Confederate Soldiers Defend - Battle of the Crater

CSA: A Western Theatre Southern “Private” and “General” Discuss Slavery and the Negro Soldiers of the North! (3.6.2025)

Many American Civil War historical narratives give the (false) impression that the Confederacy lost at Gettysburg in 1863 – staggered on with a futile resistance for two-more years – and then surrendered at Appomattox. Nothing could be further from the truth. Tens of thousands of men bravely fought, died and were wounded on both sides between 1863-1865 – with the Confederacy  winning a number of notable victories after Gettysburg. Private Daniel Kelly quoted above, fought in the Confederate Army in the Western Theatre of the Confederacy – as opposed to the far more famous Eastern Theatre (where Gettysburg was situated). Furthermore, Black, Chinese and Native American men fought in the Confederate Army – but their presence is more or less “erased” from history because such a presence tends to lead to inconvenient and even embarrassing questions.

Volunteers Fought At Harrisburg!

CSA: The Peculiar [1863] Union Defence of Harrisburg! (17.5.2025)

At one-point a thousand White volunteers from Harrisburg joined a large group of Black people to dig trenches and build ramparts around the geographical extremities. After one day, 700 of the White people returned home – saying the labour “hurt their hands” – whilst the other 300 acted as foremen directing the Black labourers (as if they were slaves). Black people built the defences of Harrisburg – but by and large were excluded from defending the place on the grounds that Black men carrying guns (and acting “free”) would scare the women and children. The situation was a little more nuanced than this, however, as NO White person from Harrisburg possessed the courage to join a local militia to defend the place they lived in. This led to the local authorities agreeing to arm a small company of local Black men that everyone knew – who had to drill away from the sight of ordinary people from Harrisburg. Meanwhile, thousands of White volunteers poured into the area to offer their services in defence of the place (risking their lives) – but were met with indifference and hostilities from the locals. Shop-keepers, hoteliers, and bar-owners put up their prices by ten or twenty times (even charging for a glass of water) – asking for excessive amounts of money for the smallest necessity of life.

Dead Confederate sharpshooters of Hood's Division among the rocks in Devil's Den in front of Little Round Top.

CSA: Remembering the Bravery of “Irish” Company “K” – 15th Alabama – Little Round-Top [2.7.1863] – Gettysburg! (3.4.2025)

The weather was hot – and the Confederates had to advance over open ground before storming an inclined slope (in the form of a steep hill) – with the intention of sweeping the Federals off its top and consolidating the victory. The previous day had seen the Confederates sweep the Federals out of West and Central Gettysburg – and into the hills to its East. Washington was just 80 miles to the South – and legend has it that Lincoln was packing his belongings to flee! I have audio-typed part of a chapter from Stephen Sears’ book – carefully reproducing the text from an Audible edition (in my native British English). This provides a general background to the battle – but does not mention the Irish specifically – other than one or two fighting for the Union. For the story of “Company K” of the 15th Alabama Regiment of the Confederate States of America (CSA) – we must turn to the excellent work of Phillip Thomas Tucker – who has produced an excellent book examining the contribution to the Confederate cause made by the Irish!

Stephen Spencer West Co. I “the Granville Stars” 23rd NC Infantry CSA. He was born in Oxford, Granville County, North Carolina in 1837. He was killed in action during the Battle of Chancellorsville on May 2, 1863

CSA: Remembering the [1863] Bravery of the 23rd North Carolina Infantry Regiment [and Other Carolina Men] – at Gettysburg! (27.3.2025)

Jefferson had to draw from a limited pool of men (compared to the North – which possessed an endless supply of recruits – as every newly arrived migrant was enrolled into the US Army) – Jefferson managed to assemble around 80,000 (aged 12-60) – gave every man a uniform, hat and pair of boots, and ensured all were armed and fed. The idea was to Punish the Lincoln Administration that had tried on numerous occasions to militarily invade and subjugate the South. It was General Lee who suggested to Jefferson Davis that an invasion into the North – and a decisive military victory near Washington – might force Lincoln to sue for peace. Lincoln, however, had other ideas, and refused any such compromise, stating that he strove for the utter destruction of the South.

Possibly a a Photograph of the "Philadelphia Greys"

CSA: General Robert E Lee Sues for “Peace” [1863] – Pennsylvanian “Minutemen” Non-Existent! (17.3.2025)

This reflected a remarkable situation. A Confederate Army was riding rampant through the Pennsylvanian countryside – the State within which Washington DC is situated – and yet “no one” amongst the young, elderly, disabled or wounded men (considered medically “unfit” to join the Regular Army due to ill-health or age) were prepared to defend the Union. Within the city of Philadelphia, 8,000 men of the already existing “Philadelphia Greys” bravely volunteered to march to the front in defence of the Union. Due to the general lack of volunteers from the ordinary population – the city of New York sent 12,000 of its own existing Militiamen to supplement the regular Union Army. How brave these men were! Militiamen are often called “Sunday Soldiers” – as they are working men, fathers and patriarchs who live in society, work and look after their families. They come together once a week, once a month, or just a few times a year to compare notes, fire their weapons, and discuss homestead self-defence. They are not frontline soldiers. Of course, Confederate citizens showed the same extent of bravery when the time came. 

DPRK: Military Martial Arts Master-Class! (9.9.2024)

Throughout the whole of Asia – the Imperial Japanese killed and wounded around 60 million men, women, and children! This number included many hundreds of White Europeans captured as POWs or civilian workers and their families. Millions of women and girls were routinely raped by the Imperial Japanese and their Korean and Taiwanese allies. This is why the North Korean people in this video train so diligently – in the hope that such atrocities will never be allowed to happen again!

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