Category Archives: 150 Years Ago This Week

News from 150 years ago

a death on campus

It was a damp, chilly afternoon in Lexington, Virginia. A heavy rain set in that eventually resulted in some severe flooding. September 28, 1870 was a long day for Robert E. Lee, the president of Washington College. According to Colonel … Continue reading

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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

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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

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“earnest and fearless”

Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War during most of the Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson administrations, died on December 24, 1869. Funeral services were held 150 years ago today in Washington, D.C. Harper’s Weekly eulogized him in its January 8, … Continue reading

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“soil is trod by none but freemen”

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

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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death of a wagon master

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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going way back

150 years ago Harper’s Weekly noticed some Civil War-related items that were associated with earlier times in American history. From its August 23, 1869 issue: THE AMERICAN TRIUMVIRATE. A MEDALLION has been recently published by W. MILLER & Co., Artists … Continue reading

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Bullets Met at Gettysburg

On the sixth anniversary of Day 1 of the Battle of Gettysburg a monument in the National Cemetery on the battlefield was dedicated. The Soldiers’ National Monument hadn’t been quite completed, but a reported 15,000 people showed up for the … Continue reading

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divergent decoration

150 years ago today a large procession traveled from Manhattan to Brooklyn to honor the memory and decorate the graves of thousands of soldiers who died during the American Civil War. From the June 19, 1869 issue of Harper’s Weekly: … Continue reading

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