In this day and age, newspapers rarely print fiction. Of course, there is the occasional magical story written by a third grade class that appears every once a week in the Arts and Entertainment section of the paper, but for the most part, fictional stories of real substance are not published in newspapers anymore. This was not the case in the 1800's. Appearing in The Valley Star each week was...
As General Forrest frantically searched for an alternate route across the Black Creek Ford about three miles from Gadsden, Alabama, the enemy was quickly approaching. The stream was overflowing and the bridge was broken so General Forrest retreated into the town in hopes of locating another way around the flooded creek. Upon entry into the town, General Forrest knocked upon a stranger’s door. ...
While the city of Vicksburg eventually fell to Union forces on July 4, 1863, giving the Union control of the Mississippi River, several failed assaults occurred prior to the successful siege. Two of the assaults took place on May 19 and 22, and Vicksburg’s defenses held against the Union infantry and artillery forces on both these occasions. Infantry forces in the Civil War often engaged in...
Assistant surgeon to the 22nd regiment of Alabama Infantry, Matt Turner wrote a letter to his mother on May 27, 1863, speaking of his weariness in waiting to hear news from home. He served on picket duty for the past three weeks, but was now managing the Wither’s Division hospital in Shelbyville, Tennessee. Turner found working at the hospital comfortable, although he spoke of the continuous...
The first African American regiment, this group left Boston to head south to Port Royal, South Carolina, to fight for the Union army and demonstrate the capabilities of black soldiers. The enthusiasm of the troops was matched only by their numbers, a full regiment of fresh soldiers. In Boston, the regiment received a warm send-off, and the cheering crowds wishing them well were as vast as “have...
While many of their husbands and fathers went to fight in the Civil War, Southern women were often left at home to care for their families. In Union occupied areas, soldiers made themselves comfortable in the homes of these Southern women. One rainy evening, while Laura Merrick was socializing in her parlor, five Union soldiers entered to take solace from the weather. They strangely requested that...
As Confederate troops marched towards Suffolk led by General James Longstreet they could hear the shells and see the signal lights over the site of the battle. They were marching to Suffolk because a Union garrison had taken over Hill?s Point and Fort Huger, which opened the Union to shipping. When they arrived at Suffolk the Confederates attacked a Union garrison led by Brig. Gen. John Peck. The...
In November, 1862, a change occurred in Union power as President Abraham Lincoln removed General George McClellan from command of the Army of the Potomac. The New York Times stated, during “the fifteen months…he has had virtual control of the war have been utterly barren of results...Few commanders in history have had such splendid opportunities, and fewer still have so ostentatiously...
Harriet Tubman’s Raid
Between 1815 and 1822, Harriet Tubman was born to Ben Ross and Harriet Green in Dorchester County, Maryland. Many people know this courageous woman to have saved anywhere from 50-70 slaves in her time conducting the Underground Railroad. But what many people do not know about her, is she is responsible for rescuing an additional...
Part of the Vicksburg campaign, Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederate army led by General Joseph Johnston in a battle that was relatively insignificant for military strategy, but contributed greatly to turn the tide of public sentiment. Grant overwhelmed the Confederate army, because Johnston and his troops, though they rushed back towards the capital of Mississippi, could...