Random Thoughts on History

Stealing an idea from a fellow blogger, I thought I'd share the 10 most popular posts (determined by views) on Random Thoughts on Histor...

With Christmas now in the rearview mirror, and with the New Year just around the corner, it's time to share the list of the books that I...

About two years ago I shared some information that I located in a Richmond newspaper concerning the burning of the Albert Boisseau house , o...

  The Holiday Season is typically a time of sharing and looking forward to a fresh start in the New Year. However, for enslaved men, women, ...

  What’s in a name? For a Civil War soldier, in a day before carrying one’s identity was a common practice, a name and the reputation behind...

 Not too long ago I came across the above photograph on the Library of Congress website while searching for USCT images. It is described as ...

November provided quite a book haul for me. Between my birthday gifts from my wonderful wife, a few good deal purchases here and there, and ...

  The 6 th United States Colored Infantry (USCI) recruited its soldiers largely from the New Jersey, Delaware, and southeastern Pennsylvani...

In many homes across the United States, sweet potatoes are a Thanksgiving staple. Sometimes served as a side dish and topped with melted mar...

 After receiving a serious wound to the left knee in the June 15, 1864 fighting at Petersburg, 21 year old Sgt. George H. Hatton received me...

While preparing to give a recent tour of the Seven Days Battles (June 25-July 1, 1862), I came across an account by Pvt. Oliver W. Norton, 8...

  During the presidential election year of 1860, a group of young men sought change. They identified themselves as “Wide Awakes.”  The Wide ...

  The research process often uncovers helpful evidence that fill in otherwise exasperating gaps of knowledge. For example, while recently lo...

  During the Civil War, almost all soldiers, both Union and Confederate, enjoyed a taste of tobacco from time to time. Many of the fighting ...

Studies on individuals who participated in John Brown's 1859 raid on Harper Ferry continue to emerge to inform us. Previously works on w...

  The Civil War was by and large a young man’s conflict. Most enlisted men and noncommissioned officers fell within the 18-26 age group. A l...

While searching for some images of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's headquarters cabin at City Point, Virginia during the Petersburg Campaign, I ...

  Although he amazingly survived the Battle of New Market Heights unscathed, Sgt. Maj. Christian A. Fleetwood recorded his impression of the...