In 1873, a decade after his heroic defense of Little Round Top, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain faced another rebellion. Upon taking office as president of Bowdoin College in 1871, Chamberlain had instituted mandatory military drill for all Bowdoin students. Students complained about the military discipline and the expense of a military uniform (six dollars added to […]
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Jul
10
Election of 1860 – Democratic Convention in Charleston
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals“The irrepressible conflict has rent the Democratic party asunder, and it has ceased to exist as a national organization.” – Chicago (IL) Democrat, May 1, 1860 When the Democratic National Convention opened on April 23, 1860 in Charleston, South Carolina, the delegates’ objectives were to set the platform and select candidates for the 1860 election. […]
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When he was fifteen years old—before his right arm was shattered at Fair Oaks, before he saw action at Antietam and Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and Chattanooga, before he marched to the sea with Sherman—General Oliver Otis Howard faced the the trial of his life: the entrance examination for Bowdoin College. “I have passed though many ordeals […]
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Jul
10
The Confederate High-Water Mark
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Maps, Places to VisitAccording to the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, the farthest northern point attained by an organized body of the Confederate Army was present day Pennsylvania Route 34, about 1 mile north of Carlisle Springs. The Pennsylvania Historical marker, erected in 1929, states that on the morning of June 28, 1863, an organized band of the […]
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Jul
10
The Meeting of Charles Albright and George Baylor
Posted by rothenbb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOn April 10, 1865, Charles Albright and George Baylor led their respective units against one another in battle near Fairfax Station, Virginia. The former commander employed his hard-driving personality when leading his Union troops on campaigns against Confederate soldiers in the South. Baylor, on the other hand, did not immediately convey the impression of a […]
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10
Battle of the Crater- July 30, 1864
Posted by mckelveb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Maps, Recent ScholarshipThe Battle of the Crater (also known as The Mine) took place on July 30, 1864 in Petersburg, Virginia. Union forces under the command of Major General Ambrose E. Burnside exploded a mine and created a large gap in the Confederate protection of Petersburg. However, the Confederate Major General William Mahone and his forces responded with […]
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Jul
10
“The Impending Crisis,” 1860 political cartoon
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Rare Books, Recent ScholarshipThe Republican Party held its second national convention beginning at noon on May 16, 1860 in Chicago. The presidential nominees included the veteran statesmen Edward Bates, Salmon P. Chase, Simon Cameron, and William H. Seward, as well as a new senator from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln. Although Seward was the favorite going into the convention and […]
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Jul
10
The Lives of Richard and George Beale
Posted by rothenbb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesRichard Lee Turberville Beale, born on May 22, 1819 to a wealthy and well-known couple in Hickory Hill, Virginia, began his boyhood education in various academies in Virginia before moving northward to Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. After graduating with the Class of 1838, Beale practiced law before being elected to the United States House […]
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Jul
10
Battle of Gaines’ Mill: June 27, 1862
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Letters & Diaries, Maps, Places to VisitThe Battle of Gaines’ Mill took place on June 27, 1862 in Hanover County, Virginia and was the third of the Seven Days’ Battles and its largest engagement. After the battle of Beaver Dam Creek, Union Major General George B. McClellan determined to change his base to the James River in order to protect his […]
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Jul
10
Battle of Petersburg: June 15-18, 1864
Posted by mckelveb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Lesson Plans, Places to Visit, Recent ScholarshipThe Battle of Petersburg, also known as the Assault on Petersburg, took place from June 15-18, 1864 in the city of Petersburg, Virginia. Led by Union General Ulysses S. Grant, the Union forces left Cold Harbor and attacked the Confederate forces under the command of General Pierre Beauregard. General William F. Smith’s failure to take advantage of […]
