Author Archives: SUMPTER

“the most perfect stagnation”

Posted on August 31, 2013 by SUMPTER

It’s been quiet along the major Eastern front. The Army of Northern Virginia is keeping busy with drills and reviews, the latter attended by women spectators. The soldiers seem to be well-fed and desertions are down, thanks to General Lee’s … Continue reading →

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Jeff’s Emancipation Proclamation?

Posted on August 30, 2013 by SUMPTER

From The New-York Times August 30, 1863: VERY IMPORTANT NEWS.; The Last Rebel Card Played by Jeff. Davis. Call for Five Hundred Thousand Negro Troops. Their Freedom and Fifty Acres of Land Promised to Them. Four Rebel War Vessels Run … Continue reading →

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well corked canteens

Posted on August 28, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today folks in Richmond could read about the ingenuity and daring of some Confederate prisoners of war who escaped from Fort Delaware and/or the recently built barracks on Pea Patch Island. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch August … Continue reading →

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not so manifest

Posted on August 27, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago the journalist who coined the concept of Manifest Destiny was in Europe advocating the dissolution of the United States. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch August 27, 1863: Recognition. –Mr. O’Sullivan, late United States Minister to Portugal, has … Continue reading →

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sigh of relief

Posted on August 26, 2013 by SUMPTER

A conservative, Democrat paper reprinted an article maintaining that the black troops that fought for the North at Port Hudson were not the super warriors and/or super savages that some initial reports indicated. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper … Continue reading →

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postal peace

Posted on August 24, 2013 by SUMPTER

It was a short labor stoppage at the Richmond Post Office, where clerks had not had a raise since the war and its rampant inflation began. And our Richmond newspaper still sees a lot of pressure on prices. Even though … Continue reading →

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one not enough?

Posted on August 23, 2013 by SUMPTER

The following stereograph of Richmond’s Libby Prison was taken 150 years ago today: The Library of Congress also shows the back of the card with its statement of authenticity: You can see a photograph of Libby’s commandant, Thomas P. Turner … Continue reading →

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blame game

Posted on August 22, 2013 by SUMPTER

From The New-York Times August 22, 1863: The War and Its Originators. The difficulties of writing history could hardly be better exemplified than by a comparison of the versions of the origin of the war, given by Mr. DONNELL, the … Continue reading →

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post office resignations

Posted on August 21, 2013 by SUMPTER

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch August 21, 1863: Postal communication Stopped. –Resignation of the Clerks in the City Post-Office. –Yesterday evening the clerks in the City Post-Office resigned in a body, and the business of that office has come to … Continue reading →

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Gorilla Gone from Gotham

Posted on August 20, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago yesterday the draft resumed peaceably in New York City. Army, militia, and police forces were present in large if unostentatious numbers. A reorter found “no less than seven huge columbiads on trucks in the depot of the New-Jersey … Continue reading →

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