Category Archives: Aftermath

new year mystery

This cartoon recalls President- elect Lincoln’s address at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall on February 22, 1861, but you could look at it in a Janus-like way. Mr. Lincoln was assassinated in 1865 because of his principles. Looking ahead he is certainly … Continue reading

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work on

Thankfully the American Civil War ended in 1865. Apparently the federal government felt it could let down its defenses a bit on the nation’s northeast corner. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 30, 1865: The coast batteries in Maine dismantled. … Continue reading

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Virginia freedmen

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 30, 1865: The freedmen’s Bureau of Virginia. The reader will find in this morning’s paper the purport of the report of Colonel Brown, Assistant Commissioner of the Freedmen’s Bureau for the State of Virginia, … Continue reading

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“a dirty Yankee trick”

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 30, 1865: Arrival of Captain Semmes. Washington, December29. –Captain Semmes arrived here last night by the train from New York, in charge of a guard of United States Marines, and was at once taken … Continue reading

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tidings: dreadful … and glad?

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 25, 1865: Christmas. It would seem a remorseless piece of irony to extend to our people the usual greeting of “A Merry Christmas.” In the midst of a land desolated by the iron foot-prints … Continue reading

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a saint for the impecunious

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 23, 1865: The great problem of Christmas, with all who are not afflicted by the general malady of chronic impecuniousness, is what to buy for a Christmas present. The patron saint, Kriss Kringle, St. … Continue reading

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General Grant reports

150 years ago this week reports by President Johnson and General Grant on the condition of the South were published. From The New-York Times December 20, 1865: THE THIRTY-NINTH CONGRESS; Important Message from the President on Reconstruction. He Favors the … Continue reading

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another man without a country?

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch December 22, 1865: The last Confederate prisoner. –The last Confederate prisoner of war has been released, on condition that he would leave the country. The Baton Rouge Gazette of the 5th says: A letter received … Continue reading

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for what it’s worth

As has been well-documented, William H. Seward did not think the United States Constitution was the most important law in the country. Especially in the context of determining whether slavery should be eradicated, he believed there was “a higher law … Continue reading

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legislation without representation …

It is neither right nor safe for any part of the country to legislate for another part of the country without giving it any voice in that legislation. Representation is the vital principle of republican institutions. 150 years ago today … Continue reading

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