Tag Archives: Civil War history

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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Julia Grant’s Bad Hat Story

Julia, The Plain Child Julia Dent (1826-1902) was the fourth of eight children (one died in infancy) born to Frederick W. Dent and Ellen Bray Wrenshall. Four boys and four girls. In that order. Colonel Dent (an honorary title) was … Continue reading

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Grant, Buckner and the Pillow Flight

Gideon Pillow was first and foremost a “political” general of massive pretensions. The Stuffed Pillow Gideon Pillow (1806-78) was born and raised to a prosperous and well-connected Tennessee family. He attended the University of Nashville, became an attorney, and went … Continue reading

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Edward Porter Alexander. Soldier. Engineer. Gettysburg.

EPA: The Young and Handsome Edward Porter Alexander wanted to be a soldier from early youth. His well-to-do father, a successful Georgia planter, wanted him to be an engineer. When a family friend advised the senior Alexander that a West … Continue reading

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General Grant’s No-Exchange Order

Hard to Believe, But… After millenniums of savage butchery, more “civilized” armies faced each other on the most favorable empty grounds they could find and they became battlefields, far from villages and towns and private citizens. If a belligerent was … Continue reading

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Grant and Lincoln at City Point

In 1864-5, City Point, VA briefly became the tenth largest city in the United States. Grant in the East On February 29, 1864, President Lincoln promoted General Ulysses S. Grant as General of the Army – outranking everyone. Since Grant … Continue reading

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The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant

Unknown until the 1970s, Julia Grant wrote her memoirs. The Iconic General Grant By the time Julia Dent Grant decided to put pen to paper, she was an old lady – at least by 1890 standards. She was in her … Continue reading

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Lincoln Cousin: Dennis Hanks

It was a complicated and sometimes confusing kinship. Dennis Hanks: A Flotsam-Jetsam Childhood Dennis Friend Hanks (1799-1892) was the illegitimate son of Nancy Hanks – an aunt of another Nancy Hanks, Lincoln’s mother. Born in Hardin County, KY, a decade … Continue reading

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U.S. Grant and George Meade: A Partnership

Both George Meade and Ulysses Grant were West Pointers, and share a singular coincidental date in history. Meade and Grant: Common Bonds George Meade (1815-72), Pennsylvanian, came from a military family. His father was a naval officer, but died when … Continue reading

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Andrew Johnson: Military Governor of Tennessee

So few nifty stories come up about Andrew Johnson that when they do, they are worth passing along! Legislator Andrew Johnson of Tennessee No President (and that includes Lincoln!) had more hardships in his impoverished childhood than Andy Johnson. His … Continue reading

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