Civil War Tragedy

My current reading on the Civil War has taken me into Bruce Catton’s Army of the Potomac Trilogy. Last week I read part one, Mr. Lincoln’s Army. This week I started part two—The Glory Road—which begins with General Burnside’s ill-fated Fredericksburg campaign. I had literally stopped reading just short of the stone wall at the foot of Marye’s Heights when I had to put the book down and think of the tragedy to come. To wit, why would I want to continue to reading a story whose tragic ending I already knew?

Webster’s defines tragedy as “a serious drama typically describing a conflict between the protagonist and a superior force (as destiny) and having a sorrowful or disastrous conclusion that elicits pity or terror.” In short, tragedy is an art form whose audience derives pleasure from the suffering of its hero. Crass though it may sound, I truly do derive pleasure from the sufferings of who I consider the Civil War’s tragic hero—the Army of the Potomac. The pleasure derived is not because of some schadenfreude on my part. Rather, I believe the pleasure results from a desire to understand the dynamic of an army whose courage and sacrifice were unequal to its leadership for most of its short existence.

The boys of 1861 who answered the nation’s call for volunteers to enlist for “three days or the duration of the war” formed the core of the Army of the Potomac. And it was this band which endured privations I can only imagine 150 years later with the help of their florid descriptions. The Iron Brigade lost almost thirty percent of its manpower to death and illness before its baptism of fire at Second Manassas. At Gettysburg—less than a year later—the brigade sustained over sixty percent casualties. Such losses are unimaginable today. Yet, this army weathered such losses as they would any other storm on a regular basis without fail.

If, prior to becoming a reenactor, one asked me to list military organizations I truly revered I probably would have listed the Continental Army or the Eighth Air Force. Both achieved victory despite the heavy odds stacked against them. But after one short season of reenacting I have come to see the men of the Army of the Potomac in an entirely new light. The simple act of wearing their uniform, carrying their equipment, firing their weapons, and living as much like them as possible has formed a tangible link to men who previously existed to me only in print, engravings, and sepia-toned photographs.

First Manassas, the Peninsula, Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg—all began with such high hopes only to end far short of ultimate victory with great loss of life. They are tragedies within an American tragedy—but in my mind I sometimes like to think it is only 11 a.m. The fog has been swept away revealing the Army of the Potomac drawn up in neat, orderly lines along the too wide plain between the stone wall and Fredericksburg. The steel on their rifles gleams in the sun and twinkles of light here and there mark the glistening bayonet points. The officers have affected their best, most disinterested pose as if the pending assault were nothing more than morning parade while the surgeons sit idly by with nothing to do. And to borrow a little more from William Faulkner, maybe this time the men will carry the wall and the flags will sweep over the heights on their way to Richmond….

Sykes Book Review: Mr. Lincoln's Army

Mr. Lincoln’s Army, by Bruce Catton, Doubleday, 363 pgs.

I relish a good book on the American Civil War the way others relish a good meal, a great film, or fine art—they’re something to be digested and appreciated. When that book just happens to be a previously unread classic, then the pleasure derived borders upon the truly fantastic. Mr. Lincoln’s Army, the first of Bruce Catton’s Army of the Potomac Trilogy, is truly a book of this magnitude.

A recurring theme within Catton’s work is the courage, commitment, and idealism of the Army of the Potomac’s volunteers. Before the horrors of Antietam and subsequent battles, the boys in blue fought because they were committed a Union of united states. Before conscription, the Emancipation Proclamation, and war as something other than a romanticized endeavor, there was just a cause and a charismatic young Napoleon in the guise of George McClellan. Before Antietam, the Army of the Potomac belonged to McClellan as much as McClellan did to its men. Catton does not deny this fact. The young Napoleon built the army into an efficient fighting force with the seemingly limitless resources of an entire nation behind it. His men loved him for it. But after Antietam and the proclamation, the army outgrew McClellan.

McClellan stood for a war of limited objectives—objectives far short of the destruction of the South and its peculiar institution. Emancipation called for a hard, destructive war to the hilt. The nation could no longer afford failure at the gates of Richmond, routs like Second Manassas, or draws like Antietam. Everyone, McClellan’s men included, realized this after the carnage of Antietam. The age of innocence and enthusiasm had passed into the night—the war now required the supreme sacrifice of the North’s resources and especially her manpower. This was the reason behind McClellan’s downfall and it is for this reason the nation’s army would ultimately become Mr. Lincoln’s Army.

Paradigm shift aside, Mr. Lincoln’s Army remains first and foremost a tribute to the Army of the Potomac. Bruce Catton was born in 1899 when the “Greatest Generation” was made up of men who fought to preserve the Union. Today, it is all too easy to fall for the nattiness of Johnny Reb, the chivalrous Southern gentleman-turned officer, the bold cavalier, the mythic Robert E. Lee, or the heroic Army of Northern Virginia. Americans today love a good underdog. And what better underdog story than one with characters like Lee, Jackson, and Stuart fighting against all odds. But therein lies the true shame. Although the Army of the Potomac’s officer corps bloomed much later in the war, her men were no less valiant than those of the South. They proved this at Antietam and subsequent fields of both greater and lesser renown. Their pedigree would lack masterpieces like Chancellorsville. They seldom had to “make do” or go without—theirs was an army of plenty. But to Catton, the Army of the Potomac was an “army of legend, with a great name that clangs when you touch it.” (pg. 14) They lacked the élan of the Army of Northern Virginia. But in Catton’s mind they made up for this with the cocky realization that their cause was right and that no other army could survive what they had and still remain a viable fighting force. They never gave up on themselves even while others gave up on them and their succession of generals.

Though originally published in 1951, Mr. Lincoln’s Army ranks among the pantheon of Civil War scholarship because of its simple yet highly literary approach to the nascent Army of the Potomac. Catton tells the story of an army whose courage, commitment, and idealism transcended the humiliation of First Bull Run to become the Republic’s best great hope to end the rebellion between the spring and summer of 1862. And despite George B. McClellan’s important role during this period, the nation’s army remains the star in this piece as it well should. It is a shame their star has dimmed while that of their opponent remains ascendant. The North moved on while the South created the scholarship of the Lost Cause. But that is another story.

"Are those uniforms hot?": The American public interacts with the Living Historian.

Recently I asked some of my fellow Regulars to share the craziest questions they have been asked at an event. The answers I received to this innocent question mortified, stupefied and terrified me—sometimes all at once.

First off, let me begin by cutting the general public—those who elect not to join us on the field of honor—a little bit of slack. Not everyone is as “into” history as we are. And as my fellow Regular, Private Grogan points out, it would be a little bit conceited of us to expect as much. But I like to think a majority Americans have at least some sense of the gist of American History and the whole space-time continuum thing. However, as these responses ranked and categorized by originality will show, there exists a happy few who for whatever reason just have no idea.

The Unbelievable:

1. "These monuments don't have any bullet holes. When did they repair them after the battle?" –This zinger from Ed C. took the cake in my book.

2. Overheard a conversation once where someone said "Hm, Gettysburg was fought on the 1, 2, and 3 of July. That must be why we celebrate the 4th of July!" –This original from First Sergeant McConnell really makes you wonder. I put it second in the hope that it was uttered by a recent immigrant who hadn’t gotten to that part of the citizenship exam study guide yet.

3. "Why were so many Civil War battles fought on National Parks?" –Another space-time issue from our First Sgt., but I’m sure it came before Ken Burns’ National Parks epic came out so I’ll cut them a little slack.

The puzzlers from Camp:

1. "What side are you on?" —Mind you, Fred G. was wearing blue from head to toe at the time. I was also asked this same question at Governor’s Island in the middle of New York Harbor last year. And sadly, it seems to be a somewhat common question.

2. “Are you going to eat that?” and "Did you sleep out here last night?" —In our modern age, it’s understandable that men living and eating outdoors is a novel concept. But these two questions asked of First Sgt. McConnell do make you wonder.

3. "What state is your regiment." - "We're regulars, the national army." - "Yeah, but what STATE?" —Maybe Ed C. and the viewing public do speak different languages. You decide.

Jim R.’s honorary “kids say the darndest things category”:

1. I was given a presentation to some 4th graders and Genl's Kearny and Ewell came up which prompted one youngster to ask if a one-armed Union general fought a one-legged Confederate general, who would win? —I should not have been eating when I read this one because the contents of my mouth actually passed through my nose. It was painful. But I think Gen. Kearny could deliver the better roundhouse kick of the pair.

2. I once took a Ghosts of Gettysburg walking tour during which a youngster asked the tour guide "if a Confederate ghost fought Frankenstein, who would win?" I walked off in amazement before hearing the tour guide's reply. —This one’s a true poser. American ingenuity versus German engineering. But since we beat them twice I would take the cornfed over the lurching brute.

So there you have it. I know the brotherhood of the Living Historian is a fringe element of people who read a little bit too much history and like to wear wool uniforms. A majority of Americans did not grow up in a military family or serve in the military. Likewise, most Americans have not picked up a history book since leaving school or received an advanced degree in history. But regardless of your level of understanding of our history, you have to admit these are some real winners.

My thanks to Fred, Jason, Ed, and Jim for sharing their best with me.

And although I wouldn’t say it at an event, those uniforms are #@%$^!* hot.

Sykes Book Review: Vicksburg, 1863

Vicksburg, 1863, by Winston Groom, Knopf, 482 pgs., $30.

I am a voracious reader with a few—okay, a lot—of books covering the American Civil War. But for whatever reason, I have been an Eastern Theater snob when it comes to my Civil War books. In the West, large swaths of territory and entire states changed hands as the result of a single battle. Yet I have continued to focus on the East where the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac slogged it out from the spring of 1861 to the spring of 1865 and where the clearest victory by either side resulted in little when compared to those of the Western Theater.

Vicksburg, 1863, by Winston Groom, takes the Union’s campaign to cut the Confederacy in half head on. The tapestry Groom weaves in doing so is truly vibrant. First off, there are the characters. On the Union side, we have the conniving Henry Halleck, the scheming politico John McClernand, the irascible William T. Sherman, the feuding half-brothers Admirals David G. Farragut and David D. Porter, and the pugnacious Ulysses S. Grant. On the Confederate side, Groom introduces us to the ever petulant Braxton Bragg, an inscrutable Joe Johnston, the fiery wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest, and the doomed John C. Pemberton. Both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis play their usual roles—the Lincoln administration seeking a clear cut victory and that of Davis wreathed in victory in the East, yet on its heels in the West.

First and foremost, Groom’s book is an infinitely readable survey of the Union’s campaign to open the Mississippi River and sever the Confederacy from the Trans-Mississippi and its vital foodstuffs. Groom covers the rise of Grant from Belmont, to Forts Henry and Donelson, and the bloodbath at Shiloh. As a result, Grant does not actually begin his march towards Vicksburg and immortality until over halfway through the book. This does not mean the first half of Grooms book is not without merit. It is in this first half where Groom treats us to the Union’s quasi-comedic attempts to take Vicksburg—seven in all—via combined Army-Navy assaults up the Yazoo River and the bayous surrounding the city.

Groom paints the Vicksburg Campaign as the turning point of the Civil War. Gettysburg, though more famous, did not alter the course of the war strategically. If anything, Gettysburg did little more than end a large-scale raid. Vicksburg, on the other hand, cut the Confederacy in half, re-opened the Mississippi to trade, and dealt the rebel government a strategic blow from which it would never recover. More importantly, the period immediately following Vicksburg’s surrender offered Jefferson Davis’ last best chance to negotiate an end to the war on terms the least bit favorable to the South. The last two years of the war, Sherman’s March, and Radical Reconstruction destroyed Southern society and its economy for generations to come. With a negotiated settlement, Groom argues, the South “would have received a far better deal than what they got…” (pg. 431).

Vicksburg, 1863 is an intensely readable survey of the campaign which sealed the fate of the Southern Confederacy. I would recommend it to any one with even the slightest interest in the American Civil War as we approach the sesquicentennial. I would further recommend it to those Eastern Theater/Army of the Potomac snobs whose bookshelves afford little space to the “tangential” struggles west of the Allegheny Mountains.

“A Civil War Reenactor…but why?”

This is perhaps the question I get asked the most when I am “outed” as a Civil War Reenactor—or Living Historian in our community parlance. I have thought about this question quite a bit since I was sucked into a hobby which, to play upon Shelby Foote’s summation of the Civil War, now occupies the crossroads of my being. And believe me, the reasons are as complex as the reasons we went to war 149 years ago. However, let me attempt to give you three reasons why I (and a few of my comrades I think) am a reenactor: a love of military history, escapism, and an obsession with the drama that is the American Civil War.

Like many of my Sykes comrades I’m sure, I have always loved military history. Military history books, toy soldiers, war movies, and pop guns occupied an important part of my childhood universe. Indeed, I know I and a number of my fellow Regulars are probably military veterans because of our love of the military and/or what it means to us individually. Captain Hanson Served in Vietnam. Eric served in the Navy. Don fought in the First Gulf War. I served two tours in Iraq. Regardless of our reasons or whether we served in the military or not, I know we all share a love of military history which has brought us together.


Although I cannot speak for my pards on this subject, portraying a Union Soldier of the Civil War offers me an outlet from the stresses of modern life. When I don my uniform, I ritualistically shed all my ties to the modern world. I take off my wristwatch. I turn off my cell phone. I take off my modern clothes. I cast off the new to don the old. When I don my uniform, I am not the same man who works eight hours a day, forty hours a week in a fabric covered box—I am Private Walling, Company C., 2nd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Sykes Regulars. When I don my uniform, I only have to do what I am told. I don’t need to know what time it is. I don’t need to meet deadlines. I don’t need to answer the phone or use a computer. All I have to worry about are the concerns of any private in the Union Army: following orders, finding shelter, and caring for myself and my equipment.

In summing up America’s fascination with the Civil War Shelby Foote said: “It was the crossroads of our being, and it was a hell of a crossroads.” Indeed, just as the Civil War defined who we are and who we would become, so too does it engage us like no other part of the American experience. To say it engaged me would be an understatement. To put it honestly, the Civil War sucked me in like a swirling vortex. It’s an American tragedy with more vibrant characters, scintillating stories, and drama than Hollywood could ever hope to encompass in a single film. We’ve been making movies about it since the invention of film and writing about it since before the guns fell silent. Yet despite our best efforts we cannot agree why we fought it or why the North won it and the South lost it. Yet like the itsy-bitsy spider we keep trying. We keep searching for answers. We keep researching the men, the stories, and the reasons why it started and how it played out the way it did. I am sure my comrades would agree with me on this point.


Love of military history, escapism, and an obsession with our greatest drama. Those are the big three I list when answering the question of why I decided to become a Civil War Reenactor. I know there are other reasons. I know some people desire an immersive historical experience, a connection to the past, or live action role-playing—I could go on and on. But whatever the reason, I know all the men of Sykes are ultimately united in a camaraderie gained from our humble quest to honor the Regulars of the Old Army.

Welcome!

Welcome to the official blog of Sykes Regulars, a living history organization dedicated to the brave United States Army Regulars of the 2nd and 4th US Infantry. Our living history group encompasses the mindset of excellence in drill, discipline, and authenticity. The strict discipline of the modern unit has afforded us a proud reputation among the premier Federal units in the country. The result of this mindset is that the unit attracts those looking for a better reenacting experience as well as current and former members of the U.S. military. Our calendar consists of living history, reenactments and campaigner events, primarily located in the Mid-Atlantic States. The unit is very active in researching and documenting various aspects of civil war life, military manuals and unit history.