Throwing down the Guantlet

A Glorious Army by Jeffry D. Wert

2011-06-14T19:59:00.001-04:00

After studying the Civil War for nearly thirty years of my life I have read more books than I wish to count which focus on the Army of Northern Virginia and its operations under the watchful eye of General Robert E. Lee. I have read microcosm histories, biographies, autobiographies, single campaign focused books and again just about everything that you can think of. Moreover, the historiography on Lee’s campaigns is so vast (books are still being published) that one wonders if anyone can come up with anything unique even though the author might revisit grounds so over frequently visited.
When I heard that historian/author Jeffry D. Wert was coming out with a book on Lee’s 1862-1863 campaigns I was mildly shocked. Wert had done an excellent job in the past with his biographies of Lee’s cavalry chief JEB Stuart, Lee’s chief officer James Longstreet and George A. Custer. Furthermore, his books entitled From Winchester to Cedar Creek: The Shenandoah Campaign of 1864, A Brotherhood Of Valor: The Common Soldiers of The Stonewall Brigade CSA and The Iron Brigade USA and his excellent study of the Army of the Potomac entitled The Sword of Lincoln: The Army of the Potomac were not only great reads but well researched studies which must find a place on any Civil War buffs bookshelf. As mentioned before Wert tended to look at things that hadn’t been overdone so again when I noticed that he was coming out with a book on this subject I didn’t really think that as good as a writer as he is that even he could do anything new. After some reflection I remembered reading Wert’s microcosm study on the third day at Gettysburg (another topic so overdone it sometimes seems tedious) and I remembered how good that book was. Wert took an old topic and reinvented it for his readers, making it easy to understand and like his other books his study was so good that it is being used by countless historians in their research and for their bibliographies. This coupled with his other successes I knew that Wert was an excellent writer and he would come through in his new book. After purchasing it and reading it I am happy to say that I was right.
Jeffry D. Wert’s new book officially entitled A Glorious Army: Robert E. Lee's Triumph, 1862–1863 is excellent. Wert’s research and thesis took him in a direction to support the idea that Robert E. Lee’s aggressive offensive tactics of 1862-1863 saved the Confederacy and put both Lee and his army on a pedestal that was respected by foreign observers, loved by the Confederate people and feared by anyone wearing the blue uniform of the Union. Wert asserts that “Lee’s audacity and adoption of the strategic offensive formed the core of the army’s operations…He based the strategy on a reasoned assessment of how the Confederacy could achieve victory over a numerically superior opponent with nearly unlimited resources. Lee knew that if the Confederacy rested idly by the North would slowly conquer, subjugate and destroy the Confederacy. To win Lee had to be aggressive and the Army of Northern Virginia and its officers became the blunt object that Lee hoped would defeat the North before its “industrial and human might overwhelmed” the entire “Southern populace”.
Never one to fall into “Lost Cause” canons Wert stays on track throughout the book which is divided into ten chapters with each devoted to introduction, to each campaign and the final chapter reviews Wert’s thesis and the final years of the war which ended with the Confederacy losing. Covered in the book are the following campaigns which made Lee’s army one of the greatest to ever take the field; The Seven Days, Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg. In each case Wert doesn’t overwhelm his readers with the overuse of facts but rather blends both primary and secondary sources in a overview of each battle which provides the reader with an excellent review of each campaign. To me a great Civil War author has the ability to take the reader into each battle without overdoing the tactical stuff. Wert makes you feel like you are in Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg or defending Marye’s Heights at Fredericksburg as the relentless Union army attacked again and again.
Wert shows that after barely one year in command Robert E. Lee won four major battles and fight the Union army to a draw at Antietam despite overwhelming odds. Both Lincoln and Washington D.C. were threatened, foreign powers began to think that the Confederacy had a chance, and the Southern people believe that with Lee in command his army could win them their independence. Until the horrendous defeat at Gettysburg Lee’s army looked like it would force the North to negotiate for peace. This is an excellent study and a must read for all those who may be interested.
As a final note Jeffry Wert has provided a balanced study of Lee and the officers involved. I really enjoyed his analysis of the loss of General Thomas J. Jackson and its impact on Lee’s high command. Also, his analysis of Lee’s emphasis on his colonels and generals to lead from the front which led to so many victories also deprived the Confederate high command of its best officers as many of them were shot down and lost forever.
The book is excellent for both average laymen and those that know so much about these battles that it is always good to review and have an excellently written book for one to use. Amazingly Wert is able to do this in just 294 pages which is testament to his ability as a writer. The book also provides several easy to read maps and photos of the primary participants in Lee’s army. The book is entitled A Glorious Army but in reality Mr. Wert has provided readers with a glorious book.

Fascinating post

2011-02-21T12:36:00.001-05:00

Yes it has been a while but a fascinating post on a new blog on Gettysburg that I just love.

http://gettysburg150th.wordpress.com/2011/02/18/a-life-snuffed-out-in-battle/

WWII at Gettysburg

2010-09-15T09:48:00.003-04:00

Great post on Gettysburgdaily.com Its good to know that the town's voice was heard during WWII. Of the 494 killed over 400 died in combat. Now that is sacrifice.

http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=8610

Sickles book

2010-05-15T20:58:00.002-04:00

Im currently reading the book on Dan Sickles by James Hesseler. I'll post a review shortly.

Gettysburg Daily

2010-03-27T10:55:00.003-04:00

Fascinating posts at Gettysburgdaily.com. They are doing an exclusive on Little Round Top and its impact on history. I have read the host's (Gerry Adelman) books and he has an intersting take on the historgraphy of that small, rocky hill in southern PA.

Here are the links to the posts:

Part 1: http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=7132

Part 2: http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=7173

Part 3: http://www.gettysburgdaily.com/?p=7183

Grant's strength

2010-03-13T19:33:00.002-05:00

I've recently been reading Shelby Footes The Civil War Volume 2. What I found in the book was an excellent source of information regarding the Vicksburg CAmpaign. 180 miles and five straight victories put Grant on the threshold of one of the largest Union victories of the Civil War. Foote does an excellent job protraying Grant's greatest campaign.

Pennsylvania-2

2010-03-02T21:24:00.001-05:00

Pennsylvania-2
Originally uploaded by Walt Hubis

Is that a battle going on down there?

Gettysburg PA - July 2009

2010-03-02T21:23:00.001-05:00

Gettysburg PA - July 2009
Originally uploaded by Pocket of Light Pictures

Interesting picture

Good man

2010-02-09T22:47:00.000-05:00

Murtha’s passion for history saved the Cyclorama painting.

Late lawmaker secured $16 million in Congressional funds to restore timeworn painting.
Published: Monday, February 8, 2010 6:38 PM EST
The late John Murtha will be remembered across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Vietnam war veteran, an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, and a lawmaker that often brought home “pork” to his constituency.

Here, he’ll forever be known as the man that secured $16 million in federal dollars to restore the Cyclorama painting at Gettysburg National Military Park.

Murtha died Tuesday at 77-years-old.

Over a nine year period from 2000-09, the Johnstown area legislator earmarked chunks of funding in the Congressional budget, to conserve the Civil War era artwork — even though he did not represent this area in Washington.

Info taken from http://www.gettysburgtimes.com/articles/2010/02/08/blogs/doc4b70a073b8786513746541.txt

Its been a while

2010-01-20T17:45:00.002-05:00

Yes its been a while and I am sorry to all my readers. Things have been busy but more blogs are coming soon! Stay tuned!

Random thought on Jeff Davis

2009-12-30T15:49:00.002-05:00

I have just finished watching a 1990's episode of Civil War Journal which chronicled the life of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. During the documentary the authors detail not only his life but his failures as the sole Confederate president. One of the more interesting quotes was made by historian Gary Gallagher who stated "Its that contrast between Lincoln's tremendous abilities and Davis absence of those abilties that has made many people critatize Davis even more than they might have. Its unfair in many ways to critize Davis because he wasn't Abraham Lincoln. Nobody else has been Abraham Lincoln either and it isn't right to hang Davis on that charge." A interesting thought on comparing Davis and Lincoln.

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T09:08:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. This break I am looking forward to writing and producing my future title for the Civil War. My New Years resolution is to finish it by the end of the year.

Williams - The Last Casualty

2009-12-14T22:02:00.001-05:00

Williams - The Last Casualty
Originally uploaded by Civil War Preservation Trust

I always remember this one from Ken Burn's Civil War. Moreover, the Civil War Preservation Trust published a short article about Williams in their Hallowed Ground magazine.

Various casuality reports for Lee's Army at Gettysburg

2009-11-28T21:55:00.003-05:00

Various casualty reports for Lee's Army at Gettysburg

Confederate reports for its losses at Gettysburg have always been questioned by historians. Many units underreported their losses or did not report as many losses as they obviously suffered. Determining the casualty lists for either side during the war is very difficult. But looking at Busey and Martin's book on the subject sheds some light on things. Growing up I always thought that Lee lost 28,000-30,000 men at Gettysburg but was that the case??

Lafayette Guild. Medicial Director of the Army of Northern Virginia reported 14,278 casualties in 1889.

Also in 1889 the War Department published 20,451 casualties at Gettysburg.

Details: 2592 killed, 12,709 wounded, 5,150 captured or missing

William F. Fox and his infamous study on the wars casualties reported Lee's losses at 20, 448

Details: 2592 killed, 12, 706 wounded 5,150 missing, he also noted a few thousand captured

The official reports of Lee's Corps commanders (Ewell, Longstreet, Hill and Stuart) reported 22,968 casualties.

Details: 2,701 killed, 12,739 wounded, 7,528 missing.

Historian Thomas L. Livermore calculated the Confederate casualties to be 28,063 which is the number that I most remember.

Details: 3,903 killed, 18,735 wounded and 7,528 missing, Livermore felt that the Confederate Corps commanders underreported their losses.

HIstorian Robert Krick estimated a loss of 22,915 men for Lee and his beloved army.

Details: 4,649 killed, 12,420 wounded and 5,830 missing

Busey and Martin whose book I am using for this post reported that Lee lost 23,231

Details: 4,708 killed, 12,693 wounded and 5,830 missing

Source:

Busey, John W. Regimental Strengths and Losses at Gettysburg. New York: Longstreet House, 2005.

The Numbers Game

2009-11-28T18:49:00.005-05:00

I have been going over the casuality lists for several Civil War battles with Gettysburg being one of the battles that I am examining closely. I cannot believe the sacrifice of the 26th North Carolina. I have read so many Gettysburg books that discuss the sacrifice of the 26th along with scores of regiments both North and South but this regiment is so interesting.

During the three days at Gettysburg the 26th North Carolina went into the battle with 839 men. 687 of them were killed, wounded, or missing/captured. 172 were killed, an astonishing 443 were wounded & 72 were missing/captured. The regiment faced an overall loss of 81.9 percent! Granted, most Confederate casualities were unrecorded, overestimeted or underestimated but the truth is that I cannot imagine the loss of that many man. As Shelby Foote once said that whole towns saw their entire male population of military age died as a result of that brutual war. It was just madness.

John Buford

2009-11-26T12:33:00.001-05:00

Here is a interesting biography of General John Buford

Lincoln site

2009-11-19T19:38:00.001-05:00

The official launch of the National Park Service's Lincoln Memorial Interactive site in honor of the 146th Anniversary of the Gettysburg Address is now up. Whether you love visiting the Memorial in person or are hoping to get there soon, this stunning site will bring you even closer to this beloved landmark.

To see the site, visit http://www.nps.gov/featurecontent/ncr/linc/interactive/deploy/index.htm#/

The faces of RE Lee

2009-11-17T21:52:00.004-05:00

I have to plead ignorance here. I never fully realized that photography in the 1860's was still in its infancy and it was very difficult for photographs of famous leaders to spread around the country. Robert E. Lee falls into this category. For almost the entire war his true likeness remained unknown to many Union officers who face him. I highly suggest that you check out this short 8 minute video which focuses on Lee's image during the Civil War.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UQJKUYBx1A&feature=player_embedded

Book Review #13 The Complete Gettysburg Battlefield Guide

2009-11-07T16:16:00.010-05:00

Since those warm days in 1863 the Battle of Gettysburg has had the ultimate distinction of having more books published about it than any other military campaign in American history. After the guns fell silent the men and women who partcipated in the battle published first-hand accounts which were ultimately followed by more secondary sources than most people can count. The battle has been disceted by authors for years and the publishing world has produced books solely based on the action on specific parts of the battlfield. For example, some authors have focused on the action on Little Round Top or the Wheatfield or the unfinished railroad cut or Pickett's Charge. The battle has also seen the publication of several tour guide books over the years which provide visitors with the opportunity to use them during their trips to the site. One would think that with so many books published on the subject that nobody could come up with anything unique but noted Gettysburg historian J. David Petruzzi & Civil War cartographer Steven Stanley have produced a book whose ownership is required by anyone interested in Gettysburg or the Civil War.

The book itself comes in hardcover and has an excellent dust jacket which depicts General Warren's statue on Little Round Top. The book is sturdy and purchasers will be happy to see that every page is on thick, glossy paper which should allow the user to use it on the battlefield. Also, the book is in full color and that makes both the locations and the information come alive for the reader. The book would not have the impact that it does if it was in black and white. This book is unbelieveable!

The book is the result of a perfect partnership between authors JD Petruzzi and Steve Stanley. The latter is a cartographer who creates maps for The Civil War Presevervation Trust. His maps are colorful, easy to read but very detailed. In all the book contains 70 maps and dozens of photos by Stanley which supplement Petruzzi's easy to read and detailed text. In fact, this book is not only a must for Gettysburg lovers but because the text is not overly detailed makes this a book that is easy to use on the battlefield or read on your armchair.

The contents of the book make the purchasing price seem ambigious. This book is worth every dollar that you will spend on it. First, it contains excellent introductions by Petruzzi, Stanley and Gettysburg Battlefield Guide Eric Campbell. Campbell also appears in Civil War Tours as a audio tourguide. Wisely the authors have a short section entitled "Helpful Hints for using the Guide" which briefly explains how the reader should use the book and encouragers vistors to the Gettysburg battlefield to get out of their cars and walk the grounds. You can easily tell that both Stanley and Petruzzi love this campaign, the fields on which it was fought and are passionate about educating people about the battle.

Another wise thing that Petruzzi did a nice 8 page overview of the entire Gettysburg campaign. This is a wonderful addition because newcomers to the battle will find it very interesting and it allows them to quickly educate themselves on the situation that both Meade/Hooker and Robert E. Lee faced from the day the campaign started to the last rebel crossed the Potomac River. Also, this overview is written so well that Gettysburg experts will find it a worthy read.

The bulk of the book contains 11 seperate tours of the Gettysburg battlefield and other surrounding areas. The first tour takes the readers to the site of a little known and overlooked skirmish between Confederate cavarly and the 26th Pennsylvania Milita. Chapter 2-3 take the readers through the key stops on July 1-3 1863. Like all the tour chapters, each stop on the tour is detailed and almost always a photograph is included. Stanley's excellent maps and photos support Petruzzi's writings and both keep the readers interest. The next three tours deal with the caverly action around the Gettysburg battlefield which includes the sometimes overlooked East Caverly Battlefield, Hunterstown and Fairfield.

The seventh tour in the book takes the readers to the imporant sites in the town of Gettysburg area. These historical sites include but are not excluded to the town square, the Gettysburg rail station, Thaddeus Stevens' office, the imfamous "Jennie" Wade House and the Harvey S. Sweney House which is now known as the Farnsworth House. In all the town tour has 22 stops and all are detailed by Petruzzi.

The next two tours bring the readers into two cemetarys. The first is a tour of the Soldiers' National Cemetery and the second is a tour of the lesser visited Evergreen Cemetery. Some of the fascinating graves that the authors discuss are the graves of James Gettys (founder of Gettysburg) and the Gettysburg Civil War Women's Memorial. Another interesting stop is the gravesite of Gettysburg resident Edward Stewart Plan who is a member of the Professional Baseball Hall of Fame. In all the Evergreen Tour is 37 exciting stops. Petruzzi also points out the actual location of the Speakers' Platform that was used for the Gettysburg Address. Of course the graves of "Jennie" Wade, Jack Skully and John Burns are also included.

A truely intriguing addition to the book is 21 stop tour of the battlefield's rock carvings. According to Petruzzi he included this section to catch the interest of vistors who tend to focus on the main parts of the battlfield and "often miss" the "out-of-the way locations. Many soldiers carved their names on the battlfield to point out the fact that they were there and in several cases the reader will have to leave their car to explore them. I cannot think of any other publication taht includes a review of these sites. One of the more interesting carvings to me is a 1889 carving by a member of the 143rd Pennsylvania on McPherson's Barn. For each carving Petruzzi includes the offical location, easy to follow directions and never before published photographs of each.

The owner of this book will have a series of excellently written tours. It will stand up to repeated use and it will be the final say on Gettysburg Tour books for years to come. If you own other Gettysburg Tour books you may want to toss them out because the Complete Gettysburg Guide is all you will ever need! Any Gettysburg enthusiast will be happy with this book. Although one could be a nitpicker and point out things that should have been included I highly doubt that you will ever find anything better. If you are interested in learning about Gettysburg then you must purchase this book.

Sources:

The books webpage is located at: http://www.completegettysburgguide.com/about.htm

Finally got it!

2009-11-03T18:06:00.003-05:00

This week I finally got my copy of JD Petruzzi's "The Complete Gettysburg Guide" which I have been waiting anxiously for. I recently joined the Civil War Preservation Trust and with my 100 dollar donation I got Petruzzi's book, a jacket (which still hasn't come yet), a tax break (Thank you Obama), and a yearly subscription to the preservation society. I am so excited and a book review on the guide is in the works! Stay Tuned!

Gettysburg "kick" Continues

2009-11-03T18:04:00.002-05:00

My July 09 trip to Gettysburg is still impacting my reading. I have just finished the 1958 biography of Major General John F. Reynolds who was killed at Gettysburg and the new "Fog of Gettysburg" which was an interesting read. I'm trying to quit but now I am reading Jeffery Wert's book on the third day at Gettysburg and after that I will read JD Petruzzi's book "The Complete Gettysburg Guide". After that I will stop...I promise.

Little Round Top

2009-10-19T21:55:00.000-04:00

I sat there alone on the storied crest, till the sun went down as it did before the misty hills, and the darkness crept up the slopes, till from all earthly sight I was buried as with those before. But oh, what radiant companionship was election around, what steadfast ranks of power, what bearing of heroic souls. Oh, the glory that beamed through those nights and days. Nobody will ever know it here!- I am sorry most of all for that.” May 1913

Gettysburg Super with too much time on his hands

2009-10-19T16:57:00.002-04:00

The leader of one of this nation's most important national parks is too busy doing other things but his job

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/18/AR2009101802380.html

Gettysburg meets Vietnam

2009-10-14T20:59:00.001-04:00

GETTYSBURG, ADAMS COUNTY - The moving Vietnam War Memorial Wall makes it's second last stop as part of a year long tour through the United States. The wall commonly known as the "Wall that Heals" has been traveling since 1996, and today made a stop at Gettysburg College. The wall lists 58,261 names of people who died in Vietnam, and now people in charge of the the wall said they are looking for photos of sericemen and women to add to the wall.

"The best part for us in in having the veterans come out and have that time to heal the wounds they received during the war," said the program manager of the wall, Dan Schenk.

The wall is now on it's way to Wisconsin, where it will end it's journey for the time being.

Source: Copyright © 2009, WPMT-TV

2009-09-25T21:54:00.002-04:00

Born in 1821 George Nixon would not achieve the level of importance that his great-grandson would as the 37th President of the United States. He served during the Civil War as a Private in Company B, 73rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry. During the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 2, 1863), he was wounded in the right hip and side during skimishing with the Confederates, and lay in the no-man's land between the Union position on Cemetery Hill and the Rebel's hold on the town. At night his cries of pain were such that it inspired Musician Richard Enderlin to crawl out during the constant firing between the two forces, drag Private Nixon back most of the way, then stand up with the wounded man in tow and dash the final distance to safty. This act won Richard Enderlin a instant promotion to Sergeant, and a Medal of Honor 34 years later. Despite his rescue, Private Nixon's wounds proved to be mortal, and he died in the XI Corps Hospital seven days later. His great-grandson, Richard Millhouse Nixon, would become a president and serve eight years as the nations vice-president. During the Presidential election of 1960 Nixon would also lose one of the most famous elections in American History to John F. Kennedy.

Currently, Nixon's remains lie in the National Soldiers Cemetery at Gettysburg. According to the NPS website Richard Nixon visited his great-grandfathers grave during his tenure as vice-president.

Sources:

http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/getttour/tstops/tstd4-23.htm

http://www.ghostpapers.com/term-papers-site/free-term-papers/POLITICS/free-term-papers-RICHARD-NIXON-THE-37TH-PRESIDENT.html

Fascinating fact

2009-09-25T21:45:00.002-04:00

I was born and raised in New York but live in Ohio. Recently I cam across some numbers that stated that Ohio had over 4,400 men serving at Gettysburg. Only Pennsylvania, New York, and Massachusetts had more men on the battlefield. Ohio had men serving in the 2nd, 5th, 11th and 12th Corps, along with the artillery and cavalry corps.

Did the Civil War start in CA

2009-09-12T21:47:00.001-04:00

Interesting article from Yahoo.

Senator's death in duel prefaced Civil War carnage
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER, Associated Press Writer Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press Writer
Sat Sep 12, 10:32 am ET

WASHINGTON – Nearly two years before the first shots were fired in the Civil War, simmering hostilities over slavery erupted on a "field of honor" in California, where a pro-slavery judge mortally wounded an anti-slavery senator in a duel.

The duel showed how political disagreements over slavery had become increasingly violent, culminating in 1861 when the war broke out.

On Sept. 13, 1859 — 150 years ago Sunday — Sen. David Broderick, D-Calif., and Chief Justice David Terry of the California Supreme Court faced off at 10 paces near the San Francisco-San Mateo County line at Lake Merced. Broderick fired first, but his hair-trigger pistol went off prematurely and the bullet landed in the ground. Terry then fired a bullet into Broderick's chest; Broderick, 39, died a few days later from the wound.

"They have killed me because I was opposed to slavery and a corrupt administration," Broderick said from his deathbed.

The Senate's historian, Don Ritchie, said that as Northerners and Southerners settled in California, the tensions over slavery spilled over into the free state.

Terry was from Kentucky; Broderick was born in Washington, D.C., but his family later moved to New York City. He went to California for the gold rush and wound up making it rich in real estate.

Although the Republican Party had emerged as the national abolitionist political movement, the California Democratic Party had an anti-slavery wing, with Broderick as its chief. This enraged Terry, a pro-slavery Democrat. He leveled a personal attack on Broderick at a political convention, a few months before the fateful duel, that eventually led to their fateful encounter.

Terry charged that the anti-slavery Democrats "have no distinction they are entitled to; they are the followers of one man, the personal chattels of a single individual, whom they are ashamed of. They belong, heart and soul, body and breeches, to David C. Broderick."

Terry mocked them for claiming the support of Sen. Stephen Douglas, an Illinois Democrat who tried to straddle a middle ground on slavery and went on to lose the presidential race to Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

"Perhaps they do sail under the flag of Douglas, but it is the banner of the black Douglass, whose name is Frederick, not Stephen," Terry said to cheers at the convention. Frederick Douglass was a former slave and abolitionist, and invoking his name was meant as a slur, historian Ritchie said.

The next day, Broderick told friends at a San Francisco hotel that he once considered Terry "the only honest man on the Supreme bench, but I take it all back."

This led to a series of notes between the two men, starting with a demand from Terry for a retraction and ending with a challenge from the judge for "satisfaction usual among gentleman." That meant a duel, which Broderick accepted.

California was a "a wide-open world where newspapers carried announcements of upcoming duels as if they were street fairs," wrote Barbara Holland in her 2003 book, "Gentlemen's Blood: A History of Dueling."

Broderick and Terry, who had resigned from the state court, met early in the morning on Sept. 12, but were arrested and brought before a judge in San Francisco. The judge released the men, ruling that while dueling was illegal, an attempt to duel was not, according to David Williams' 1969 book, "David C. Broderick: A Political Portrait." Williams wrote that several of Broderick's friends were disappointed in the ruling.

The next morning, the two men met around 7, drew lots for the pistols and then threw off their overcoats as dozens of people watched.

"Mr. Broderick seemed a little nervous, and as he received his pistol, gripped it with a convulsive grip," reported the San Francisco Bulletin, adding that the senator's nervousness "was the result not of fear, but of intense resolution, or, perhaps, deadly hate. Judge Terry, meanwhile, stood erect, without a wink or a motion, like a man accustomed to such a position."

After Broderick misfired, Terry shot back and shouted, "The shot is not mortal; I have struck two inches to the right." Broderick lowered himself, and then keeled over. He was taken by wagon to a friend's home, and died three days later, on Sept. 16.

"The sad intelligence was immediately conveyed to the city, and produced a deep and settled gloom on the community," reported the San Francisco Herald. Thousands of people came to his funeral. He was the only senator to have died in a duel.

Terry was tried for murder but quickly acquitted.

"Very few duelers were ever convicted of murder," said Charles Fracchia, founder and president emeritus of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.

Terry left politics and joined the Confederate Army. In 1889, after striking Supreme Court Justice Stephen Field, who once served with Terry on the California Supreme Court, Terry was shot and killed by Field's bodyguard.

Williams wrote that although Broderick had a history of not backing down from a fight, he had tried to avoid the duel with Terry. But had he refused the challenge, he would have been seen as cowardly.

"At the time, dueling was illegal but was tolerated by a large segment of the public, which accepted it as a part of the world of politics," the biographer wrote.

But others were horrified by the practice. On the day of the duel, the San Francisco Bulletin editorialized: "We cannot refrain from indulging, once more, in some expressions of sorrow and disgust at the barbarous practice of dueling which still seems to be tolerated among us."

Dueling, which had been mostly a southern tradition as a way to defend a man's honor, pretty much died out in this country after the Civil War.

"There was enough bloodshed," Ritchie said.

___

On the Net:

San Francisco Museum and Historical Society: http://www.sfhistory.org/

Museum of the City of San Francisco: http://tinyurl.com/lns9u8

Senate Historical Office: http://tinyurl.com/2ketop

Underratted Gettysburg book gets its just due

2009-09-10T21:45:00.003-04:00

July 2 and July 3 1863 seem to get their just due in several books which means that July 1st often gets overlooked. Historian Harry Pfanz has written an excellent book that focuses on the first day of the battle but its recent publication overshadows David G. Martin's 1995 publication Gettysburg July 1. Although Pranz does an excellent job (he always does) Martin's book details the battle on July 1st in greater detail and provides even more insight on the combat. A review on Amazon.com accurately describes the book as "Martin's Gettysburg, July 1 is now the standard source for the first day's fight." -- Civil War Regiments.

Perhaps the best thing about this book is the way that Martin is able to cover the micro and macro parts of this epic contest that began early on July 1st. Amongst its 736 pages are three extra chapters which provide the reader with the usual Order of Battle and two other interesting additions. Appendex 2 is an outstanding account of the topography of the first day's battlefield and of the road network surrounding Gettysburg. The third appendex is a brief but good overview of the weather leading up to and during the battle. Both Appendex 2 and 3 are a must for any Gettysburg buff.

The maps of this book are unique. Most Gettysburg books use the same maps but Marting goes a step further. The maps are of two kinds: a "situation" map showing the position of the troops at a given point in time and an "action" map focusing on an incident of the battle. Perhaps the biggest reason that so many authors have avoided writing a book that just focuses on day one was the fateful decision of Richard Ewell to avoid any further entaglements with the Federals after they had been repulsed to Cemetery Hill/Culps Hill. I don't want to reveal everything that Martin talks about but his analysis/opinions shift the blame off Ewell's shoulders. I won't say where he places it but I am sure that you can take a guess. I highly suggest that you read this book for yourself and make your own descision. Again it isn't as recent as Pfanz's book but is superior to that work in so many ways. Highly recommended.

Robert E. Lee

2009-09-01T21:31:00.001-04:00

Robert E. Lee
Originally uploaded by doxadigital

My next goal is to see Richmond and R.E. Lee

New Gettysburg museum has an interesting artifiact

2009-08-31T21:08:00.003-04:00

In Gettysburg a recently opened museum called the "Gettysburg Museum of History" opened recently and hosts over 4,000 arifacts. One of the interesting items is a pair of bullets that met in mid-air and merged. (see picture). The museum is free and opened just three weeks ago and one week after I visited the area in late July 2009. The currator of the museum has ancestors who farmed much of the area where Pickett's Charge took place and as he dug up things during his work he kept them and past them down to his decedents.

According to an 1887 newspaper account that Dorr (the museum manager) located, Pfeffer discovered a burial trench with the bodies of seven Confederate soldiers located near what is now the 12th New Jersey monument. Dorr said his great-great grandfather kept buttons and other momentos from the bodies, then re-buried the bones.

"As far as I know, they're still there," he said.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday

Location: 219 Baltimore St., Gettysburg

I have to say that I am very disappointed that this didn't exist during my visit to Gettysburg. I guess that it is another reason to go back.

Little Round Top from the 11th US Monument

2009-08-28T22:36:00.001-04:00

Little Round Top from the 11th US Monument
Originally uploaded by jwolf312

What a view of Little Round Top.

Check this out.

Man v. Food Widget

2009-08-14T14:14:00.001-04:00

Just sharing a nice link about Wilson's Creek

2009-08-12T17:37:00.003-04:00

Just sharing a great link concerning the battle of Wilsons Creek which was the second major battle of the war and the first major battle in the western theatre.

http://thismightyscourge.com/2009/08/10/wilsons-creek-the-civil-war-breaks-out-in-the-west/

A while back I mentioned Wilson's Creek in my Forgotten Generals of the Civil War series. Check out John Schofield.

Book Review #12 "The Myth of Little Round Top" by Garry E. Adelman

2009-08-11T21:02:00.003-04:00

Since my Gettysburg trip is still in the recent past I figured that my next book review should focus on a Gettysburg book. Remember reading your history and learning that if the Confederate army had succeeded in carrying Little Round Top then they would have won the battle? Author Garry E. Adelman states that this version of history is false and he wrote a 100 page book to discuss his views and thesis.

If i revealed Alderman's viewpoints then it would ruin the book for you so instead I will focus on what you get with the book which is modestly prices at $12.95. Adelman incudes three appendix which will be my focal point here. The first appendix is the sterotypical Order of Battle for both sides during the battle. That is usually in every Gettysburg book so I will not speak anymore of it. The second appendix includes the casuality list for those regiments who were engaged at Little Round Top on July 2, 1863. Incuded are the number engaged, killed, wounded, missing, totals, and % Lost.

The third appendix is awesome. Standing alone the third appendix is worth the purchase if you are interested in this part of the battle. In this appendix, Alderman lists the major primary and secondary sources in what he calls a "historiography of Little Round Top". This includes a chart of one hundred or so sources written about the struggle for that rocky hill to show how the views of Little Round Top has changed over the years. The list is chronologically through time, by type of source the manner of importance placed upon Little Round Top by the author. You can see how each source explains the importance of Little Round Top. Its great stuff and should you get the opportunity to purchase this book it is highly recommended.

As a final note, his reasoning for the myth is broken in chapter one with a history of fight for Little Round Top, the second chapter explores the Legend of Little Round Top and how it grew ove the course of the latter part of the 1800's and the early 1900's. The final chapter deals with the military analysis of Little Round Top and what would or could have happened if the Confederates had taken that hill. the answer to that question might surprise you. If you get a chance purchase Garry E. Adelman's "The Myth of Little Round Top".

Friend to a Friend Monument

2009-08-09T21:52:00.002-04:00

Friend to a Friend Monument
Originally uploaded by madnessmike

Back when I visited Gettysburg in 1986 and 1989 the "Friend to a Friend" monument was not yet built. I was really happy to see it during our 2009 trip to Gettysburg. I thought I'd share this pic with everybody because it is a great view of this monument.

Little Round Top after 20 years

2009-08-03T15:43:00.008-04:00

Its been 20 years since I walked the hill of Little Round Top. I know that historians today have researched the fact that the drama that unfolded on that rocky hill in July of 1863 is overrated and overshadows the situation that occurred further north at the Peach Orchard, The Wheatfield, Devils Den and the lower part of Cemetery Ridge. But as I have written in earlier blogs (Blog 1 & Blog 2) I love Little Round Top. I still believe that it was the most important part of the Gettysburg battlefield regardless of its importance being overrated.

Another cool thing about the trip was that I brought my 11 year old nephew to the battlefield. The first time that I went to Gettysburg was in 1986 and I was only slightly younger than my nephew is and it was exciting to show him to the battlefield. I already want to go back to Gettysburg.

Gettyburg 2009

2009-08-02T22:34:00.002-04:00

As you may know I travelled to Gettysburg last week and enjoyed the town and the battlefield. Pics and a blog about it will be coming soon. Stay tuned!

Gettysburg 2009

2009-07-21T22:14:00.002-04:00

With my trip to Gettysburg drawing near I found this great site on General George Pickett. Since his charge was so important to the outcome of the battle please check it out.

http://www.pickettsociety.com/

The First Virginia Brigade

2009-06-26T16:36:00.003-04:00

The great Stonewall Jackson says goodbye to the "Stonewall Brigade" in the film "Gods and Generals".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYzt1ao81jU

I just learned about a new Gettysburg book

2009-06-14T10:35:00.004-04:00

I just learned about a new Gettysburg book that was written by a person from Western New York. As you may know I was born in Niagara Falls, New York and since I am from that area I love finding materials from writers who hail from the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area. The authors name is James A. Hessler and his book is on an amazing topic that historians have debated for decades.

General Dan Sickles is one of the most colorful and controvisial figures in Civil War history and may be one of the most conttrovisial figures in American History. He was a man who murdered his wifes lover in cold blood and got away with it. He disobayed orders at Gettysburg, abondonded Little Round Top and marched his men into areas still remembered for the ferocity of the fighing that happened there; the Wheatfield, Devils Den, The Slaughter Pen, the Peach Orchard, the Valley of Death.

Here is a copied portion from the publishers webpage:

Sickles at Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General Who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg, by licensed battlefield guide James Hessler, is the most deeply-researched, full-length biography to appear on this remarkable American icon. And it is long overdue.

No individual who fought at Gettysburg was more controversial, both personally and professionally, than Major General Daniel E. Sickles. By 1863, Sickles was notorious as a disgraced former Congressman who murdered his wife's lover on the streets of Washington and used America's first temporary insanity defense to escape justice. With his political career in ruins, Sickles used his connections with President Lincoln to obtain a prominent command in the Army of the Potomac's Third Corps-despite having no military experience. At Gettysburg, he openly disobeyed orders in one of the most controversial decisions in military history.

Most likely I will wait for this book to enter the market as a paperback because I am not an avid fan of hardcover books. However, I think this one is a keeper and a welcomed addition to my Civil War library. The book comes out on June 29 so check it out on Amazon and order a copy! This one is going to be a great read!

http://www.savasbeatie.com/books/SICKLES_book.htm

Error in Ken Burns: The Civil War

2009-06-11T15:34:00.002-04:00

I found an error in one of the first hand accounts contained in Ken Burns: The Civil War. The issue concerns Confederate Colonel William C. Oates comments regarding the Round Tops. The series introduces Oates as the commander of the 15th Alabama which is not a lie but when he refers to "Within half an hour I could convert" the big hill into a Gibraltar." In his account after the battle, Oates was referring to the first hill that his regiment climbed and that was what later became Big Round Top not Little Round Top. However, in Burns' series, the words "Within half an hour I could convert 'Little Round Top' into a Gibraltar. Another incorrect statement by Ken Burns The Civil War was that Lee wanted the Round Tops taken. There is no evidence that Lee ever made that statement or wanted them unless you refer to his statements in the days, months and years following Gettysburg.

Sources:

Lafantasie, Glenn W. Twilight at Little Round Top July 2, 1863--The Tide Turns at Gettysburg (Vintage Civil War Library). New York: Vintage, 2007.

Burns, Ken. The Civil War.

Little Round Top

2009-06-04T17:42:00.002-04:00

Little Round Top
Originally uploaded by RunnerJenny

What a great pic of Little Round Top!

Finished, a key book review!!!!

2009-05-29T17:19:00.004-04:00

For the 200th Anniv. of Lincoln's birth I chose to purchase and read A. Lincoln: A Biography by Ronald C. White Jr. In my youth I read the late David Herbert Donald's Lincoln and actually felt that it was the one and only true biography of our 16th President. I will pay David Donald what he deserves, his book will always be the best biography of Lincoln but White's book is a close second. It is a wonderful examination about the life of Lincoln and it has a bit of something for both beginners and Lincoln experts.

White liberally shares photographs, maps, illustrations, documents, even signatures of key characters. Unlike many history/biography books, these are not confined to a few glossy pages in the middle of the book, but appear frequently throughout the text. I like this because it allows the reader to see what he is talking about without having to flip to a specific section of the book reserved for photos. The bibliography is amazing and this book could serve people looking to research the life and time of Lincoln. Ronald White Jr.'s research is as good as anyone could ask for.

Like most Lincoln biographies the first half of the book deals with his early life, his times as a leglislator, lawyer and family man. The second half deals with his presidency with White providing you just enough details in both sections (700+ pages) without bogging the reader down with too many details. He finds time to analyze Lincoln's inagural addresses, the Gettysburg Address and other key speeches. He balances Lincolns home life with Mary and his sons versus his political and law career. White even talks about Lincoln's highs and lows as our nation's Commander in Chief. In short, White's A. Lincoln provides great detail without sacrificing the larger picture.

My only disappointment, though it may have been not included because of the books length was the assassination plot by John Wilkes booth and Lincoln's funeral. One can't fault White though because the book itself might have went over 1,000 pages if it was included.

Another good thing about White's biography is it stays true to the facts that we know about Lincoln. So many books recently have focused on his depression, his possibly homosexuality and other generatic things that avoid painting Lincoln as a hero. Lets face it, Abraham Lincoln is a hero and this book lets everybody know that Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest men to ever call himself an American. White himself sets it up on the books first page when he states "He signed his name `A. Lincoln.' A visitor to Abraham Lincoln's Springfield, Illinois, home at Eighth and Jackson would find `A. Lincoln' in silvered Roman characters affixed to an octagonal blue plate on the front door. All throughout his life, people sought to complete the A - to define Lincoln, to label or libel him. Immediately after his death and continuing to the present, Americans have tried to explain the nation's most revered president. A. Lincoln continues to fascinate us because he eludes simple definitions and final judgments." White is pointing out to his readers that the search for Lincoln goes on and that his book is one step in an important process that paints a clearer picture of Abraham Lincoln.

David Herbert Donald dies.....we will miss you man

2009-05-22T20:23:00.002-04:00

I copied this from a news webpage, the link that cites my source follows

BOSTON, May 19 (UPI) -- David Herbert Donald, a Harvard professor emeritus who won two Pulitzer Prizes for biography, has died in Boston at 88.

Donald died Sunday, the Boston Globe reported.

A native of Mississippi and graduate of Millsaps College in Jackson, Donald came north to Illinois for graduate school. He specialized in the history of the United States during the Civil War and the period immediately before and after and in the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Donald's first book was on Lincoln's law partner and at his death he was working on a study of John Quincy Adams' years as an abolitionist congressman.

In 1960, Donald won a Pulitzer for "Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War." His second book, 27 years later, was for "Look Homeward: A Life of Thomas Wolfe," a biography of the North Carolina novelist.

Donald received many other honors for his work. In 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill., awarded him the first David Herbert Donald Prize for excellence in Lincoln studies.

Appropriately, Donald lived on Lincoln Road in Lincoln, Mass., and is to be buried in Lincoln Cemetery. He told interviewers he picked the town for its excellent school system, not its name.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This article was taken from http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/19/David-Donald-historian-of-Lincoln-dies/UPI-11651242763148/

David Herbert Donald (1920-2009) wrote or edited almost twenty books, most of them about the Civil War Era. His book "Lincoln" (1995) was on the New York Times bestseller list for fourteen weeks and won numerous awards. He was twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize in biography, for "Charles Sumner and the Coming of the Civil War" (1960) and "Look Homeward: A Life of Thomas Wolfe" (1987). His other books are "Lincoln's Herndon: A Biography" (1948), "Divided We Fought: A Pictorial History of the War, 1861-1865" (ed., 1952), "Inside Lincoln's Cabinet: The Civil War Diaries of Salmon P. Chase" (ed., 1954), "Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era" (1956), "Why the North Won the Civil War: Six Authoratative Views on the Economic, Military, Diplomatic, Social, and Political Reasons Behind the Confederacy's Defeat" (ed., 1960), "The Civil War and Reconstruction" (with J.G. Randall, 1961), "Diary of Charles Francis Adams" (edited with his wife, Aida Donald, 1964), "The Politics of Reconstruction, 1863-1867" (1965), "Charles Sumner and the Rights of Man" (1970), "Gone for a Soldier: The Civil War Memoirs of Private Alfred Bellard" (ed., 1975), "The Great Republic: A History of the American People" (with co-authors, 1977), "Liberty and Union: The Crisis of Popular Government, 1830-1890" (1978), "Charles Sumner" (1996), and "Lincoln at Home: Two Glimpses of Abraham Lincoln's Family Life" (1999). Mr. Donald was the principal historical adviser and commentator for the 1992 documentary series "Lincoln" and for the 2000 television series "A House Divided: Abraham and Mary Lincoln."

Those WalMart Bastards!

2009-05-16T15:02:00.002-04:00

God I hate Walmart. Now they want to install another pathetic store on the Wilderness battlefield ruining one of the most remarkable battlefields in American Military History.

It is important for future generations to walk the Wilderness battlefield to better understand the campaign which brought the Confederacy to her knees. This situation has left me a bitter man towards Walmart.
http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2009/05/13/wal-marts-attack-on-civil-war-battlefield-in-northern-virginia.html

Did Lincoln have Cancer

2009-05-07T16:31:00.003-04:00

Dr. John Soto may get a chance to prove his theory that Lincoln would have possibly died of cancer during his second term if he wasn't assassinated. Sotos has long theorized that Lincoln had MENIIB, a fatal cancer gene. A Civil War museum in Philidelphia possesses a strip of a pillowcase stained with Lincoln's blood. The pillow is from the Peterson House, where Lincoln lay suffering from the wounds of the assassination. The museum is called the Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library.

The museum's board of directors voted unanimously to possibly answer the question of Lincoln's mortality once and for all. Museum President Eric Schmincke says "we do not want to damage it to the point that it doesn't exist anymore." Now, the museum says it will find the right experts to extract a few delicate fibers from the pillowcase that may hold an unwritten chapter of American history.

Soto has developed some proof for his hypothesis. In his book Physical Lincoln, Soto has used photographs and other evidence that proves his theory to a point. Now he is seeking that final bit of evidence.

Here is the link to Soto's website and book.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/05/national/main4991725.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_4991725

Can I make it back?

2009-04-20T20:42:00.004-04:00

It has been 20 years since I toured the Gettysburg battlefield and for years I have been itching to return to the site. It has been a long journey but if everything works out I will return to Gettysburg this summer to tour the fields that I have seen twice in my life. I think about the battle a lot and I truly hope to walk it again. One of the places I want to visit the most is Little Round Top. I once wrote a blog about my feelings towards that rocky hill in southern Pennsylvania.

I have always felt that Little Round Top was the key to the battle at Gettysburg. Many historians feel the same way and some do not but you cannot deny the drama that surrounds the defense of that hill. Although some of that drama has been enhanced by the postwar writings of the men who fought there or books like The Killer Angels or movies like Gettysburg those twilight moments on Little Round Top were vital to the success that the Union enjoyed at Gettysburg. I will write more later but the more I think about going back the more I hav eto remember that anything can happen in life and we are all just a heartbeat away from being unemployed. This economy is awful!

Well its just hours away

2009-04-14T21:09:00.006-04:00

Its April 14th again and if your reading this then you know what that means. Tonight is the 144th Anniv. of the Lincoln Assassination. It is also the 97th Anniv. of the steamship Titantic meeting its fate during its maiden voyage. These tragedies have always stuck my interest and I wanted to acknowledge them and take a moment to honor those who were lost. God Speed!

I honored the 143rd anniv. of the Lincoln Assassination last year. Just click here to read it.

Also, if you want to learn more about the Lincoln Assassination then I suggest two books for you to read. I wrote a great blog on them and you can read that blog here.

A old warrior writes home

2009-04-13T18:50:00.003-04:00

On April 13, 1865 Brigader General Joshua Lawerence Chamberlain, the soon to be self-proclaimed saviour of Little Round Top wrote home to his sister from Appomattox Court House. Chamberlain had just witnessed the surrender of the rebel army and the eventual end of the Confederacy. In the letter Chamberlain does a great job describing the incident and honoring the vanguished foe. I really love the way that he describes the divisions of Hood and Pickett, men with whom he was very familar with. They two Confederate divisions had fought Chamberlain's men on several battlefields which included Gettysburg.

Head Quarters 3d Brigade

1st Div. 5 Army Corps

Appomattox Court House

April 13th 1865.

My dear Sae,

I am glad I was not tempted to leave the army this Spring. I would not for a fortune have missed the experiences of the last two weeks. It seems like two years, so many, + such important events have taken place, within that time. Father said in his last letter to me that "the glory of battles was over." But if he had seen some of these we have had of late, in which we captured the enemy by thousands + carried their positions by a dash, and at last at Appomattox Court House received the surrender of Genl Lee + his whole army he would think differently.

For my personal part I have had the advance every day there was any fighting—have been in five battles – two of them being entirely under my own direction and brilliantly successful—twice wounded myself—my horse shot—in the front line when the flag of truce came through from Lee—had the last shot + the last man killed, in their campaign; + yesterday was designated to receive the surrender of the arms of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. The bare mention of these facts seems like boasting, but I assure you I do not feel any of that spirit. I only rejoice that I was here + bore my part in the crowning Triumphs of the war. It was a scene worthy of a pilgrimage, yesterday, when the old "Third Brigade" of the 1st Div. was drawn up to receive the surrender of the Rebel arms. My Brigade you know consists of 9 Regts. the remnant of the old 5th Corps, veterans of thirty battles. They number about six thousand men all told- on the right was old Massachusetts with the remnants of her 9th, 18th, 22d + 32d. Then Maine, her 1st, 2d, + 20th- Michigan 1st, 4th, + 16th- Pennsylvania- with the sturdy relics of her 82d, 83d, 91st, 118th, + 155th.- with my staff + the old flag- the red maltese cross on a white field with blue border. I took post on the right at 5 a.m., + received first Maj. Gen Gordon with his corps—Stonewall Jackson's—then Longstreet's corps. with Hoods Andersons & Pickett's old Divisions—men we had faced a score of times + almost recognized by face. [Picket's] [Pickett's] splendid Div. only stacked 53 muskets + not a single stand of colors—we had so completely used them up at 5 Forks. Last came Hill's Corp.—by Divisions—Hill himself being killed.[1] We received them with the honors due to troops—at a shoulder—in silence. They came to a shoulder on passing my flag + preserved perfect order. When the head of their column reached our left, they halted face toward our line + close to it—say 4 or 5 yards-- + stacked their arms + piled their colors. Poor fellows. I pitied them from the bottom of my heart. Those arms had been well handled + flags bravely borne.

15,000 stand of arms + 72 flags were stacked before my line. I saw + conversed with nearly all the Rebel Generals, + shall have more things to tell you of by + by.

Your letter has just come. The first mail for two weeks. I thank you much. With great love to you all your aff. Lawrence

Source:

http://learn.bowdoin.edu/joshua-lawrence-chamberlain/documents/1865-04-13.html

Citation:

George J. Mitchell Department of Special Collections & Archives, Bowdoin College, Joshua L. Chamberlain Collection, M27.

A great gift

2009-04-11T14:38:00.003-04:00

An old college professor of mine contacted me via email the other day and offered me the 1953 set of "The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln." I want to thank Dr. Danziger for this gift which has found a new home in my hands. I have already delved into the works and found some classic speeches, letters and drafts of speeches that made Lincoln one of the greatest and most overlooked writers in American history.

Cool books that I want to read

2009-04-07T21:51:00.002-04:00

Two books that I need to check out this summer are

Recarving Rushmore which researches the Presidents, presidential rankings and so forth.

http://www.amazon.com/Recarving-Rushmore-Presidents-Prosperity-Independent/dp/1598130226

The other book is about Lincoln. (Big surprise!) This one is called "Summers with Lincoln"

http://www.amazon.com/Summers-Lincoln-Looking-Man-Monuments/dp/0823228959/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1

Mary Lincoln's lost brothers, brothers-in-law, etc

2009-04-01T18:00:00.001-04:00

Mary Lincoln's brother George R.C. Todd and her half-brothers Alexander Todd, David Todd, and Samuel Todd all fought in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Alexander Todd was killed at Baton Rouge.
Samuel Todd was killed in the Battle of Shiloh.
David Todd was wounded at Vicksburg.
Her half-sister Emilie Helm's husband was a Confederate general killed at Chickamauga.
The husbands of her half-sisters, Martha White and Elodie Dawson were ardent supporters of the Confederacy.

Forgotten Generals of the Civil War: Confederate General William H. C. Whiting

2009-03-28T20:35:00.003-04:00

William Henry Chase Whiting was born on March 23, 1824 and was an excellent student. He was educated in both Boston and what would later become Georgetown University. Later he graduated West Point in 1845. After graduation he joined the prestigious Army Corps of Engineers and help construct seacoast defenses in both Maryland and Florida. He later served out west for several years aiding the construction of defenses on the West Coast. By 1858 he was back east improving canels and harbors when the Civil War exploded onto the public consenice.

Just a few weeks before Fort Sumter he resigned his commission and joined the Confederate service. He was appointed chief engineer under Joseph Johnston and helped the Confederates defeat northern forces at the First Battle of Bull Run. After being promoted to brigader general in April 1861 he commanded a division at Seven Pines and led some forces under Stonewall Jackson during Jackson's famed Valley Campaign. When Union General George McCellen slowly pushed his forces to Richmond, Whiting and his men traveled by rail to reinforce newly appointed Confederate General Robert E. Lee. After fighting at Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill the Confederate high command saw that Whiting's past as an engineer was far more valuable to the Confederate cause then his leadership on the battlefield. He served the defenses at Petersburg and Wilmington and was promoted to Major General in 1864.

During the Battles at Fort Fisher he was wounded and was take prisoner. Whiting died while a prisoner of war at Fort Columbus in New York Harbor on March 10, 1865. He was buried there until his widow had his body transferred to North Carolina in 1900.

Sources:

Boatner, Mark Mayo III, The Civil War Dictionary

Interesting Blog

2009-03-18T20:21:00.001-04:00

This blog was really interesting to me. I found it while searching Civil War blogs and believe me there are so many of them. This sit has pictures of every Gettysburg monument. Really interesting stuff!!

http://www.encounteratgettysburg.com/

Interesting side note on Longstreet

2009-03-14T13:13:00.002-04:00

Actor Tom Berenger has stated that one of his favorite roles was that of General James Longstreet in the 1993 hit Gettysburg. I was never a big fan of the film because it plays too into the spirit of the Lost Cause and overplays Josh Chamberlain as the savour of Little Round Top. I always felt that Strong Vincent's role is vastly underplayed in documentaries on the subject. He gave his life to save that rocky hill. Anyway, I thought that Berenger's comment on playing Longstreet was cool.

Lincoln's Last Photo????????????????

2009-03-10T20:20:00.001-04:00

The following message related to the above photo is related to the Associated Press

This detail of a March 6, 1865 photo by Henry F. Warren, provided by the Collection Keya Morgan/LincolnImages.com, shows the White House with several figures standing in front of it. Photography collector Keya Morgan says the photo is the only known photograph of Lincoln standing in front of the White House, and the first photo ever to have been taken of a President in front of the White House. Morgan added the 6'4 to reference which figure he believes in Abraham Lincoln.
(AP Photo/Collection of Keya Morgan, LincolnImages.com)

Lincoln meets Obama via cartoon

2009-03-04T20:32:00.002-05:00

I found this today, its really funny.

Expect a forgotten generals blogger shortly. I haven't posted one in ages and all of my readers have been begging for them.

Booth "killed" four people not one

2009-02-26T19:50:00.004-05:00

As John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box on April 14, 1865 he drew his weapon and fired it into the back of Lincolns skull. But history sometimes forgets the that there were three other people sitting in the presidential box. Mary Lincoln suffered from severe depression and it is very likely that her actual death in 1883 was preceded by her actual death on April 15, 1865. When Mr. Lincoln died Mrs Lincoln may have died too. But if we include Mrs. Lincoln in the numbers we have to recall that two more people occupied the presidential box on that April evening.

After shooting Lincoln, Major Henry Rathbone stood up and attempted to subdue the presidential assassin. Booth drew a knife and stabbed Rathbone int he arm and his wife watched helplessly as Rathbone's bled. Booth escaped Rathbones grasp and eventually escaped to Virginia where he was killed on April 26. Rathbone eventually married the woman who accompied him with the Lincolns on July 11, 1867. The couple eventually produced two children and in 1882 Rathbone was appointed U.S. consul to Germany and the family moved the Hamburg, Germany. But Rathbone could not escape the memories of April 14, 1865. A friend later said "I don't think that he ever recovered from the shock of his night in President Lincoln's box, the scene always haunted his mind." On December 23, 1883 Rathbone murdered his wife Clara and their two children were saved when Clara's sister managed to take them away safely. The former major was committed to a mental institution in Germany. There he remained until his death in 1911.

Who died last? The fate of the Lincoln Conspirators

2009-02-22T20:56:00.006-05:00

What was the fate of these men? My biggest question is who died first? Who died last? Here is the accurate list.

1. John Wilkes Booth-->Booth went first, he died on April 26, 1865
2. George Atzerot, Mary Surratt, David Harold, Lewis Powell all went on July 7, 1865
3. Michael O'Laughle died on September 23, 1867 while serving his prison sentence.
4. Edmund Spangler died on February 7, 1865
5. Sam Mudd (Not proven to be directly involved in the Booth cnspiracy) died on Janurary 10, 1883
6. Sam Arnold died on September 21, 1906. He was one of only two conspirators to survive into the 20th Century.
7. John Surratt lived longer than any of the other conspirators. He died on April 21 1916.

By the way this is my 200th blog post. It only seemes like yesterday that I started this blog. Its been a great ride so far.

Franklin Pierce and the Lincoln Assassination

2009-02-20T22:07:00.004-05:00

After serving as president Franklin Pierce settled in his home state of New Hampshire. During the Civil War, President Pierce was known as a "doughface" which was a person who had southern sympathies but supported the fighting cause of the north. As a former member of the democratic party he did not support the policies of Republican President Abraham Lincoln. Publicly Pierce blamed Lincoln for causing the war and his fondness for liquer made his political situation even worse.

After Lincoln was murdered in April 14, 1865 a mob surrounded Pierce's home. To save his home he gave a impassioned speech to the crowd, urging them to disperse peacefully, and they did. Pierce died in 1869 and little has been written of him since. In 2009 the channel C-Span gathered several historians together and excluding President Obama, the station had them rank all 42 presidents. Lincoln was ranked first and Franklin Pierce was ranked 40th out of 42 presidents.

As a side note, Millard Fillmore ranked 37th out of 42 presidents.

Guess they were forgoetten.

Sources

http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/pierce/essays/biography/6

http://www.c-span.org/PresidentialSurvey/Overall-Ranking.aspx

Ignorance is bliss

2009-02-19T18:20:00.004-05:00

Two former presidents, Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce failed to properly mourn the death of our 16th President Abraham Lincoln. Despite being born in New York, President Millard Fillimore has some southern sympathies and he tended to speak out against the Lincoln Administration. Fillmore was never a big Lincoln fan. In 1861 when Lincoln was traveling to Washington by train he visited several prominant American cities. One of these stops was in Buffalo, New York which was the home of former president Millard Fillmore. At the station Fillmore coldly greeted Lincoln and just exchanged a few words with him. Then both boarded seperate carriages and Lincoln traveled to the American Hotel. Fillmore's reception can be seen disrespectful to the president-elect and this continued after Lincoln's death.

After the assassination a mob, unforgiving of Fillmore's sympathy for the South, surrounded his house and draped it in black cloth, then splashed black ink on it. For Fillmore ignorance was bliss. He ignored a nation wide mourning in which churches, schools and homes were drapped in mourning. When the Lincoln funeral train stopped in Buffalo the former president was there to greet it. Perhaps to save face pubiclly, perhaps because he finally came to his senses, our 13th President paid his final respects to our 16th President.

Sources:

http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org/inside.asp?ID=22&subjectID=2

http://www.mrlincolnandnewyork.org

Lincoln: the Ultimate American Icon/Myth

2009-02-15T15:37:00.004-05:00

W.E.B. Dubois once remarked that Lincoln was "brave enough to be inconsistent." Fredrick Douglas once said that Lincoln “began by playing Pharaoh” but “ended by playing Moses.” In 1922 H.L. Mencken remarked "Lincoln becomes the American solar myth, the chief butt of American credulity and sentimentality." He later wrote "But meanwhile the varnishers and veneerers have been busily converting Abe into a plaster saint, thus marking hum fit for adoration in the Y.M.C.A.’s. All the popular pictures of him show him in his robes of state, and wearing an expression fit for a man about to be hanged. There is, so far as I know, not a single portrait of him showing him smiling—and yet he must have cackled a good deal, first and last: who ever heard of a storyteller who didn’t? Worse, there is an obvious effort to pump all his human weaknesses out of him, an obvious effort to pump all his human weaknesses out of him, and so leave him a mere moral apparition, a sort of amalgam of John Wesley and the Holy Ghost." The point is that Lincoln has become that ultimate icon, the person that everybody American leader has to speak about, act like and so forth.

I noticed that President Obama gave a speech for the Lincoln Bicentennial in Springfield on Feb. 12. I once read that people claim that Lincoln is their representative for any and everything. For example, gay rights activists use Lincoln as an icon and claim that he was gay. Both Republicans and Democrats use Lincoln as they symbol but if Lincoln was living today he might be an Independent. Yes, the independents have used Lincoln as a symbol in the past. Insurance companies and even cleaning companies have used his name to evoke consumer confidence and reliability. Communist groups and other social groups that do not have a major voice in the majority have used Lincoln as their icon. After reading Obama's speech I was fascinated that he mentioned a few other Presidents when he said:

"Lincoln understood what Washington understood when he led farmers and craftsmen and shopkeepers to rise up against an empire. What Roosevelt understood when he lifted us from Depression, built an arsenal of democracy, created the largest middle-class in history with the GI Bill. It's what Kennedy understood when he sent us to the moon."

Notice that Obama doesn't mention Washington (A Federalist) or Reagan? The mere mention of other famous Presidential Democrats places Lincoln with them rather than at home with his fellow Republicans. Lincoln is an icon, a symbol that everyone wishes to use to justify that they are in the right. Too bad the old man couldn't speak up for himself. I wonder how he would feel about the past few presidents like Bush or Obama's big-time spending bill? Hey I can be biased but at least I mentioned presidents from both parties.

The full text of Obama's speech is here

Other sources:

H.L. Mencken's article on Lincoln is here

Great Lincoln line

2009-02-14T13:06:00.002-05:00

I found this while searching Lincoln news articles today.

As Lincoln traveled via train to Washington D.C. in 1861 his transportation made several key stops along the way. One of these was in Painesville, Ohio which is located just east of Cleveland.

"I have stepped out upon this platform that I may see you and that you may see me," President-elect Abraham Lincoln announced when his inaugural train steamed into tiny Painesville, Ohio, on a chill February morning in 1861. "And in the arrangement," he quipped to the curious crowd lining the tracks, "I have the best of the bargain." Lincoln was commenting on his "beautiful face" and Lincoln expert Harold Holtzer wrote an excellent article detailing this at the U.S. News.

Historians have given Lincoln credit for understanding the power of the photograph and using it to catapult him to elected office. Some claim that this insight goes as far back as when Lincoln was running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Despite his opinions on his own beauty he was willing to have himself photographed and so many photographs of Lincoln have been uncovered since his death that one can see the effects that the war and deaths in the family had on him from 1861 to '62 to '63 to '64 '65.

After reading the article I did not realize that author Nathaniel Hawthrone called Lincoln "the homeliest man I ever saw." Lincoln could always find humor in his "beauty". Once he quipped to a person painting his portrait "It is allowed to be ugly in this world, but not as ugly as I am." Truth be told Abraham Lincoln was no beauty, he did not possess the dapper elegence of John Kennedy or the bearing of George Washington but he was our greatest president and he will always be our greatest president.

Source:

http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/history/2009/02/13/abraham-lincoln-from-homely-to-heroic.html

Whose that man?

2009-02-13T16:29:00.003-05:00

Self-made
Emanicipator
Stepson
Martyr
Legislator
President
Jokester
Philosopher
Wrestler
Fighter
Penpal
Commander-in-Chief
Poor Kid
Home owner
Icon
Regular guy
Hero
Underdog
Yankee
Beanpole
Dreamer
Patriot
Debater
Competitor
Trooper
Lawyer
Bookworm
Railsplitter
Worrywort
Thinker
Poet
Romantic
Inventor
Naturalist
Orator
Role Model
Self-educated
believer
Go-getter
Citizen
Honest
Storyteller
Dad
Son
Boy
Animal Lover
Lottle Brither
Leader
Store Clerk
Husband

All of those maxims describe Abraham Lincoln.

Happy Birthday Father Abraham

2009-02-12T21:02:00.006-05:00

Abraham Lincoln was born 200 years ago today on Feb. 12, 1809. Personally, I could not allow this important day to pass without blogging about it. I've been recently reading the new biography of our 16th president which was published a few weeks back. To celebrate Lincoln's birthday I am writing here some interesting facts about Lincoln. I am using White's new book as my source.

On May 7, 1833 Abraham Lincoln was appointed as the postmaster of New Salem. Lincoln earned twenty-five to thirty dollars a year.

Just before Lincoln boarded a train to assume his first elected seat in 1834 he stopped by the house of Coleman Smoot. Mr. Smoot was a prosperous farmer in the New Salem region and his influence and support helped Lincoln get elected to the Illinois legislature. "did you vote for me?" Lincoln asked Smoot. Smoot told him "I did." Lincoln replied "You must loan me money to by a suitable clothing for I want to make a decent appearance in the legislature." Smoot then had to loan him two hundred dollars. Lincoln promised to pay it back, took the cash and purchased the first suit that he ever owned.

By the age of eighteen Abraham Lincoln lost both his mother and his only living sibling, as sister named Sarah.

So much has been written about Abraham Lincoln that he can be referred to as a icon or even a myth. Lincoln himself may have left us the perfect poem for our need to read about Lincoln. Lincoln was a poor mans poet and here is the statement:

"Abraham Lincoln is my nam
And with my pen I wrote the same
I wrote both hast and speed
And left it here for fools to read."

Happy Birthday Father Abraham. I am one of many fools who always wants to learn more about you.

Source:

White, Ronald C. A. Lincoln. New York: Random House, 2009.

10 little known facts about Abraham Lincoln

2009-02-10T17:12:00.003-05:00

A great link depicts the 10 things that you didn't know about Abraham Lincoln.

10 Things You Didn't Know About Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln was the first president born beyond the original 13 states
Posted February 10, 2009
1. Born in Kentucky in 1809, Abraham Lincoln was the first president born beyond the boundaries of the original 13 states.

2. Lincoln worked as a ferry operator and a flatboat pilot before entering the world of politics.

3. In 1849, Lincoln obtained Patent No. 6,469 on a device that was designed to keep boats afloat when they passed over a sandbar or entered shallow water; to this day, he is the only president to hold a patent.

4. Lincoln was the first president to sport a beard; he began to grow his beard shortly after his election in 1860, when supporters and advisers suggested that facial hair would soften his somewhat harsh appearance.

5. The Lincoln family shared the White House with several unusual pets, including two goats named Nanny and Nanko. The Lincolns also had a dog named Fido whom they left in Illinois after the presidential victory in 1860 because they were worried that the long train ride to Washington would be too difficult and frightening for him.

6. A turkey was sent to the White House for a holiday dinner in 1863, and Lincoln's son Tad pleaded that it not be executed. Lincoln issued "an order of reprieve," sparing the turkey's life.

7. Lincoln was the first president to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.

8. In 1876, a group of men tried to remove Lincoln's body from Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Ill., and hold it for a large ransom.

9. The Lincoln Bedroom was never a bedroom in Lincoln's time; it was an office where Lincoln met with cabinet members and signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The room still contains a few pieces of office furniture from Lincoln's time along with a handwritten copy of the Gettysburg Address.

10. Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks, was a distant relative of Tom Hanks, making the president and the actor fourth cousins, four times removed.

Sources:

Facts About the Presidents (H. W. Wilson Co.)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New York Post
Chicago Tribune
National Park Service
Time magazine
More News
Lincoln's Great Awakening
Lincoln's Lessons for Barack Obama

Lincoln movie and the actor who will play him

2009-02-08T16:47:00.005-05:00

Coming soon.net published a interview with actor Liam Neeson who is scheduled to play Lincoln in a Steven Spielburg directed epic. He even claimed to be an "educated" person on Lincoln's life because he claims to have read over twenty books on our 16th President. Neeson has also done his research. He claims to have read key speeches and letters and has had a complete tour of Fords Theatre which included a physical examination of many Lincoln artifacts.

"I've been there. I've been to Washington, I've held his wallet, I've said a prayer on the Bible he was inaugurated on. Still ongoing… there's an extraordinary Lincoln bicentennial committee, a place I go to in Washington. I got to know this guy Michael Bishop who's the co-chair. He gave me access to all this Lincoln stuff. I read his personal letters and stood on the stage at Ford's Theater." Liam Neeson.

This is good news. Neeson is perfect because of his easy going voice, tall/lanky figure and thin face. I cannot wait for this. Stay tuned I will continue to publish more about this upcoming film.

Abraham Lincoln and Captain Kirk? "Lincolns" appearance on Star Trek

2009-02-02T20:07:00.009-05:00

It is rare that a fictional tv series is able to capture the full hearted feelings of a important historical personality. The original Star Trek tv show was able to capture the essence of Abraham Lincoln on one of its episodes. I have been a Star Trek fan since 1986 and have enjoyed the show from Kirk to Picard.....sorry I am not a fan of Deep Space Nine, Voyager or Enterprise (the other three Star Trek tv series).

During the original Star Trek third season Lincoln made an appearence in the episode "The Savage Curtain" which first aired on tv on March 7, 1969. In the show Captain James T. Kirk (played by William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (played by Lenard Nimoy) are forced to fight alongside such historical figures as Abraham Lincoln of Earth and Surak of Vulcan by aliens who want to understand the concepts of "good" and "evil." The Enterprise is surprised to detect life signs coming from an apparently lifeless planet. During the ensuing investigation, an image of Abraham Lincoln appears on the viewscreen.

"Captain’s log, stardate 5906.4. Who or what has been beamed aboard our vessel? An alien who has changed himself into this form? An illusion? I cannot conceive it possible that Abraham Lincoln could have actually been reincarnated. And yet his kindness, his gentle wisdom, his humor, everything about him is so right."
Lincoln makes a brief tour of the ship, then invites Kirk and Spock to beam down to a thousand-kilometer Earth-like region that suddenly appears on the sensors. Kirk seems all too ready to admire the "illusion," whereas McCoy and Scotty insist that the whole affair is a setup to lure Kirk and Spock to their deaths on the planet's deadly surface. Kirk and Spock accept the invitation, and discover themselves locked in a mortal combat of good versus evil, with the good represented by themselves, Lincoln, and Surak (the legendary Vulcan philosophical leader), and evil represented by four archetypes, including Kahless, founder of the Klingon Empire; Zora of Tiburon; ancient human conqueror Genghis Khan, and the charismatic but thoroughly despicable 21st century tyrant Colonel Green. The planet's denizens reveal themselves to be a race of rock-like beings, the Excalbians, who often stage such combats to learn more about alien philosophies. Since Kirk refuses to fight, the aliens raise the stakes by damaging the Enterprise's matter/antimatter equipment, which will cause the ship to "blow to bits" in four hours – unless the "good" side manages to defeat their opponents.

"Supplemental log, stardate 5906.5. Engineer Scott reporting. The Enterprise is doomed to explode in two hours if Captain Kirk is defeated by the enemy on the surface of the planet. The enormous power of the Enterprise has been neutralized and we sit here watching, unable to assist."
Of course, Kirk and Spock prevail, and are allowed to beam back to a miraculously repaired Enterprise.

During the episode, Lincoln (played by actor Lee Bergere) did an excellent job playing Abraham Lincoln. He even has a mole on his right cheek just like Lincoln did although it is really makeup. One of his best lines in "The Savage Curtain" is a comment that he makes to Captain Kirk. Here it is:

"We fight on their level.
With trickery, brutality, finality.
We match their evil.
I know, James. I was reputed to be a gentle man.
But I was commander in chief...
during the four bloodiest years of my country's history.
I gave orders that sent...
a hundred thousand men to their death...
at the hands of their brothers."

To me that is something that Abraham Lincoln would say but it has been wrongly attributed to the real Lincoln.

Another exchange that is interesting is Lincoln's brief conversation with Lt. Uhura. For those people who are not Star Trek fans, Lt. Uhura is played by actresses Nichelle Nichols who is African-American.

Uhura: Excuse me, Captain Kirk. -

Kirk: Yes, Lieutenant.

Lincoln: What a charming Negress. Oh, forgive me, my dear. I know in my time some used that term as a description of property.

Uhura: But why should I object to that term, sir? In our century, we've learned not to fear words.

Kirk: May I present our communications officer, Lieutenant Uhura.

Lincoln: The foolishness of my century...had me apologizing where no offense was given.

Another fun exchange occurs later in the episode. During the "good" and "evil" battle, Spock's hero is captured by the enemy and Lincoln volunteers to save him. To do this Lincoln must secretly enter the enemy camp and rescue Surak (Spock's hero). Kirk refuses to let Lincoln go. Here is the exchange.

Lincoln: James, James. Remember, I was something of a backwoodsman. I doubt that you could do what I was bred to.

Kirk: I can't let you risk it, Mr. President.

Spock: I am no longer president.

Lincoln is killed in the attempt and once again he is sacrificed for the good of others.

"The Savage Curtain" is a great episode and being a fan of Abrham Lincoln makes this episode even better! It is highly recommended to any buff even if Star Trek isn't their thing. Check it out, you might be surprised. Also, check out these pics, this is a great representation of President Lincoln. Lincoln is Kirk's hero and Shatner does a great job connecting the two characters. Expressing sadness over the death of Lincoln.

Kirk: They seemed so real. And to me, especially Mr. Lincoln. I feel I actually met Lincoln.

Spock: Yes, and Surak. Perhaps in a sense they were real, Captain. Since they were created out of our own thoughts,how could they be anything but what we expected them to be?

Kirk: It was so hard for me to see him die again. I feel I understand what Earth... must have gone through to achieve final peace.

Its great stuff, if you get a chance then check it out.

The fictional Abraham Lincoln on the original Star Trek tv series

Sources:

http://www.voyager.cz/tos/epizody/78savagecurtaintrans.htm

http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/The_Savage_Curtain_(episode)

New Lincoln Stamps

2009-01-24T16:48:00.006-05:00

New Lincoln stamps will be introduced on Feb 9. Here is a pic of them. I have to get a copy of them. Of course these are for the Lincoln Bicentential.

Obama

2009-01-20T17:50:00.004-05:00

I don't think that this blog could exist if I did not speak on todays events in Washington D.C. I don't think that Hollywood could have written a better script for Barack Hussein Obama II. If you would have told me one year ago that the first African-American president is brought into office just one month away from the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln & the day after Dr. Martin Luther King Day I would have called you crazy. What a script for our new president.

Now that this ceremony is out of the way, President Obama can work towards uniting our nation and hopefully aiding this economy which is slowly failing before our very eyes. However, I was not impressed with his speech and since I enjoy the inugual addresses I have speak about it. I noticed a few Lincoln moments in Obama's inugual address that I will point out here but before I get to that I recently read a quote that stated that every politican has to "get right with Lincoln" because it seems like "Father Abraham's" shadow covers every president who has ever taken office.

Here are a few interesting quotes from the Obama address which are followed by my comments.

The first line of his speech read as follows and echoes Lincoln.

"I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors."

This one has nothing to do with Lincoln but I find it funny. Obama needs to check up on his presidential history.

"Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath." This is untrue. 43 American have offically taken the presidential oath. Grover Cleveland is counted twice because he was elected to two non-consecutive terms. Therefore, there have been 44 administrations but only 43 men have taken the oath. Therefore, President Obama needs to subtract one person.

I did enjoy his reference to the great heros of our military and he highlighted several battles which cross all eras and time periods.

"For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn."

He sounded like President Franklin Roosevelt when he stated:

"Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

I thought of Ronald Reagan when Obama said:

"Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."

A little Harry Truman appeared in this quote:

"On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord."

Lets face it, he has four years, lets give him our support and see if he will complete the process of "in reaffirming the greatness of our nation."

Conspiracy??

2009-01-12T21:12:00.004-05:00

People have tried to prove that a wider conspiracy existed in 1865 to murder Abraham Lincoln. The most famous "conspiracy" is the murder of President Kennedy in 1963. Both of these murders have hundreds of books, articles and information out there for researchers to read and history buffs to debate about. Historian Henry Steele Commager and historian William Manchester wrote some interesting information about the Kennedy assassination which directly relates to the death of Abraham Lincoln.

Commager wrote "I do think that there has come up in recent years...something that might be explained by ordinary processes...We are on the road to a paranoid explanation of things...The conspiracy theory, the conspiracy mentality, will not accept ordinary evidence...There's some psychological requirement that forces them to reject the ordinary, and find refuge in the extraordinary." It is hard to accept that Lincoln's conspiracy was led by a actor who built a group of "loser" conspirators. Its hard to accept that a low-life like Lee Harvey Oswald decided to shoot Kennedy at the last minute and carried out the process all by himself.

Perhaps William Manchester did a better job describing it better when he wrote (and you could substitute the information about the Lincoln assassination here) "Those who desperately want to believe that President Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy have my sympathy. I share their yearning. to employ what may seem like an off metaphor, there is an esthetic principle here. If you put six million dead Jews on one side of a scale and on the other side put the Nazi regime---the greatest gang of criminals ever to seize control of a modern state---you have a rough balance: greatest crime, greatest criminals. But if you put the murdered President of the United States on one side of a scale and that wretched waif Oswald on the other side, it doesn't balance. You want to add something weightier to Oswald. It would invest the President's death with meaning, endowing him with martyrdom. He would have died for something.

A conspiracy would, of course do the job nicely."

I feel that Machesters statement says it all.

Sources:

Kauffman, Michael W. American Brutus : John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2005.

Posner, Gerald. Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK. New York: Random House, 1993.

General Porter and a Revolutionary War hero

2009-01-11T17:26:00.003-05:00

On of the more interesting post-Civil War stories concerns a Revolutionary War naval hero and a Civil War officer who viewed this navy man as his personal hero. General Horace Porter was born in 1837 and during the American Civil War he rose to the rank of brigadier general. He received the Medal of Honor at the Battle of Chickamauga. In the last year of the war, he served on the staff of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, writing a lively memoir of the experience. Porter believed that honoring the dead was very important. When General Grant was buried it was Porter who supervised the construction of his tomb. After the tombs completion in 1897, he served as President McKinley's Ambassador to France and during his stay in Paris he recovered an American heros remains.

This Revolutionary War hero was John Paul Jones. During that time he became the father of the American Navy and he might have said the most famous words in American Naval history. After the war the American government disbanded the American Navy and this left Jones without a job. But Jones was able to find work with the Russian Navy and served unde Catherine the Great from 1788-1789. He eventually moved to France where he considered a position in the French navy but it was during this time that the French Revolution started. The French government was prepared to offer Jones a important position and toasted him as the "coming admiral of France." Jones never served as a French officer because he died in July of 1792, just three days after the fall of the Bastille which sparked the French Revolution. Since Jones was a Protestant he was buried in a cemetery designated for that use: The St. Louis cemetery. This was at the southwest corner of the intersection of Rue Grange-aux-Belles and Rue de Écluses Saint Martin in Paris. It was officially closed in January 1793 and later sold by the government. There Jones rested for over 100 years.

While in Paris, Horace Porter took it upon himself to find the remains of John Paul Jones. Throughout his life he had heard of the legend that location of Jones remains were unknown. After countless hours of research, Porter was able to find the location of the old cemetery which contained the remains of John Paul Jones. However, the cemetery had desecrated and recently built upon. Porter did have one thing working for him. When the French government buried John Paul Jones, they used a lead coffin which would protect Jones remains from the elements. If Porter could located the coffin then the remains might be identifiable. In 1905 Porter began to excavate the old cemetery and by February of 1905 Porters men had built a labyrinth of tunnels. Eventually the group uncovered two lead coffins but both had intact nameplates which clearly identified their contents. Neither of these were John Paul Jones. On March 31, 1905 a third lead coffin was uncovered but no nameplate could be located.

When the coffin was opened it contained remains that were clearly identified as John Paul Jones. Fortunately for Porter a bust had been made during Jones lifetime and the group used its measurements to make sure that the body was John Paul Jones. Several experts were brought in to confirm the findings and one of them stated "Without forgetting that doubt is the first quality of all investigators and that the most extreme circumspection should be observed in such matters, I am obliged to conclude that all the observations which I have been able to make plead in favor of the following opinion: The body examined is that of Admiral John Paul Jones."

Even with the physical measurements of the face and body in hand there were several people who did not believe that Jones had been found. Plans were made to give the body a proper burial in the United States and the government wanted to make sure that the body's identity was correct. Using Jones military records a autoposy was performed on the body and since the corpse had no wounds, had suffered from pneumonia which was clearly a result of his experiences as a member of the Russian navy. Furthermore, the kidneys presented clear evidence of interstitial nephritis, commonly called "Bright’s disease." This agrees completely with the with 1792 diagnosis of dropsy. John Paul Jones died of dropsy.

Now that his remains were clearly identified John Paul Jones recieved a proper burial. His body was transported to the United States in a special oak coffin. The body was stored while plans were made to give an American hero the burial that he never recieved. The 24th of April 1906 was chosen for the formal commemorative exercises in honor of John Paul Jones by President Roosevelt because it was the anniversary of Jones’s famous capture of the British Ship of War, Drake, off Carrickfergus, in 1778. This date occurred during the session of Congress, the academic year of the Naval Academy and the convention of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Special trains were arranged for the Presidential and Congressional parties and the regular train service was increased from New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington to Annapolis.

President Roosevelt, French Ambassador Jusserand, Horace Porter and Governor Warfield of Maryland were the main speakers. Navy Chaplain Clark closed the exercise with a prayer.

The casket was left in charge of the Academy until it was transferred to crypt in the Naval Academy Chapel. Unfortately Jones travels did not end here. Money had to be raised for his burial. It was seven years later that Jones was finally placed in a ornate crypt below the Annapolis chapel. There his body has remeined for nearly one hundred years.

General Porter died in 1921 and unlike General Grant or Admiral Jones he did not recieve a ornate coffin or a special burial. His remains are in the Old First Methodist Church Cemetery, West Long Branch, New Jersey, Section C, Lot 44. A plain headstone marks his grave.

Sources:

Horace Porter, "The Recovery of the Body of John Paul Jones," The Century Magazine, October 1905.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horace_Porter

http://www.southcoastsar.org/Rcvry_JPJ.htm

One further comparision between Oswald and Booth

2009-01-10T14:23:00.005-05:00

I forgot to add that both men were under six feet tall.

Booth was listed at 5'8 and Oswald was listed at 5'9 1/2.

Ironcally, both Kennedy and Lincoln were over six feet tall.

Kennedy was 6'1 and Lincoln was 6'4.

Did I add that both were shot in the early 1960's??? That is another similiarity between the two men. Crazy isn't it???

Americas Forgotten Son: Abraham Lincoln Jr.

2009-01-03T20:49:00.004-05:00

Do you know who is in the above image????????????????????????

Few people know that President Abraham Lincoln had a grandson who could have carried on his lineage. President Lincoln had four sons and only one son survived until adulthood and he was the oldest child. Robert Todd Lincoln was born in 1843 and after attending Harvard he served in General Grants staff as the Civil War drew to its final curtain. He was present at Appomattox when the Army of Northern Virginia surrendered. He also stood at his fathers bedside when President Lincoln breathed his last.

After the war Robert got married (in 1868) and both he and his wife had three children between 1869-1875. The oldest and the youngest children were girls but the middle child was a boy born in 1873. They christened their child Abraham Lincoln II but nicknamed him "Jack" to avoid any confusion with the childs famous grandfather. It was later said that Jacks personality was very similar to his grandfathers. Jack loved to ride bicycles and he maintained a rock collection. When he was sixteen Jack was living with his father in London because Robert Lincoln was serving as the United States Minister to Great Britain. Jack was about to take entrance exams to Harvard when he contracted blood poisoning and despite two surgeries his life could not be spared. In 1890 the only grandson of Abraham Lincoln died and his name would not live on via a direct descendant. When Robert wrote of his son's death he stated "An so my coal is quenched both Mr. Lincoln's and mine." With that "joke" aside, Robert later added "I did not realized until he was gone how deeply mt thoughts of the future were in him." Robert Lincoln joined his son in death in 1926.

Jack was originally buried with his grandfather in Springfield but after Robert's death the only surviving son of the 16th President was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Jack's remains were removed from the Lincoln tomb in 1930 and he is buried there with his father. Jack's eldest sister, Mary Lincoln lived until 1938. Their sister Jesse Lincoln lived until 1848. Jesse's son, Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith was born in 1904 and since he was the great-grandson og President Abraham Lincoln he would be Lincoln's longest living direct descendant. Robert Todd Lincoln Beckwith died in 1985 and he had no children. With no other direct heirs the direct bloodline to President Lincoln is forever lost and that all started in London, England in 1890 when Abraham Lincoln II died from blood poisoning.

John Wilkes and Lee Harvey

2009-01-02T17:20:00.008-05:00

After reading A.P. Hill I decided to move away from the Civil War for a short spell and consume the book Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK by Gerald Posner. Learning more about Lee Harvey Oswald could destroy or at least impair some of the conspiracy theories that were out there. But one interesting comparison between John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald is their relationship with their mother. Both Booth and Oswald were "Mommas Boys".

By the time that he was in high school Lee Harvey Oswald had moved 21 times and he had attended ten different school systems. Oswald was spoiled by his mother and even ordered her around. Once he arrived home from school and was witnessed by another family member ordering his mother to "fix his dinner." Such demands were common for Oswald who was not a people person. A classmate once heard him say "I dislike everybody." Another incident occur ed when people observed Oswald punching his mother in the face after some people that they were living with asked him to turn down the television volume. His mother excused his attack and doted on her son all the time and never thought that her youngest child could do anything wrong. She even had him sleep in the same bed with her until Oswald was eleven years old. Even after Oswald killed JFK she was heard to say "My son did more for his country than any other." Oswald's mother was always in denial.

John Wilkes Booth was in a similar motherly situation as Oswald. Booth was his mothers darling and even prior to murdering Lincoln, Booth wrote a separate letter to his mother which explained his actions. "Heaven knows how dearly I love you." Booth wrote his mother. He even avoided service in the Confederate army and explained his inability to join the rebel army was due to his mother and his desire to spare her any grief. Even his final words on this Earth were directed towards his mother and this reinforces the "Mommas boy" theme. "Tell my mother that I died for my country" Booth stated as he lay dying. Even his final thoughts were directed towards his "mommy". Family members later stated that John Wilkes Booth was his mothers favorite child.

Other similarities between the two men include:

1. Both assassins spent their last days living alone in one room. Booth in a hotel and Oswald in a rooming house.

2. Booth and Oswald were both killed by a single pistol shot.

3. Both shot their Presidents on a Friday. The kill shot was a single bullet to the right side of the head, from behind.

4. Both received poor educations. Booth rarely attended school and Oswald possessed a very low IQ.

5. Booth had brother named Junius. He was known to the family as June. Oswald had a daughter named June.

6. Both men were accidentally shot during their lifetimes and prior to the assassinations.

7. This one is a classic: Booth ran from a theater and was caught in a tobacco warehouse. Oswald ran from a schoolbook warehouse and was caught in a theater.

8. Both men were southerners.

9. Both men had fifteen letters in their names.

10. Both men are referred to by historians by all three of their names (first, middle and last).

11. Both had middle names that were derived from an ancestor.

12. Neither man stood trial or answered for murdering their presidents.

13. Both men lost their fathers when they were young. They were survived by their mothers.

14. Oswald and Booth were both arrested prior to their crimes. Booth was arrested in St. Louis for speaking out against the Federal government which was a crime during the Civil War. Oswald was involved in a communist street fight in New Orleans. Both men were briefly detained and then released.

15. Both men believed in and fought for the major issue of their times. In Booths time it was slavery and for Oswald it was communism. They both wrote speeches about these issue s but never delivered them publicly. The speeches also had tons of spelling errors and were considered rough drafts.

16. Perhaps the most erriely similarity was that both were born in the year '39! Booth was born in 1839 and Oswald was born in 1939.

17. Both me were under 6 feet tall. Oswald was 5'9 1/2 and John Wilkes Booth was listed at 5'8.

18. Both men murdered men who were taller them them and over six feet tall. Kennedy was 6'1 and Lincoln was our tallest President at 6'4.

19. Both men shot their presidents during a decade whose last two digits were 60.

Sources:

Kauffman, Michael W. American Brutus : John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies. New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2005.

Posner, Gerald. Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK. New York: Random House, 1993.

Reading Robertson's "A.P. Hill"

2008-12-29T19:19:00.003-05:00

I am just about to finish James Robertson's General A.P. Hill: The story of a Confederate Warrior and I am really excited about finished it. It is a wonderful book about a man who only has one other major biography about him. Known for his red battle shirt and his hard-hitting attacks at the head of the famed Light Division, Ambrose P. Hill proved to be an example of the Peter principle.

Biography:

Hill was a West Pointer (1847) and veteran artilleryman, he resigned as a first lieutenant on March 1, 1861, and joined the South, where his services included: colonel, 13th Virginia (spring 1861); brigadier general, CSA (February 26, 1862); commanding brigade, Longstreet's Division, Department of Northern Virginia (ca. February 26 - May 27, 1862); major general, CSA (May 26, 1862); commanding Light Division (in lst Corps from June 29 and 2nd Corps from July 27, 1862), Army of Northern Virginia (May 27, 1862 - May 2, 1863); commanding 2nd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (May 2 and 6-30, 1863); lieutenant general, CSA (May 24, 1863); and commanding 3rd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia (May 30, 1863-May 7, 1864 and May 21, 1864-April 2, 1865).
In reserve at lst Bull Run, he fought at Yorktown and Williamsburg before being given command of a division. On the day he assumed command he directed the fight at Hanover Court House. He then took part in the Seven Days, distinguishing himself. After fighting at Cedar Mountain, 2nd Bull Run, and the capture of Harpers Ferry, he launched powerful counterattacks at the right moment at both Antietam and Fredericksburg. At Chancellorsville he was on Jackson's famed march around the Union right flank. When Jackson was wounded, Hill took command of the corps but was wounded carrying out his chief's orders to "press right in." At the end of the month he was given command of the new 3rd Corps, which he led to Gettysburg where, suffering from a now unidentifiable illness, he put in a lackluster performance.
He was responsible for the disaster at Bristoe Station that fall and, again ill, was virtually circumvented at the Wilderness when Lee in effect took over command of the corps. He relinquished command temporarily after the battle and missed Spotsylvania but returned for the North Anna and Cold Harbor. Taking part in the siege of Petersburg, he was again ill during part of the winter of 186465. With the lines around the city collapsing on April 2, 1865, he was shot and killed in an encounter with a stray group of federal soldiers.
Interestingly enough, both Stonewall Jackson and Lee called for Hill and his division in their dying delirium. It must have been the old Hill they were recalling. (Hassler, William W., A.P. Hill: Lee's Forgotten General and Schenck, Martin, Up Came Hill.- The Story of the Light Division and of its Leaders)

One of the best quotes that I found in this book was Hill's letter to fellow COnfederate General Wade Hampton. It was the latter part of 1864 and Hampton's son was just killed defending the city of Petersburg, Virginia. Hill's letter to his friend Hampton fully expresses his grief over his friends recent loss. Moreover, his letter expresses the feelings that many of us has felt when a friend or a spouse has lost someone who might not have been close to us. Read on and enjoy it!

"October 28, 1864

My Dear General

I take the liberty of writing to you, to express my deep sympathy with you in the end of your nible boy, and my earnest desire, were such a thing possible, to alleviate your grief. Any assistance which I can give you in forwarding your wishes in any way, please do not hestatie to call upon me. With great sympathy, being truly your friend.

A.P. Hill"

Sources: Who Was Who In The Civil War by Stewart Sifakis & General A.P. Hill: The story of a Confederate Warrior by James I. Robertson Jr.

Who should I promote? Robert E. Lee after the death of Thomas J. Jackson

2008-12-14T13:54:00.007-05:00

After Stonewall Jackson was killed the Confederate high command had an important decision ot make. The Army of Northern Virginia had entered a state of change after the beloved commander of the Second Corps met his end by a volley fired by his own troops. Lee had six eligiable candiates to replace Jackson and if you look at the list you could form a second army around these guys.

Richard Ewell-->Served with distinction with Jackson in the Valley and the Second Bull Run campaign where he was wounded.

A.P. Hill-->Lee called him his best division commander. This was very difficult for anyone to argue because Hill's division saved the Confederate right at Sharpsburg and despite a questionable performance at Fredricksburg, Hill's division possessed one of the best fighting forces in America. This was due to the strength of Hill as a commander.

John Bell Hood-->Next to Hill he was argulably Lee's best division commander. Hood had smashed the Union line at Gaines Mill and saved the Confederate left at Sharpsburg in 1862.

Richard H. Anderson-->Had one of the best resumes of any of the six commanders. He served with distinction during the Seven Days Campaign, Antietam and Second Bull Run. Anderson also was a very humble man like R.E. Lee.

Lafayette McLaws-->Another division commander and like Hood he served with skill under the commands of James Longstreet and Jackson. Like Hill he fought in every single battle that the Army of Northern Virginia had ever seen.

Jackson died on May 10, 1863 and by May 23rd the gray-bearded Lee had made his decision. He would divide his army into three corps instead of the two that had previously existed. This would make it easier for Lee and his corps commanders to dictate orders and fight battles. Longstreet would remain in command of the First Corps. As successor to Jackson, General Lee decided that Richard Ewell would become the new commander of the Second Corps.

Meanwhile the command of the newly minted Third Corps would fall to A.P. Hill. Many in the army critisized the decision and stated that the army's commander picked Hill because he was a Virginian. Years later Jefferson Davis would put this theory to rest in his memorirs by stating "There had been complaints in certain quarters that Virginia was getting more her fair share of the promotions. But the truth is that A.P. Hill was clearly entitled to the place, both ont he account of his ability as a soldier and the meritorious services he had rendered, that General Lee did not hestiate to to recommend him, and I did not hestiate to make the appointment."

Source:

Robertson, James I. General A. P. Hill : The Story of a Confederate Warrior. New York: Random House, 1987.

Forgotten Battles of the Civil War: The Battle of Sheperdstown, September 19-20, 1862

2008-12-06T16:40:00.005-05:00

It has been quite a while since I published a Forgotten Battle of the Civil War. But I am back now and today's episode will focus on the Battle of Sheperdstown.

After Lee's "defeat" at Sharpsburg both he and the Army of Northern Virginia retreated across the Potomac at Shepherdstown. Covering the Confederate retreat was Lee's chief of artillery General William Pendleton. General Pendleton set up 44cannon on a bluff overlooking the Potomac River. It was Pendleton's job to make sure that the Union army did not prance upon Lee's retreating troops. Two small brigades of infantry helped protect Pendleton's guns as the Confederates waded the river and by daybreak almost the entire army was across. On September 19th Union caverly and the 5th Army Corps under General Fitz John Porter sent the First U.S. Sharpshooters and one company of the 5th New York Infantry forward. They used the dry trench of the C & O Canal as cover and began to pick off Confederate gunners on the far side of the river. Some Union artillery shells crashed into Shepherdstown itself, causing confusion and chaos among the townspeople and wounded rebels left there.

As Union fire intensfied General Pendleton spread his troops thing so all of his guns could be protected. Just before dark General Porter ordered 500 men to attack and the Confederate infantry was forced back. Pendleton managed to pull out most of his guns but four pieces fell under Union control. Porter pulled the captured guns and his troops back to the Northern side of the Potomac River. As for the Confederates Pendleton mistakenly reported to Lee that Union forces were in Virginia and had captured the entire reserve artillery. Lee and Jackson reacted by ordering A. P. Hill's and Jubal Early's Divisions to stop their withdrawal, turn, and drive the pursuers back into Maryland.

The following day, General Porter ordered two brigades to cross the Potomac and clear out any rebel forces that were in the area. Waiting for them were the troops under Early and Hill. With the Confederates advancing in force, Porter ordered his troops to retreat and he ordered his artillery to cover the "retreat" with a heavy artillery barrage. Colonel Charles M. Prevost, commanding the newly formed 118th Pennsylvania Infantry refused to retreat and Hill's Confederates slammed into the Pennsylvanians as they formed near the edge of the Potomac. Prevost's men quickly attempted to return fire but many of them had defective guns and scores of his men dropped their ineffective weapons in disgust and dashed across the Potomac. Colonel Prevost was wounded trying to steady his men, other officers led a bayonet charge which was smashed, and the regiment broke apart. Some tried to escape by climbing down the bluffs under Confederate fire, and many died as they fell to the rocks below. Others picked their way past the old cement mill, ran across the slippery dam, or waded across at the ford. Of the 700 men in the 118th who crossed the river that morning, only 431 came back across.

The battle proved to Union commander George B. McCellan that pursing Lee after Antietam (Sharpsburg) would only cause more problems for him because Lee's army still had some fight in it. He hestiated and this delay eventually would cause President Abraham Lincoln to remove him as the commander of the Army of the Potomac on November 7. The Battle of Shepherdstown ended the Maryland Campaign, Lee's first invasion of the North.

JFK, the Gettysburg Address, my birthday and Stonewall Jackson

2008-11-23T15:08:00.006-05:00

Tommorrow is my birthday so Happy Birthday to me. Yesterday was the 45th anniverisary of JFK's murder so "Happy John F. Kennedy Assassination Day". November 19was 145th anniversary of Gettysburg Address so Happy belated Gettysburg Address day. I love November!!

Anyway, I wanted to share a famous quote to my readers because it is good to revisit things like this. After the Battle of First Bull Run General Thomas J. Jackson made sure to give credit where credit was due which foreshadowed his ability to give his men the credit fo any of his victories. Jackson wrote in his battle report:

"My preservation was entirely due, as was the glorious victory, to our God, to whom be all the honor, praise and glory. The battle was the hardest that I have ever been in, but not near so hot in its fire. I commanded the centre more particularly, though one of my regiments extended to the right for some distance. There were other commanders on my right and left. Whilst great credit is due to other parts of our gallant army, God made my brigade more instrumental than any other in repulsing the main attack. This is for your information only, say nothing about it. Let others speak praise, not myself."

Interesting views of Lincoln's murder

2008-11-17T19:26:00.002-05:00

Two "dummies"

Interesting painting

Book Review #10: Lincoln Murder Conspiracies by William Hanchett

2008-11-15T21:04:00.006-05:00

There have been hundreds of books written about Lincoln's assassination. The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies by William Hanchett is one of the better additions to the Lincoln assassination library. The goal of his book is to explore the many different murder plots that could have brought an end to our 16th President's life. Did Booth act alone? Was Booth a pawn in a murder conspiracy? Was the Confederate government involved? Did Jeff Davis plot to murder Lincoln?

Hanchett does a good job exploring each of these by not only spending time on each question but he also explores every major work on the Lincoln murder from 1865-1982. He explores how Booth is portrayed by different authors and how Edwin Stanton has been falsely vilified as a Lincoln conspirator. The book is a bit dated (1983) but still holds its own and is highly recommended to anyone interest in the Lincoln assassination. Ironically, the book is only the second Lincoln assassination book written by a professional historian. Since that time the assassination has recieved plenty of attention by historians. Recently, Edward Steers and Michael Kaufman have written two books that are the "bibles" of the Lincoln assassination but Hanchett's book still holds its own after 25 years.

Dr. William Hanchett's closing sentences in The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies are as follows: "Lincoln would not have enjoyed the extravagant and pseudoreligious praise being offered in his name by so many Americans. Possibly he would have been reminded of some anecdote by which to deflate the absurdities of such exaggerations. But one suspects that if he could learn of the slush written about the suggested involvement of his secretary of war in his own death he would simply become angry." An interesting assessment.

Lincoln and Obama

2008-11-07T11:02:00.008-05:00

Would Abraham Lincoln have supported the presidency of Obama? It is difficult to say but Lincoln has been misquoted as saying the following:

"You cannot bring prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further brotherhood of men by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves"

I was brought up to believe that Lincoln said these words but according to several webpages and several books that I have read then I have learned that this might not be the case. If it was true than one could say that perhaps Lincoln would not have supported Obama but then again he believed that man should rise as far as talent could take them and since Obama did that in the 2008 election than he might have actually supported our new president. In the end Lincoln is dead and we may never know how he would have felt because he might have went with the "party-line" and John McCain.

Regardless of how you voted on Tuesday, Obama has a tough task remaining before him and if he is able to get the United States out of this crisis then he will have a bigger victory in 2012. He has a lot on his shoulders so maybe the comparison between Lincoln and Obama holds some water because when Abe was elected he faced a major crisis too. Even Ken Burns agrees with this assessment. I did a quick internet search and not to my surprise I learned that Burns had supported John Kerry and Al Gore during the 2004 and 2000 elections. He also compared Obama to Lincoln because Obama and Lincoln did not have enough experience when they were elected. Burns noted that Lincoln had come into the White House with much less Washington experience than other leading politicians of the 1850s. With the country in such a perilous state at the time, he said, one might have thought it needed an "old pro" like William Seward, when in fact, Burns said, "what the country really needed was a wiry, relatively inexperienced" person, Abe Lincoln. In this regard, he argued, history may be repeating itself.

Obama did pull out all the stops when he used quotes from Lincoln's first inugural speech during his own acceptence speech. They are of course some of my favorite Lincoln quotes. Obama said:

"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection...The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." Almost 150 years after Lincoln, Barack Obama is also summoning us to heed the angels of our better nature. Will we heed them?

I am not a Obama supporter but he did state during his acceptence speech that "And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too." Good luck President Obama, you got a lot of work to do and a lot of healing to do. This country is divided and needs a leader. Good luck.

Source: http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/cannot.htm

Ronald's Farewell

2008-11-05T21:18:00.005-05:00

In the wake of the worst defeat in Republican Poltical history I cannot help but look back on the greatest President of our age. This is a true president. God Bless America and God Bless Ronald Reagan.

Farewell Address to the Nation
Oval Office
January 11, 1989

This was President Reagan's formal goodbye to the nation after the completion of two terms in office. Over the next four years I will miss Ronnie!

"This is the 34th time I'll speak to you from the Oval Office and the last. We've been together eight years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. But before I do, I wanted to share some thoughts, some of which I've been saving for a long time.

It's been the honor of my life to be your president. So many of you have written the past few weeks to say thanks, but I could say as much to you. Nancy and I are grateful for the opportunity you gave us to serve.

One of the things about the presidency is that you're always somewhat apart. You spend a lot of time going by too fast in a car someone else is driving, and seeing the people through tinted glass--the parents holding up a child, and the wave you saw too late and couldn't return. And so many times I wanted to stop and reach out from behind the glass, and connect. Well, maybe I can do a little of that tonight.

People ask how I feel about leaving. And the fact is, "parting is such sweet sorrow." The sweet part is California, and the ranch and freedom. The sorrow--the goodbyes, of course, and leaving this beautiful place.

You know, down the hall and up the stairs from this office is the part of the White House where the president and his family live. There are a few favorite windows I have up there that I like to stand and look out of early in the morning. The view is over the grounds here to the Washington Monument, and then the Mall and the Jefferson Memorial. But on mornings when the humidity is low, you can see past the Jefferson to the river, the Potomac, and the Virginia shore. Someone said that's the view Lincoln had when he saw the smoke rising from the Battle of Bull Run. I see more prosaic things: the grass on the banks, the morning traffic as people make their way to work, now and then a sailboat on the river.

I've been thinking a bit at that window. I've been reflecting on what the past eight years have meant and mean. And the image that comes to mind like a refrain is a nautical one--a small story about a big ship, and a refugee and a sailor. It was back in the early '80s, at the height of the boat people. And the sailor was hard at work on the carrier Midway, which was patrolling the South China Sea. The sailor, like most American servicemen, was young, smart, and fiercely observant. The crew spied on the horizon a leaky little boat. And crammed inside were refugees from Indochina hoping to get to America. The Midway sent a small launch to bring them to the ship and safety. As the refugees made their way through the choppy seas, one spied the sailor on deck and stood up and called out to him. He yelled, "Hello, American sailor. Hello, freedom man."

A small moment with a big meaning, a moment the sailor, who wrote it in a letter, couldn't get out of his mind. And when I saw it, neither could I. Because that's what it was to be an American in the 1980s. We stood, again, for freedom. I know we always have, but in the past few years the world again, and in a way, we ourselves rediscovered it.

It's been quite a journey this decade, and we held together through some stormy seas. And at the end, together, we are reaching our destination.

The fact is, from Grenada to the Washington and Moscow summits, from the recession of '81 to '82, to the expansion that began in late '82 and continues to this day, we've made a difference. The way I see it, there were two great triumphs, two things that I'm proudest of. One is the economic recovery, in which the people of America created--and filled--19 million new jobs. The other is the recovery of our morale. America is respected again in the world and looked to for leadership.

Something that happened to me a few years ago reflects some of this. It was back in 1981, and I was attending my first big economic summit, which was held that year in Canada. The meeting place rotates among the member countries. The opening meeting was a formal dinner for the heads of government of the seven industrialized nations. Now, I sat there like the new kid in school and listened, and it was all Francois this and Helmut that. They dropped titles and spoke to one another on a first-name basis. Well, at one point I sort of leaned in and said, "My name's Ron." Well, in that same year, we began the actions we felt would ignite an economic comeback--cut taxes and regulation, started to cut spending. And soon the recovery began.

Two years later another economic summit, with pretty much the same cast. At the big opening meeting we all got together, and all of a sudden, just for a moment, I saw that everyone was just sitting there looking at me. And one of them broke the silence. "Tell us about the American miracle," he said.

Well, back in 1980, when I was running for president, it was all so different. Some pundits said our programs would result in catastrophe. Our views on foreign affairs would cause war. Our plans for the economy would cause inflation to soar and bring about economic collapse. I even remember one highly respected economist saying, back in 1982, that "the engines of economic growth have shut down here, and they're likely to stay that way for years to come." Well, he and the other opinion leaders were wrong. The fact is, what they called "radical" was really "right." What they called "dangerous" was just "desperately needed."

And in all of that time I won a nickname, "The Great Communicator." But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full bloom from my brow, they came from the heart of a great nation--from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in principles that have guided us for two centuries. They called it the Reagan revolution. Well, I'll accept that, but for me it always seemed more like the great rediscovery, a rediscovery of our values and our common sense.

Common sense told us that when you put a big tax on something, the people will produce less of it. So, we cut the people's tax rates, and the people produced more than ever before. The economy bloomed like a plant that had been cut back and could now grow quicker and stronger. Our economic program brought about the longest peacetime expansion in our history: real family income up, the poverty rate down, entrepreneurship booming, and an explosion in research and new technology. We're exporting more than ever because American industry became more competitive and at the same time, we summoned the national will to knock down protectionist walls abroad instead of erecting them at home. Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we'd have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe. Not only have the superpowers actually begun to reduce their stockpiles of nuclear weapons--and hope for even more progress is bright--but the regional conflicts that rack the globe are also beginning to cease. The Persian Gulf is no longer a war zone. The Soviets are leaving Afghanistan. The Vietnamese are preparing to pull out of Cambodia, and an American-mediated accord will soon send 50,000 Cuban troops home from Angola.

The lesson of all this was, of course, that because we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. And something else we learned: Once you begin a great movement, there's no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.

Countries across the globe are turning to free markets and free speech and turning away from ideologies of the past. For them, the great rediscovery of the 1980s has been that, lo and behold, the moral way of government is the practical way of government: Democracy, the profoundly good, is also the profoundly productive.

When you've got to the point when you can celebrate the anniversaries of your 39th birthday, you can sit back sometimes, review your life, and see it flowing before you. For me there was a fork in the river, and it was right in the middle of my life. I never meant to go into politics. It wasn't my intention when I was young. But I was raised to believe you had to pay your way for the blessings bestowed on you. I was happy with my career in the entertainment world, but I ultimately went into politics because I wanted to protect something precious.

Ours was the first revolution in the history of mankind that truly reversed the course of government, and with three little words: "We the people." "We the people" tell the government what to do, it doesn't tell us. "We the people" are the driver, the government is the car. And we decide where it should go, and by what route, and how fast. Almost all the world's constitutions are documents in which governments tell the people what their privileges are. Our Constitution is a document in which "We the people" tell the government what it is allowed to do. "We the people" are free. This belief has been the underlying basis for everything I've tried to do these past eight years.

But back in the 1960s, when I began, it seemed to me that we'd begun reversing the order of things--that through more and more rules and regulations and confiscatory taxes, the government was taking more of our money, more of our options, and more of our freedom. I went into politics in part to put up my hand and say, "Stop." I was a citizen politician, and it seemed the right thing for a citizen to do.

I think we have stopped a lot of what needed stopping. And I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.

Nothing is less free than pure communism, and yet we have, the past few years, forged a satisfying new closeness with the Soviet Union. I've been asked if this isn't a gamble, and my answer is no because we're basing our actions not on words but deeds. The detente of the 1970s was based not on actions but promises. They'd promise to treat their own people and the people of the world better. But the gulag was still the gulag, and the state was still expansionist, and they still waged proxy wars in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

Well, this time, so far, it's different. President Gorbachev has brought about some internal democratic reforms and begun the withdrawal from Afghanistan. He has also freed prisoners whose names I've given him every time we've met.

But life has a way of reminding you of big things through small incidents. Once, during the heady days of the Moscow summit, Nancy and I decided to break off from the entourage one afternoon to visit the shops on Arbat Street--that's a little street just off Moscow's main shopping area. Even though our visit was a surprise, every Russian there immediately recognized us and called out our names and reached for our hands. We were just about swept away by the warmth. You could almost feel the possibilities in all that joy. But within seconds, a KGB detail pushed their way toward us and began pushing and shoving the people in the crowd. It was an interesting moment. It reminded me that while the man on the street in the Soviet Union yearns for peace, the government is Communist. And those who run it are Communists, and that means we and they view such issues as freedom and human rights very differently.

We must keep up our guard, but we must also continue to work together to lessen and eliminate tension and mistrust. My view is that President Gorbachev is different from previous Soviet leaders. I think he knows some of the things wrong with his society and is trying to fix them. We wish him well. And we'll continue to work to make sure that the Soviet Union that eventually emerges from this process is a less threatening one. What it all boils down to is this. I want the new closeness to continue. And it will, as long as we make it clear that we will continue to act in a certain way as long as they continue to act in a helpful manner. If and when they don't, at first pull your punches. If they persist, pull the plug. It's still trust but verify. It's still play, but cut the cards. It's still watch closely. And don't be afraid to see what you see.

I've been asked if I have any regrets. Well, I do. The deficit is one. I've been talking a great deal about that lately, but tonight isn't for arguments. And I'm going to hold my tongue. But an observation: I've had my share of victories in the Congress, but what few people noticed is that I never won anything you didn't win for me. They never saw my troops, they never saw Reagan's regiments, the American people. You won every battle with every call you made and letter you wrote demanding action. Well, action is still needed. If we're to finish the job, Reagan's regiments will have to become the Bush brigades. Soon he'll be the chief, and he'll need you every bit as much as I did. Finally, there is a great tradition of warnings in presidential farewells, and I've got one that's been on my mind for some time. But oddly enough it starts with one of the things I'm proudest of in the past eight years: the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism. This national feeling is good, but it won't count for much, and it won't last unless it's grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge.

An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world? Those of us who are over 35 or so years of age grew up in a different America. We were taught, very directly, what it means to be an American. And we absorbed, almost in the air, a love of country and an appreciation of its institutions. If you didn't get these things from your family, you got them from the neighborhood, from the father down the street who fought in Korea or the family who lost someone at Anzio. Or you could get a sense of patriotism from school. And if all else failed, you could get a sense of patriotism from popular culture. The movies celebrated democratic values and implicitly reinforced the idea that America was special. TV was like that, too, through the mid-'60s

But now, we're about to enter the '90s, and some things have changed. Younger parents aren't sure that an unambivalent appreciation of America is the right thing to teach modern children. And as for those who create the popular culture, well-grounded patriotism is no longer the style. Our spirit is back, but we haven't reinstitutionalized it. We've got to do a better job of getting across that America is freedom--freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of enterprise. And freedom is special and rare. It's fragile; it needs protection.

So, we've got to teach history based not on what's in fashion but what's important: Why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant. You know, four years ago on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, I read a letter from a young woman writing of her late father, who'd fought on Omaha Beach. Her name was Lisa Zanatta Henn, and she said, "We will always remember, we will never forget what the boys of Normandy did." Well, let's help her keep her word. If we forget what we did, we won't know who we are. I'm warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit. Let's start with some basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual. And let me offer lesson No. 1 about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table. So, tomorrow night in the kitchen I hope the talking begins. And children, if your parents haven't been teaching you what it means to be an American, let 'em know and nail 'em on it. That would be a very American thing to do.

And that's about all I have to say tonight. Except for one thng. The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." The phrase comes from John Winthrop, who wrote it to describe the America he imagined. What he imagined was important because he was an early Pilgrim, an early freedom man. He journeyed here on what today we'd call a little wooden boat; and like the other Pilgrims, he was looking for a home that would be free.

I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity, and if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it and see it still.

And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was eight years ago. But more than that; after 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.

We've done our part. And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for eight years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all.

And so, good-bye, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America."

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T21:43:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Halloween!!!!!! If you can watch one of the Halloween films and please do not watch Halloween 8! Enjoy your Tricks or Treats!

A quick link

2008-10-25T17:03:00.001-04:00

I never heard of this site until I did a random search today. Great page for reviews on current and past Civil War litrature.

http://www.civilwarnews.com/

Could Lincoln be speaking about the 2008 Election??????????????

2008-10-22T21:14:00.005-04:00

Obviously, Lincoln never heard of Obama or McCain but his famous Lyceum Address is one of my favorite speeches and it contains one of my favorite quotes of all-time. Bascially, Lincoln is stating that American cannot be destroyed unless we choose to destroy ourselves. The 2008 election is a key moment in American history because we are at a crossroads of our being. There is a major fork in the road and whereever it takes this country I hope that our voters make the right choice for President. Without further adieu here is what Lincoln had to say in 1837.

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we fortify against it?-- Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a blow? Never!--All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years.

At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."

We can only destroy ourselves, lets hope that it isn't because we picked the wrong person for president. In 1860 it didn't seem like we made the right choice as a nation and it turned out okay. History tends to repeat itself....I hope!

Interesting painting of the surrender at Appommatox

2008-10-20T22:08:00.005-04:00

Great image.

I also want to congradulate the Oakland Raiders for winning just their 21st game since playing in Super Bowl 37 in Jan. 2003. Oakland beat New York 16-13 in overtime. Brett Farve entered the game with a 4-0 record against the Raiders. As of today he is 4-1, we finally beat that old man. My team has struggled with a 21-65 record since playing on sports biggest stage. Thank god.

My next book

2008-10-19T18:39:00.002-04:00

My next Civil War book and possibly my final Civil War read of 2008 will be The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies by William Hanchett. It is an older book from 1983 but most of research is still good. I have read so much about the Lincoln Assassination since 2007 that I figured that I might as well continue reading on it. This book is a unique one because it details the several conspiracy.

Among the accused have been members of the Confederate government, including Jefferson Davis, the Catholic Church and members of Lincoln's own Cabinet. Hanchett examines these conspiracy theories and the people who put forward the theories in an attempt to find out if a higher authority, civil or religious, ordered John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators to kill Lincoln and members of his Cabinet. I cannot wait to dive in!

How Abraham Lincoln ordered his steak

2008-10-19T18:32:00.002-04:00

October 19, 2008

FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — If we really are what we eat, Abraham Lincoln was rare steak, fruit, coffee and pecan cake.

A new cookbook announced Friday by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield sheds new insight on the 16th president’s diet. Among the tidbits: Lincoln ate heavy meals in winter to keep warm. And skinny Lincoln had a sweet tooth.

‘‘A. Lincoln Cookbook: A Cookbook of Epic Portions’’ includes 623 recipes, including many of the confections Mary Todd Lincoln created in her kitchen. Lincoln museum volunteers also contributed recipes.

The cookbook costs $40 a copy and proceeds benefit the museum’s volunteer services department. It will also be available online at www.presidentlincoln.org.

This is a fascinating fact.

www.presidentlincoln.org is a cool site and it even has a countdown for the Lincoln Bicentential. More later.

A "sore" loser

2008-10-15T20:17:00.003-04:00

While imprisoned at Fortress Monroe the former President of the Confederacy wrote his wife a letter. Recently, I was watching C-Span's "Lincoln: 200 Years" series and during that episode author James Swanson mentioned the idea that Jefferson Davis was involved in Lincoln's Assassination. Inspired by this conversation I did not look into Jefferson Davis involvement or lack thereof but I instead looked at the Jefferson Davis Papers which are conveniently online.

Throughout his letter Davis updates his wife on the wars ending and adds his own interesting ending:

"I think my judgement is undisturbed by any pride of opinion or of place, I have prayed to our heavenly Father to give me wisdom and fortitude equal to the demands of the position in which Providence has placed me. I have sacrificed so much for the cause of the Confederacy that I can measure my ability to make any further sacrifice required, and am assured there is but one to which I am not equal, my Wife and my Children. How are they to be saved from degradation or want is now my care. During the suspension of hostilities you may have the best opportunity to go to Missi. and thence either to sail from Mobile for a foreign port or to cross the river and proceed to Texas, as the one or the other may be more practicable. The little sterling you have will be a very scanty store and under other circumstances would not be counted, but if our land can be sold that will secure you from absolute want. For myself it may be that our Enemy will prefer to banish me, it may be that a devoted band of Cavalry will cling to me and that I can force my way across the Missi. and if nothing can be done there which it will be proper to do, then I can go to Mexico and have the world from which to choose a location. Dear Wife this is not the fate to which I invited when the future was rose-colored to us both; but I know you will bear it even better than myself and that of us two I alone will ever look back reproachfully on my past career."

What fascinating statements from a man, on the run, who obviously will spend the rest of his life missing what the Confederacy stood for but no regret the events that transpired. In many ways he wasn't a "sore" loser as many authors have protrayed him to be. He was saddened by the loss of his "lifestyle" which obviously had to go had to go. Slavery and white supremecy was finally appraching its apex and in less than 100 years it would forever be ended. At least in theory.

Manhunt is becoming a movie!

2008-10-14T22:24:00.002-04:00

Simon, Fontana Planning Manhunt on HBO
Source: Variety September 16, 2008

"Homicide" collaborators David Simon and Tom Fontana are looking to reunite for an HBO miniseries about the 12-day search for John Wilkes Booth, reports Variety.

The project is an adaptation of James L. Swanson's book "Manhunt," which follows the search for Abraham Lincoln's assassin. The project is in early development, with HBO optioning the novel and Simon and Fontana set to write the screenplay.

Simon and Fontana would serve as executive producers, along with Lawrence Bender, Kevin Brown and Walden Media.

The story will focus on the perspectives of lesser-known historical figures that were connected to the assassination of Lincoln and the subsequent media frenzy and manhunt.

Chattanooga

2008-10-14T21:53:00.004-04:00

Great link at http://www.southeasttennessee.com/

At this site Chattanooga-area officials are working to lure tourists to lesser-known Civil War sites over the next few years as the region looks ahead to the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which begins in 2011 and runs for four years.
Check it out. Great stuff.

Lee, Jackson and Dr. King day???

2008-10-08T20:47:00.002-04:00

Just an interesting article that I cut and pasted fro Wikepedia:

"Lee-Jackson-King Day was a holiday celebrated in the Commonwealth of Virginia from 1984 to 2000.

Robert E. Lee's birthday (January 19, 1807) has been celebrated as a Virginia holiday since 1889. In 1904, the legislature added the birthday of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (January 21, 1824) to the holiday, and Lee-Jackson Day was born.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan approved an Act of Congress declaring January 15 to be a national holiday in honor of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Since 1978, Virginia had celebrated King's birthday in conjunction with New Year's Day. To align with the federal holiday, the Virginia legislature simply combined King's celebration with the existing Lee-Jackson holiday.

The incongruous nature of the holiday, which simultaneously celebrated the lives of Confederate generals and a civil rights icon, did not escape the notice of Virginia lawmakers. In 2000, Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore proposed splitting Lee-Jackson-King Day into two separate holidays, with Lee-Jackson Day to be celebrated the Friday before what would become Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The measure was approved and the two holidays are now celebrated separately."

I just found this fascinating.

Still waiting

2008-10-05T14:03:00.002-04:00

I went to Barnes and Noble on Monroe Street in Toledo Ohio and found nothing. Their Civil War section is very limited and I was unable to find anything worth buying. I have a gift card for Barnes and Noble but I didn't want to waste it on a book that I am not interested in. Hopefully I can find something better at our other Barnes and Noble. As for the one on Monroe Street all I can say is please update your bookshelves. The selection there is really, really lacking.

I'm Back

2008-10-04T11:11:00.002-04:00

After several months of planning a wedding and working at my new job I have been extremely busy. If you look at the number of blogs posted between July and October you will notice a lack thereof. But I'm back now and will work hard to get blogs posted ASAP.

Recently I have not read a Civil War book. I read two books on Ted Bundy and have recently been reading about Adolf Hitler because one of my courses focuses on World War II and I wanted to brush up on his life. However, today I am going to Barnes and Noble to find a book that I can read/review and hopefully enjoy. We will see what happens!

Ike uncovers a possible Civil War wreck

2008-09-20T10:43:00.001-04:00

Just a cut a paste from a interesting Yahoo News Article. The link is posted at the bottom.

When the waves from Hurricane Ike receded, they left behind a mystery — a ragged shipwreck that archeologists say could be a two-masted Civil War schooner that ran aground in 1862 or another ship from some 70 years later. The wreck, about six miles from Fort Morgan, had already been partially uncovered when Hurricane Camille cleared away sand in 1969.

Researchers at the time identified it as the Monticello, a battleship that partially burned when it crashed trying to get past the U.S. Navy and into Mobile Bay during the Civil War.

After examining photos of the wreck post-Ike, Museum of Mobile marine archaeologist Shea McLean agreed it is likely the Monticello, which ran aground in 1862 after sailing from Havana, according to Navy records.

"Based on what we know of ships lost in that area and what I've seen, the Monticello is by far the most likely candidate," McLean said. "You can never be 100 percent certain unless you find the bell with 'Monticello' on it, but this definitely fits."

Other clues indicate it could be an early 20th century schooner that ran aground on the Alabama coast in 1933.

The wrecked ship is 136.9 feet long and 25 feet wide, according to Mike Bailey, site curator at Fort Morgan, who examined it this week. The Monticello was listed in shipping records as 136 feet long, McLean told the Press-Register of Mobile.

But Bailey said a 2000 report by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined the remains were the schooner Rachel, built at Moss Point, Miss., in 1919 and wrecked near Fort Morgan in 1933.

He said the wreckage appears to have components, such as steel cables, that would point to the Rachel rather than an 1860s schooner.

Glenn Forest, another archaeologist who examined the wreck, said a full identification would require an excavation.

"It's a valuable artifact," he said. "They need to get this thing inside before it falls apart or another storm comes along and sends it through those houses there like a bowling ball."

Meanwhile, curious beach-goers have been drawn to the remains of the wooden hull filled with rusted iron fittings. Fort Morgan was used by Confederate soldiers as Union forces attacked in 1864 during the Battle of Mobile Bay.

"It's interesting, I can tell you that," said Terri Williams. "I've lived down here most of my life and I've never seen anything like this, and it's been right here."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/ike_mystery_ship&printer=1;_ylt=AmyetLM8Qi53YZNrCRdOHCpH2ocA

Another Civil War vet murdered

2008-09-07T20:04:00.003-04:00

On September 6, 1901 our 25th President and Civil War Vet was murdered in Buffalo, New York. The William McKinley assassination took place on September 6, 1901, at the Temple of Music, in Buffalo, New York. President William McKinley, attending the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, was shot twice by Leon Czolgosz, an anarchist. McKinley initially appeared to be recovering from his wounds, but took a turn for the worse six days after the shooting and died on September 14, 1901. Theodore Roosevelt succeeded McKinley as President. McKinley was the third of four American presidents to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln in 1865 and James Garfield in 1881 and preceding John F. Kennedy in 1963. After McKinley's murder Congress would officially charge the United States Secret Service with the physical protection of American presidents.

Presonally, I grew up near Buffalo, New York in a small town called Youngstown. Yesterday was the 107th Anniversary of the McKinley assassination.

Thank god I got one

2008-08-29T16:24:00.003-04:00

When I was 8 years old my mother bought me the Golden Book of the Civil War at a local garage sale. I read the book from cover to cover and at that time I was really interested in the presidents, particularly Lincoln and she thought that the book would supplement that interest. Little did she know that it would grant me the lifelong love that I have for the American Civil War.

The book was written by Charles Flato and distributed by Golden Press Publications. Civil War author Bruce Catton wrote the books introduction and its colorful depectitions of battlefields is amazing. In just 216 pages the book sweeps its readers back to the Civil War time period but the best thing about this book is that it is made for young readers. When I was eight this book made the war come alive for me and since it was written during the centennial of the Civil War it is especially memorable. This book is written in style very similar to a textbook. I found it interesting, and it would be especially good for younger readers who are interested in learning more about the Civil War. One of the strengths of the book was the photos as well as many paintings and drawings that came from the period of the Civil War. These give the reader a picture of the scenes of war. Other helpful things found in the book are maps of battlefields with explanations of what took place and in what areas. The book might be a little old and outdated, but it is still very helpful in explaining more of that awful period of American history.

I love this book but the original copy that my mother bought me has been misplaced so I managed to acquire a copy from a online book seller. Thank god that I have a copy to give to my own son or daughter. I can only hope that they love the Civil War as much as their dad does. Thanks mom!

Robert E. Lee Timeline or Lifeline

2008-08-23T13:00:00.003-04:00

Recently, I've wanted to create a Robert E. Lee timeline for fun. Yes I am such a history nerd but that is what makes me so cool.

Robert E. Lee Timeline

1807 January 9 Robert Edward Lee is born at 'Stratford', Westmoreland County, Virginia
1829 _______ Lee graduates from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
1831 May 7 Arrives at Fortress Monroe for duty.
1831 June 30 Robert Edward Lee and Mary Anne Custis marry.
1832 September 16 George Washington Custis Lee is born.
1835 July 22 Mary Lee is born.
1837 May 30 William Henry Fitzhugh Lee is born.
1839 June 18 Annie Carter Lee is born.
1841 February 27 Elanore Agnes Lee is born.
1843 October 27 Robert Edward Lee, Jr., is born.
1846 February 10 Mildred Childe Lee is born.
1852 September 1 Lee assumes his duties as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point.
1853 July 17 Lee is Confirmed into the Episcopal Church.
1859 October 17 Lee is ordered to the War Department in regards to John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. 1859
1859 October 18 Lee leads a command of United States Marines to capture John Brown and his cohorts at Harpers Ferry.
1860 February 9 Lee is ordered to San Antonio, Texas, to take command of the Department of Texas.
1861 April 20 Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army.
1861 May 14 Lee is appointed Brigadier General in the Confederate States Army.
1861 June 14 Lee attains the rank of General in the Confederate States Army.
1862 May 31 Joseph E. Johnston is wounded at the Battle of Seven Pines.
1863 July 1-3 Battle of Gettysburg. MORE
1865 April 2 Lee orders the Abandonment of Petersburg, Virginia.
1865 January 23 Lee is named General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate States.
1866 February 17 Lee appeares before the Joint Committee on Reconstruction on Capitol Hill.
1870 October 12 Robert E. Lee dies in Lexington, Virginia
1975 July 22 Congress Passed a law restoring Lee's Citizenship.
1975 August 5 President Gerald Ford signs in to law the bill Congress passed restoring Lee's Citizenship to the United States.

Busy but I got a job

2008-08-14T22:28:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

Sorry that I have not produced many blogs since June but I finally got my first real gig as a teacher and I have been busy preparing lessons and trying to envision my classroom. More blogs will be produced soon. I want to thank everyone who stood by me all these years including Megan, my parents, and the rest of my family & friends. Thank you.