Category Archives: Aftermath

a patriotic peace

This year I’m reading a book published in 1945. In this morning’s selection author Daniel Russell wondered if war was ever worth it. World War I showed that “[t]here is small place for flags and bugles.” He reviewed the horrors … 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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At the junction …

… Promontory junction North and South America had been a big impediment to free-flowing and relatively quick world trade. Even though way back in 1513 an expedition led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa discovered how near the Atlantic and Pacific … Continue reading

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Hayti bound

From the May 1, 1869 issue of Harper’s Weekly: EBENEZER D. BASSETT. Very fitly a colored man of the highest eminence has been appointed Minister from this country to Hayti. Mr. BASSETT, whose portrait we give on page 285, is … Continue reading

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good question

Way back in its October 24, 1868 issue Harper’s Weekly seemed a bit miffed by a letter from Georgia, which asked a question: if universal suffrage for black men is such a good thing, why doesn’t the North adopt it? … Continue reading

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feeding frenzy

You could say it’s a (very brief) tale of five Union generals. When Ulysses S. Grant became President of the United States in March 1869 he promoted his friend William T. Sherman to be the Commanding General of the U.S. … Continue reading

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cabinet kerfuffle

In its March 5, 1869 issue The New-York Times kept coverage of Ulysses S. Grant’s inaugural address off its front page, unlike the previous two inaugurations. The times were certainly different, relatively crisis-free. After all, in 1861 a couple weeks … Continue reading

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nothing to hear here?

Back around the New Year a couple New York City periodicals seemed to be eagerly awaiting the March 4th 1869 inauguration of President-elect Ulysses S. Grant “with the guarantees of future peace and prosperity and of a final settlement of … Continue reading

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civvies lesson

According to the February 23, 1869 issue of The New-York Times Washington’s Birthday 150 years ago was kind of a humdrum day in the great metropolis, a day that “had the air of something that has missed fire. It was … Continue reading

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ethno-cupid

150 years ago Harper’s Weekly observed Valentine’s Day with a cartoon featuring six cupids representing different ethnic groups. The New-York Times noted that the post office was being swamped with valentine missives. That apparently wasn’t a new phenomenon – eight … Continue reading

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