Today, if he were alive, it would be Young Marshall Moody‘s 187th birthday.  Moody was a Confederate Brigadeer General from the Old Dominion State.  After initially fighting for Virginia, he then rose through the ranks with outfits from Alabama and finally surrendered his brigade at Appomattox Courthouse.  Moody is featured on the Daily Report of the House Divided site for June 23, 1859, on which he turned 37.  The Daily Report features a day-by-day calendar showing events, birthdays, and documents.  The Daily Report is a great way to look at the era in a whole different light, closer to how they experienced it day-by-day.

In 1858, many important ideas were spread through letters.  Thus, during the Lincoln Douglas Debates, Lincoln and Douglas corresponded with many contemporaries concerning the senatorial race.  These letters provide an excellent window into the minds of these great men.  One such letter, sent August 25, 1858, was a letter written to Lincoln by Schuyler Colfax advising Lincoln on such matters as the Dred Scott Decision and the spread of slavery.  This is just one letter of many found on the documents section of the Lincoln Douglas major topic page.  House Divided has a dearth of information concerning the Lincoln Douglas Debates.

The Northern University of Illinois page, The Lincoln/Douglas Debates of 1858, offers wide-ranging coverage of the historic oratory campaign. The site houses numerous primary documents including debate transcripts, maps, and contemporary press coverage. Also, The Lincoln/Douglas Debates of 1858 provides a video podcast on the debates by Columbia’s Eric Foner as well as lessons plans for teachers that include brief descriptions of the debate topics and guided reading assignments for students. This site would be a great addition to any history teacher’s repertoire of resources.

If you are interested in the Dred Scott Case of 1857, a great place to start your research is House Divided’s Major Topic Page on the Dred Scott Case.  There you can find excerts of modern scholarship concerning the infamous case.  Also by searching through the tabs, you can find information reguarding the people involved with the case, a timeline of events, primary source documents involved in the case, including transcriptions, and sources where you can learn even more about this ex-slave who was suing for his freedom.  The verdict of the Dred Scott Case, as handed down by Chief Justice Roger Brooke Taney, was an instrumental case that led the nation deeper into turmoil, closer to the stirring civil war.

The House Divided currently offers an intriguing exhibit on Henry “Box” Brown and his incredible journey to freedom. The exhibit compliles images depicting his trek, a map of his path, and a three-dimensional Sketch Up of the box in which he traveled. Also, a brief yet informative descritption accompanies each image, bringing the story to life. This section is perfect for those interested in obtaining insight into the dangers involved in a slave’s struggle for freedom. The exhibit also helps transplant viewers into the plight of slaves through displaying the awful conditions that Brown was willing to endure in order to escape bondage. Additionally, if you enjoy this exhbit you should be sure to check out our Henry “Box” Brown Google Earth Tour.

Of the many differences between America today and America during the House Divided era is the relationships between politicians and persons of a more controversial quality. 150 years ago, politicians associated and communicated with persons whose national stature would make such contact disastrious today. For example is a letter written by the infamous John Brown to Massachusetts Congressman Eli Thayer. In the letter, Brown asks Thayer, a Republican and adamant free-soiler, “to have Mr. ALLEN & Co. send me by express one or two navy-sized revolvers as soon as may be.” Putting aside the fact that Brown speaks of shipping weapons very casualy, it is both interesting and astonishing that a U.S. Congressman was so openly conspiraring with a notorious figure like Brown. It is not something likely to happen today.

From late June to early July of 1864, a fierce battle raged between Johnston and Sherman’s armies.  This battle was fought around quiet Kennesaw Mountain. Last February, the National Park Service gained a key piece of land on which this battle was raged.  The Atlanta Journal-Constitution informed readers that Sam Hensley recently sold 35 of his 70 acres to the Trust for Public Land.  In turn, the National Park Service gained this valuable land.  Hensley had moved onto the land in 1957 and quietly expanded his private property.  After the death of his wife in 2003, Hensley decided that he wanted to be sure that the land was preserved after his death.  Therefore, he sold his land for $3.5 million, nowhere near the estimated commercial value of the property.  Luckily, the National Park Service won in the endless battle to preserve our nation’s past.

Civil War Traveler offers audio tours given by National Park Service historians.  These tours can be accessed directly through the site or via a free subscription in iTunes.  Each podcast episode follows a historian as he walks along a famous Civil War battlefield or location such as Antietam or the Appomattox Court House.  Since they record each episode live at the battlefield as the historian walks the site, you can download these audio files to a portable music device and use them as your own personal guide at each historic site.  The website also has downloadable maps of each historic location in pdf form to help you stay in sync with your guide.  This site would be great for bolstering field trips or for teachers who enjoy using their imagination.  Students can listen to the tour and follow the guide’s route on the map for a rather engaging experience.

USA Today reported yesterday that two new markers for the Civil War Trail were placed at Andrew Jackson’s homstead, The Hermitage, and a near by Confederate Soldier’s Home.  The Hermitage is linked to the Soldier’s Home because Jackson’s former homestead offered land for the use of the home, which operated until 1933.  These two markers are part of the larger Civil War Trail, which is dedicated to showing different state’s involvement and importance during the Civil War.  These markers are just two of dozens that are in the works for an extended Trail, which will cross not just Tennesse, but Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia, as well.  This certainly is an exciting time for Civil War buffs who are looking forward to the sesquicentennial of the war.

On May 28, National Public Radio informed readers of a recent acquisition by the National Archives of a letter written by Lincoln to Secretary of Treasury, Salmon P. Chase.  The letter was donated by Lawrence Cutler, a private collector, who waited until Lincoln’s bicentennial.  Lincoln’s brief note, written just five days before his famous address at Gettysbug, in November of 1863, is Lincoln’s request for Chase to allow the former head of the U. S. Mint of Sacremento, Robert Stevens, access to evidence to why he was fired.  “Experts said Lincoln’s letter to Chase demonstrates the president’s fairness,” explains NPR reporter Deborah Tedford.  This letter adds one more piece of the puzzle in understanding Abraham Lincoln.