On May 23 and 24, 1865, Union soldiers paraded through Washington D.C. for a grand review of the troops, a celebration from the grateful citizens to the Union soldiers for their efforts and service in winning the Civil War. Noticeably missing from the celebration were the over 180,000 United States Colored Troops who fought along […]
22
Jul
10
Harrisburg Grand Review: November 14, 1865
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicalsno comment
14
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 […]
13
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
28
Jun
10
The Stevens & Smith Historic Site
Posted by rainwatj Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Places to Visit, Recent NewsThaddeus Stevens, one of the most powerful and controversial congressmen of the nineteenth century is the central figure of a large restoration project conducted by the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Stevens was an adamant opponent of slavery and helped runaway slaves escape, even going so far as to employ spies to watch […]
24
Jun
10
A new political movement born out of New York and Philadelphia spread across the country, emerging in Cumberland County in 1854, shaping its politics for more than two years. Spurred by anti-Catholic and anti-immigration sentiment, the Know Nothing party grew to significant prominence if only for a short period during the mid 1850s. Reverend Otis […]
23
Jun
10
The Battle of Fort Henry: February 6, 1862
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, MapsOn February 6, 1862, Union Brigadier General Ulysses S. Grant and Union Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote scored the first major victory for the Union Army in the Western Theater in the battle of Fort Henry along the Tennessee River near Stewart County and Henry County, Tennessee and Calloway County, Kentucky. Inundated by recent rain […]
22
Jun
10
Outbreak of War at Dickinson College
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesThe Dickinson College student body was evenly divided between Northern and Southern students who fought on both sides of the conflict. The split is well documented in Dickinson College class of 1861 student Francis Benjamin Sellers’ Autograph Album for the Phi Kappa Sigma Fraternity. Taken from the Phi Kappa Sigma News Letter, Fall, 1954: “On […]
18
Jun
10
The Battle of Ball’s Bluff, October 21, 1861
Posted by rainwatj Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Letters & Diaries, Maps, Places to VisitThe Battle of Ball’s Bluff, also known as the Battle of Harrison’s Island or Battle of Leesburg was fought on October 21, 1861 in Loudoun County, Virginia. In response to movement by Confederate Colonel Nathan G. Evans, Union Major General George B. McClellan ordered Brigadier General Charles P. Stone to conduct a “slight demonstration,” a […]
