This is the first in what promises to be an interesting series of posts over at Civil War Bookshelf. I’ve discussed before (see here and here, for example) the murky origins of Irvin McDowell’s (left) rise to power in 1861. Dmitri proposes to delve into it more deeply – I think – with the added attraction of William B. Franklin (right). Franklin was a brigade commander in Heintzelman’s division of McDowell’s army at First Bull Run, but was apparently associated with McDowell in other ways.
Check it out.
Harry Smeltzer
Bull Runnings 
Gee, I would have liked to have seen some information on the children General Irvin McDowell had outside his marriage to Helen Burden. John McDowell, son of General Irvin McDowell, was born in Iowa and raised in by Colonel John Adair McDowell in Iowa. Since this might me the line I come from, I’m surprised Dmitri missed this juicy piece of scandal.
If you check the Wikipedia article on General McDowell and look at the notes on Land of the Buckeye you will find this info on John McDowell.
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Susan, I’m sure McDowell’s children or personal scandal is not what Dmitri is interested in here. Not that it’s not interesting stuff, it just doesn’t seem to fit with what he’s looking at, which is army command in the days following Ft. Sumter and beyond.
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Dmitri has nothing positive to say about anyone.
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“Dmitri has nothing positive to say about anyone.”
Heh.
I’d also like to see more about the personal lives of these characters. Haven’t their strategy/tactics been done to death by now? For instance, how many know that Stonewall Jackson’s sister (not to mention Robert E. Lee’s sister) was diehard Union?
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