One 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 […]
29
Apr
11
“Nothing to Fear” – William Willey at Dickinson College
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & Diariesno comment
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 […]
6
Dec
10
New York Times Features House Divided Image
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), ImagesA blog post by Jamie Malanowski in the New York Times’ “Disunion” series featured this political cartoon from House Divided’s image collection. In this entry Malanowski explores how President James Buchanan addresses the secession crisis in his last State of the Union message to Congress in December 1860. “Buchanan at long last waded into the secession […]
19
Nov
10
Election of 1860 – William Wilkins Letter
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Letters & DiariesWilliam Wilkins’ letter to James Webb, editor and publisher of the New York Courier and Enquirer, reveals an interesting view on some of the political perspectives that existed on the eve of the 1860 election. Wilkins, who graduated from Dickinson College in 1802, was a Pennsylvania Democratic politician who also served as Secretary of War […]
17
Nov
10
Election of 1860 – Cumberland County
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Images, Recent ScholarshipWhile Abraham Lincoln was elected “by one of the largest voter turnouts in United States history,” historian Phillip Shaw Paludan notes that “the Republican victory was entirely sectional.” Lincoln and Hannibal Hamblin did not receive any votes from the Deep South states. Yet divisions also existed within northern states, including Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. The election […]
3
Nov
10
Election of 1860 – Carlisle American Volunteer
Posted by sailerd Published in Antebellum (1840-1861), Historic PeriodicalsWhen Democrats held a rally in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on October 6, 1860, the Carlisle (PA) American Volunteer reported that no one had been ready for the “overwhelming avalanche” of delegates from “every town and township in the county.” Over 8,000 people filled the streets before noon, according to some estimates. The American Volunteer backed Senator […]
24
Aug
10
Union Soldiers – Cumberland County, Pennsylvania
Posted by sailerd Published in Civil War (1861-1865), Letters & Diaries, Recent ScholarshipThe House Divided project received permission from the Cumberland County Historical Society to post articles that explore topics related to the Civil War era in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. These essays originally appeared in the Cumberland County History Journal. Right click on the links below and select “save as” to download the article as a PDF […]
20
Jul
10
Cumberland County History, a historical journal compiled annually by the Cumberland County Historical Society, has provided nearly three decades of research into the county’s long history. The journal has published several articles on Civil War soldiers from the surrounding community. They utilize several primary documents and effectively offer insight into the emotional departure from loved […]
14
Jul
10
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 […]
14
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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