MARCHING THROUGH TIME WITH GEORGE MANEY AND HIS CONFEDERATES

On the way to find the men of George Maney deep in the forests of Chickamauga.
On the way to find the men of George Maney deep in the forests of Chickamauga.

If you start wandering about the battlefields of the American Civil War you might start noticing names appearing on more than one battlefield.  One such name is George Maney of Tennessee.  A recent trip took me out onto the fields of Chickamauga where our group, led by the indomitable David Powell and National Park historian James Ogden, wandered in the footsteps of Maney’s brigade on both 19 and 20 September 1863.  Maney’s brigade fought hard on those two days.  While they did not achieve greatness, turning the tide of the battle in one direction or the other, they stayed steady.

Continue reading

KENNESAW MOUNTAIN – A MORNING DASH IN GEORGIA

Cannon sits in an emplacement atop Big Kennesaw Mountain.
Cannon sits in an emplacement atop Big Kennesaw Mountain.

Kennesaw Mountain saw the third time during the American Civil War in which William T. Sherman employed a direct assault upon entrenched Confederate positions.  The attack failed as much as his previous two attempts.  All through the Atlanta campaign, Sherman had gotten around the Confederate positions set out by Joseph E. Johnston through flanking maneuvers.  Sherman wrote to Washington, “The whole country is one vast fort, and Johnston must have at least 50 miles (80 km) of connected trenches with abatis and finished batteries. We gain ground daily, fighting all the time. … Our lines are now in close contact and the fighting incessant, with a good deal of artillery. As fast as we gain one position the enemy has another all ready. … Kennesaw … is the key to the whole country.”  For the key, Sherman decided to open it with a direct frontal assault.

Continue reading