Tag Archives: Battle of Gettysburg

Forgotten Gettysburg

There is a somewhat forlorn battlefield to the east of Gettysburg that few visit. It is located near a shopping area off the route 30 corridor. It is the East Cavalry battlefield. The East Cavalry Field fighting was an attempt … Continue reading

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On Hallowed Ground

For the past few days I walked the battlefields at Antietam and Gettysburg.   I have studied these battles for many years.  I have seen movies about them. I have read novels about them.  But these battles cannot fully understood … Continue reading

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John Mason Norvell’s Civil War Memoir 6

John Mason Norvell, the son of Michigan U.S. Senator John Norvell (1789-1850) and his third wife, Isabella H. Norvell (1804-1873), was a career soldier. He prepared this memoir in 1866 His story continues with  the Battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, … Continue reading

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Saluting our Veterans

  There is an old saying about combat: “If you’ve been there you understand, if you haven’t I can never tell you about it.” One can look at the history of a battle, but never really know what the combatants … Continue reading

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Hauntings

  My focus on Gettysburg this fall has brought to mind, especially at this time of year, the many stories that say the battlefield is haunted. Almost from the days after the battle, there have been reports of  the supernatural. … Continue reading

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Citizen Soldiers

  In teaching a course on Gettysburg this fall, I have come to think a lot about the citizen soldier. Several generations of the Norvells in my family served our nation, many finding themselves in the front lines: — Lipscomb … Continue reading

Posted in Air Force, American History, Ancestry, Family History, Marine Corps History, Mexican War, Michigan History, Nashville History, Revolutionary War, Social History, Tennessee History, Texas, Texas History, Union Army, US Army, US Army Air Corps, Vietnam War, Virginia History, War of 1812, World War Ii | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Gettysburg — Some thoughts II

Gettysburg today is considered to be the decisive battle in the Civil War.   And that is what 19th century commanders strived for– the one big knock out punch that removed the enemy from the field. Yet at the time, … Continue reading

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Gettysburg – Some thoughts

  No event has impacted the American psyche as much as the Civil War and this battle in particular. If we were to look for an event that equals its impact in the 20th century, only the Great Depression would … Continue reading

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At Gettysburg – Part III

While John Mason Norvell and Freeman Norvell faced C.S.A. forces, July 2-3 1863, on Cemetery ridge and Culp’s Hill, the two remaining Norvell brothers: Major Edwin Forrest and Lt. Dallas Norvell were with General George Armstrong Custer. They had been … Continue reading

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At Gettysburg – Part II

Freeman Norvell, son of U.S. Senator John Norvell of Michigan and his third wife, Isabella Hodgkiss Norvell,  had served in the Mexican War as a Marine 2nd Lt in the “Halls of Montezuma.”  He was breveted a 1st Lt. for … Continue reading

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