Episodes Nearest to January 1, 1861 to December 31, 1861: 1 through 25 of 25

  1. Masters and their Female SlavesMasters and their Female Slaves Masters and their Female Slaves Masters and their Female Slaves
    date 1861map MOBILE, Alabamatags Crime/Violence, Race-Relations, Women

    Louisa Picquet was a 14 year-old slave in Mobile, Alabama in 1861. Her master was a married gentleman named Mr. Cook who lived in a boarding house while his wife was away. At the boarding house, Mr. Cook demanded that Louisa take care of him privately. Louisa realized what her master's intentions were, and shared them with a female boarder, Mrs. Bachelor. Mrs. Bachelor was furious and devised...

  2. Blurring Lines of Race
    date 1861map MOBILE, Alabamatags African-Americans, Race-Relations, Slavery

    Race in the antebellum South was not as simple as black and white. In recounting her story, Louisa Picquet discussed the races of slaves on several occasions. As a slave, Louisa recognized differences between herself and other slaves. She described herself as relatively white, but that other slaves around her where more white than she. She also noticed a difference in the way masters treated their...

  3. Border States and the Civil War
    date 1861map JASPER, Missouritags Crime/Violence, Diplomacy/International, Government, War

    Salem H. Ford realized early that his company was in for a tough battle. As a captain in the cavalry of the Confederate States Army, he worried about the lack of leadership in his unit. After all, Colonel Price, the only man who seemed to know how to "form a line of battle," was fighting on the other side of the state. As Ford glanced across Spring River, which was the only thing separating...

  4. Morgan Honors Texas Rangers with a Poem
    date 1861map GALVESTON, Texastags Arts/Leisure, War

    M. Morgan showed how proud she is of her Texas warriors that are involved with the Civil War in her poem Texan Rangers. She proclaimed in the first stanza, that the Texans are making their way towards the enemy,

    "They come They come see their bayonets bright,

    They sparkle and flash across hollow and height;

    And the dusky files in the openings appear,

    ...

  5. Musical Patriotism of the Civil War
    date 1861map ORLEANS, Louisianatags Arts/Leisure, Civil War

    Two flags overlap on the cover of the Bonnie Blue Flag sheet music that has passed through many hands and sat atop many pianos in its lifetime.  The blue flag bearing a single star, given consideration as the Texas symbol of secession, and Harry Macarthy’s patriotic tune encompassed some of the southern sentiment at the start of the Civil War.  The song’s lyrics cried out to ban together...

  6. Death, Love, and War
    date June 30, 1861map CAROLINE, Virginiatags Agriculture, Health/Death, War, Women

    The operation was dangerous: destroying a bridge near a railroad ten miles away from camp in Martinsville, Virginia. However, General Elisha Paxton wrote his wife about the mission and told her It was a rather dangerous expedition, but I have become so much accustomed to the prospect of danger that it excites no alarm.

    Throughout his letter, General Paxton referenced his indifference towards...

  7. We Much Prefer the Country Still
    date July 10, 1861map BRISTOL, Massachusettstags Women

    "Women don't like the country" was an article featured in the Rushlight, the literary magazine of Wheaton Female Seminary, on July 10, 1861. Writing about a lecture given at the school, the student author complained about the generalization the lecturer made concerning people who spend time in the country. She defended herself and other women in their love for nature by comparing the green...

  8. All She Wanted Was Elbow Room
    date July 10, 1861map BRISTOL, Massachusettstags Race-Relations, Slavery, War, Women

    "All She Wanted Was Elbow Room" was published in The Rushlight, a student literary magazine of Wheaton Female Seminary in Norton Massachusetts in 1861. The main characters Fannie North and Nancy South had extremely different views but the one characteristic they shared was their desire for change. The external image of two girls represented the divisive issue of slavery opinions in the...

  9. Undying Devotion: The Glorification of Sacrifice
    date July 14, 1861map Washington City, District of Columbiatags Cult of Death, Victorian Era, Love letter, Rhode Island, Battle of Bull Run, Civil War

    Encamped in the wilderness of Virginia, mere days before his death in the first battle of the Civil War, a young major set pen to paper and began to write. In poignant eloquence, Sullivan Ballou described the conflicting forces at the heart of his identity. Though consumed by undying love for his wife, his patriotic devotion drove him forward toward battle—and death.“[M]y love of Country,”...

  10. Wealthy Family Discusses Country Poor
    date June 17, 1861map BARNWELL, South Carolinatags Economy

    The Civil War did nothing if not shake up the economy of the South. Even before emancipation shattered the fortunes of slave-holding families across the region, the war and ecology brought privations and shortages that wrecked the economies of entire regions. In this time of constant and deep flux, the wealthiest, especially in the armies, interacted extensively with the poorest elements of society....

  11. Views on the Coming of War
    date June, 1861map MOBILE, Alabamatags Church/Religious-Activity, War

    In 1861, the Civil War began in the United States. Susan Brardford Eppes was a teenager in the deep South and responded to this event with intense sorrow. She knew that war had arrived, and she knew war would change everything. In her initial response, Susan discussed the burden now facing the southern people. Everyone in the South had to be a part of the fight. Her support and sadness for the South...

  12. Texas Secedes
    date February 2, 1861 to 1861map AUSTIN, Texastags Government, Law, Politics

    War fever and the eagerness to fight ran rampant as soon as Texas officially seceded from the Union. William Williston Heartsill, a young 22 year old store clerk working in Marshall, Texas was one of the first to enlist. Before he had left for training, Heartsill began a diary to record all the moments and sentiments leading to the cause of his enlistment. He believed that it was imperative to fight...

  13. Snipers During the Peninsular Campaign
    date June 15, 1861map YORK, Virginiatags War

    During the American Civil War, Union Colonel Hiram Berdan formed the 1st and 2nd Sharpshooters Regiments and changed the face of military history forever. Although noticeably different from the modern sniper, Berdan's Sharpshooters were the unmistakable forefathers of what is today roundly considered the most feared specialization on the battlefield. In fact, some theorize that the modern term...

  14. General Butler Writes Letter to Secretary of War about Fugitive Slaves
    date July 20, 1861map YORK, Virginiatags African-Americans, Education, Slavery, War

    On July 20, 1861, Union General Butler wrote a letter to Secretary of War Simon Cameron asking what to do with fugitive slaves. In May, 1861, three slaves had run away from their master and sought refuge within Union lines at Fort Monroe. When their master, Colonel Charles Mallory attempted to claim them, General Butler refused. Butler drew on his legal training for his answer. He called the...

  15. Union Colonel Withstands Retreat at Bull Run
    date July 21, 1861map PRINCE WILLIAM, Virginiatags Civil War, Battle of Bull Run

    Union Colonel Robert McAllister participated in the Battle of Bull Run near Manassas, Virginia on July 21, 1861.  McAllister and the 1st New Jersey volunteers were instructed to act as a rear guard at the town of Centreville for General Irvin McDowell’s routed force. The Battle of Bull Run was the first major battle of the Civil War. After the arrival of Confederate reinforcements,...

  16. Work Begins Converting Merrimac into Ironclad CSS Virginia
    date July 24, 1861map NORFOLK, Virginiatags War

    In the Spring of 1861, Union forces abandoned the USS Merrimac, sinking it in the Elizabeth River near Norfolk, Virginia. The water was shallow enough to allow Confederates to raise the ship. During the Summer of 1861, the Merrimac was placed in dry dock at the Norfolk Navy Yard. Originally a wooden steam-powered gunboat, Confederate engineers began coating the hull with iron, renaming it the...

  17. Unsuccessful Attack On Rebel Battery near Newport News
    date June 10, 1861map WARWICK, Virginiatags Government, Law, Politics, War

    June 10, 1861 General Butler of the Union army learned that Confederate forces were forming a camp near Great Bethel, near Hampton. Butler had the desire to dislodge them so he sent forces from Fortress Monroe and Newport News. At least four different Union regiments began their trip to the Confederate camp to take care of the problem. They were accompanied by a German regiment and there was a misunderstanding...

  18. “On the Home Front”: Civilian Reaction to Northern Occupation during the American Civil War
    date May 30, 1861map ARLINGTON, Virginiatags Letters Home, Women, Civil War

    As Northern forces began to push into Southern territory, they were forced to occupy many Southern residences and forage for resources and materials from Southern fields. Often, the actions taken by Northern troops led to hostility and bitterness by southerners towards Northern troops because often the soldiers would cause destruction to civilian Property. This hostility appeared in letters written...

  19. Confederates Burn Hampton, VA
    date August 7, 1861 to August 8, 1861map YORK, Virginiatags African-Americans, War

    On August 7, 1861, General Magruder took 500 Confederates with him sometime around midnight, “entered [Hampton], and immediately fired the buildings with torches.' The town was estimated to have somewhere around 500 buildings. By the morning of August 8, “seven or eight buildings were left standing.' The town was located close to Fort Monroe, an important base of operations...

  20. Battle of Wilson's Creek
    date August 10, 1861map GREENE, Missouritags War

    5,500 Union forces under General Lyon engaged nearly 12,000 Confederates under General McCulloch in a surprise attack. The attack went well at first, but Lyon's men became bogged down by Confederate artillery fire. McCulloch's men regrouped and launched a counterattack on the Union troops. Overwhelmed by McCulloch's numerical advantage, the Union forces were easily defeated. The...

  21. The Plantation Will Last
    date August, 1861map ORLEANS, Louisianatags Farm Equipment, Slavery, plantation, Civil War

    In August of 1861 the Civil War was beginning to show its true colors, bloody and drawn out battles of attrition revealed the war would be much longer and bloodier than anyone had expected. Failed offensives by both the North and South were publicized throughout the nation, and the newly established Confederate was burdened with building a country from scratch and governing a war.  At this same...

  22. Kentucky announces its neutrality in the North/South conflict
    date May 16, 1861map FRANKLIN, Kentuckytags Slavery, War

    After the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, Kentucky wanted to pursue a neutrality policy between the North and the South. Many Kentuckians supported the idea of remaining neutral through the conflict, although eventually both sides became so strong that Kentucky had to eventually align with one. In the mean time they declared, “that this state and the citizens thereof shall take no...

  23. Surrender at Camp Jackson and the subsequent onslaught
    date May 10, 1861map ST LOUIS, Missouritags Crime/Violence, War

    A group of armed men accused of being pro-Confederate, formed at Camp Jackson in St. Louis, Missouri. Simultaneously, a pro-Union group, headed by Nathaniel Lyon, formed to counter the threat. Lyon surrounded the camp and forced the surrender of the troops, although they professed their loyalty to the Union. Because of the current events and violence at all levels (local, state, regional, and...

  24. Texans Begin to Encourage the Spread of the Peculiar Institution
    date August 25, 1861map HARRIS, Texastags African-Americans, Agriculture, Slavery

    "My brother John D. Andrews of Houston, Texas, requests me to say to the people of Va, that he would like to exchange lands in Texas for Negroes," was the opening line of an August 25, 1861 sale notice drafted by Samuel Andrews of behalf of his brother, John Andrews, who resided in Houston, Texas. In the ad, Andrews discussed his willingness to negotiate with Virginians who wished to "send...

  25. H.K. Burgywn Promoted to Lt. Colonel
    date August 27, 1861map NORTHAMPTON, North Carolinatags War

    On August 27, 1861, Henry King Burgwyn wrote in his journal that, I was today [elected] Lt. Col. of the 26th Regiment, N.C. Troops. The young boy from coastal Carolina was made head of his regiment at an unusually ripe age. He wrote, I am now 19 years, 9 months, and 27 days old and probably the youngest Lt. Colonel in the Confederate of U.S. service. From this day on, he became known as the Boy...