Results

  1. Cotton crop produced at abnormally low numbers.
    date October 4, 1827map WAKE, North Carolinatags Agriculture, Economy

    The Southern economy thrived on its ability to sell cotton to England and other European nations. In 1827, the economy fell and fell hard. Throughout the South, farmers had to deal with as an Alabama farmer put it the “most disastrous season for the agriculturist'. The cotton states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia would all “fall far short of their usual quantity'....

  2. Battle of Chancellorsville
    date May 1, 1863 to May 4, 1863map SPOTSYLVANIA, Virginiatags War

    The battle at Chancellorsville, Virginia, pitted the Confederate General Robert E. Lee against Union Major General Joseph Hooker. Stonewall Jackson came up with a plan to send Lee around to attack the left flank with only 12,000 troops. Lee won a decisive victory here, even though Hooker's troops numbered well over 70,000. After the victory, Jackson rode out to scout the terrain, and was wounded by...

  3. Mr. Clay comes to Staunton, Virginia
    date July 27, 1832 to November, 1832map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Government, Politics, Urban-Life/Boosterism

    Augusta County, Virginia was clearly Whig Country come the election of 1832. The Annals of Augusta County, a historical record, speaks of an imposing and influential political convention in 1832. Attended by people from all over the State, the delegates called themselves National Republicans and adopted resolutions which called for Henry Clay for president. Four years earlier, the Staunton Spectator...

  4. The Importance of Unity: Jefferson Davis in Maine
    date July 29, 1858map WILKINSON, Mississippitags Government, Politics, War

    A tall, lanky man from Mississippi mounted the steps of Madame Blanchard's at the corner of Park and Danforth streets in Portland, Maine as a large crowd cheered in anticipation. After the music ceased, Jefferson Davis began to speak as the crowd listened intently to his words. It was July of 1858 and Davis was giving a speech to the citizens of Maine about the importance of the unity of the country....

  5. Reward
    date November 21, 1855map ORLEANS, Louisianatags African-Americans, Law, Race-Relations, Slavery

    Be on the look out for a runaway slave. Wednesday morning, November 21, 1855 found Patrick finnegan, a slave owner, in a dismal mood. His slave, Edmund, became one of the many attempted runaways across the country. If only he could make it across the border line, Edmund would find himself a safe haven to live out the rest of his life. Edmund was described as a 5 feet high, stout built and 26 years...

  6. Trial Finds a White Man Innocent of Shooting a Black Man
    date January 19, 1866map Washington City, District of Columbiatags African-Americans, Crime/Violence, Health/Death, Law, Race-Relations, Slavery

    After the death of John Anderson, a black man who had been shot by an unknown white man, a trial was being held with eye-witnesses. Of the three witnesses who testified, two of them were black and one of them was white. The first black witness, known as Henry Barret, testified that the assailant had been a white man who he believed may have been dressed in grey and wearing a hat. The following white...

  7. The State Seal: A Symbol of Revolution
    date March 30, 1861map YAZOO, Mississippitags Government, Politics, War

    The bird of liberty sat perched on top of a Magnolia, waiting to strike a cautiously approaching serpent that threatened the safety of her nest. This was the symbolic image imbedded onto the enlarged copy of the Mississippi State Seal that W.S. Barry, President of the Mississippi State Convention, sat inspecting on March 20, 1861. It had been three months since the state had made the decision to leave...

  8. Mr. Jefferson's University
    date August 1, 1818 to January 20, 1819map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Education, Politics

    Thomas Jefferson's dream of a truly public university for Virginia came a step closer to being realized when the appointed commissioners of the yet-to-be built university met at Rockfish Gap, in Augusta County Virginia, on August 1, 1818. The purpose of the meeting was to pick a location for the university from three different choices: Lexington in Rockbridge County, Staunton in Augusta, or the site...

  9. News of Fort Sumter Rallies Supporters in Augusta County, Virginia
    date April 20, 1861 to April 21, 1861map AUGUSTA, Virginiatags Government, Law, Politics

    James M. Schreckhise wrote to, and received, many letters from many people during the Civil War. He lived with his parents in Augusta County, while many members of his immediate family served in the Confederate Army. Having received information from a first-hand source in South Carolina, he provided a patriotic description of the local reaction to the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Augusta...

  10. Threat of Conscription
    date February 15, 1864 to 1864map VAN ZANDT, Texastags Government, Law, Politics, War

    When Lizzie, granddaughter of the Gordon family living in Paris, Texas, wrote to her grandmother, she talked about the war. She said, Pa speaks of going in the army if they raise it to 55 Pa will have to go will not join until he is obliged to. The Gordon family was not unique in deciding the future of their family. Many families were torn with the heart-breaking decision whether or not the men should...

1 | 2 | Next »