Tag Archives: Civil War history

George Washington Custis: Man in the Middle

George Washington Parke Custis was remarkable only in relationship to two giants, neither of whom he was actually related to. GW Custis: Fatherless Baby Only weeks after the fourth child and only son of John Parke Custis (1781-1857) was born, … Continue reading

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Grant and Buckner: Three Conversations

U.S. Grant and S.B. Buckner were cadets at West Point. Cadets Grant and Buckner Ulysses S. Grant, class of 1843, and Simon Bolivar Buckner, class of 1844, were both midwesterners of middle-class standing both financially and academically. West Point classes … Continue reading

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Lincoln and Sherman: Plugging the Hole

When Abraham Lincoln became President, he knew very little about the military. He learned quickly. The Bull Run Debacle The Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861, was an eye-opener on many levels. The Union forces, mostly short term … Continue reading

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Ulysses S. Grant: The Appomattox Parole Perks

April 9, 1865 was arguably among the most important days in U.S. history. U.S. Grant: The Surrender The Civil War had dragged on for four long years, and the casualty count was in the hundreds of thousands and would go … Continue reading

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U.S.Grant and the U.S. Mail

Mail call has always been one of the key ingredients of soldier morale and  frequently the high point of his day. A Literate War The Civil War is considered by most historians as the “first modern war” for a variety … Continue reading

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Lincoln. Mary. Robert. War.

Of all the decisions Abraham Lincoln was obliged to make during his administration, few were as personally difficult as his son’s participation in the Army. Robert’s Story Robert Todd Lincoln had just entered Harvard when his father was inaugurated in … Continue reading

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Montgomery Meigs: Civil War Quartermaster

The United States Army in April, 1861 On the eve of the Civil War, the regular United States Army consisted of 16,000 soldiers, most of which were deployed out west. Other than maintaining the always-touchy peace with the native tribes, … Continue reading

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Robert E. Lee at the Crossroads

  April 9, 1865 was only the beginning of a difficult time in the life of Robert E. Lee. The Surrender It was a horrible day for General Robert E. Lee (1807-1870). He has been famously quoted as preferring to … Continue reading

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William Tecumseh Sherman: Grant’s Perfect Lieutenant

William Tecumseh Sherman, frequently considered the first “modern” general, was above all, the indispensable lieutenant to Ulysses S. Grant. Sherman Meets Lincoln William T. Sherman (1820-1891), Ohio born and bred, was orphaned as a child and foster-raised by the politically … Continue reading

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Mrs. Grant and Mrs. Davis: A Healing Friendship

Two Civil war icons, one North, one South, finally met in old age, and became friends. Varina Davis: The Confederate Queen Varina Davis (1826-1905) first appeared on a national stage when she was eighteen and recently married to Congressional widower … Continue reading

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