If you've been reading my articles, it is safe to say that you know that the Civil War was much more than just a bunch of men shooting at each other. It was a conflict that involved more than just military tactics. In fact, the drama and romance that came from the War are quite fascinating in themselves. The following paragraphs consist of several of the hundreds of interesting ironies, oddities, and just plain intriguing stories of the War.
We begin with a tale many of you may be familiar with, especially if you've seen Ken Burn's Civil War on PBS. It's the story of Wilmer McLean, a retired Virginian grocer whose plantation was the scene of heavy military operations during the First Battle of Bull Run. Once the fight was over, McLean decided he didn't want to have anymore to do with this War. So, he moved his family to a small farm in southern Virginia at a place called Appomatix Courthouse. This, he hoped, would be far enough away from the fighting so that he and his family could live in peace. But, on April 9, 1865 McLean had to deal with those darn' soldiers again, this time right in his own home. It was his house where Generals Lee and Grant discussed the surrender terms of the Army of Northern Virginia. So, it can be said that "the War began in his front yard and ended in his parlor" (B. Davis, 1982, p. 19). In April of 1865 McLean finally got the peace he so desired when he moved there four years prior.
Next, there's the story of two well documented cases of soldiers switching sides soon after the First Battle of Bull Run. The first was Captain Frank C. Armstrong of the 2nd U.S. Cavalry. Following the Union rout at Manassas, Armstrong resigned his commission with the Federal Army and headed south. Soon after he became a brigadier general for the Confederate Army (B. Davis, 1982, p. 24). The second, who just so happened to come from the same outfit, Lieutenant Manning M. Kimmel, also took part in Bull Run. After the battle he resigned not long after Armstrong and "became Assistant Adjutant General to the Confederate General Earl Van Dorn" (p. 25). I guess both Kimmel and Armstrong desperately wanted to be on a winning team. They should have held out a bit longer, I think. Incidentally, Kimmel's name would not be forgotten in the United States armed forces, however. He was the father of Admiral Husband E. Kimmel, the commander at Pearl Harbor in December, 1941 (p. 25).
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