New Blog About To Appomattox Miniseries

Greg Caggiano and Steven Hancock have started a new blog that will have all of the latest updates and information about the upcoming miniseries To Appomattox. I recently had the chance to review and rewrite portions of the script that had to do with USCTs and I can tell you that this is going to be an excellent series once it debuts in 2013. For those who can’t endure the wait, this new blog will give you your weekly fix and a fascinating insider’s view of the series as production move forward.

The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs By The Sword Now Available For Pre-Order!

Well, after two years of research and writing I am happy to finally be able to say that my battle history of New Market Heights is now available for pre-order from The History Press! The official release date is September 15th, so if you want to be sure that you have a copy in your hands on that day, be sure to order your copy today!

From the Publisher:

In the predawn darkness of September 29, 1864, black Union soldiers attacked a heavily fortified position on the outskirts of the Confederate capital of Richmond. In a few hours of desperate fighting, these African American soldiers struck a blow against Robert E. Lee’s vaunted Army of Northern Virginia and proved to detractors that they could fight for freedom and citizenship for themselves and their enslaved brethren. For fourteen of the black soldiers who stormed New Market Heights that day, their bravery would be awarded with the nation’s highest honor—the Congressional Medal of Honor. With vivid firsthand accounts and meticulous tactical detail, James S. Price brings the Battle of New Market Heights into brilliant focus, with maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley.

If You Happen To Be in Richmond on September 23rd...

...be sure to check out what should be a great event that is being sponsored by the County of Henrico. Held in honor of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War a FREE symposium will be the kickoff for the county's sesquicentennial  commemoration, bringing together nationally-renowned authors and experts for a discussion of the crucial role played by Henrico County in the American Civil War.

The symposium will feature:

Moderator-Andrew Talkov, Virginia Historical Society. Creator of the VHS Civil War Sesquicentennial exhibit, “An American Turning Point”

John Coski- Historian at the Museum of the Confederacy and author of Capital Navy: The Men, Ships, and Operations of the James River Squadron

Robert E. L. Krick, National Park Service Historian and author of “Stuart’s Last Ride: A Confederate View of Sheridan’s Raid"

Frank O’Reilly, National Park Service Historian and author of The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock

Jimmy Price, Historian and author of the forthcoming The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs By The Sword

The event will be held from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Henrico Theatre, 305 E. Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs, 23075. To register, call 804-328-4491.

The 23rd USCT Keeps Making Headlines!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/virginias-african-american-civil-war-vets/2011/07/24/gIQARG1xhI_story.html

“To Appomattox” Shaping Up To Be A Great Series

Some of you may recall two posts that I wrote last November and April about the upcoming miniseries event To Appomattox. In both of those posts I revealed my concerns about the lack of an African American presence and my fears that USCTs would be left out of the story entirely. While both of those posts came across as critical and even sparked the ire of producer Michael Frost Beckner, what I failed to communicate adequately was that I have been in this film’s corner rooting for them from the very start – with the proviso that they strive to “get things right.” Well, I can now confidently say that the producers are doing a whole heck of a lot to “get things right.”

First, they have assembled a powerhouse of historical advisors such as Ed Bearss, D. Scott Hartwig, Edward Longacre, John Marszelak, John Michael Priest, J.D. Petruzzi, Gordon Rhea, and Dr. Ronald C. White (and that’s not even all of them – see here for the completer list). With such an all-star team advising the producers, it’s hard to see how there will be any glaring errors or cringe-worthy moments a la the Scott brothers’ recent Gettysburg escapade.

Also, Mr. Beckner was kind enough to share with me that there will indeed be a USCT presence in the film. The story of Captain Andre Cailloux of the 1st Louisiana Native Guard (later the 73rd USCT) who was killed at Port Hudson on May 27, 1863 will be featured in the film as well as a portrayal of the Battle of the Crater that centers on the story of the USCTs in Ferrero’s’ 4th Division. And while I hemmed and hawed about Trace Adkins being involved in the film, I was interested to see that he’s playing John Gregg (whose men defended New Market Heights). Perhaps I can hold out hope that New Market Heights will somehow make it into the film – after all, I hear there’s a great book coming out on the topic…

The miniseries is set to debut during the summer of 2013 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and I guess you can say that I’m on the bandwagon now. If I learn more about how much screen time is allotted to USCTs I will certainly pass it on.

Profile in Courage: Lt. Nathan Edgerton, 6th USCT

In anticipation of the upcoming release of my first book, The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs By The Sword, I thought that I would take the time every once and awhile to share some of the great firsthand accounts of the battle that I could not fit completely into the book. While you will recognize some of the names and parts of their testimony as to what happened on September 29, 1864, I still feel like reading their entire account uninterrupted is of great value.

With that in mind, I thought I’d start off with a bang by sharing the account of Lt. Nathan Edgerton of the 6th USCT. The 6th was part Col. Samuel A. Duncan’s Brigade, which was the first unit to attempt to break the Confederate line in the early morning hours of the 29th. Edgerton was born into a Quaker family in Ohio and was raised to be a pacifist. When war broke out in 1861 he refused to join and it was not until Robert E. Lee’s invasion of Pennsylvania during the Gettysburg Campaign that he saw the necessity of military service. Edgerton became a lieutenant in the 6th USCT in late 1863. By the time of New Market Heights he was the regimental adjutant and as such he rode behind the men of the 6th as they prepared to seize the New Market Line. The following is Edgerton’s chilling account of what happened next:

As Adjutant of the regiment I received and transmitted to the Company Commanders on the evening of Sept. 28, 1864 and order to equip their men for immediate action, and be ready to form line at daybreak the following morning…We went forward about a mile without encountering the enemy; then our skirmishers came upon their pickets and lively firing began. The enemy, however, gave way almost immediately, falling back upon their reserves, and again on to their main line. Our skirmishers pursued so rapidly that we had to go at a double-quick to keep at proper supporting distance, and we were close upon their heels when they reached the earthworks at Chapin’s Farm. These we charged at once, believing the whole corps was at our backs to support us as we had supported our skirmishers, as we had been told would be the case. The earthwork immediately in front of us was strengthened by an abatis extending along its entire face. This had in front of it a sluggish stream with marshy banks and mossy bottom, about four yards wide. Just at the left of our regiment, the enemy’s earthwork ran at right angle to the front we were charging and enabled him to give us an enfilading fire as we moved forward, which was terribly effective. At the edge of the stream, I jumped from my horse and threw the reins to the orderly, for I was sure the horse would be unable to get across owing to the marshy nature of the ground. The reins had hardly left my hand when the horse went down, shot dead from the opposite bank. When I got over the stream, I found a level space of ground thickly covered with our dead and wounded. Among these I saw Lieutenant Meyers lying upon the flag, dead, but still holding it. I took it from him and pushed forward to bring the colors to their proper place. All at once I went down, but jumped up immediately and tried to raise the flag, for I thought I had fallen over the dewberry vines which grew thickly there, but finding it did not come, I looked down, after trying again, to see why I could not lift it, and found my (517) hand was covered in blood, and perfectly powerless, and the flag staff lying in two pieces. I sheathed my sword, took the flag with its broken staff and reached the abatis. Colonel John W. Ames was there, and about a corporal’s guard of men, others soon appeared out of the powder smoke, which was so dense that we could see only a few feet ahead of us. After waiting a few moments to see how many we could muster, the Colonel said: ‘We must have more help, boys, before we try that. Fall back.’ When we got beyond the stream and out of the cloud smoke, we could begin to see how terribly we had been cut to pieces. We lost more than every other man, and fourteen out of the eighteen officers with which we had begun the fight.

Edgerton was treated for his wound at the Chesapeake Officer’s Hospital where surgeons successfully operated to save his arm. After the war, he launched a successful career as a scientist and inventor, even helping introduce electric power to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. By this time the war must have seemed a distant memory, but not everyone had forgotten what Edgerton did at New Market Heights. On March 22, 1898 he was informed that his valor on that day had earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor. Edgerton wore his medal proudly until he passed away on October 27, 1932.

Rest in Peace, Dr. Edwin S. Redkey

I was saddened to learn recently that Dr. Edwin S. Redkey died on June 10th at the age of 79.

Dr. Redkey was the editor of the classic work A Grand Army of Black Men: Letters from African-American Soldiers in the Union Army, 1861-1865 (1992), a book which inspired Noah Andre Trudeau to write his book Like Men of War: Black Troops in the Civil War, 1862-1865 (1998). Trudeau called Redkey’s book “a revelation in every sense of the word” and used it as one of the starting points for his research.

Redkey also contributed an excellent essay entitled “Henry McNeal Turner: Black Chaplain in the Union Army” in Black Soldiers in Blue: African American Troops in the Civil War Era (2002) edited by John David Smith.

His obituary states that, “having specialized in American History and Race Relations, Ed helped found the field of African American Studies and made significant scholarly and popular contributions to it.”

He will be missed.

Rappahannock Exodus: The 1862 Flight to Freedom and Beyond

Members of the 23rd USCT







Chief Historian, John Hennessy



At noon this Saturday at the John J. Wright Museum, John Hennessy will be presenting a program entitled “Rappahannock Exodus: The 1862 Flight to Freedom and Beyond.” The recreated 23rd USCT is sponsoring this event along with John J. Wright. After the talk is over, attendees will have the chance to explore the exhibit "Emancipating Their Homeland: Spotsylvania-born U. S. Colored Soldiers” with the members of the 23^rd who will be there in uniform to assist and answer questions. This is a free program, so don’t miss your chance to come and learn about a topic that is already growing in popularity. Hope to see you there!

Gettysburg VS Predator

A couple days ago I received an email from someone at “History” (formerly the History Channel) asking if I would promote their upcoming two hour spectacle Gettysburg, produced by Ridley Scott (Alien, Black Hawk Down) and his brother Tony (The A Team, Pillars of the Earth). The person from “History” even offered a wide assortment of goodies in compensation for my blog space, including high-end items like t-shirts and hand bags.

With such a tantalizing deal before me (I mean who wouldn’t want a white t-shirt with a big “H” on it?), I wisely listened to the little voice in the back of my head that asked, “Yes, but what if you end up hating it?” and ended up turning down the offer.

Needless to say, it’s a good thing I did, because I can now offer you a lighthearted post on how some of my more vociferous and passionate friends on Facebook responded to what turned out to be a disappointing film on many, many levels.

Here’s a sampling of what some folks are saying about Gettysburg that had me writhing with laughter.

Enjoy:

"At least Ridley Scott didnt put laser sighters on the enfields."

"seek medical help if this show lasts more than four hours"

"This Gettysburg thing is bizarre! Bad uniforms, beards, hats etc. No one seems to fight in formations. The Rebs apparently all fought in their shirtsleeves. The Rebel yell sounds like a bunch of radical Muslims."

"Calling it putrid is an insult to all of the rotten things in the world."

"The best thing has been the warning when the show comes back after commercials: "Some scenes may disturb viewers". I find the whole damn mess pretty disturbing."

"I think they bought much of the props at the gift shop."

"I like Ewell, he looks like a crazy toupee model."

“Ron Maxwell, you have been vindicated! At least you knew that Lee’s men wore coats, you didn’t try to show sweeping forestry scenes that were reminiscent of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and you didn’t annoy us with sidebars about the Underground Railroad and the invention of the telegraph. And who in their right mind would’ve thought that the fake beards you used would be shown to be superior?”

Now, in all fairness, I should point out that the historians who were chosen to provide the commentary did an excellent job (it was great to finally see my friend Hari Jones on the History Channel). It was the pairing of such excellent scholarship with awful Hollywood antics, however, that made the film seem disjointed, confusing, and supremely unfulfilling.

Kudos to “History” for trying to contribute to the Sesquicentennial commemoration by seeking out high-end Hollywood producers to help generate interest in America’s greatest conflict.

And here’s to hoping that they never do it again.

Fredericksburg.com - 'Putting their lives on the line for their country'

Kudos to Clint Schemmer of the Free Lance Star for his excellent article on Take Our Stand: The African American Military Experience in the Age of Jim Crow.

Be sure to check it out!

Fredericksburg.com - 'Putting their lives on the line for their country'