Specific interest question.

[James N.]

I'd LIKE to tell a similar story to these, but think that after a lifetime - I turn 70 next month! - I still don't really "specialize". I've collected swords and period photographs so learned about them; like to travel and have visited most of the battlefields and historic sites, many several times over; reenacted since 1976 as infantry and artillery, officer and enlisted, Union and Confederate; learned late that I have at least one ancestor who fought; played board wargames in the 1960's and 70's; and have collected tons of BOOKS ever since my paternal Aunt Margaret gave me the Landmark Book Gettysburg in the 1950's. Like @John Winn I have an affinity for artillery and my favorite Civil War personality has always been Stonewall Jackson.

 

[gunny]

My specific areas of interest are the Tennessee Campaign of 1864 and Perryville. I have studied both of them extensively for nearly thirty years. This is due to my GGGrandfather's participation in both of those fights.

 

[GELongstreet]

...Here's one such article, I thought it was pretty accurate really....

A fantastic article; and many of it either is true or closer to true than not. Thanks for sharing it.

If I understood @Waterloo50 correctly he´s asking for our specific interests within the civil war and the reasons why those came up. So let's see; and just for the records saying again that in Germany the ACW is virtually unknown, is no topic in schools (beside saying that Lincoln freed the slaves) and has no place in the public eye. Gettysburg, obviously, because that great movie got me into the topic and still is one of my favorite movies. Longstreet, obviously, because to me he was the most interesting character; he received the lion share of my early studies (his autobiography was the first book about the ACW I read) and is part of my life for the last 17 years (and my arms via tattoos for 12 years). As said Gettysburg was my beginning and with it came the Orders of Battle. I got really hooked on to those, having developed a fondness for lists in general and those in particular. Linked to those came an interest in biographic entries and unit biographies. Apart from this chain reaction I have an interest in West Point (till the war) and the pre-war life of its alumni ... this came at first because North and South (Book I of the miniseries, the antebellunm stuff) which I watched in my late childhood (had no TVs in our house till I was 8). I served with a rifle and am a lifelong student of military history; so my main focus always is the military part. I have no family connection (though a few matching names on the maternal side) and am not bound to one side by blood or location ... I am free to make my own bias and contradict it as much as I please.

As you probably know there are differences in higher education if we compare the nations. Here college degrees are rather seldom if you don´t work in that field; and despite having an extremely strong interest in history and being qualified for university I didn't study on my own. I applied to become an officer (both military and corrections) but in the end was rejected, so I didn´t study in that way either ... maybe for fun after retirement if it will be affordable (haha ... as if). I had advance courses in history and was pretty good, still the requirements for writing in a professional way are heavy and, if we speak about writing books, something that would be too much work for me - kudos to our esteemed writing members who can do that. So I consider myself a hobby historian and have no wish to change that - what I want to do and when I want to do (at least that is the theory).

And the other big part it simply how it turned out. German books about the ACW are few. In 1999 the internet was a rather small place, my English was very limited, too, and I had to rely on the few German pages about the ACW that I found. Wikipedia was still small (the German one even more) and not as well structured as it is now. It became bigger, as did my ability to use it and to understand the language. Now beside reading a lot I´ve always been a gamer (computer that is) and a movie freak and so I always spent much time before the screen - living alone and staying for me it is what I do for most of my free time. In my current assignment I spend my whole time on computers, too. It isn´t the financial breakthrough that will make me a millionaire but it gives me time to do research and follow my interests; and after my shift ends I can leave the work there and go home (on foot). At the moment I hope to keep it this way till retirement (though that still is 30-40 years to go [sigh]).

Now in 2011, my last military enlistment about to end, knowledge grown and still hungry about the ACW I, by pure chance, found this fantastic page. Gaining incredible food for thought, support, links, input and likeminded company; a wonderful place to be. Which means a large portion of the research I do is within this community and for this community. A couple of years back I made a jump from German to English wikipedia; I spend lots of time over there and most of my work is within their Project Military History and, though I participate in several of its taskforces, most in the taskforce about the ACW (surprise) ... working on the specific interests I named. I know that the concept of wikipedia is controversial but I also think that in a concept like this everyone can either do their part to make it better or don´t do it but in that case just deal with it. There are always vandals and we can´t change that as there will always be idiots on this world. A few months ago I started working on pinterest, too, and have a few boards about the ACW and more over there. So all in all the great equalizer that makes research easy and affordable for me silly overseas nut is the internet. Almost everything I do in respect to the civil war is done within it, ordered over it, distributed by it and inspired by stuff found in it. It gives me the anonymity I desire and the safety to do what I want behind a screen, and the ability to lift the curtain in a group of companions like this. Globalisation ... isn't it wonderful?


Now that that's done I have a presidential debate to watch ...

#gelongstreetforpresident #butiwasntbornintheusa #andimnocitizenatall #forgetaboutit

 

[Will Carry]

Being an avid outdoorsman, my interest lies in the soldiers themselves. How did they survive battles and how did they survive between battles? What did they talk about around campfires? Where did they get medical care, food, clothing and shelter? The best resource for this is reading letters from soldiers and documents from quartermasters and doctors. I am a complete amateur in this field. I will always be because one can never know enough..............

 

[civilwarincolor]

There is a larger easier to read PDF of the predictions that @Waterloo50 posted here.

 

[Waterloo50]

A fantastic article; and many of it either is true or closer to true than not. Thanks for sharing it.

If I understood @Waterloo50 correctly he´s asking for our specific interests within the civil war and the reasons why those came up. So let's see; and just for the records saying again that in Germany the ACW is virtually unknown, is no topic in schools (beside saying that Lincoln freed the slaves) and has no place in the public eye. Gettysburg, obviously, because that great movie got me into the topic and still is one of my favorite movies. Longstreet, obviously, because to me he was the most interesting character; he received the lion share of my early studies (his autobiography was the first book about the ACW I read) and is part of my life for the last 17 years (and my arms via tattoos for 12 years). As said Gettysburg was my beginning and with it came the Orders of Battle. I got really hooked on to those, having developed a fondness for lists in general and those in particular. Linked to those came an interest in biographic entries and unit biographies. Apart from this chain reaction I have an interest in West Point (till the war) and the pre-war life of its alumni ... this came at first because North and South (Book I of the miniseries, the antebellunm stuff) which I watched in my late childhood (had no TVs in our house till I was 8). I served with a rifle and am a lifelong student of military history; so my main focus always is the military part. I have no family connection (though a few matching names on the maternal side) and am not bound to one side by blood or location ... I am free to make my own bias and contradict it as much as I please.

As you probably know there are differences in higher education if we compare the nations. Here college degrees are rather seldom if you don´t work in that field; and despite having an extremely strong interest in history and being qualified for university I didn't study on my own. I applied to become an officer (both military and corrections) but in the end was rejected, so I didn´t study in that way either ... maybe for fun after retirement if it will be affordable (haha ... as if). I had advance courses in history and was pretty good, still the requirements for writing in a professional way are heavy and, if we speak about writing books, something that would be too much work for me - kudos to our esteemed writing members who can do that. So I consider myself a hobby historian and have no wish to change that - what I want to do and when I want to do (at least that is the theory).

And the other big part it simply how it turned out. German books about the ACW are few. In 1999 the internet was a rather little place, my English was very limited, too, and I had to rely on the few German pages about the ACW that I found. Wikipedia was still small (the German one even more) and not as well structured as it is now. It became bigger, as did my ability to use it and to understand the language. Now beside reading a lot I´ve always been a gamer (computer that is) and a movie freak and so I always spent much time before the screen - living alone and staying for me it is what I do for most of my free time. In my current assignment I spend my whole time on computers, too. It isn´t the financial breakthrough that will make me a millionair but it which gives me time to do research and follow my interests; and after my shift ends I can leave the work there and go home (on foot). At the moment I hope to keep it this way till retirement (though that still is 30-40 years to go [sigh]).

Now in 2011, my last military enlistment about to end, knowledge grown and still hungry about the ACW I, by pure chance, found this fantastic page. Gaining incredible food for thought, support, links, input and likeminded company; a wonderful place to be. Which means a large portion of the research I do is within this community and for this community. A couple of years back I made a jump from German to English wikipedia; I spend lots of time over there and most of my work is within their Project Military History and, though I participate in several of its taskforces, most in the taskforce about the ACW (surprise) ... working on the specific interests I named. I know that the concept of wikipedia is controversial but I also think that in a concept like this everyone can either do their part to make it better or don´t do it but in that case just deal with it. There are always vandals and we can´t change that as there will always be idiots on this world. A few months ago I started working on pinterest, too, and have a few boards about the ACW and more over there. So all in all the great equalizer that makes research easy and affordable for me silly overseas nut is the internet. Almost everything I do in respect to the civil war is done within it, ordered over it, distributed by it and inspired by stuff found in it. It gives me the anonymity I desire and the safety to do what I want behind a screen, and the ability to lift the curtain in a group of companions like this. Globalisation ... isn't it wonderful?


Now that that's done I have a presidential debate to watch ...

#gelongstreetforpresident #butiwasntbornintheusa #andimnocitizenatall #forgetaboutit

That was a very interesting post and I also feel that I should tip my hat to you for studying a subject which initially only had a few limited resources. I have to agree with you about wiki and the internet, the CW would be a lot harder to study without it. Like Germany, the education system in the UK briefly mentions the CW but it's normally only in relation to Lincoln, so I guess the same challenges in studying the CW are pretty much the same all over Europe. Obviously, it goes without saying that without the internet, research of CW documents and manuscripts would be pretty much impossible unless of course you are able to travel stateside on a regular basis. I particularly enjoy trawling through old newspaper archives looking for those often overlooked little CW gems, the nice thing is, that like you I can do that from the comfort of my own home. I also get a great deal of enjoyment from all of the battlefield tour photos that are posted on the forum, the other incredible thing is the virtual battlefield walk at Gettysburg, I have never been there but I feel that I know it, the power of the internet, when used properly is an invaluable tool.

Your quote on being impartial made me smile, I know exactly what you mean by that, its good to have the freedom to contradict.

am not bound to one side by blood or location ... I am free to make my own bias and contradict it as much as I please.

 

[Waterloo50]

My specific areas of interest are the Tennessee Campaign of 1864 and Perryville. I have studied both of them extensively for nearly thirty years. This is due to my GGGrandfather's participation in both of those fights.

It seems to be that way for many American's, they start nice and gentle, perhaps researching a CW member of their family and BOOM, their hooked, its great isn't it.

 

[Waterloo50]

I've served in every position on a gun and as gunner on a friend's reproduction ten-pounder Parrott (rifled, like they should be) aimed at targets 1 - 2 miles away on the artillery range at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, during one of their meets.

Just out of interest, how long after the firing of the Parrot did the shot take to hit its target?

 

[Waterloo50]

Being an avid outdoorsman, my interest lies in the soldiers themselves. How did they survive battles and how did they survive between battles? What did they talk about around campfires? Where did they get medical care, food, clothing and shelter? The best resource for this is reading letters from soldiers and documents from quartermasters and doctors. I am a complete amateur in this field. I will always be because one can never know enough..............

'Knowing enough' is a hunger you will never satisfy.

 

[civilwarincolor]

...I also get a great deal of enjoyment from all of the battlefield tour photos that are posted on the forum, the other incredible thing is the virtual battlefield walk at Gettysburg, I have never been there but I feel that I know it, the power of the internet, when used properly is an invaluable tool.

Have you used Google Earth's photosphere at CW sites? Here is one that will let you walk Little Round Top. Lot's of fun!

I did a post on them last year that has links to Gettysburg, Antietam, Ford's Theatre, Fort Sumter, Kennesaw, Manassas, Confederate White House and a few others. You can find basic information on navigation here. You can find more links to them by searching in the photography section using the keyword photospheres here.

 

[Waterloo50]

Have you used Google Earth's photosphere at CW sites? Here is one that will let you walk Little Round Top. Lot's of fun!

I did a post on them last year that has links to Gettysburg, Antietam, Ford's Theatre, Fort Sumter, Kennesaw, Manassas, Confederate White House and a few others. You can find basic information on navigation here. You can find more links to them by searching in the photography section using the keyword photospheres here.

Excellent, thank you very much.

 

[civilwarincolor]

Excellent, thank you very much.

Your welcome. They are a blast to do and you can often get to places (such as inside the Lincoln box at Ford's theatre) that are not accessible to the general public.

 

[John Winn]

Just out of interest, how long after the firing of the Parrot did the shot take to hit its target?

I know you didn't ask me but back in the day it would have taken about five and a half seconds to travel one mile and about thirteen to travel two miles. Muzzle velocity was about 1215 fps but of course velocity started dropping as soon as the projectile left the muzzle.

Here's a handy set of tables at a site that has a lot of useful information:

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/tables.htm

Edit: and here's a cool set of videos showing live fire from both the target and then from the battery. You can count the seconds.

 

[Waterloo50]

I know you didn't ask me but back in the day it would have taken about five and a half seconds to travel one mile and about thirteen to travel two miles. Muzzle velocity was about 1215 fps but of course velocity started dropping as soon as the projectile left the muzzle.

Here's a handy set of tables at a site that has a lot of useful information:

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/tables.htm

Edit: and here's a cool set of videos showing live fire from both the target and then from the battery. You can count the seconds.

So my next question, Was the method known by the military as 'Crack Thump' ever used to determine the distance of hidden artillery during the CW? I'm not even sure if artillery rounds during the CW travelled fast enough to make the 'crack sound', I'm asking because I would like to know how an artillery unit would react if they found themselves being attacked from say two miles away. If they couldn't see where the enemy artillery was firing from could they use the 'crack thump timing method' to calculate the range and the direction of fire, has there ever been any mention of it in any records, books etc.
I really hope that makes sense.

 

[Waterloo50]

I know you didn't ask me but back in the day it would have taken about five and a half seconds to travel one mile and about thirteen to travel two miles. Muzzle velocity was about 1215 fps but of course velocity started dropping as soon as the projectile left the muzzle.

Here's a handy set of tables at a site that has a lot of useful information:

http://www.civilwarartillery.com/tables.htm

Edit: and here's a cool set of videos showing live fire from both the target and then from the battery. You can count the seconds.

Watching that vid made me realise just how many mistakes movies make when depicting artillery battles, the recoil on those guns means that the whole thing has to be moved back into position and the sound when the shot leaves the barrel is incredible, it sounds like a freight train travelling through the air.

 

[John Winn]

So my next question, Was the method known by the military as 'Crack Thump' ever used to determine the distance of hidden artillery during the CW? I'm not even sure if artillery rounds during the CW travelled fast enough to make the 'crack sound', I'm asking because I would like to know how an artillery unit would react if they found themselves being attacked from say two miles away. If they couldn't see where the enemy artillery was firing from could they use the 'crack thump timing method' to calculate the range and the direction of fire, has there ever been any mention of it in any records, books etc.
I really hope that makes sense.

Ya know - I don't know but I've certainly not read anything that mentions such a technique. I can say that they didn't have forward observers - i.e. had to be able to see their target - so I'd guess if they couldn't see the smoke they couldn't fire back effectively. I'd also say that although rifled guns could shoot two miles (getting close to maximum range) the effective range was a lot less simply because they were line-of-sight weapons (which raises the question of how they could be under fire from a battery they couldn't see).

Good question and you are quite clear.

 

[John Winn]

Watching that vid made me realise just how many mistakes movies make when depicting artillery battles, the recoil on those guns means that the whole thing has to be moved back into position and the sound when the shot leaves the barrel is incredible, it sounds like a freight train travelling through the air.

Yeah, I've never seen a film that showed artillery accurately. They also always show shells blowing up on the ground which was actually not common. Recoil was severe and I've read accounts of guns actually flipping over. That's one of the things that makes it so impressive that a good crew could get off three shots per minute under duress or even load and fire while the gun was being pulled.

There's a really good video on YouTube showing some people firing canister from smooth-bores. You can clearly hear the tube ring (as they did) and the whirring sound of the can leaving the muzzle.

Edit: it's been posted before but here it is -

the beginning is interesting but skip to 4:00 to see the shooting.

 

[Waterloo50]

Yeah, I've never seen a film that showed artillery accurately. They also always show shells blowing up on the ground which was actually not common. Recoil was severe and I've read accounts of guns actually flipping over. That's one of the things that makes it so impressive that a good crew could get off three shots per minute under duress or even load and fire while the gun was being pulled.

There's a really good video on YouTube showing some people firing canister from smooth-bores. You can clearly hear the tube ring (as they did) and the whirring sound of the can.

I'm totally ignorant when it comes to CW artillery battles, I'm aware of artillery being used against troops, buildings etc but were there ever any artillery Vs artillery battles similar to that of Waterloo.

 

[John Winn]

I'm totally ignorant when it comes to CW artillery battles, I'm aware of artillery being used against troops, buildings etc but were there ever any artillery Vs artillery battles similar to that of Waterloo.

Yes, battery-against-battery shootouts were quite common although there weren't entire battles just between artillery units (that I know of).

 

[civilken]

Lincoln was my first and the book in the 1980s was a Gore Vidal novel I started reading at that moment on I had to learn more that was why start . It was a Civil War buff who told me one day you can know Lincoln and less you know the Civil War and that's how it started 35 years later still learning about that president and still bbeing amaze.