One hundred fifty years ago today the Chicago (IL) Tribune published excerpts from two Kentucky newspapers that condemned former US Senator John Bell for announcing his support for the Confederacy. Bell was the Constitutional Union Party’s candidate for President in 1860 and he had opposed secession after Abraham Lincoln’s victory. Yet in April 1861 after the attack […]
2
May
11
Chicago (IL) Tribune – “Good Bye, John Bell”
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicalsno comment
29
Apr
11
“Nothing to Fear” – William Willey at Dickinson College
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOne hundred fifty years ago today William P. Willey wrote his father to update him on the conditions in Carlisle and at Dickinson College. Willey, who was from western Virgina, was one of the few southern students at Dickinson College who did not return home after the attack on Fort Sumter and President Abraham Lincoln’s call […]
27
Apr
11
C. P. Kirkland’s Journey to Washington, DC
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOne hundred fifty years ago today C. P. Kirkland, Jr. wrote home and described his journey from New York City to Washington DC. Kirkland was a member of the 71st New York Infantry and his regiment had been sent to defend Washington DC after the attack on Fort Sumter. The 71st New York had to […]
25
Apr
11
President Lincoln & the Maryland Legislature
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOne hundred fifty years ago today President Abraham Lincoln wrote General Winfield Scott about what he should do when the Maryland legislature met in Annapolis. While Lincoln had “considered… whether it would not be justifiable… to arrest, or disperse the members of that body,” he concluded that such action “would not be justifiable” since “they […]
22
Apr
11
After Fort Sumter – William Willey at Dickinson College
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOne hundred fifty years ago today William Willey (Class of 1862) wrote to his father about whether he could remain at Dickinson College and described the conditions in Carlisle as residents prepared for war. Willey lived in western Virginia and his father was serving as a delegate at the Secession convention in Richmond, Virginia. As […]
20
Apr
11
Aftermath of the Baltimore Riot
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & DiariesOne hundred fifty years ago today Mayor George W. Brown wrote Massachusetts Governor John A. Andrew and described the riot that took place the previous day in Baltimore, Maryland. The Sixth Massachusetts Regiment had left Philadelphia in the morning of April 19, 1861, but while crossing the between the President Street and the Camden railroad […]
11
Mar
11
President James Buchanan’s Administration
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Letters & Diaries, Places to VisitOne hundred fifty years ago today James Buchanan was at his home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and wrote a letter to New York Herald editor James Gordon Bennett in which he reflected on his administration. The Herald, as Buchanan explained, had provided “able & powerful support…almost universally throughout my stormy and turbulent administration.” Yet overall Buchanan […]
4
Mar
11
President Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsOne hundred fifty years ago today Abraham Lincoln became the sixteenth President of the United States. After he delivered his Inaugural Address from the central portico of the U.S. Capitol, Chief Justice Roger Taney administered the oath of office. Newspapers throughout the country published Lincoln’s speech and debated what it meant for the future of the […]
25
Feb
11
Lincoln & NYC Mayor Fernando Wood
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic Periodicals, ImagesOne hundred fifty years ago today the Charleston (SC) Mercury published part of New York City Mayor Fernando Wood’s speech that he gave during President-Elect Abraham Lincoln’s visit in late February 1861. Lincoln had left his home in Springfield, Illinois on February 11 for Washington DC. On the way he stopped at a number of […]
21
Jan
11
“Causes of Excessive Mortality in New York”
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsNew York “is one of the most unhealthy cities on the globe” and, as the Lowell (MA) Citizen & News explained in March 1859, “the unhealthiness of the city” had once again “attract[ed] the attention of the legislators at Albany.” Two years later the situation in that city had not improved. After the health officer […]
