A couple of months ago, not long after the 150th anniversary of Milliken’s Bend, someone posted a comment on my Facebook page, talking about the fact that the Confederates successfully stormed the field, but that some people claim the battle … Continue reading →
On July 30, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln announced his policy of “retaliation.” This word had a very specific meaning when wielded by politicians, editors, and generals, on both sides. In its most basic terms, it meant a war without mercy, … Continue reading →
Col. William H. Parsons was already known as a hard-riding cavalryman by the time his troopers rode into northeast Louisiana in late June, 1863. On June 29, he discovered two companies of the Union 1st Arkansas Infantry, African Descent, fortified … Continue reading →
In the early morning darkness of June 6, 1863, around 2a.m., Col. Hermann Lieb took his regiment of new recruits out for a reconnaissance toward the railroad depot, near Tallulah and Richmond, Louisiana. Two companies of the irritable 10th Illinois Cavalry were … Continue reading →
The men in the camp of the 10th Illinois Cavalry were in an uproar. Pvt. John O’Brien was being held in the nearby camp of the 1st Mississippi Infantry, African Descent, (a Union unit despite its name). Col. Isaac F. … Continue reading →