Tennessee Valley Civil War Round Table

06/07/2026

Ed Lowe discusses James Longstreet's ill-starred time at command in...

06/07/2026

A Terrible Disaster May Befall Us

06/07/2026

Just north of Memphis, Tennessee. Witnessed by citizens along the riverbanks, the battle ended in a decisive Union victory that virtually destroyed the Confederate naval presence on the Mississippi. Historically, it also marked the last time civilians with no prior military experience commanded ships in combat, making it an important milestone in the professionalisation of the United States Navy.

06/07/2026

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06/07/2026

06/06/2026

Major Gen. William T. Sherman’s “Bummers” could be hated, feared, c...

06/06/2026

Book Review: Preeminent Strategist: General Joseph Eggleston Johnston, The Confederacy’s Most Agile General

Reviewed by Riley Sullivan

Confederate generals such as Robert E. Lee, Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson, and Albert Sidney Johnston are often hailed as the most effective battlefield commanders that emerged out of the American Civil War for the Confederacy. However, in F. Gregory Toretta’s latest work, Preeminent Strategist, Toretta makes the argument that Joseph E. Johnston should be considered in the same light. Drawing on well-known memoirs, correspondence, and newspaper accounts, Toretta attempts to recast how historians should consider Johnston as a military strategist.

From the opening of his work, Toretta asserts that he intends to demonstrate “Johnston’s strategic genius and superior military skill.” (x) While his opening chapters focus on his early career as a soldier, the majority of the work is dedicated to discussing Johnston’s strategic mind during the Civil War. As the author analyzes Johnston’s strategic aims, he also provides context to how his strategy was well suited for combat in the Civil War. At moments in his work, Toretta focuses on how technology impacted both combat and Johnston’s sense of strategy, ultimately coming to the conclusion that Johnston’s preference for the defensive was due to his understanding of the advancements of weaponry.

Read more in our story.

06/06/2026

164 Years Ago Today... The Battle of Harrisonburg (Good's Farm)

On June 6, the vanguard of Union Gen. John Frémont’s force reached Harrisonburg. Confederate Gen. Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson’s rear guard, led by Gen. Turner Ashby, engaged Federal cavalry.

At about 7 p.m., Union forces – including the famed Pennsylvania Bucktails – appeared not in the road as expected, but in a concealed position near Ashby’s force. When Ashby’s horse was shot from under him, he rolled off the mount, regained his footing, and ordered his men to stop shooting and use the bayonet, shouting, “Charge, men! For God’s sake charge!” A bullet pierced Ashby’s side and passed through his chest, killing him instantly, while his men cleared the Federals from the wood line.