By Ryan Schutte On November 10th, 1862, twenty-nine year old Margarethe Schurz stood in front of President Lincoln himself and pronounced, “The defeat of the Administration is the Administration’s own fault.” She then accused the President of putting the Union … Continue reading
Noted biographer Catherine Clinton addressed the Dickinson College community on Monday, April 13, 2015 on “Mary Lincoln’s Assassination.” … Continue reading
Exactly four years after he had surrendered Fort Sumter to the Confederates, Union officer Robert Anderson returned to Charleston to help once again raise the U.S. flag over the now-ruined harbor fortifications. Following an emotional mid-day ceremony, hundreds of men and women, included dozens … Continue reading
The Underground Railroad was a metaphor. Yet many textbooks treat it as an official name for a secret network that once helped escaping slaves. The more literal-minded students end up questioning whether these fixed escape routes were actually under the … Continue reading
According to historian Louis Masur, Abraham Lincoln was “upset” by Union General John Fremont’s decision on August 30, 1861 to announce from his headquarters in St. Louis the general emancipation of rebel-owned slaves in Missouri (p. 28). Yet, in his … Continue reading
[View the story “Causes of the Civil War: Arguing Online from 2011-15” on Storify] … Continue reading
This post provides new material to an issue raised by an earlier short essay on the Lincoln household in 1860. The 1860 census noted the “Dinker” family household (near Eighth and Edwards streets) in Springfield, headed by Barbara with Phillip … Continue reading
Who was abolitionist William Still and what did the New York Times say about him in his obituary? It turns out that Still was a leader in the fight against slavery. The Times coverage of his death, from July 15, 1902, … Continue reading
Find a copy of General Meade’s official description of the fighting on Little Round Top during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. How does a modern-day student accomplish this in the most efficient way possible? Searching combined key … Continue reading
Which usage was more common during the Civil War itself: Confederates or Rebels? Which usage is more appropriate today? The answer to those questions require some careful thinking about evidence and perspective. One way to test that proposition is by … Continue reading