Tag Archives: Civil War history

U.S. Grant: The Shiloh Tree HQ

Army Generals in the Civil War usually commandeered the best houses in the area for their Headquarters. Pittsburg Landing, TN Pittsburg Landing, TN was a small village on the Tennessee River. Control of that river, which flowed into the Mississippi, … Continue reading

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Martha Washington’s White House

Martha Washington died in early 1802. She had never set foot in what is known today as the White House in Washington, DC. Martha’s White House in New Kent County Martha Dandridge (1731-1802) was only seventeen when she married Daniel … Continue reading

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Wilmer McLean: A Plague on Both His Houses

Wilmer McLean is one of those oddities of the Civil War, where truth is sometimes stranger than fiction. Wilmer McLean was a Virginia wholesale grocer, who at age 39 married a well-to-do widow with two children and a moderate plantation … Continue reading

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Lincoln’s First General: Winfield Scott

When Abraham Lincoln was a small child, Winfield Scott was already a military commander of stature. Winfield Scott, Virginian Winfield Scott (1786-1866) was born near Petersburg, Virginia to a family of gentry. He attended the College of William and Mary, … Continue reading

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Jefferson Davis at Twilight

For a man with lifelong poor health, Jefferson Davis managed to live till eighty-one. The Three Careers of Jefferson Davis Jefferson Davis (1808-1889) was a quintessential Southerner of the early nineteenth century: one who easily and capably gravitated into three … Continue reading

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ULYSSES UNDERGROUND: A Book Review

If anyone wants to know anything – even the most minute detail about the abolitionist movement and/or the Underground Railroad, particularly as it applies to Southern Ohio & Indiana, let them look no further than G.L. Corum, who knows practically … Continue reading

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Mrs. Keckley, “Contraband” and The Lincolns

The Civil War brought out great bitterness. It also brought out great generosity. “Contraband” Fortress Monroe, near Norfolk, VA, was a crucial center for the Union, since it commanded the Chesapeake Bay, its trade, commerce and defensive position. General Benjamin … Continue reading

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The Plot to Assassinate General Grant

General Grant was one of John Wilkes Booth’s targets on April 14, 1865. This is Julia Grant’s story, penned some 35 years after it occurred, and not known to the general public for more than a century. April 14, 1865 … Continue reading

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Lincoln’s Secret Spy: A Book Review

Authors Jane Singer and John Stewart are very quirky writers. Not a bad thing by the way. Quirk works. And they chose a very quirky subject for their anti-hero look at “the great con” of the Civil War. Had Lincoln … Continue reading

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Ulysses S. Grant: The Locket Story

  When Ulysses S. Grant met Julia Dent, it was love at first sight. Grant Meets Dent Young Lt. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), recently graduated from West Point, was a frequent guest at the Dent home for several weeks before … Continue reading

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