Author Archives: SUMPTER

benign bureaucrats

Posted on July 27, 2013 by SUMPTER

Apparently some shrewd lawyers and agents were trying to make a buck by representing newly drafted men for exemption claims. Auburn, New York’s Provost Marshal said that representation was unnecessary – the conscripts can completely trust the Board of Enrollment. … Continue reading →

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Charlie Wheeler’s Funeral

Posted on July 26, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today a young woman from Canandaigua, New York attended the funeral of a soldier killed at Gettysburg. Captain Wheeler of the 126th New York Infantry had been killed by a sharpshooter on the morning of July 3rd. … Continue reading →

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If

Posted on July 25, 2013 by SUMPTER

Press scrutiny of the Conscription drawings A Democrat paper went to Auburn 150 years ago today to make sure the draft was carried out fairly. It reported that everything seemed fair – as long as the names in the box … Continue reading →

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“tax ourselves”

Posted on July 24, 2013 by SUMPTER

In reviewing the Conscription Act of 1863, James M. McPherson writes that “Substitution was hallowed by tradition … The Republican architects of the draft law inserted commutation as a means of putting a cap on the price of substitutes … … Continue reading →

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a little less “gigantic Power”

Posted on July 23, 2013 by SUMPTER

The Mississippi might be basically under Federal control now, but the Richmond press can still celebrate signs of rebel life out west. From the Richmond Daily Dispatch July 22, 1863: Destruction of a Federal gunboat by a torpedo. A dispatch … Continue reading →

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draft matters

Posted on July 22, 2013 by SUMPTER

A short cutting about a couple big topics 150 years ago this month – Gettysburg and the draft. From a Seneca County, New York newspaper in July, 1863: The 44th Regiment (Ellsworth) suffered terribly during the three days battle at … Continue reading →

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the usual suspects

Posted on July 20, 2013 by SUMPTER

A Democrat newspaper in from a small town in New York state digests the information that Lee’s army retreated from Gettysburg and made it south of the Potomac largely unscathed. It has to be the Republican administration’s fault. Everything was … Continue reading →

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Copperheads from history

Posted on July 19, 2013 by SUMPTER

The Old Guard, a pro-slavery, antiwar monthly journal published in New York found historical precedent for anti-Lincoln Copperheads in three iconic Americans – George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and Thomas Jefferson. Here’s the paragraph on Jefferson. From the July 1863 issue … Continue reading →

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“battle for freedom”

Posted on July 18, 2013 by SUMPTER

As you can read at Civil War Daily Gazette, 150 years ago today the 54th Massachusetts , a regiment of black soldiers, led a failed assault on Battery Wagner at Charleston. An article published in the August 22, 1863 issue … Continue reading →

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references required

Posted on July 17, 2013 by SUMPTER

From the Richmond Daily Dispatch July 17, 1863: In Council of the city of Richmond, July13th 1863. The following Ordinance was passed by the Council and ordered to be published in the daily papers of the city twice a week … Continue reading →

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