No Pollution of Cowardice! -South Jersey in the Civil War

This episode is a response to the removal of Interpretive markers regarding the 9 Enslaved individuals at the The President's House Site in Philadelphia. I sit down with Author Ivan F. Ingraham to talk about the red flags that are being raised in the History Community as well as the publics reaction of removal of what is seen as "Unfavorable History" by the Trump Administration at National Parks a...

Thanks to William Griffing of Spared & Shared for giving me permission to read the letters of Private John Hawn Boon of Company A, 24th New Jersey Volunteers that he worked to transcribe and publish on his site, Boon is from Always Creek, Salem County. He will be just 20 years old when he enlists in the fall of 1862. The 24th wasn't supposed to see the front lines of the War but as circumstanc...

In this special episode I sat down with Michael "Six Questions" Lentz to talk about his experience with the process of becoming a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Gettysburg National Military Park. Many of you know Michael from his many appearances on the Addressing Gettysburg Podcast and is a Licensed Guide the Brandy Station Battlefield. I had 6 questions picked out for Mike about the Exam and the...

The three day battle of 2nd Manassas would result in a Confederate victory and produce over 21,000 Causalities. This episode is a letter describing the wounding and death of Captain Edward Alexander Acton of the 5th New Jersey Volunteers, written by his Lieutenant, Theodore P. Large with an additional note by Sergeant Charles Gage.

In this special episode I chat with author John Banks to talk about his Book, Blog & Podcast and eventually get around to talk about Private Charles Bacon of the 3rd New Jersey (killed at Crampton's Gap 9-14-62) and how John came across his story for his blog. John has been published Civil War Monitor, Military Images and was a columnist for the late Civil War Times as well as being a professi...

Captain J. Howard Willets writes a letter home shortly after the May 5th battle at Williamsburg, Virginia to his Mother that is published in the June 12th 1862 issue of the West Jersey Pioneer. Search on the Civil War Digital Digests YouTube page for their brand new episode all about Captain than later Colonel Willets and the work done to rebuild his collection now housed at the Rutherford B Hays...

The Battle Hampton Roads, March 8th and 9th 1862 as told by an 'Observer' of what would be the most famous Naval battle of the entire Civil War. Making a South Jersey connection wasn'teasy, but with a simple Article and the Headstone of U.S. Navy Sailor, William P. Schellenger, the picture started to come together. William Schellengers military record can be found on Ancestry.com. which is where I...

Did you know 1862 was a leap Year? The UNEDITED article for this episode comes from the February 29th issue of The West Jersey Pioneer comes from an anonymous Solider of the 2nd New Jersey Brigade who signs this letter with M.B. Cover art for this episode is taken from the book, Gone For A Soldier: The Civil War Letters of Private Alfred Bellard (5th New Jersey Volunteers) Link to article is here-...

Private Lewis Mickle of Company I, 9th New Jersey Volunteers recounts the battle of Roanoke Island, North Carolina. Which was fought on February 8th, 1862. For the unedited version, as it was published in March of 1862, click the link below- https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032103/1862-03-29/ed-1/seq-1/ The definitive history of the 9th New Jersey - The Sharpshooters: A History of The N...

How does a Battle fought in Tennessee by an Ohio Artillery Battery have a South Jersey connection? The answer is a Massachusetts Lawyer! Listen in as Author Dan Masters and In talk about Captain Warren Parker Edgarton, Battery E, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, his actions at Stones River and his Post-War life in Newfield, New Jersey. In Dans new book, Hell By The Acre, Edgarton in mentioned for his rol...

Sylvester Randolph writes to the West Jersey Pioneer about the "Holidays" while in the Army. Christmas Day was spent on the picket line and their feast was a goose boiled, with I would guess some Hardtack and bad cup of coffee, Click the link below to read the letter on the Library of congress' website! https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032103/1862-01-11/ed-1/seq-2/

The list of names read in this episode is a continuation of an episode with the same name from 2023. I was able to find the original news paper digitized on the Library of Congress' website and can be seen in full by clicking the link below! https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83032103/1862-12-27/ed-1/seq-2/

Sergeant Sylvester W.F. Randolph, Company F of the 3rd New Jersey Volunteer Infantry, writes a letter to the West Jersey Pioneer in September of 1861. In this letter, he writes about the men receiving their new Blue, Federal uniforms as well as brand new Springfield Rifled Muskets. His photo can be found on Archive.org in the book, Historic Days of Cumberland County. He is also mentioned by name i...

Private Charles Bacons final letter to the West Jersey Pioneer would be written on September 11th 1862 during the opening days of the Maryland Campaign. Bacon would be killed on September 14th at the Battle of Crampton's Gap but this letter would be published after the fact on September 27th in the same issue that would break the news of his death.

Private Charles Ogden of the 17th Illinois, writes his brother Robert back home in Cedarville, New Jersey shortly after the great Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee.

Chalres Bacon a member The 3rd New Jersey, Company F "The Cumberland Grays" wrote several letters to The West Jersey Pioneer, a newspaper out of Bridgeton, during his service on the Virginia Peninsula in the spring and early Summer of 1862. The prewar photo of Bacon used for this episode was published in the book Historic Days of Cumberland County and can be found on Archive.org Back in 2022 Autho...

Sergeant John Ennis, Company F 5th New Jersey Volunteers recounts the Battle of Williamsburg fought on May 5th 1862.

John Lorence, a member of the 9th New Jersey Volunteers known as "The Muskrats" will be seriously wounded during the Battle of Roanoke Island, February 8th 1862. This poem about Lorence was originally published in Harpers Weekly shortly after the battle.

Allen R. Thompson, author of "In The Shadow of The Round Tops; Longstreets counter march, Johnstons reconnaissance and the enduring Battles for the memory of July 2, 1863" and I discuss a little bit about his new book coming in 2023

A incomplete list of men from the 24th New Jersey Volunteers who were killed or wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg, published in a Bridgeton New Jersey. This list and article reside in the collection of the Lawrence Township Historical Society.

Private Benjamin Borton of the 24th New Jersey Volunteers tells about his experience on December 13th at the Battle of Fredericksburg. his account can be found in the link below. https://civilwartalk.com/threads/union-first-hand-account-of-the-battle-of-fredericksburg.78351/post-557921

Lt. Charles E Troutman of Co. G, 12th New Jersey Volunteers recounts the battle of Gettysburg in the book Camp Sketches and Battlefield Echos, pages 217-221.

In this Halloween episode, I tell a Ghost story about General Philip Kearny; a man known as " The One Armed Devil" credit to Willaim B. Styple for the story

In a letter dated May 18th, 1862- Benjamin Ogden of Cedarville (shown in photo, standing with the beard) , New Jersey write his brother about his experiences during and immediately following the Battle of Williamsburg.

A unnamed member of the 5th New Jersey Volunteers has his account published in a South Jersey Newspaper shortly after the fight at Williamsburg, May 5th 1862. The article resides in the collection of the Lawrence Township Historical Society, and until now has been unavailable to general public.