Author Archives: SUMPTER

graves matter

Posted on May 5, 2016 by SUMPTER

On May 5, 1866 residents of Waterloo, New York dedicated the day to honoring their Civil War dead: … all businesses were closed, and the village was decorated with flags at half-mast, draped with evergreens and mourning black. The women … Continue reading →

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Memphis riots

Posted on April 30, 2016 by SUMPTER

According to The Freedmen’s Bureau Report on the Memphis Race Riots of 1866 the immediate cause of the Memphis riots of 1866 was an altercation between white policemen and blacks on the evening of April 30, 1866. The following afternoon … Continue reading →

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guards

Posted on April 29, 2016 by SUMPTER

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in April 1866: ORGANIZING A MILITARY COMPANY. – We understand Maj. H.B. Compson, of Tyre, is authorized to organize a military company in this town and Tyre, for Col. Steele’s regiment of National … Continue reading →

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main street rails

Posted on April 23, 2016 by SUMPTER

One of the the things I remember from the American Civil War’s 150th anniversary is that the New York 148th Infantry Regiment experienced trench warfare during the 1864 Overland Campaign. 150 years ago this month the regiment’s first colonel was … Continue reading →

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emancipation celebration

Posted on April 20, 2016 by SUMPTER

[I forgot to publish this yesterday morning. The celebration occurred April 19, 1866. Sorry] 150 years ago today Washington, D.C. celebrated the April 16, 1862 abolition of slavery in the nation’s capital. Thanks to Google and the University of Tennessee … Continue reading →

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“Treason and Slavery” did it

Posted on April 14, 2016 by SUMPTER

To commemorate the first anniversary of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President Johnson ordered public offices closed. The House of Representatives met to adjourn – and Congressman James Garfield from Ohio spoke some words of tribute. From The Works of … Continue reading →

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historic “cause of irritation”

Posted on April 9, 2016 by SUMPTER

April 9, 1866 marked the first anniversary of General Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. On that same day the United States House of Representatives overrode President Andrew Johnson’s veto of the Civil Rights Act of 1866. In conjunction with the Senate’s … Continue reading →

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this just in

Posted on April 2, 2016 by SUMPTER

On April 2, 1866 President Andrew Johnson proclaimed the American Civil War officially ended, finished, no more. You read the document at the Library of Congress and at The American Presidency Project. Here’s a bit of it: … Whereas there … Continue reading →

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planes, trains, and auto trucks

Posted on March 31, 2016 by SUMPTER

On March 9, 1916 Francisco (Pancho) Villa’s“guerrilla militia” attacked a United States army outpost at Columbus, New Mexico and killed several Americans. In response General John J. Pershing lead the Villa Punitive Expedition into Mexico. Despite pulling out seemingly all … Continue reading →

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nay-a-gainsayer

Posted on March 26, 2016 by SUMPTER

In February 1866 President Andrew Johnson vetoed the Freedmen’s Bureau extension act. On March 27th he vetoed the Civil Rights Act of 1866. Here’s an 1896 summary from The Struggle between President Johnson and Congress over Reconstruction by Charles Ernest … Continue reading →

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