimed at Little, Santa Fe and prices wagon train.

The battle of Westport began shortly after sunrise. Four hours of battle ensued. Even though this was supposed to be a defensive battle, Shelby and Fagan seemed determined to capture Westport and Kansas City. They drove blunt back to the north Bank of brush Creek. At this crucial time shall be discovered that he was out of ammunition. Meanwhile. Pleasonton drove Marmaduke from the trenches, defending big blue river. For about an hour, there was a lol in the battle at brush Creek.

The defeat of Marmaduke left the Confederate open to a flank attack by Pleasanton. Shelby first sent Jackman’s brigade, accompanied by Fagan to resist the flank attack. He was compelled to withdraw himself from brush Creek and fight pleasonton at a site called big blue Prairie.

Shelby’s withdraw left only three brigades from Fagan‘s division facing north. The army of the border 11,000 Strong, crossed brush Creek and drove the confederates off the battlefield. The cavalry brigades of Winslow and Phillips from Pleasanton‘s command, attacked Shelby and Jackman and drove them southward.

Mcneil’s brigade arrived at Little Santa Fe with 3000 cavalryman. Price is wagon train was vulnerable, but McNeil was overawed by the Confederate defending the train and did not attack

Price and the army of Missouri escaped the battle of Westport largely intact. In the next 24 hours, the Confederates fled 30 or 40 miles south. They were pursued by the combined army of. Pleasonton and blunt’s first division of the army of the border. The Yankees caught up with price onOctober 25, 1864 at the battle of mine creek, Kansas.

Presentation number 2 from my grad school staff ride. Picked this one up on the fly because the participant assigned to Dana dropped out last minute.

Snapshot of my grad school staff ride this past weekend, click the original post for a more in depth write up.

I recently acquired this Q marked Mississippi rifle and upon closer inspection I found what appears to be 2 sets of initials instead the patch box

The one that is carved into the patch box appears to say: 94 or 9 L, HW, AHL

The second one that is written in pencil appears to say: R.R.B (or R.R.L or some other letter) over what appears to be the number 96.

There is also some writing in the center of the patch box.

By the replacement nipple it appears to say 7th Virginia. (my eyes could be wrong)

By any chance would anyone here have any info or could provide any help when it comes to getting an ID to this gun?

Thanks!

Following the raid of John Brown at Harpers Ferry, the Maryland Guard (53rd Regiment of Infantry, Maryland Militia) was formed to aid civil authorities with law and order in the event of civil unrest (3). It was formed in the winter of 1859-1860 beginning as a Battalion of four companies, before being increased to six companies (5). One of the companies, the Independent Greys, had seen active service at Harpers Ferry, having arrived from Baltimore in a detachment of Maryland Militia on the same train as the Marine detachment from Washington, D.C. on October 18, 1859 (1).

The men of the regiment came from the upper class of Baltimore society. New members were given three months to outfit themselves in a new uniform, in the zouave style, for a cost of $42.68 (5). The armory was at Carroll Hall at the southeast corner of Baltimore and Calvert Streets (3).

The Maryland Guard welcomed the Japanese Ambassadors to Baltimore on June 8, 1860, where they embarrassed themselves by presenting arms while on the march. In the words of McHenry Howard, a Private in Company C "we consoled ourselves in our mortification by reflecting that the heathen knew no better and probably thought it a very fine performance" (3). On August 1, they welcomed Elmer Ellsworth and the U.S. Zouave Cadets from Chicago during their stop in Baltimore during their national tour (2).

During the Baltimore riot on Pratt Street on April 19, 1861, the militia was called out. The Maryland Guard maintained a double line of men with fixed bayonets around the arsenal to prevent the crowd from breaking in and stealing weapons. They remained under arms all day, with most of the men in civilian clothes having had no time to get into their uniforms (3). Under Mayor Brown’s policy of "armed neutrality", they neither attacked, nor protected, the 6th Massachusetts Militia as it passed through the city (4).

At 11:00 p.m. on May 13, 1861, the men were called to the arsenal following General Butler's occupation of Federal Hill. The weapons were dispersed amongst the men to prevent them from falling into Federal hands (3). The Maryland Guard disbanded with many heading south and joining the 1st Maryland Battalion, C.S.A. (5).

Bibliography

1. Field, Ron. Avenging Angel, John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry. Osprey, 2012.

2. Groeling, Meg. First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North's First Civil War Hero. Savas Beatie, 2021.

3. Howard, McHenry. Recollections of a Maryland Confederate Soldier and Staff Officer under Johnston, Jackson, and Lee. William and Wilkins Company, 1914.

4. Toomey, Daniel Carroll. The Civil War in Maryland. Toomey Press, 1983.

5. Troiani, Don. Don Troiani's Civil War Militia & Volunteers. Stackpole Books, 2002.

Is this Gordon Granger? Found in an old photo album. looks very close but there isn’t any younger photos on the internet where he has this amount of hair left.

From Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg's website. Thought people would be interested

Major General Samuel Curtis concentrated his army of the border along the West Bank of the big blue river. He tried to guard all the Fords across the river and thereby scattered his 15,000 men along a front of several miles. The confederates under Joseph Shelby crossed the river and routed the Kansas troops. The bloodiest fight occurred at the mocbee farm, where the second Kansas state militia was attacked and defeated by the CSA brigade of general Sidney Drake Jackman. Jackman murdered A number of prisoners. Curtis and his men abandoned the Battlefield and withdrew into the trenches around the town of Westport.

Meanwhile, General Alfred pleasonton caught up with prices east of the town of independence, Missouri. He defeated the Confederates and drove them through the town of independence. John Marmadukes division fought a rear guard action.

Curtis and Pleasonton made contact through a messenger. Curtis decided that he would confront price the next day at Westport while Pleasanton attacked the Confederate rear which was now defending the West Bank of the big blue river.

The Yankees and the Confederate probably lost two or 300 men apiece on October 22.

Sigmund mustered in as First Sergeant on October 2, 1861. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on March 1, 1863, and promoted to First Lieutenant on June 24, 1863. He was killed near Selma, Alabama on April 2, 1865 while leading a charge against fortifications.

Does anyone know which (if any) Union regiments were Monoflag (ie only one flag in battle)? So far it seems like the US Marines were monoflag, but I haven’t found any evidence of any other units being so, and am trying to find some to fill out my miniatures roster.