Category Archives: Military Matters

Calling on every man

Posted on June 24, 2013 by SUMPTER

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in June 1863: The National Guard. Gov. SEYMOUR’s recent order for the organization of the National Guard of the State, in accordance with the law passed by the Legislature of 1861, may be … Continue reading →

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Alarmed

Posted on June 22, 2013 by SUMPTER

The May 30, 1863 issue of Harper’s Weekly criticized the Lincoln administration for not trusting the Northern public. The editorial pointed out two examples – locking up traitorous speakers like Clement Vallandigham and not immediately announcing military defeats. 150 years … Continue reading →

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“into the trenches! “

Posted on June 20, 2013 by SUMPTER

As the rebel army under General Lee moved north in June 1863, efforts were underway to bolster the defenses of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania’s state capital. New York sent short-term militia units. Here’s a bit about the experiences of Brooklyn’s 23rd Regiment … Continue reading →

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Philadelphia Frenzy

Posted on June 18, 2013 by SUMPTER

As the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia moved northward, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was the focal point for militia units from other Union states arriving to help shore up the Keystone state. The June 18, 1863 issue of The New York Times … Continue reading →

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It must be an emergency …

Posted on June 17, 2013 by SUMPTER

… Governor wants to cut red-tape New York was not mentioned in President Lincoln’s call for 100,000 militia to help stave off the Confederate invasion, but somehow or another New York authorities got the word. In a repeat of the … Continue reading →

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Hot times at Vicksburg

Posted on June 12, 2013 by SUMPTER

The main thing I remember about The How and Why Wonder Book of The Civil War was an image of the caves in Vicksburg that residents lived in to avoid and/or survive the federal shelling of 1863 (I haven’t fact-checked … Continue reading →

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One of thousands

Posted on June 10, 2013 by SUMPTER

These two articles appear as one clipping in the Seneca Falls, NY Library notebook of Civil War clippings, and they do have a common theme – the federal efforts to take Vicksburg and Port Hudson, the last two Confederate strongholds … Continue reading →

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Not ’til there’s nothing left to sell

Posted on June 8, 2013 by SUMPTER

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch June 6, 1863: General Pemberton to the army. –The Mississippian, of Saturday morning, publishes a speech made by Gen. Pemberton, after repulses of the enemy. It is as follows: You have heard that I was … Continue reading →

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“the hardest thing I ever saw”

Posted on June 5, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today a detachment from the Army of the Potomac crossed the Rappahannock once again to probe Confederate strength on the other side. Members of the 50th New York Engineers tried to build a pontoon bridge as the … Continue reading →

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Norfolk parasol spy

Posted on June 4, 2013 by SUMPTER

I loved watching The Wild Wild West as a scared youngster. I guess back in the 1800s a parasol could be used for more than clunking U.S. agents over their heads. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch June 4, 1863: The … Continue reading →

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