Category Archives: American Civil War

People and places connected to the American Civil War.

The Justice and the Presidents

OWH, JR Oliver Wendell Holmes Junior (1841-1935) was Massachusetts born into a solid and prosperous family. His father, OWH Senior was a physician and occasional poet, probably best known for the versifying part. As such, his son was attending Harvard when the Civil War … Continue reading

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Sarah Polk’s Fans

Miss Sarah Childress Sarah Childress Polk (1803-1891) was an intelligent, devout Tennessee woman. Her education, considered excellent for the time, was via a Moravian finishing school, but cut short by the untimely death of her father. At twenty, she married Tennessee … Continue reading

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Abraham Lincoln: A Big Apple Farewell

The entire country was stunned by Lincoln’s Assassination in 1865. New York’s Electoral Votes By 1860, New York had been the most populous state for more than a half-century. It accounted for a whopping 35 electoral votes, and gave them … Continue reading

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General Grant’s Last Escort

Serving as a pallbearer is the most unselfish “good deed” someone can do for another. The deceased can never return the favor.  The Great General Ulysses S. Grant was not born to anything even remotely connected with fame or renown … Continue reading

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Lincoln’s First Pardon: Private William Scott

By the time of Lincoln’s death, his reputation for compassion had become legendary. Captain Abe When Abraham Lincoln was around 22, living in New Salem, IL, he enlisted in the militia along with a bunch of his buddies. A skirmish … Continue reading

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Lincoln: The Triumphal Stroll

The Procession As far back as recorded time goes, when a Great War was over, the victors paraded through their towns and villages, trumpets blaring. Hundreds, and even thousands of soldiers glittered in their armor, assembled and proud.  Most marched. … Continue reading

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Captain Grant: A Turning Point

Grant: The 1850s Ulysses S. Grant had become a soldier under duress. His father insisted that his eldest son attend West Point. It was a free education. Not that Jesse Grant was poor; he was definitely middle class, with a … Continue reading

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Civil War Divas: Mary & Julia Part II

After the initial “how-do,” Mary Lincoln and Julia Grant did not meet again for a year. Mary Lincoln: 1864-5 Mary Lincoln took a long time to emerge from her deep grief over her son Willie’s death in early 1862. Custom … Continue reading

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John Tyler’s Sherwood Forest

Nestled in the northern part of Virginia’s Tidewater Peninsula, midway between its original capital of Williamsburg, and Richmond, its capital since 1780, is the retirement house of John Tyler, 10th President of the United States. It has been in the … Continue reading

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Mary Lincoln and Julia Grant: The CW Divas Part 1

The similarities were apparent; the dissimilarities were intrinsic. Mary Todd Lincoln (1818-1883) was seven years older than Julia Dent Grant. From Kentucky and Missouri respectively, they were both considered “westerners” in the early part of the 19th century. They both … Continue reading

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