Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
Michael Shaara worked as a boxer and a science-fiction writer (among other occupations) before writing The Killer Angels. (Source.)
Confederate General Harry Heth claimed that he accidentally engaged the Union Army at Gettysburg because he led his troops into town to search for shoes. Hey, they were running low. (Source).
Shaara came up with the theory that Lee was suffering from heart trouble while doing research for The Killer Angels. This helped replace an older theory, which stated that he was suffering from indigestion. (Source.)
Union General Daniel Sickles lost his leg at Gettysburg. The shattered bones from the leg were stored and put on display at the Medical Museum in D.C.… where Sickles, who survived the war, would go to visit them, because why not? You can still see them there today. (Source.)
Lee really did ride through the ranks of his retreating soldiers after Pickett's Charge failed, saying, "It is all my fault." (Source.)
After he returned to England, Arthur Fremantle wrote a book called Three Months in the Southern States, which predicted a Confederate victory. (Source.)
General Longstreet became a Republican (that was Lincoln's party) after the war. He helped General Grant's administration and angered many former Confederate comrades. (Source.)
When the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox, General Grant had Joshua Chamberlain—now a Brigadier General—and his troops receive the official surrender from the defeated rebels. Chamberlain surprised everyone by ordering his troops to salute their former enemies as a token of respect. (Source.)