Author Archives: SUMPTER

another flag controversy

Posted on December 16, 2019 by SUMPTER

From the December 28, 1919 issue of the New York Tribune: You can get a full-color view of the flag at WorthPoint. The three allies certainly didn’t make up all the world’s population, but they were fighting for all of … Continue reading →

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world’s blessing?

Posted on November 28, 2019 by SUMPTER

On the day after Thanksgiving in 1869 The New-York Times devoted its entire front page to how the holiday had been observed the day before. This included over four columns (and counting) devoted to the services and sermons at various … Continue reading →

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“soil is trod by none but freemen”

Posted on November 18, 2019 by SUMPTER

In his first year as Commander-in-Chief, President Ulysses S. Grant followed the tradition begun by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 by calling for a national day of Thanksgiving on a Thursday in November. The new president opted for a slightly earlier … Continue reading →

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so much service everywhere

Posted on November 11, 2019 by SUMPTER

John Ellis Wool, 85, died at his home in Troy, New York on November 10, 1869. Major-General Wool was a veteran of three major North American wars. After volunteering for the War of 1812 he made the U.S. Army his … Continue reading →

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what it is

Posted on November 6, 2019 by SUMPTER

Not exactly a mummy just in time for Halloween, but in October 150 years ago some folks south of Syracuse, New York dug up what appeared to be a well-preserved human being. The mysterious form didn’t seem to be preserved … Continue reading →

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peace clone

Posted on October 28, 2019 by SUMPTER

In the fall of 1917 a bit of a brouhaha broke out in the United States over Abraham Lincoln, or at least over his likeness. In 1913, to commemorate one hundred years of peace between the cousins, British-American Centenary Committee … Continue reading →

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pre-columbian exposition

Posted on October 15, 2019 by SUMPTER

150 years ago an article considered a logical conclusion: either the ancestors of the humans Christopher Columbus found in the Americas auto-generated (a second Adam and Eve), or Mr. Columbus and crew weren’t the first people from the Old World … Continue reading →

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survivors still

Posted on October 3, 2019 by SUMPTER

After the Civil War the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was founded in 1866 as a fraternal organization for Union veterans. According to a web page at the University of Mississippi the Fifty-third National (GAR) Encampment took place September … Continue reading →

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stars and stripes and kisses

Posted on September 20, 2019 by SUMPTER

After the jubilation of Armistice Day and the haggling over the peace treaty, domestic contention seems to have gained more prominence during the summer of 1919. Although New York City celebrated the return of several military units from Europe, there … Continue reading →

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death of a wagon master

Posted on September 7, 2019 by SUMPTER

Right from the get-go there were issues with President Ulysses S. Grant’s cabinet. Six months later there was another problem – Grant’s trusted aide, confidant, and Secretary of War, John A. Rawlins died after a long bout with tuberculosis. From … Continue reading →

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