In Ulysses S. Grant ’s memoir, fully available on Google Books, the brigadier general recollected that from February 11 to 16 1862, his men battled extreme winter conditions that alternated between “rain and snow, thawing and freezing” in addition to engaging the 21,000 Confederate troops entrenched at Fort Donelson . Historians Jack Hurst and Kendall […]
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Jun
10
The Capture of Fort Donelson: February 16, 1862
Posted by solnitr Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Lesson Plans, Places to Visit, Recent Scholarshipno comment
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May
10
Fort Sumter – April 12, 1861
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Lesson Plans, Letters & Diaries, Places to VisitAfter Confederates fired on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to restore order in South Carolina. This action pushed Upper South states like North Carolina and Virginia to secede and join the Confederacy. The National Park Service’s website on Fort Sumter provides a good place to start and […]
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May
10
Battle of Antietam
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Images, Lesson Plans, Places to VisitThe Battle of Antietam was a key battle during the Civil War that took place on September 17, 1862. After the engagement, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary announcement of the emancipation proclamation. The National Park Service website on Antietam has a number of great resources, including historic photographs by Alexander Gardner, Captain James Hope’s […]
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May
10
The 6th USCT Regiment was composed mainly of Pennsylvania men, and was organized at Camp William Penn between July and September 1863. In October, the regiment was assigned to the Army of the James and stationed near Yorktown, Pennsylvania. The regiment was also part of a plan to release Union prisoners from Belle Isle near […]
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May
10
Correspondents from the New York Herald and other newspapers faced numerous problems in reporting during the Civil War. While “General Grant [was] not afraid of newspaper criticism,” the New York Herald described that others “generals exhibit[ed]…excessive sensitiveness to criticism.” These generals put in place “stringent measures” against newspapers and in some cases even arrested reporters. […]
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May
10
Lt. Alonzo Cushing Awarded Medal of Honor
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Recent NewsLt. Alonzo Cushing, who died on July 3, 1863 during the Battle of Gettysburg, will be awarded the Meadal of Honor for his actions during that battle. As the Associated Press explains, Lt. Cushing “commanded about 110 men and six cannons” and this “small force…. stood their ground under artillery bombardment as nearly 13,000 Confederate […]
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May
10
After being assembled at Camp William Penn, the 43rd USCT Regiment, composed mainly of Pennsylvania recruits, was assigned in April 1864 to the Ninth Corps of the Army of the Potomac. Continuing on through Washington, where the African-American regiment “attracted special attention,” the regiment became involved in the Wilderness Campaign in rural Virginia. On July […]
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May
10
USCT Liberating Slaves
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, ImagesAs United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments entered southern states, they had the opportunity on numerous occasions to liberate slaves. After one USCT regiment liberated slaves from a plantation in North Carolina, an editorial published in Harpers Weekly on January 23, 1864 noted that they “[left] ‘Ole Massa’ to glory in solitude and secession.” You […]
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May
10
“The Escaped Slave and the Union Soldier”
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Historic Periodicals, ImagesThis short editorial published in Harper’s Weekly describes two pictures of the same man – one shows him as a fugitive slave from Alabama and the other as a Union soldier. While at first he was a “poor fugitive oppressed with the weariness of two hundred long miles of dusty travel,” Harper’s Weekly explains that […]
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May
10
African American soldiers in the United States Colored Troops originally did not receive equal pay. Some northerners demanded that Congress take action and change the policy. This editorial, which was published in Harper’s Weekly on February 13, 1864, asked readers to consider the issue: “But the point for every honest man to ponder is this: […]
