The Election of 1860 mirrored the divided nature of the United States both in the presidential candidates and the voting results. The four major candidates represented three parties, a result of sectional discord: Stephen Douglas (northern Democratic party), John Breckinridge (southern Democratic party), Abraham Lincoln (Republican party), and John Bell (Constitutional Union party). This pro-Breckinridge […]
13
Jul
10
“The Undecided Political Prize Fight,” 1860 political cartoon
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Imagesno comment
13
Jul
10
Battle of Gettysburg Day One – July 1, 1863
Posted by rothenbb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Places to VisitEarly on the morning of July 1, 1863 Union soldiers met Confederate General Robert E. Lee in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania after his initial invasion into the state. The first of three days of battle centered around Gettysburg and saw a promising start for the Confederate force. Confederates successfully pushed Union soldiers out of the town and […]
12
Jul
10
The Charles Rawn Journals (1830-1865)
Posted by sailerd Published in 19th Century (1840-1880), Letters & DiariesCharles Rawn, a lawyer who lived in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, wrote over 11,000 daily entries between 1830 and 1865. The entire journal is now online thanks to the efforts of Pennsylvania University State Professor Michael Barton and the Historical Society of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Rawn, who was born in Georgetown in July 1802, moved to Harrisburg […]
12
Jul
10
The Battle of Milliken’s Bend: June 7, 1863
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & Diaries, MapsThe Battle of Milliken’s Bend took place on June 7, 1863 in Madison Parish, Louisiana and represented one of the most famous and courageous episodes for Black troops during the Civil War. While the opposition of Black troops in the Union Army persisted, the effort and bravery of the soldiers at Milliken’s Bend inspired the […]
12
Jul
10
Battle of Chattanooga: November 23-25, 1863
Posted by mckelveb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & Diaries, Places to Visit, Recent ScholarshipOn November 23-25, 1863 the Battle of Chattanooga took place in Hamilton County, Tennessee. Beginning in late September, the Confederate forces under the direction of General Braxton Bragg placed Major General William Rosecrans’s Union forces under siege and cut off its supply line. In October and November, Union General Ulysses S. Grant and the Union […]
12
Jul
10
The Battle of Five Forks, April 1, 1865
Posted by solnitr Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Maps, Rare Books, Recent ScholarshipOn September 23, 1897 Horatio Collins King, a member of Dickinson College Class of 1858, received a Medal of Honor for his acts of bravery during the battle of Five Forks. As quartermaster of the first cavalry division of the Army of the Shenandoah, King fought in one of the final Eastern battles of the […]
9
Jul
10
Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863
Posted by mckelveb Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Places to Visit, Recent ScholarshipOn June 9, 1863, the Battle of Brandy Station, also known as the Battle of Fleetwood Hill, took place in Culpeper County, Virginia. Early in the morning, Union Major General Alfred Pleasonton and his forces began a surprise attack on the Confederates and General James Ewell Brown Stuart. Brandy Station was one of the largest cavalry battles […]
8
Jul
10
Dickinson College 1860 Commencement
Posted by solnitr Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsDickinson College‘s 1860 commencement exercises occurred on Saturday evening, July 7, 1860. Two local papers’ contrasting reports on the evening demonstrate the partisan nature of nineteenth century newspapers. The Carlisle paper, The Herald, founded by Ekuries Beatty in 1799 originally supported the Whig party, but by 1860 printed articles with a strong Republican bias. In […]
8
Jul
10
The Battle of Oak Grove took place on June 25, 1862 in Henrico County, Virginia and marked the beginning of the Seven Days’ Battles that were part of the Peninsula campaign of 1862, a grand scheme to destroy the Rebel army in Richmond and effectively end the Civil War. Union Major General George B. McClellan […]
7
Jul
10
Captain James Colwell
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, Letters & DiariesJames Smith Colwell, who worked as a lawyer in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was one of the men who answered President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Colwell joined the Carlisle Fencibles, a local volunteer company under the command of Robert Henderson, as a first lieutenant. […]
