Civil War Research
OK honors people, now it is your turn to get into the material and teach the rest of us history students about what matters to you. No you can’t go on and on about your belly button, this important information must be related to the Civil War. Your newest assingment out here in cyberspace is for you to teach about a person or group that you find facinating from the Civil War. This can be as simple as looking at a particular politician or general, or it can be as specialized as an artist or medical doctor that made an impact during the war. So look to your own personal interests, then go out and do the research, and finaly come back here and tell the rest of us what you have learned.
Special note here: You may NOT do a repeat. For example if someone has already tackled Lincoln, he is off bounds for the rest of you. Sorry if you had already done the research then found out your subject was taken, unfortunately “that’s life”. My recomendation is for you to do this assignment early.
Have fun and be creative!
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I am claiming General Lee, from the Confederate States. I will put up the info tonight, but I just wanted to get this out there, since my mom wouldn’t let me claim him last night, or last period for that matter.
I claim women soldiers of the civil war. Sorry if someone else wanted to do this but….. Finders Keepers Losers Weepers! To the people going on the chm. feild trip tommorrow, Have Fun!
I choose Clara Barton. She was a nurse during the Civil War, and cared for the wounded. When the war ended, she began to look for missing soldiers. In 1881 she created the American Red Cross Society. She realized that the soldiers who had been injured in the First Bull Run, lacked medical supplies. She then began to advertise of donations of medical supplies. Her attempt to help the soldiers was successful, and the following year, U.S. Surgeon General William A. Hammond, granted her the ability to ride in the army ambulances. (For the purpose of “for the purpose of distributing comforts for the sick and wounded, and nursing them.”) She also expanded her duty of being a nurse by traveling to Camp Parole, Md., to organize a program for locating men listed as missing in action. She found men and was able to notify their families.
Before Clara Barton became a nurse, she was a teacher in a private school in Bordentown, N.J. She then recognized the towns need for free education, and she established a free public school in the town. When officials appointed a male principal in place of her, she resigned and moved to Washington in 1854. While in Washington she became the first woman to work at the Patent Office.
Clara Barton was highly recognized because she was one of the few women of her time to step out side of her typical boundaries. Women of that time were expected to be house wives and mothers, Clara Barton went above and beyond this duty.
ok gang I am going to do Jefferson Davis..so I will be back with the Info!!
Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808 in Christian County Kentucky and is the son of Samuel Davis. During his younger years he moved with his family to Woddsville, Mississippi. He attended Transylvania College, but then left in 1824 and went to the West Point Military Academy. He graduated in 1828.
He resigned on June 30, 1835 and married Zachary Taylor’s 13 year old daughter and moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi and became a cotten planter. He became engaged in politics again and became a well known speaker and a champion of State’s Rights. After graduating, Davis fought in the Black Hawk War, the U.S. War with Mexico, served as a Mississippi congressman, a U.S. senator and was President Pierce’s Secretary of War and gained a seat in the house.
Davis was a believe in the construction of a Pacific Railway for a military necesity, but opposed popular sovereignty.
The confederate states chose Davis as president and commander of its’ military forces and in February of 1862 he was elected by the choice of popular vote. He tried to deal with the Confederacy’s wartime economic and political issues. He made great effort, but was not as successful as he wish he would be. Many thought he was aloof.Davis made some great choices during the civil war, but also some poor ones as well. Davis believed preserving the confederacy and their teritory was most important during the civil war. He was known as a decent stratagist.
In April 1865, the Confederate army surrenedered against Jefferson Davis who wanted the war to continue.
With losing the war, on May 10, 1865 he was claimed in Georgia and was thrown in jail and charged with treason. After being released from jail he published “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government” in 1881. He died on December 6, 1889 at 81 years old.
I chose to conduct my research on Belle Boyd, a female spy for the Confederates during the civil war. During the war, some women were house keepers. Some women started church groups. Some of the atypical, strong willed women were nurses who cared for soldiers on the battlefield. Belle Boyd was a spy.
Before 1860, America had little experience in the field of espionage. The civil war was the perfect opprotunity to learn. Soldiers on both sides looked the same and spoke the same language, making identifying covert agents extremely difficult. There were few controled barriers on travel. Mountain ranges and railroads criss-crossed the political borders, which were not much more to the enterprising than lines on a map.
The culture of the civil war was still fairly victorian. Female spies had a distinct advantage over their male counterparts because they would not be interrogated harshly or executed for their crimes. Both sides took advantage of this “I don’t hit girls” psychology.
Belle Boyd lived in Martinsburg, Virginia. In July of 1861, two drunk Union soldiers entered her home and got more than they bargained for. She shot and killed them both. She was aquitted of all charges and set free. Afterwards, she began voluntarily forwarding her observations of Union troop activity in her area to Gen. Ashbury and Gen. Stonewall Jackson. The latter made her a captain and honorary aide-de-camp.
Ms. Boyd often gathered information from her father’s inn in Front Royal, VA, which was occupied by Union forces. When the Federals found out that General Jackson was on his way, they panicked and planned to burn a large supply depot and all the bridges across the south fork of the Shenandoah River to cover their northward retreat. Ms. Boyd, who was seventeen at the time, overheard them and decided to inform the Confederates personally. She dashed several miles under fire from Union pickets to reach the approaching Confederates. The front of the column dashed forward and was able to save the bridges, enabling Gen. Jackson to drive the Union out of the valley.
Betrayed by her lover, she was arrested and held in Old Capital Prison in DC, but was exchanged a month later. She remained in exile with relatives for a time, before getting arrested again while on a visit to Martinsburg. She was sent to Europe to recover from typhoid, and on her way back the blockade runner she was on was captured. She fell in love with the Union prize master and later married him in England. He was dropped from the Navy for neglect of duty in letting Boyd escape to Canada and then to England. Belle, herself, had a sucessfull stage career in England. She died on a tour of the Western US.
I claim renowned artist, Lilly Martin Spencer, and her depiction of the daily life during the Civil War.
i meant depiction of the daily life for a family with a father away at war….oops
and of the family’s lives while the father was away at war
Okay…wow, I set up a trend of claiming people then going to find info. Cool. SO now I will tell you all about General Robert E Lee.
Robert E Lee was born in 1807. He went to West Point and graduated 2nd in his class, and his father,Harry Lee was a Revolutionary War hero. Before the Mexican War, he did stuff with engineering for a bunch of different states like Georgia and New York. In 1831, Lee married Mary, who was the daughter of GWP Curtis, the adopted son of Washington, and the son of Mrs Washington. (I guess this makes him related to Washington, even though not by blood)
In 1836 Lee was made a first lieutenant in the army, and was promoted in 1868 to captain. In the Mexican War Lee became known for bravery and won some awards.
In 1852 Lee became superintendant to West Point. He was there for his son to go through school. He was one of the people summoned to “take care of” John Brown in the Harper’s Ferry Raid. In March of 1861 Lee was offered the position of colonel of the 1st US Calvary. But when Virginia seceeded, Lee felt loyalty to his home state, even though he opposed secession, and resigned from the US Army, especially after they offered him command of a field army to go and attack Virginia. With that, Rober E Lee contacted Confederate autorities and offered his services.
Lee quickly rose to the position of General within the Confederate Army. One of his first major battles was in Richmond against the Union’s Army of the Potomac. Robert E Lee was put in charge of several different armies during the war, and fought in many of the battles. Lee was the commanding officer of the Confederate troops during the Battle of Gettysburg, and the defeat. (and he had tofight against one of his friends, Meade, the commanding officer of the Union Troops. But you all knew that since you all did the terms that are due Thursday…) Lee also fought against Grant, who was one of the Union’s top peoples (I’m surprised nobody’s claimed him yet), in several battles, the main one being Petersburg (ahh! another term that you all know! and even though that battle is really cool and all, I won’t go into detail since you all already know about it) After Petersburg, Grant persued Lee and forced him to surrender. The Confederacy surrendered soon after that.
But Lee did NOT go away after the war. He was offered the position of president over Washington College in Lexington, VA, and accepted. He was pressident of that college (later renamed Washington and Lee University) until his death on October 12, 1870. He was buried on college grounds.
Now I get to put in my stuff that I have been wanting to add:
Lee’s house in in Arlington National Cemetary, right outside of Washington DC. If you take a tour of the cemetary, the buses stop there. It was really cool and I’m saying you should visit. (I know…history teacher’s daughter) Ever since visiting his house last year I knew that I had wanted to do Lee for this blog. He was wanted by both the North and the South for positions of command, and chose to stay loyal to his family and home state, even though he didn’t agree with secession, which I guess shows that loyalty to family was his biggest commitment.
Yay! I finally got to do that blog that I’ve wanted to do for a year. (I know…history teacher’s daughter showing)
I’m surprised that no one has claimed Lincoln yet-he’s usually the first to go…
i call dibs on Matthew Bradley’s photographer. : )
yeah, he’s mine, you’re SO jealous.
I call comparing the Constitution of the Confederate States to the Actual Constitution, but it’s 11 so I’ll so it tomorrow
The clock on the blog is wrong
I am jealous Trisha you stole my person.
I call Winslow Homer. I got to do something artsy.
It seems the clock on the blog is one hour off, and that means if you post by midnight you will actually get one extra hour. Hmmmmm…. sounds like these guys are ‘in’ with students.
One last grade ‘thing’ I forgot to mention to everyone. Keep an eye on your grades in power school. You can always add more or change what you have inorder to improve your grade. I will allow this kind of ‘tweeking’ until Wednesday at midnight. However first posts must be made before the Tuesday deadline inorder to take advantage of this opportunity.
ok i claim William T. Sherman because Robert E Lee was already taken haha Erica, lol! I’ll put more info up later but i wanted to claim him. I found him in our readings. . . . =]
I have a question… Could I do someone who didn’t necessarily have an impact during the war, but wrote about the war to give us a better understanding of it, or is that not really what we’re supposed to be doing?
alright i officially calim Mary Edwards Walker just so you guys know! This claiming thing was a good idea Erica!
I claim Sarah Emma Edmonds!! Thanks!
I’m back and here to change my grade! =)
Okay, I choose Clara Barton. I already posted some information on her before, however, here is some more.
Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821, in Oxford, Massachusetts to Stephen and Sarah Burton. The youngest of five children in a middle-class family. She has always been described as a “strong and independent spirit” Barton was educated at home and began teaching at the age of fifteen. Growing up she always wanted to learn things that men would only learn at the time, for example riding horses. She had older brothers who loved to teach her things.
Clara always showed a love for being a nurse, her brother David became her first patient when he fell off a horse. Clara stayed by his side for two years and learned many medical treatments, including, “leeches.” In 1864 she was appointed by Union general Benjamin Butler as the “lady in charge” of the hospitals at the front of the Army of the James. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln placed Barton in charge of the search for the missing men of the Union army. While engaged in this work she traced the fate of 30,000 men. When the war ended she was sent to Andersonville, Georgia to set up graves for Union soldiers buried there. Later Barton also became involved with Frederick Douglass and became an activist for black civil rights and abolitionists.
As, I said before Clara Barton created the American Red Cross. The first one was created in May 21, 1881 and John D. Rockefeller donated funds to create a national headquarters in Washiongton DC, located one block from the White House. Barton at first devoted the American Red Cross to disaster relief, such as after the 1893 Sea Islands Hurricane. This changed with the the Spanish-American War with aid to prisoners of war and refugees. Barton herself worked in hospitals in Cuba in 1898 at the age of seventy-seven.As criticism arose of her management of the American Red Cross, plus her advancing age, Barton resigned as president in 1904, at the age of 83.
Clara Barton later died on April 12, 1912 (at the age of ninety years). However she still has many historic sites that remind the present generations of her great deeds. Her birth place in Oxford, MA is operated a Barton Center for Diabetes Education, a humanitarian project established in her honor to educate and suppor children with diabates and their families. Also, in 1975, The Clara Barton National Historic Site was created as a unit of the Nation Park Service in Maryland where she spend the last 15 years of her life. This was the first National Historic Stie dedicated to the accomplishments of a woman, it preserves the early history of the American Red Cross.
I Hope this is enough =)
Hey guys, I’m gooing to follow you guys with this claiming thing and claim Margaret Breckinridge. Okay, I’ll post stuff later, I just wanted to make sure people didn’t take all of the good ones.
Yes Jacky, you can do someone who impacts the war in that way. I can’t wait to see you entry now - you’ve got me curious!
Hey Folks - Warning Warning Warning!
Stay away from the ‘easy’ wikipedia site and the simple copy/paste job.
You can do much better then that. And when it is your writing it is much better to read.
Ok I have some of my information now… A lot of the women in the Civil war were nurses and helped the injured men but what I find more interesting is that some of the women cut their hair really short and fought along with the men. Most of them did it for the same reasons that the men did it. For glory honor and all that jazz. Some women were spies (i think kayleigh wrote about one?). When i would think of women during the war, i would think of little women where all the girls at home waiting for their dad to return.
It was really hard for people to find out about how the women soldier lived because they were undercover and no one was supposed to know that they were there. Though because they were fighting along side the men, it was asumed that they faced the same conditions that the men did. Somthimes they were discovered because they were wounded in battle and… well yea you get the picture. After they were caught they were sent home.
well thats all i have for now. ill be back on with more info for u people!!!!!! peace out!
Hey Guys im claiming Robert Gould Shaw So please dont steal him. =)
Alright so I am back with all my information about Mary Edwards Walker.
Mary was born on November 26, 1832 in Oswego, New York. She was born to Alvah and Vesta Walker. Her father was a carpenter- farmer who believed in free thinking and many reform movementts in the mid-1800s (including education and equality for his daughters). Alvah built the town of Oswego’s first schoolhouse on his land. Mary and two of her older sisters graduated from Falley Seminary in Fulton, New York, and became teachers, with Mary teaching in Minetto, New York in 1852. In December 1853, enrolled in Syracuse Medical College (the first medical school in the U.S. and one that equally accepted men and women). After three 13-week semesters of medical training, in which she paid $55 each semester, Mary graduated in June 1855. At 21 years old, she was the only woman in her class, and the second female doctor in the nation.
She became an early supporter of women’s rights and passionately spoke about dress reform.In 1856, at her wedding to Albert Miller, another physician, Mary wore trousers and a man’s coat. Their wedding vows did not include anything about ‘obeying.’ And she kept her own last name. They began a joint medical practice in Rome, New York, but many people were not ready for a woman physician so the practice floundered.Albert apparently was unfaithful and so, four years later, they separated with Mary moving into smaller rooms for living and working.Mary’s published opinions were printed in the program of the second Reform-Dress Association Convention in Syracuse and, that December, she lectured on it in Black River, New York. In 1860, she was one of nine vice presidents elected at the National Dress Reform Association Convention. She returned to Rome without a divorce after that summer. Mary went to Washington, D.C., to join the Army as a medical officer. She was denied, so she volunteered – serving as acting assistant surgeon at the hospital set up in the U.S. Patent Office. Her superior, Dr. J.N. Green, recommended that she be commissioned, but she never was. With her volunteer status, Mary could move about freely; she accompanied a severely wounded soldier home to Rhode Island. She also helped organize the Women’s Relief Association for lodging for wives, mothers and children of soldiers in Washington. On occasion, she brought these women to her home.
In 1862, Mary went to Forest Hall Prison in Georgetown, but felt her services were not especially needed so she returned to New York. She earned a second medical degree from Hygeia Therapeutic College and, by November, returned to Washington. After the Battle of Fredricksburg, Mary worked as a field surgeon near the Union front lines, treating soldiers in a tent hospital. In September 1863, Mary was appointed assistant surgeon to the 52nd Ohio Infantry in the Cumberland, based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and wore a slightly modified version of an officer’s uniform, carrying two pistols at all times. On April 10, 1864, wearing her uniform, she walked into a band of Confederate soldiers just south of the Georgia-Tennessee border and was taken hostage. For four months Mary was imprisoned at Castle Thunder, near Richmond, Virginia. On August 12, 1864, she was exchanged, along with 24 other Union doctors, for 17 Confederate doctors. She was proud that her exchange was for a Confederate surgeon of the rank of major.On October 5, 1864, Mary finally was commissioned, as acting assistant surgeon, with $100 monthly salary – becoming the first female surgeon commissioned in the Army. She served six months administering patients at the Louisville Women’s Prison Hospital and then finished out the war serving at an orphan asylum in Clarksville, Tennessee. She was discharged on June 15, 1865. She had sustained an eye injury that led to partial muscular atrophy, which earned her the $8.50 pension. In 1890, she finally was granted the $20 a month pension because her eye injury had intensified.Upon recommendation of Major Generals William T. Sherman and George H. Thomas, on November 11, 1865, President Andrew Johnson signed a bill to present Dr. Mary Edwards Walker with the Congressional Medal of Honor for Meritorious Service. The citation recognized her:
“valuable service to the Government,”
Mary Edwards Walker was – and remains – the only woman ever to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor – the highest military award of the U.S. at the time.
In 1917, Congress revised the standards for the Medal of Honor to include only “actual combat with an enemy,” and took away the medals of 911 honorees, including Mary. But she refused to give it back.She also began writing and lecturing throughout the U.S. and abroad on women’s rights, dress reform, health and temperance issues. In 1869, Mary finally recieved a divorce from New York state. She wrote two books one was called “HIT” and the other’s title was “UNMASKED OR THE SCIENCE OF IMMORTALITY”.
In 1917 Mary fell on the steps of teh Capitol Building and never fully recovered. On February 21, 1919 Mary Edwards Walker died in Oswego, New York. My favorite quote of Mary’s is ” Until women have a voice in making laws, they must of neccessity be imperfect, as are all laws where… women had no voice in their making.” That’s it!
Can I just say that I am SHOCKED that no one has claimed Lincoln yet? That was like the first to go the last two yeras. Anyway…here’s more on Lee (cause I know that everyone just wants to kn ow more on him).
Lee was opposed to slavery. He thought that it was “an institution that is a moral and political evil”. But, he thought that Africans were better off in America for the most part than in Africa. He did however, own slaves, but they were all set free some time before the war. Lee was such a good master, that they all chose to stay with him throught the duration of the war. One slave, William Mack Lee (later an ordained Rev.), stayed with Lee throughout the war, and followed him onto the battlefield and served him there. Rev. Wm Mack Lee was one of the biggest supporters and offered some of the most praise for Lee. Lee Rejoiced when slavery was abolished.
From the beginning of the war, Lee tried to get slaves and blacks enlisted in the Confederate army. HE said that in exchange for serving, they should be given their freedom, as a freed slave would be more likely to be loyal and effective soliders. Lee also tried to push the South towards emancipation policies for after the war.
One quote I found of Lee’s shows why he fought for the Confederacy, even though he was strongly opposed to slavery: “With all my devotion to the Union and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relatives, my children, my home. I have therefore resigned my commission in the Army, and save in defense of my native State, with the sincere hope that my poor services may never be needed, I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword…” (and yes, that is copied and pasted, but it’s a quote, so I didn’t want to mess it up.)
Two other quotes I found on the same website I also think shows more insight to Lee’s mind…: “What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”
And: “Never do a wrong thing to make a friend or keep one.” (Maybe I just like this quote of Lee’s)
The website that I was using for these quotes and everything else was http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/About%20the%20General.htm plus all of my other info.
Okay, I’m done for now….and nobody’s chosen Lincoln yet…
Ok I have more info!!! Okay ready for ts? anothr thing i found out was that some women went to war to be with loved ones or husbands! that’s what i call devotion. some one named Margret Leech reported that the outbreak of war, “permitted an unusual freedoms to ladies…”. in the mid 19th century, womens ability to tavel freely was restricted and i think that we can all agree that when we’re told not to do somthing it makes us want to do it more. Some women were actually allowed to be there because they wore new uniforms and pretty bonnets with fethers and they would parade around on horses to give inspiration to the soldiers. These women were called “daughter’s of the regiment”. Oh yea something cool: some o the women that would be a nurse or all around helper, would also train alongside recuits. one more thing that i found was that women that were found impersonating men were shamed and some people called them prostitutes. they were shamed and sent home. well thats all i have for now. ill probably be back on again. peace!!!!!
The person I choose was Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. He was born October 10, 1837 in Boston, Massachusetts. Being the only son in a very wealthy family Shaw had a very comfortable upbringing. Robert’s grandparents were successful merchants who had millions of dollars from the trade industry in which they worked. Robert grew up with a strong family connection, and a love for social events. Shaw had four sisters and a mother Sarah Shaw, and father Francis Shaw. The Shaws moved to country near Brook Farm when Robert was four. Their new home was an experimental commune inhabited by intellectuals such as Ralph Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Here Shae developed an understanding of abolitionism; a cause supported by his well-respected anti-slavery parents. Robert eventually attended prepatory school in New York, and boarding school in Switzerland, but was unhappy at these institutions because he disliked discipline as an adolescents.
In 1856 Robert attended Harvard, but preferred extracurricular activities such as sports, and playing the violin. Unable to choose a career Shaw left the university in the spring of 1859. After the panic of 1857 Shaws family fortune was cut in half, so after school Robert went to work for his uncle at Henry P, Sturgis Co. a mercantile office in New York. He only worked at the office for about half a year.
In 1860 Lincoln became President and the southern states succeeded from the union. Robert enlisted with the Seventh New York National Guard. This exclusive military regime was set on proving worthiness and patriotism. The unit agreed to volunteer their services for 30 days, but after it disbanded Robert remained in the military. In 1861 Shaw obtained his position as second lieutenant with the second Massachusetts. The second Massachusetts changed Roberts’s entire look on war and life because for the first time he was among men of different class, and through daily routine drilling he began to appreciate discipline.
Robert Shaw first took action on the battlefield when the second was ordered to cover retreat from Virginia in the battle at Front Royal in May 1862. Their next battle wasn’t until the Northern Virginia Campaign at
Cedar Mountain in April 1862. The regiment suffered terrible loses but not quite as bad as those on September 17th at the Battle of Antielam which was considered the bloodiest single day in the war.
In the winter of 1862 Shaw began to miss his family and Annie Haggerty a young woman who he had fell in love with prior to the war. In late November he proposed to her in a letter, and they were to be married the next year.
On January 1, 1863 the emancipation proclamation was officially issued changing the dynamics of the war. By the end of January Lincoln authorized the secretary of war to allow black men to enlist in volunteer regimes. Shaw was soon asked to lead a new regiment as its colonel, the 54th Massachusetts. This regiment included black volunteers and was the 1st of its kind in the northern states. Shaw was a strict disciplinarian but his men were well nourished, housed, and supplied. Shaw gained much respect for his men, and in return they greatly respected him.
On may 2nd, Robert and Annie were married in New York city but not long after he was ordered to return to camp. The 54th soon served alongside the Second South Carolina, a contraband regiment under the command of Colonel James Montgomery. Carrying out the orders of General Hunter Shaw’s men assisted in the destruction of Darien, and people were appalled by their barbarism. Now Robert was more determined then ever to prove his validity and honor.
On June 4th, 1863 a pay cut was imposed on black regiment soldiers. Shaw was the first to defend his men, and he wrote a letter to Governor Andrew Staton insisting his men be paid equally with white soldiers. He was one of the few colonels who respected his men without judging them for their race.
On July 16, 1863 the rebels made an attack on the federal army and Shaw’s men resisted the blow and prevailed. That same night Shaw’s troops marched on bound for Morris Island within reach of Charleston. General Strong presented Shaw and his men with the challenge of taking Fort Wagner just a few days later. This victory would be celebrated all over the union if Robert’s men were successful. Shaw accepted the challenge but did not succeed and dies in battle. However the mission, and Robert Shaw would always be remembered and well respected by members of the union.
Okay, I did the Confiscation Acts. I say acts because although we learned in the book of the Confiscation Act, it was really the second one passed. It succeeds the Confiscation Act of 1861.
Anyway, less about number and more about effect. Both acts freed slaves of Confederate Rebels. This, in theory, would allow all the Soldiers’ slaves the ability to help Union forces bring down their former masters. A nice idea, yes, but a doable plan, not really. As we read in the Lincoln article over the weekend, The Confiscation Acts presented some problems. First of all, who was to say if a master was really a rebel or not. It was no easy thing to prove. As well, enforcement was equally hard. Fighting was one thing, but policing an insurrecting area is near impossible. Despite these odds, it passed.
What was the difference between the first and second acts, you may well ask? The first only liberated slaves used to fight against the Union, while the second liberated all slaves whose masters were insurrecting.
Though this was a good start, it clearly needed more verve to free the slaves. That is where our good friend, the Emancipation Proclamation came into the picture.
Mary Todd Lincoln was born to Eliza and Robert Todd on Dec. 13, 1818. Mary was one of 16 children (her poor parents) and her mother died when she was 7 years old. Her father soon remarried and she was sent to the Shelby Female academy in Lexington. In 1839, she went to live with her sister in Springfield, Illinois, where she met a young Lawyer by the name of Abraham Lincoln. Two years later, they were engaged, but the engagement was cancelled, apparently at Mr. Lincoln’s request. She would not let her man go, so she insisted until Abraham set a date for the wedding. When that date came, however, Lincoln got cold feet and left his bride at the altar. A friend brought them together again and on November 4, 1842 they were married, although Abraham wasn’t too excited about it. On the day of the wedding, when someone asked him why he was dressed so elegantly and where he was going, he supposedly responded “To hell, I reckon.” On August 1, 1843, the Lincoln’s 1st child, Robert was born, and on March 10, 1846 their second child, Edward was born. Mary was a loving mother, but she soon became engulfed in her young family. In 1847, Lincoln was elected to Congress, and the family moved to Washington D.C. On December 1, 1850, Edward died due to a pulmonary tuberculosis. Already pregnant with her 2nd child, Mary entered a long period of mourning and 20 days later, William Wallace Lincoln was born. On April 3, 1853 the Lincoln’s last child Thomas (Tad) was born. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected President, and the whole family moved into the White House, where she began to refurnish it, and soon overspent the money that Congress had allowed her. On February 20, 1862 William Lincoln died of typhoid fever. Mary never did recover from this blow and directly after he died, she stopped going to any social gatherings and excluded herself from her friends. Later, she overcame this exclusion a little bit by going to the soldiers with baskets of supplies and other presents. On July 2, 1863 Mary suffered a heavy blow to the head when she was thrown from a carriage. Within a short time three more close family members were killed in the War. After that, Mary began to show increasing signs of instability. Her spending habits became a problem and she started to attend seances regularly. When her husband was shot on April 14, 1865 Mary became hysterical with grief. She entered into a long period of inconsolable grief. This was made worse by allegations that she had stolen linen and china from the White House. (These were proven incorrect) Mary did, however, become infatuated by not letting her living standard drop. She was in constant fear of becoming poor.In 1868 she went to Europe with her son Tad. For the next three years she lived in Frankfurt, Germany. On July 14, 1870 Congress apportioned to Mary a lifetime pension of $3000. A year later she returned to the United States. On July 15, 1871, when her son Tad died, she became hysterical with grief and her actions got really strange. She suffered from insomnia and feared being alone. She would often pay servants to stay with her so she would not be alone. She also reported hearing voices in her head. In May of 1875, her last remaining son, Robert, took her to court, where, after 10 minutes of deliberation, they sent her to the Asylum at Batavia, Illinois, where she spent four months. After her release, she moved back to Europe, and spent most of her remaining time in Pau, France. In 1880, she became very ill and moved to Illinois to live with her sister. She spent most of her days in an unilluminated room and on the annyversary of Tad’s death, she suffered an apparent stroke and died the next day, at the age of 63.
i claim rose o’neal greenhow a spy for the confederates
I’m Baaaaaaaaaackk!!!! hehe so anyways here is some info on Rose, she was pretty sneaky.
Rose O’Neal Greenhow was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1817. Rose was a spy for the confederate army during the civil war. As a young girl, Rose moved in with her Aunt at the Old Capitol building. Her aunt ran the inn there. The original Capitol was burned during the War of 1812, and then it was constructed as a temporary home for Congress. After that it was converted into a prison used during the civil war, the same prison that Rose was incarcerated in by the union. Rose married State department official Robert Greenhow in 1835.
Rose befriended many of the important people in the south. Among some of her closest friends were Dolley Madison, Daniel Webster and President James Buchanan, but no one was as close to Rose as John C. Calhoun. Calhoun had Rose’s admiration and respect. When Calhoun suffered through his final illness at the Old Capitol in 1850, Rose was in constant attendance. Calhoun’s memory remained sacred to her, and fueled her increasingly fanatic devotion to the Southern cause as Civil War approached.
Rose aka “The Rebel Rose” charmed many union men into leaking out information to her. Some of her more famous accomplishments of the civil war were the ten-word secret message she sent to General Pierre G.T. Beauregard which ultimately caused him to win the battle of Bull Run. She also spied so successfully for the Confederacy that Jefferson Davis credited her with winning the battle of Manassas. Rose was discovered as a spy by Allan Pinkerton. She was often being watched and she knew it. Despite the fact that she was a known spy, Rose still managed to charm information out of Union men and work for the Confederate cause. When finally arrested, by Pinkerton, Rose was quoted in saying, “I have no power to resist you, but had I been inside of my house, I would have killed one of you before I had submitted to this illegal process.” The dramatic flair she demonstrated when captured would characterize much of her time in captivity. She was incarcerated for her efforts first in her own home and then in the Old Capital Prison. Despite her imprisonment, Greenhow continued getting messages to the Confederacy by means of cryptic notes which traveled in unlikely places such as the inside of a woman’s bun of hair. After her second prison term, she was exiled to the Confederate states where she was welcomed by President Jefferson Davis.
After that, Rose’s next mission was to tour Britain and France as a propagandist for the Confederates. Two months after arriving in London, Greenhow’s memoirs were published and had a wide sale throughout the British Isles. In Europe, Greenhow found a strong sympathy for the South, especially among the upper classes. While in Europe, Rose found herself rubbing elbows with many of the nobility. She was received at the court of Queen Victoria and became engaged to the Second Earl Granville. In Paris, she was received into the court of Napoleon III and was granted an audience with the Emperor at the Tuileries.
After a year of traveling Europe, in 1864, Rose boarded the Condor, a British blockade-runner that was going to take her home. Just before reaching home, the Condor ran aground at the mouth of the Cape Fear River near Wilmington, North Carolina. In order to avoid the Union gunboat that pursued her ship, Rose fled in rowboat, but never made it to shore. Her little boat capsized and she was dragged down by the weight of the gold she received in royalties for her book. Her body washed ashore and was found by a Confederate soldier, who discovered the gold and took it. He then pushed her body back into the water. When the corpse was rediscovered and identified, the soldier was so overwhelmed by guilt that returned the gold.
In October 1864, Rose was buried with full military honors in the Oakdale Cemetery in Wilmington. Her coffin was wrapped in the Confederate flag and carried by Confederate troops. The marker for her grave, a marble cross, bears the epitaph, “Mrs. Rose O’N. Greenhow, a bearer of dispatchs to the Confederate Government.”
Yo Erica im choosin Lincoln you happy lol
Most of you already know alot about Abraham Lincon but hopefully ill tell you some things you didnt know about him.
He was born Feb. 12,1809 in Hardin County, Kentucky. His mom died when he was ten so he lived his dad in Indiana. Even though Lincoln was always working on the farms, evry single free second he would get he would be trying to attain knowledge. Not only did he work on a farm but he split rails for fences and kept a store in New Salem. Later in his life he was in the Illinois senate for 8 years. He had huge ambitions that was like a engine that never stopped running.
Skipping ahead in his life he married Mary Todd. Then he won Republican nomination for president and ran against Stephen Douglas in 1860. As you all know Lincoln won the election without getting a single southern vote. As president he signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed the slaves in the cofederacy. Lincoln was re-elected in 1864 and the union won the civil war.
In Lincolns second inaugural Speech he said something that brought a tear to me dads eye. ” With malice toward none;with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as god gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nations wounds”. He is trying to sat that he wants to let the south join back in the union and try to patch things up.
But on Friday, April 14th, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Fords Theatre in Washington by John Wilkes Booth. That a sad way for such a majorly important and smart president to go. But he had to of seen it coming with the turmoil that surrounded him. R.I.P Abe
OMG! Somebody finally chose Licoln! It just took 19 people (+ the teacher, but she doesn’t count, cause she’s not claiming people. Unless you really wanted to mom) and 37 entries before it happened. =P
Okay, so it’s taken a week or so, but yeah…I finally have my information! Here it goes:
Lilly Martin Spencer was born in 1822, and grew up to become one of the few professional female artists in the nineteenth century. Spencer created most of her renowned artwork between 1850-1879, while living first in New York City and then in Newark, New Jersey. She held her career as an artist all the while raising a family of seven, and birthing thirteen. Some of her renowned artwork depict chaotic scenes of family life, which was realistic to her way of life. Afterall raising a family during Civil War times, life was anything but serene.
To make matters worse Lilly MArtin SPencer eloped with an unsuccessful entrepenuer, which cause her to have to provide for and support her family of nine (including herself), solely on the profits amassed through the selling of her artwork and engravings. This need caused Spencer to become aware of the need for marketable artwork. ANd although she enjoyed creating paintings that were realistic to her lifestyle and which usually contained family members, Lilly Martin Spencer also painted serene artwork depicting angelic mothers and infants. She knew that this was not anyone’s reality, however many wished that it was their reality.
oops didn’t mean to submit…i still have more…
The experiences many endured during the 1860s and the Civil War changed their outlooks. This included artists, and Lilly Martin Spencer was not an exception. Her artwork in particular became much more thoughtful and began to depict patriotic themes and have patriotic titles. She is known for many works of art, however when studying her during the Civil War, one must never forget “War Spirit at Home” created in 1866. “War Spirit at Home” has a patriotic subtitle of “Celebrating the Battle at Vicksburg” and depicts the elated members of her family in a scene which is in disaray after the Union was declared victorious. She often expressed her support for the Union troops through her paintings.
Lilly Martin Spencer was an intelligent,confident, and patriotic nineteenth century woman. She believed in womens rights and the values of family. However chaotic it may have been for Spencer, living from pay to pay, she enjoyed producing artwork so that she made it her career for the rest of her life, always creating masterpieces until the day that she passed on May 22, 1902. Lilly Martin Spencer was and accomplished and renowned female artist who’s genre paintings still possess the same qualities today, centuries later. Filled with love for life and her country, Lilly Martin Spencer believed in her beliefs and developed a way to express them beautifully and brilliantly, in a way that would give for the rest of time.
okay now i’m done. =]
I think Im gonna claim Henry Sawyer!
oh by the way if you would like to see “War Spirit At Home: Celebrating the Battle at Vicksberg” mrs. eakin; feel free to go to http://www.bluffton.edu/couses/WomenArtists/womenartistspw/spencer/warspirit.jpg…...
i tried to copy the picure to post but it would not let me….
This is everyone who has been chosen so far:
General Lee
women soldiers
Clara Barton
Jefferson Davis
Belle Boyd
depiction of the daily life for a family
Matthew Bradley’s photographer
comparing the Constitution of the Confederate States to the Actual Constitution
Winslow Homer
William T. Sherman
Mary Edwards Walker
Sarah Emma Edmonds
Margaret Breckinridge
Robert Gould Shaw
Confiscation Acts
Mary Todd Lincoln
rose o’neal greenhow
Lincoln
Lilly Martin Spencer
Henry Sawyer
Sorry if I have any repeats. I just wanted to help everyone else out a little.
Okay here we go.
Henry Sawyer moved to Cape may in 1848, when he was 18. He later enlisted in the Pennsylvania regiment(New Jersey did not yet have its own). He became a Captain after only three months. When he returned to New Jersey he re-enlisted into the NJ regiment. He was put into Libby Prison on Richmond after he was captured during the Battle of Brandy in VA.
After 2 Confed. POWs were shot they told the Union that they were going to shoot 2 of their POWs, one of which was Sawyer. Lincoln told them that he in turn would have 2 more Confed. POWs shot. One of the two that Lincoln had chosen was Gen. Robert E.Lee’s son. Sawyer and Lee’s son were traded and he got to return to the war and then back to Cape May in 1875.
After returning to Cape May, Sawyer began constuction of the Chalfonte Inn.
Henry Washington Saeger was born on March 16, 1829 his father was Johann Nicholas Saeger. He attended school and became a carpenter. He came to West Cape May and to fit in with his new neighbors, he changed his name from the German Saeger (Saw Man) to Sawyer. In 1850 Sawyer married Harriet Ware Eldredge. He and Harriet had three children, but only their daughter Louisa survived. Their son Tommy died of typhoid fever at age two and their second son died at age nine of a ruptured appendix.
I know I kinda went backwards, but Im pretty sure its all there.
So, I choose winslow Homer, I suppose he didn’t affect the war that much, but he was involved and that counts. Winslow Homer was an artist of the Romantic style, and very often painted scenes of the civil war from 1861-1865.
Homer was born on Feburary 24, 1836 and had a vast career of political and social art as well as many landscapes. As a promenent american artist of the 19th century Homer made many oil and printed works to show to the public, he aquired the majority of his fame from media debuts in newspapers. In 1859 he got a studio in New York City which was the major artistic hub at the time, there he worked and sold much of his work.
Later Winslow got more in depth with his creations and traveled to the actual scenes of battle. He became very interested in recreating camplife, and the combating men(and sometimes women). His paintings usually depoicted Union fighters as he was techniqually on their side, he also portrayed many war officers, especially Major Gen. George B. McCallen at his Potomac river base.
Homers work may not seem important but it was crucial to the time, for citizens to actually see their country. Art allowed the american world to view the gruesome Romantic settings of their quarrels. Romanticism usually showed the true side of life in an unusual or melancholy way, and that is what Homer did. Winslow Homers art can still be viewed today, and still helps to link visual forms of civil history.
i still have more information!!! ok i knw i tealked a little bit about women spies but i want to get back into that. i know ive already said this like 2000000 times but women wanted to get out and do something. But how did they become spies you may ask? well there were a lot of networks filled with spies but they are all mens. men didnt like women doing what they were supposed to do so women once again were not allowed. so they women decided that they were going o make up their own networks of spies. they gathered all ther information and passed it on to other women. what happened most of the time was that the womens iformation was better and more accurate than the mens. of course no one knew until after the war so it was pointless for the men to agree with them. this is all kinda crazy! Some really famous women spies were Belle Boyd, Elizabeth Van Lew,and Rosie o’neal Greenhow. (some of you already wrote about these guys). A lot of the stuff they did was dangerous and their assignments were long. Women played a VERY big role in the Civil war. It wasn’t only a poor mans battle but a womens on too. i might be back with even more info but i have to got to 3rd period now!! peace!
Alright, I’m going to do my blog on Jennie Hodgers
Jennie Hodgers served as a Union soldier under the name Albert Cashier. As an Irish immigrant, Jennie served for three years in the Ninety-fifth Illinois Infantry, Company G. As the only documented case of a woman fulfilling an army enlistment, Jennie fought at the battles of Vicksburg, Nashville and Mobile. Fellow soldiers recalled the small soldier as a skilled rifleman and able to keep up on long marches. After the war, Jennie continued living as a man and took up farming. She attended several postwar conventions and later settled down in a home for Union Veterans.
Her secret was only discovered due to an automobile accident which broke her hip. But due to a loyalty among her fellow veterans, her secret was again buried until after her death. Jennie was buried in a Union uniform on her death in 1915, and her name is inscribed on the Illinois monument at Vicksburg.
There is not much information about her, but I think her story is pretty interesting!
ULYSSES S. GRANT
i’ve got Elizabeth Stuart Phelps… i think
Okay, so my original plan didn’t work out too well, so, I’m going to do Harriet Tubman. However, I’m going to concentrate on the things she did during the war, and things other than the Underground Railroad, which everyone knows about…
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in 1819. She was born into slavery, and lived in Dorchester Maryland. As a slave she was severely beaten and mistreated. (The websites I visited all make this apparent, although I truly don’t think that she was much worse off than any other slaves.) She got severely injured by a blow to the head caused by a white overseer. (This story seems to have many different versions, but as I understand it, she was trying to assist a runaway slave, and the overseer hit her in the head with a lead pipe.) This injury caused her to have a lot of problems with hallucinations, severe headaches, and even seizures.
She got married to a free black who didn’t seem to really care about her freedom. Harriet wanted to go North so that being sold couldn’t break up her marriage, but her husband didn’t want to move. He told her that if she ran away, he would turn her in. So, Harriet only told her sister when she did run away and escaped to Pennsylvania in 1849.
(This is when she started helping slaves escape from the South, and all that stuff that you should all already know, so I’m just going to throw some facts in here that you might not know.)
She went back to get her husband, even though he wasn’t a slave, and found that he had remarried and had no interest in her anymore. (Why did she marry this guy?)
She worked in Cape May for a little while in 1852.
She worked closely with John Brown, who called her “General Tubman”.
She never lost a single passenger, of the 300 people she saved, they all made it.
(Okay, no more Underground Railroad)
After she was finished with the Underground Railroad, she hid out in Canada for awhile, for her own safety. She returned to the U.S. in 1861. She enlisted as a nurse for the Union army, caring for the “contrabands”, the blacks who the Union army had helped escape. She also went above and beyond her job as a nurse, and she’d try to help them find work.
During the summer of 1863, she worked with Colonel James Montgomery as a scout. She organized a group of spies, and they passed information to Montgomery about slaves who wanted to join the Union army. She also helped Montgomery organize the Combahee River Raid, which gathered around 500 slaves, most of whom joined the Union army. She wasn’t promptly paid for her assistance in the war.
After the war, she got remarried, and she received a donation of $1200 from the author Sarah Bradford, who wrote a biography on Tubman. The military also eventually began paying her a $20 a month military pension. She was a women’s rights activist, and she lived fairly close to Susan B. Anthony. She built a home for the “aged and indignant” and worked there, then was cared for there a she approached her death.
She died on March 10, 1913.
Okay, I’m done now, except for one random fact…
Harriet Tubman was the same height in adulthood as Stef B. was in 8th grade… just to put that out there. (that’s 4’10” I believe…)
Ulysses S. Grant, who was originally named Hiram Ulysses Grant, was born on April 27, 1822. When he was a young boy, he was known as “Lyss.” (that’s short for Ulysses if you didn’t catch on) So, when he was appointed to West Point
Well that was unfortunate. I somehow sent that last comment without realizing it so I’ll restart.
Ulysses S. Grant, who was originally named Hiram Ulysses Grant, was born on April 27, 1822. When he was a boy, he was known as “Lyss.” (that’s short for Ulysses if you didn’t catch on) So when he was sent to West Point, the man who appointed him there had forgotten all about “Hiram” and put his name down as “Ulysses” on the application. The “S.” comes from his mother’s maiden name, Simpson. This man obviously did a lot of assuming and ended up officially changing Hiram Ulysses Grant’s name to the Ulysses S. Grant that he was known as from then on.
Anyway, in 1843, Grant graduated from West Point as number 21 in his class of 39. While he was there, he made himself the reputation of being a fearless and expert horseman. He served under General Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War. During the war, Grant had received awards for performing brave acts in battle.
In 1848, Grant married Julia Boggs Dent. Throughout the course of their marriage, they had four children. (I threw this in here now because I wanted to do things chronologically.)
In April 1862, Grant fought in the Battle of Shiloh. Although the Union army suffered a massive attack from the Confederate army, he would not retreat. Grant ended up turning the battle around and left with another victory. Shiloh was the bloodiest battle up until its time, with a total of over 23,000 casualties. Then, during the winter of 1862, he captured Vicksburg. He made the bold move of heading straight into enemy territory and it worked out for him. He surrounded the city and laid siege on it for six weeks, forcing a Confederate surrender. Because of this battle, Lincoln promoted Grant to the rank of major general in the Union army. Afterwards, following his victory at Chattanooga, he was appointed to the rank of lieutenant general. (a rank not obtained since Washington held it) And on March 12, 1864, Grant became the general-in-chief of all the armies of the U.S. With this power, Grant defeated Robert E. Lee and the Confederate army, forcing them to surrender.
On July 25, 1866, created a new rank in the army. It was General of the Army of the United States and Grant was promoted to that on the same day it was passed. (It is the equivalent of a four-star general today)
After the war, Grant was elected as a Republican president and served two terms from 1869-1877.
You can see his pretty face on the $50 bill.
ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS
She was born into a family full of religious writers: her mother, Elizabeth Wooster Stuart Phelps authored the girls series Kitty Brown and some religious works, her father was a revrend and her first stepmother was also a writer.
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps was actually born Mary Gray Phelps in Boston on August 31 1844, the name change occured in 1852 when her mother died of a recurrant illness months after giving birth to Elizabeth’s second brother Amos. She was eight years old, her brother Moses only three. This was not the end of tragedy for the Phelpss (Phelps’s?), year and a half after marrying Mary Stuart in 1854, a writer as well as the sister of Elizabeth’s mother, Reverend Austin Phelps was yet again robbed of a wife when she died from tuberculosis. He later married another wife who had two sons, it does not say whether or not she died shortly after marrying him.
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps published a story in Youth’s Companion when she was 13, and in 1864 published her first adult fiction story in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine and started her Children’s Book series “Tiny” in which readers met Ellen, Tiny, and their older brother Fred and follow them through stories dealing with Christian ideals like six-year old Ellen’s problems with selfishness and eleven year old Ellen’s attempts to deal with the loss of one of her classmates. Phelps’s most well known children’s book series was the Gypsy Brenton series, centered around a tomboy named Jemima Breynton, nicknamed Gypsy, and her adventures.
Though Phelps’s children’s stories were extraordinary she is best known for her adult works, ranging from animal rights (”Loveliness”) and the life of a factory girl (”A Silent Partner”). She is most famous for the novel it took her two years to write and an additional two years to publish, “Gates Ajar”. The book was second best seller to “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was written to comfort women who had lost loved ones in the Civil War by presenting the hope of the afterlife. “Beyond the Gates” and “The Gates Between”, two sequels to “Gates Ajar”, were published in 1883 and 1887.
Phelps promoted the temperance movement and was an avid abolitionist. After the emancipation proclamation was passed Phelp’s attention was turned to women’s rights. She published many essays dealing with women’s independence (both emotionally and economically), the stereotype of women and women’s issues with marraiges in the 17th century. In 1876 she was the first woman to lecture at Boston University with the lecture “Representative Modern Fiction.”
Oh , yes, AND she got married. To a guy SEVENTEEN years younger than she was, and his name was HERBERT, Herbert Dickenson Ward. Nice catch right? He was also a journalist and together they wrote two Biblical romance novels in 1890 and 1891.
may i conclude this message with Elizabeth Stuart Phelps (Ward) was the cats meow, just like me, and i dont really like the blog scheme… everyone’s name is too small!
oh and make abortion illegal, socialize medicine, peace is possible, dont judge, dont generalize, have an open heart, hug, and “it’s all the same to the clam”
francesca
i’m doing stephen foster. yesssss!
and make mother teresa a saint
I pick Dred Scott, because he played one of the biggest parts in the war, he helped start it. After all, what more important contributor to the the war could there be besides the people who caused it to begin.
Dred Scott, in 1799, became one of the many slaves that was born directly into slavery. He later married another slave named Harriet, who also served Dr. John Emerson, who traveled very often throughout the free states, his slave couple traveling with him. Dred Scott actually tried to buy his freedom from Emerson’s wife before suing for it. The reason the he offered the wife, was because Emerson had died previously and his wife inherited John’s estate. He offered $300, and his offer was refused, he then sued. He went through a couple of smaller courts first, but his case was eventually passed up to the Supreme Court. The court reached a decision that he could not sue because he was not a citizen, he lost by a ruling of 7 against him - 2 for him.
He eventually was returned to his original family, the Blow family, and was freed on May 26, 1857 into St. Louis, where he became a porter for about 3/4 of a year, and then he died. He died of Tuberculosis in Sept. 1858. He and his wife were recently (1997) given a place in the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
….and hem hem Stephen Colbert for President hem hem
i’m done, i swear by the souls of my shoes i’m done.
shottie stonewall jackson.. ill be back with info.
Published in: Uncategorizedon April 27, 2008 at 11:11 am Comments (58)
eleven eleven!!!!! i hope mrs.eakin made her wish….
i’ll make one for her…
i hope she gets to go on an extended vacation ASAP… to… where ever she wants…. and her classes get to read historical fiction for the duration.
amen…
John Wilkes Booth
he’s mine… You don’t want to know what happens if you take him.
I’ve gotten the same anti-spam word twice already. Really touhgh security you got here Mrs. Eakin.
I meant to spell tough wrong.
George Pickett was that dude I Chose…..
Here’s an overview of Thomas Nast, popular cartoonist and caricaturist of the Civil War Era.
THOMAS NAST
Thomas Nast, the father of American political cartooning, was born on September 27, 1840. Though he was born in Germany, at the age of six his father enlisted and was sent onto a French ship, and subsequently an American ship. At this time, his father sent Thomas and his family to New York, where they were reunited in 1849. While in New York, he spent a little time at the National Academy of Design, followed by early careers as a draftsman for Frank Lee’s Illustrated Newspaper and Harper’s Weekly. Through his work with Harper’s Weekly, which spanned for most of his time between eighteen-fifty-eight and eighteen-eighty-six.
Thomas Nast married Sara Edwards in eighteen-sixty, and during a break from Harper’s Weekly (hence the most of part) he drew his first major work, entitled “Peace”, fitting in with his normal political cartoons. He quickly became well known for his drawings of such wartime works as landscapes and battlefields of the south and border states. For these works, Lincoln himself stated that Thomas Nast was called “our best recruiting sergeant”.
Nast and his political works also played a pretty big role in the election of Ulysses S. Grant. how could a simple cartoonist play such a monumental role to the country? Nast was BRUTAL to Grant’s opponent, bringing Grant’s and Thomas’ families close together. Until the death of the president, their families often met and dined together.
But Ulysses Grant was not the only big figurehead Thomas Nast was close to. He also shared (and traded) political views with Mark Twain, and got favor with Rutherford B. Hayes who called him “the most powerful single-handed aid [Hayes] had”. Though, he quickly became disillusioned with Hayes and tried to attack him through Harper’s Weekly.
Sadly, Harper of Harper’s Weekly passed away, rendering Thomas Nast a not-so-favored leftover artist. Since it soon became rare for him to find work through Harper’s weekly, he decided to work on his real art, doing oil works and a few large paintings.
Throughout his work with Harper’s Weekly, Thomas Nast created some of the most iconic symbols to date, including the respective animal icons of both the Republican and Democratic parties. Also, he created the pudgy white-bearded santa of nowadays, distorting him from a tall lanky version of previous times. And of course, one of the most memorable symbols in America; Uncle Sam.
Thomas Nast died December 7th, 1902, living a relatively long life, and being a political instigator as well as a loved figure by politicians. Hos works will certainly be preserved for future generations and indefinitely in America.
I choose Robert Anderson
Robert Anderson was born near louisville, kentucky,in 1805. in 1825 at age 20 he graduated from west point.After brieflyserved as a secretary for his brother he went on to pursue the military. he served under General Winfield Scott in the mexican war and also served in the black hawk and florida wars.
Anderson was a pro-slaveery kentuckian.He was considered the ideal choice for the commander in the Charleston Harbor during the 1860s secession crisis. Six days after the session he moved his two company garissonfrom Fort Moultrie to Fort Sumter. After the STar of the west and Union relief ship was tired upon by Carolinian gunners on January 9, 1861. Anderson still withheld his fire hoping not to start the war but after returining down a surendered demand anderson was forced to return fire. He was then forced to surrender to the north.
George Pickett was born in Richmond Viginia. Origanally, he was suppose to study law in Illinois, but was sent to the United States Military Academy.
Pickett was a very popular cadet at West point( the military academy).He was not the brightest guy, class clown,charming and dapper, but also graduating last in his class where he recived the nickname “goat”.
He lucked out a lot. Usually people will that bad luck, have dead end careers. A war broke and there was a need for officers in the army.He was commissioned second lieutenat.He captured a flag in the Battle of Chapultepec, and gained a lot of respect, nad recieuved a position as a captain.
He later married Sally Harrison, the great-grand neice of William Henry Harrison.Giving birth to their child, she passed away immedaitley following an Indian raid in Texas at Fort Gates.He again married( which makes it clearly that he is a man whore)a native women Moring Mist,his son wan named Jimmy Pickett and who became a very well known artist.
A couple years later Picketts divison arrived at The Battle of Gettysburgs. His charge end up being a bloodbath n 1,500 of the men in the union were killed or wounded, the 50% of confedrate casuallty rate were wiped out. His charged failed.
George died in North Folk, Viginia on July 1875. His death was not really found. I think Pickett was that dude. Not a lot of people can graduate last in there class ans still besucess full. Married twise and two kids..and he as not that bad looking.. … I love Bretttt…
Conrad Wise Chapman
okay so when i said MATTHEW BRADLEY i really meant MATTHEW BRADY the PHOTOGRAPHER…
(sorry about that)
Matthew Brady came to America (New York to be exact) at the age of 16.
he started off as a store clerk then owed his owe business as a jewlery case salesman. In his free time he chose to study photography, a GREAT hobby if you ask me. He studied with several teachers including Samuel F. B. Morse, the man who introduced photography to America. Brady had his own studio in 1844. He later opened a studio in 1856 specifically for Nationally famous leaders and friegn dinasties, and became known as one of America’s photographers. Finally we had some pictures to go with all of those words. His attention soon turned toward the civil war.
Although he is credited for any picture that ever crossed his path, many of the pictures were taken by other people who he hired and sometimes from whom he purchased them. After the war he held an exhibition of the battlefield of Antietam. These pictures were of the negative view of the war- dead bodies, bloody soil- and no one was happy about this.
the money he had invested in the photos was never restored to him even though the load of them were puchased by Congress for $25,000.
Brady died penniless and convinced that no one would never understand the full extent of how much of his life he put into them.
Now Brady is known as one of the first people to open the doors of photography to unposed photos and they allow people to see what the war was like.
I am Matthew Brady’s #1 FAN!
Go BRADY!!!
woohoo.
For this blog i didnt want to do just another war “hero” or someone who i thought a lot of people would recognize. the person i chose is Pauline Cushman, & she was a union spy throughout the civil war. okay, so i thought people didnt really know of her, if you did, good job (: Pauline was born on june 10th 1833 & died on decemer 2nd, 1893. Pauline was not origionaly a spy nor did she have the intent to be one. She was actually an actress & things were going good for her. untill the day that she was offered money to toast to Jefferson Davis during a performance. This showed a union official that she had the potential to be a spy for them. After that performance she was publicly fired from the theater company she was working for. Then she began to spy for the unin. she followed confederate troops && after, reported their movements & actions back to the union. she thought that everything was going good untill she was in Shelbyville, Kentucky & she ended up getting caught. She might not have blown her cover except for the fact that she was carrying on her person, papers that gave her identity & plan away. General Braggg of the confederate army had her tried in Military court. She was convicted & sentenced to be hung but health problems showed up so her sentence was delayed. while awaiting her sentencing, Pauline was rescued by Yankees @ Shelbyille and returned to the north where she was, even to her surprise, honored. Lincoln made her an honorary major. After the war, Pauline tried acting again and married for the second and third times. Her last marriage ended in separation. She alsp published an account of her life, especially her time as a spy, in 1865: The Life of Pauline Cushman. Most scholars agree that much of the biography is exaggerated For an illness, she began taking opium and died of an intentional overdose at sixty. Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic paid tribute by burying her with military honors in their cemetery in San Francisco. (:
i’d just like to say SORRY to Derrek.
i didn’t mean to steal your dude.
and franki youare so not anonomous… idc if i spelled that wrong.
good luck to everyone!!!
BYE!
i really like music a lot, so i am doing my blog thing on Stephen Foster. Stephen Foster is known as the “father of American music”, so basically without him, we might not have heard about some amazing musicians and bands such as Johnny Cash, the doors, and of course the greatest american musician of all time, Bob Dylan.
so this guy stephen foster was born on july 4th 1826, and he died in 1864. He was born in Lawrenceville, PA. He was the 9th of 10 children in his family. He attended one month at college and had pretty much no musical training. His first song was called “open thy lattice love”.
When he was older he moved to ohio and recorded his first hit song “Oh! Susanna”. During the middle of the civil war he started to become more unpopular, and he moved to New York. He lived there with his wife and children there but died in 1964 when he was only 38 years old.
Even though it has been a really long time since he made any songs, they are still really popular. Pretty much everyone has heard of the song “oh Susanna”. I just downloaded some of his songs, and they are pretty good, i mean, they probably won’t be staying in my itunes library for very long, and I won’t be rushing out to go buy his remix CD. But i think we should really appreciate him becuase he made a lot of good music during the civil war, and in a time that bad, music was probably the only thing people could really rely on. I think it kept people sane in a time of war, it made them happy. He was pretty much the Bob Marley of america during the civil war. Music is the only thing you can count on all the time. I would recomend his music to anyone who likes learning about the history of music, and if you want to download a good song, pick “my old kentucky home”. In my opinion it is his best song.
I lied the other day. I will not be focusing solely on the comparison of the two constitutions, because that would be long and ungodly boring…like some of the previous blogs that I skipped over. Instead I will explain what their constituition and occasionally reference the American Constitution (Go America).
The Preamble of the Constitution of the Confederate States of America (CSA Con) begins with “we the People,” however that may be the only similarity. The CSA Con mentions each State acts “in its sovereign and independent character.” Obviously the writers of the CSA Con wanted to establish immediately that they were a seperate entity.
The CSA Con also has Articles, but it only contains 8. Article I is basically the same as USA Con, except when it defines the regulations for Congress, such as terms and criteria, the main difference is that the elected may not be of foreign birth or out of the Confederate States. Representatives and taxes were to be apportioned, but certain states had a specfic amount of Representatives (SC had six). In Article II, the Executive Branch is described. There is a President and Vice President, however they both serve 6 years and are unable to be reelected. According to part 6 of this Article, voting day was determined by Congress, and it was the same day throughout all of the Confederate States. As the CSA Con goes on, it is very clear that the Confederate States considered the Union another country.
The rest of the Articles are not too far from being photocopies from the USA Con (one reason for that is there were no photocopiers in the 1800’s). Although the Confederation did not share the beliefs of the Union, it did have the beliefs on the USA Con, just another interpretation. After all, the biggest argument the Slave States had for keeping slaves was that it was condoned by the USA Con.
Even though the Constitution of the Confederate States is eerily similar to the United States Constitution (copyright infringement), the biggest difference between these two is the fact that the CSA Con believes that itself and the Union are two seperate entities, and at that point in time, they were. While I read this, I began to really get into the mindset of the Confederation by learning about their want to keep the regulations of the USA Con. The reason for making a new one was to clearly specify what they wanted, without any confusion.
I also lied earlier. This is kind of long, and also boring.
3rd time in 5 entries(why do I have 5 entries?)
So that I don’t have to write spamlless3 again, I should probably start my blog, huh? I’m still not decided…
John Wilkes Booth was one of the most anti-Lincoln southerners of the Civil War era, and that is saying something. All that most people know is that he assassinated Abraham Lincoln on April 14th, 1865. It happened at a theatre playing “Our American Cousin”. What many people don’t realize, though, was that Booth was a prominent actor during his prime, coming from his father Junius Brutus Booth(also a famous actor). He had a very strange life, however. The family didn’t have a great history, despite their success in the world of theatre. Junius had supposedly left a wife in England upon coming to America, where he conceived 10 illegitimate children with Mary Ann Holmes. The Booths had become outcasts. Neighbors wouldn’t even allow their children to come in contact with any of the family members. John Wilkes wanted to find reason to his life. His early stage career failed him, and he had to be carried of the stage eventually by fellow actors. Fans merely laughed at a play that featured his name. Eventually, John Wilkes Booth found his stride reciting Shakespeare. His life had seemed to take a turn-around, and things were going just fine. But like it did to so many others, the war took everything away from him. Although he didn’t enlist to fight, Booth was actually a southern spy and smuggler. He was part of the Knights of the Golden Circle, and what better cover than a travelling actor? What many people don’t realize, was that he played a major role in smuggling medicines to the south from Canada, and even inciting the New York Draft riots. This outright commitment towards the Confederate States caused many northern theatres to avoid starring this actor, and his fame eventually began to decline. Booth then caught wind that Lincoln was planning to attend a performance at Ford’s Theatre, as he was nearing the end of his career. It was at that moment that John Wilkes Booth decided to go on with the biggest conspiracy the nation had yet seen. As we all know, Booth succeeded in assassinating(funny word if you break it up into syllables)(I spelled that right.) the president. However, he didn’t receive the rallying support of the demoralized south as he had expected. His last lines in theatre were “Sic semper tyrannis!”, meaning thus may it ever be tyrants. Although he had completed his objective, he had not obtained his victory. The south had surrendered less than a week prior, and looked at Booth as a disgrace to them for killing that man.
Something about his dad, Junius Brutus Booth. He was named after the assassin of Julius Ceaser. Isn’t that weird?(I can’t say freakin’ weird, can I?)
Human587… What is that?
Come on… 2 times in a row…
To Brooke:
I’m not sure a world without the music of Johnny Cash, The Doors, and Bob Dylan would be so bad.
U.Y.L.H.S.
I will give a dollar to anyone who can correctly guess what that means before 10:30
ethan, a world without bob dylan would be a living hell. He is probably the most amazing person on earth.
I’m not interested in your comments until you answer my riddle
i figured out your riddlee.. but its not appropriate bobo. haha jk.. ok.. for my blogg…
unicorn youth love high school!
Close, but no cigar (because I know you smuggle Cuban Cigars into the country)
I have to make some edits to my blog cause i just read it out loud and i realized i made some really stupid mistakes. First if all i realized that Stephen Foster did not record any of his songs because i’m pretty sure that electricity wasnt even invented then, so i guess he just preformed them. umm and i accidently put that he died in new york in 1964 but it was really 1864 because he wasnt alive in the 60’s. so yeah um that’s all i think.
being that im in art..and enjoy it AND am interested in it..i only thought it was logical to research an artist during the times of the civil war…
CONRAD WISE CHAPMAN
Born-1842, in Washington, D.C.
Died-December 10 1910,in Hampton, VA.
now he wasnt only a painter.. we was also a confederate soldier in the civil war..best of both worlds right? anyway…Conrad’s Father,John Gadsby Chapman, was a large part of conrad’s childhood. He himself was also an artist and a teacher to Conrad. In 1850,while Comrad was only eight,the Chapman family moved to Italy, where Conrad began to learn many things from his father. His father taught him painting techniques that would soon benefit him in his later years.
In the year 1861 Conrad took it into his own hands to return back to the states, to enlist in the confederate army. He served for a year in the West and was wounded at Shiloh. After his recovery Conrad transferred to Charleston, SC. When there, General Pierre G. T. Beauregard gave orders to Chapman to create paintings showing how the confederates defensed the Charleston Harbor.Chapman also created paintings of coldier forts and confederate hospitals. In total Chapman created 31 oil paintings of Charleston and many others related to the civil war.
Because Chapman was a soldier himself, the paintings he did were more emotional and realistic than that of others. When looking at them one can feel the emotions of the war. This one detail greatly interested me. Chapman’s realistic, deatailed, paintings became a greatly appreciated record of the Civil War.
After the war, Chapman lived in places such as the United States, Mexico, and Italy. While in Mexico he began to paint the scenary and lanscape of the Mexico Valley. He supported him and his wife,Laura Seagar Chapman, by coloring photographs and creating other paintings. He wound up selling all 31 of his Civil War depicted paintings.
In my opinion, Chapman lived a very adventurous life. He traveled back and forth to Europe and Mexico and then to the U.S. He fought in a War and put his experiences on canvas, only to be a record. Conrad Wise Chapman was one of very few painters during that time, who was face to face in the war and got the opportunity to paint it.
propss to Chapmann!
Lieutenant General Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, Va. He is considered to be one of the best tactical commanders in U.S. History. Jackson’s parents died very young, so the people in his town raised him. When he was young, he was very good at sports and games because of his diar need of victory.
In 1842, Jackson attended West Point on Cadetship. He was poorly trained for this, and had to make up this disadvantage with really hard work. Jackson married twice, first to Elinor Junkin in 1853 and then Mary Anna Morrison in 1857.
So now that theres a little summary/ time line ill do some facts.. because who doesnt love facts!!!
Stonewall had his right arm amputated.
He taught Philospy at the Virginia military institute.
He served in the Mexican war.
other nicknames for Stonewall were “Tom Fool Jackson” and “Old Blue”.
Jackson was shot by one of his own men when crossing a picket line. The troops had been restless and jittery and by the time they realized it was Jackson, it was too late.
Jackson did not die from the actual shooting, but from phenomena 8 days later while recovering from the accident.
The thing I liked about Stonewall Jackson is just how smart he is. He was always a bright kid growing up but he didnt develop as quickly as others, so he had to play up his good atributes and deal with the bad ones.
He was an awesome rider, which of course helps. And he understood how to win, which was important. When he died, General Lee expressed that while Jackson had lost his left arm, Lee had lost his right, because he was always able to talk to Jackson.
Now for some really really random facts:
He enjoyed sucking on lemons.
He liked to sleep in wet sheets (GROSSSSS)
He did not eat peppers because he thought it weakened his left leg.
His last words were… “let us cross over the river and rest under the shade of trees”
Little Sorrel was the name of his war mount. He is now stuffed and in a museum(GROSSSSSS)
Got the nickname of Stonewall at the first battle of bull run.
He did fight on Sundays even though he did not want to because of religious reasons..
well i hope you enjoy my random facts.. see you tomorrow!
uhh im picking corporal Charles Hopkins mainly because at least 5 of my first choices have already been picked so i went deep into the internet to find someone no one else will find
yo I choose William Seward
He was born in Orange County, New York, on May 16th, 1801, he graduated from Union College and joined the Whig Party and served as state senator from 1830 to 1834 and state governor from 1838 to 1842. He promoted education and prison reform, in 1848 Seward entered the Senate and over the next few years emerged as the leader of the anti-slavery wing of the Whig Party. He strongly believed that America must abolish slavery or be trapped in a civil war.
Seward joined the Republican Party in 1855 after the Whig Parties fall, he lost the presidential nomination to John C. Fremont in 1856. Seward was not nominated ever again because of his radical past but supported Lincoln when he was nominated in 1860. Lincoln then offered Seward as Secretary of state, Seward waited until March 5th, 1861 to accept Lincoln’s offer because Lincoln wouldn’t agree with Seward in electing other appointing of officers.
Although Seward’s many attempts to stop the Civil War from accuring, once it began he was very helpful supporter of the war efforts. Seward was saw as a bad influence on Lincoln and on December, 1862 radical Republicans attempted to oust him from the Cabinet. On April 14th, 1865, while recovering from a serious injury as a result of a carriage accident, Seward was stabbed in the throat by Lewis Powell. Seward made and amazing recovery and returned to his post under Andrew Johnson.
In 1867 he purchased Alaska from Russia for 72 hundred thousand dollars. William Seward died in Auburn, Cayuga County, on October 10th, 1872.
Frederick Douglas is who i chose, due to we have the same last name in common. His birth name was Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, but later was known as Frederick Douglas. He was one of the strongest human rights leader in the 19th century.His brilliance moved him into the front of the U.S. Abolition movement, and he became the first black citizen to hold a high rank in the U.S. government.Separated as an infant from his slave mother (also,he never knew his white father), Frederick lived with his grandmother on a Maryland plantation.At the age of 8, his owner sent hi