Tag Archives: Reconstruction

here comes the Chief Justice

Posted on May 1, 2015 by SUMPTER

From The New-York Times May 2, 1865: AN IMPORTANT MISSION.; Chief Justice Chare Reorganizing the Southern Courts-The Freedom of Commerce. Special Dispatch to the New-York Times. WASHINGTON, Monday, May 1. Chief Justice CHASE was one of a small party who … Continue reading →

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not indispensable

Posted on April 17, 2015 by SUMPTER

Our great leader is dead, but our “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” From The New-York Times April 17, 1865: The Effect of President Lincoln’s Death on National Affairs. The … Continue reading →

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“the worst blow the confederacy has yet had”

Posted on April 15, 2015 by SUMPTER

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1865: WASHINGTON, April 15 – 11 A.M. At 20 minutes past 7 o’clock the President breathed his last, closing his eyes as if falling asleep, and his countenance assuming an expression of … Continue reading →

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grant them “unconditional forgiveness”

Posted on April 13, 2015 by SUMPTER

A publication in the Finger Lakes area of New York State pleaded for forgiveness and reconciliation for the returning rebels. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in April 1865: The Amnesty. The terms extended to the Confederate officers and … Continue reading →

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no rest for the winner

Posted on April 11, 2015 by SUMPTER

After the April 9th surrender of General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, President Lincoln sure wasn’t looking for any triumphal celebrations or even resting on his laurels. He told a crowd on April 10th he would deliver a speech the … Continue reading →

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puppet show?

Posted on April 10, 2015 by SUMPTER

From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in 1865 (in same column as the April 9, 1865 written communication between Generals Lee and Grant regarding surrender): JAMES REDPATH, the abolition leader, now the Charleston correspondent of the New York Tribune, … Continue reading →

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“a dream of maniacs”

Posted on April 1, 2015 by SUMPTER

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch April 1, 1865: Saturday Morning…april 1, 1865. The occasional execution of a Confederate officer (alleged to be a spy) in the Northern cities affords the masses at home an opportunity of seeing the death-struggles of … Continue reading →

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“There has been great privation here — we need not deny it”

Posted on March 31, 2015 by SUMPTER

A fellow Richmond editor has died. The Dispatch has evidence from occupied Charleston to contradict President Lincoln’s second inaugural address: victorious Yankees would really act with malice toward all white Southerners. The paper also found evidence from General Sheridan’s recent … Continue reading →

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blame “universal” suffrage

Posted on March 20, 2015 by SUMPTER

Monday morning 150 years ago a Richmond paper seemed to blame the war on universal suffrage (free white men did not need property to have the right to vote). Abolitionists were tame before universal suffrage. The newspaper feared a second … Continue reading →

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foreign matter

Posted on March 19, 2015 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today on March 19, 1865 The New-York Times disagreed with foreigners who believed that the defeat of the main Southern armies would only mean the beginning of a protracted guerrilla war. The Times confidently predicted the breaking … Continue reading →

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