Author Archives: SUMPTER

lemonade stand

Posted on June 12, 2015 by SUMPTER

Talk about “Yankees.” It is time we were all Yankees, if by the term is meant a shrewd, energetic and indomitable encounter with difficulties. Tell us about being “Abolitionists!” We are all Abolitionists by force of events — by the … Continue reading →

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patriots’ monuments

Posted on June 11, 2015 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today two monuments were dedicated on the Bull Run battlefields. It seems to have been an all Yankee occasion on Virginia soil. Well, the North lost both the battles but won the war. You can view a … Continue reading →

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common sense

Posted on June 10, 2015 by SUMPTER

Taking the Oath in North Carolina The front page of the June 10, 1865 issue of The Chicago Times (at the Library of Congress) featured reports from throughout the South. There were many problems, including great hunger. There was some … Continue reading →

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European vacation

Posted on June 9, 2015 by SUMPTER

The June 7, 1865 issue of The New-York Times devoted two-thirds of its front page to publicizing steamship lines that offered Americans pleasant postbellum getaways: The Way to Europe. Enterprise and Prosperity of the Transatlantic Steamship Companies. Great Ferries Across … Continue reading →

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“dislocating his already swollen wrist”

Posted on June 8, 2015 by SUMPTER

150 years ago yesterday Gotham “was in a blaze of excitement” – Lieutenant-General Grant was in town! (and by the way there was a monster meeting at the Cooper Institute to show support for President Johnson and his administration; the … Continue reading →

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southern social war?

Posted on June 6, 2015 by SUMPTER

The National Government “has freed the four millions of slaves by its own deliberate acts, and it is bound to take care that this freedom shall benefit, and not injure them.” – hopefully with the support of the state governments … Continue reading →

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suffering exodus

Posted on June 5, 2015 by SUMPTER

From The New-York Times June 6, 1865: The Destitution of the Freedmen in Alabama. The following letter has been received by Mr. F.G. SHAW, the President of the National Freedman’s Relief Association. It discloses a state of things which loudly … Continue reading →

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how big the burden?

Posted on June 4, 2015 by SUMPTER

The June 4, 1865 issue of The New-York Times headlined the huge national debt that Secretary of the Treasury Hugh McCulloch reported. The following article (which we know was published sometime in May) argued that the burden of a nation’s … Continue reading →

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General Grant agrees

Posted on June 3, 2015 by SUMPTER

150 years ago yesterday General Grant issued a congratulatory order to the troops. He zeroed in on slavery as the “the cause and pretext of the rebellion.” From The New-York Times June 5, 1865: THE LIEUT.-GENERAL TO OUR ARMIES.; Grant … Continue reading →

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“perhaps necessary that we should pass through this last ordeal”

Posted on June 2, 2015 by SUMPTER

Things are thankfully winding down here but wanted to mention that 150 years ago today I could have read all about the June 1st Day of Humiliation and Prayer called by President Johnson for the purpose of mourning the assassination … Continue reading →

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