Episodes from "Civil War and Reconstruction," Juniata College (Fall 2008): 1 through 10 of 68
- General Hood Attempts to Restore Order in the Army of Tennessee
August 12, 1864
FRANKLIN, Tennessee
Crime/Violence, Law, Health/DeathAfter Atlanta had been taken, General John Bell Hood commanded his Army of Tennessee to attempt to cut off William Tecumseh Sherman’s railroad supply lines to Atlanta. This resulted in Hood launching several attacks in Tennessee and destruction of the railroad which weakened his army greatly. Hood had hoped that this would lure Sherman and his troops to pursue them towards Tennessee,...
- Crittenden Attempts to Stave off Secession
December 18, 1860
Washington City, District of Columbia
African-Americans, Slavery, Migration/Transportation, LawPrior to the Secession of the Confederate States, many people in the United States wanted a compromise in order to prevent secession and the Civil War that would follow. James McPherson noted that in order for the Senate to filter through the proposed compromises they formed the “Committee of Thirteen” which included William H. Seward, Stephen Douglas, Benjamin Wade, and John J. Crittenden....
- George Boutwell Fights for Black Rights in D.C.
January 18, 1866
Washington City, District of Columbia
Politics, African-Americans, Law, GovernmentWith the conclusion of the Civil War, came the question of what to do about the rights of the freedmen who were now considered men instead of property. George Boutwell gave a speech to the House of Representatives, he rationalized why African Americans should be given at least partial suffrage in the District of Columbia. Among his arguments for Black suffrage in D.C. were: if the freedmen are considered...
- Carey Advocates Liberia as the Solution
1832
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania
Slavery, American Colonization SocietyNat Turner's methodical slaying of white civilians in Southampton County, Virginia during August of 1831 caused anxiety and concern for whites throughout the country. Although he was captured within months, his rebellion had unintended consequences. It added fuel to an already growing fire – the movement to send free blacks to Liberia. Arguing on behalf of the American Colonization...
- War Governors Declare Loyalty to Lincoln
September 24, 1862 to September 25, 1862
BLAIR, Pennsylvania
Emancipation Proclamation, Governor CurtinGeneral George McClellan's inability to secure victory on the battlefield in the summer of 1862 added turmoil to an already fragile situation. Many northern politicians were frustrated with the general's performance, not to mention their anguish over a costly war that was once expected to be a quick victory. Dick Yates, Governor of Illinois, emphasized through speeches and private letters...
- An experience on the Allegheny Portage Railroad
1835
CAMBRIA, Pennsylvania
HollidaysburgBefore the construction of the Horseshoe Curve, the Allegheny Portage Railroad acted as the most efficient form of transportation over the steep Allegheny Mountains. Finished in the spring of 1834, the Allegheny Portage Railroad cost the Commonwealth almost two million dollars and cut a three day journey into six hours. Philip Nicklin braved the treacherous voyage a year after the railroad's completion. ...
- An assistant surgeon reports on gangrene
January 1, 1865 to December 31, 1865
SUMTER, Georgia
Civil War, prison, Health/DeathAndersonville's prison had a hospital crowded with patients, due to the bad living conditions in the cells. The prison was overcrowded with prisoners crammed in rooms, inactive and secluded from society, lacking food, exercise and fresh air. The atmosphere was so polluted that people could hardly breathe. The promiscuity made sickness spread in a heartbeat, and in the winter of 1865, the prison witnessed...
- Doubleday Takes Baseball from Brooklyn to the Battle Fields of Dreams
1839 to 1861
KINGS, New York, OTSEGO, New York
Doubleday, Soldier, Civil War, ArmySports can bring groups of people together like few other activities. The same can certainly be said for baseball, America's pastime, in the Civil War era. Baseball was being played before the war started, it was played during the war, and it is still played today. Baseball, which went by many names in the time of the Civil War, helped keep the morale of the troops up for both the North and the South....
- A drummer boy writes about his experience of the war
March, 1863 to 1863
HAMILTON, Indiana
Civil War, camp-life, lettersThe letters of a drummer boy are a gathering of the letters of a sixteen years old drummer boy in the 47th Indiana Regiment during the Civil War. His letters to his parents show how an adolescent would see the war from the front. The 47th was active in the Western theater during the whole war, aside from the Vicksburg campaign, but the little everyday facts show better what war was like. The drummer...
- Forrest Escapes Union Forces in Kentucky
February 16, 1862
CALLOWAY, Kentucky
Nathan Bedford ForrestNathan Bedford Forrest enlisted in the War of the Rebellion for the South as a private in 1861. By 1862 he had risen to the position of lieutenant-colonel. Forrest had never been in the army nor had he attended a military preparation institution—he had no military experience yet still rose to be a great commander. At Fort Donelson in Kentucky, Forrest was under the command of Generals Pillow,...
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