Category Archives: 150 Years Ago

reading the reasons

On July 2, 1776 the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia voted for independence from Great Britain. On July 4th the Congress agreed to the words in the written Declaration. July 8th was a “great day of celebration” in Philadelphia as … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, American History | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

virtual vacation

Apparently some people weren’t venturing too far from home 150 years ago. What they might have been missing: I’m so old I sort of remember when they turned off the American Falls when I was going to school. As it … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, American Culture, American Society, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

lapping it up

Here’s a man that might have fit right in with Stonewall Jackson’s foot cavalry – except that he hailed from north of Mason-Dixon. From Harper’s Weekly June 11, 1870: WESTON, THE PEDESTRIAN. WE give on this page a portrait of … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, Aftermath, American Culture, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

floral tributes

From the May 31, 1870 issue of The New-York Times. Except the day on which is celebrated the independence of these United States, there is no day that calls out the patriotic feelings of our people more than “Memorial Day.” … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, 150 Years Ago This Week, Aftermath, American Society, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

spring chicken

____________________ Come to find out, Meherrin Station Virginia is the site of a historical marker which commemorates two Civil War-related events. Federal cavalry units were in the area during the Wilson–Kautz Raid in late June 1864. The raid’s mission was … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, Aftermath, Postbellum Society, Reconstruction, Southern Society, War Consequences | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Old Pap gone

I first knew of him as “The Rock of Chickamauga.” In September 1863 Union General George H. Thomas and his men held off the Confederate Army of Tennessee while about a third of the Union Army of the Cumberland was … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, 150 Years Ago This Month, Aftermath, Veterans | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

down with dramshops

Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been aware of the saying, “If March comes in like a lion, it goes out like a lamb” (and I thought vice versa, but that seems to return a lot fewer search results). … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, Aftermath, Postbellum Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

long career, short retirement

When the recently-launched (January) USS Richmond departed for the Mediterranean on October 13, 1860, its namesake was the capital of one of the United States, albeit one of the original thirteen – Virginia, the Old Dominion. When the ship returned … Continue reading

Posted in 100 Years Ago, 150 Years Ago, Naval Matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

ebony and ivory

According to Wikipedia, Mississippi “was readmitted to the Union on January 11, 1870, and its representatives and senators were seated in Congress on February 23, 1870.”[*the dates are questionable] Although both new senators were Republicans and non-native Mississipians, one was … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, 150 Years Ago This Month, 150 Years Ago This Week, Postbellum Politics, Postbellum Society, Reconstruction, Southern Society | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

the golden character

According to documentation at Project Gutenberg, President Ulysses S. Grant sent his first annual message to Congress when it reconvened early in December 1869. It was a long report; overall things seemed pretty peaceable. Reconstruction in the Southern states was … Continue reading

Posted in 150 Years Ago, Aftermath, Reconstruction, The Grant Administration | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment