By Nate Feldman
I've been spending the last month reading Ron Chernow's biography of Ulysses S. Grant, the famous general of the Union Army during the Civil War, and afterwards the 18th President of the United States. I've just begun reading about Grant's campaign against Robert E. Lee and the Confederacy in Virginia from 1864-1865, and have gotten a reminder of how truly awful this conflict was.
From May 5-7, 1864, Grant and Lee's armies confronted one another in what is referred to as the Battle of the Wilderness, due to the wooded areas the fighting took part in. Chernow describes how many trees caught on fire during the fighting, burning many of the soldiers to death.
About a month later, the armies met again at Cold Harbor where the Confederate soldiers routed the Union. According to the author, about 7,000 Union soldiers died there to only 1,500 on the Confederacy's side. He also mentioned how Washington, DC became an infirmary for all the wounded and dying troops returning from the battle.
It's easy to forget all about the horrors of the Civil War all of these years later, but reading this book is a reminder of how truly awful that time period was.
No comments:
Post a Comment