Category Archives: 150 Years Ago This Week

News from 150 years ago

nothing to see year

Posted on January 1, 2021 by SUMPTER

At least not over here. The Chicago Tribune used its January 1, 1871 issue to review the old year. According to the paper, the recent-history-perusing side of Janus would have been kind of bored looking at events in the United … Continue reading →

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guns and egg-nog

Posted on December 25, 2020 by SUMPTER

And the firecrackers look like fun, too As Reconstruction was presumably trudging on, a New York City newspaper provided its readers with a couple glimpses of Christmas celebrations from the land down under, down under the Mason-Dixon line. From Harper’s … Continue reading →

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the three exemptions

Posted on November 26, 2020 by SUMPTER

Apparently 150 years ago the United States was free from pestilence and civil strife: BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. A PROCLAMATION. Whereas it behooves a people sensible of their dependence on the Almighty publicly and collectively … Continue reading →

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a death on campus

Posted on October 12, 2020 by SUMPTER

It was a damp, chilly afternoon in Lexington, Virginia. A heavy rain set in that eventually resulted in some severe flooding. September 28, 1870 was a long day for Robert E. Lee, the president of Washington College. According to Colonel … Continue reading →

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floral tributes

Posted on May 30, 2020 by SUMPTER

From the May 31, 1870 issue of The New-York Times. Except the day on which is celebrated the independence of these United States, there is no day that calls out the patriotic feelings of our people more than “Memorial Day.” … Continue reading →

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ebony and ivory

Posted on February 25, 2020 by SUMPTER

According to Wikipedia, Mississippi “was readmitted to the Union on January 11, 1870, and its representatives and senators were seated in Congress on February 23, 1870.”[*the dates are questionable] Although both new senators were Republicans and non-native Mississipians, one was … Continue reading →

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“earnest and fearless”

Posted on December 27, 2019 by SUMPTER

Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War during most of the Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson administrations, died on December 24, 1869. Funeral services were held 150 years ago today in Washington, D.C. Harper’s Weekly eulogized him in its January 8, … Continue reading →

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“soil is trod by none but freemen”

Posted on November 18, 2019 by SUMPTER

In his first year as Commander-in-Chief, President Ulysses S. Grant followed the tradition begun by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 by calling for a national day of Thanksgiving on a Thursday in November. The new president opted for a slightly earlier … Continue reading →

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so much service everywhere

Posted on November 11, 2019 by SUMPTER

John Ellis Wool, 85, died at his home in Troy, New York on November 10, 1869. Major-General Wool was a veteran of three major North American wars. After volunteering for the War of 1812 he made the U.S. Army his … Continue reading →

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death of a wagon master

Posted on September 7, 2019 by SUMPTER

Right from the get-go there were issues with President Ulysses S. Grant’s cabinet. Six months later there was another problem – Grant’s trusted aide, confidant, and Secretary of War, John A. Rawlins died after a long bout with tuberculosis. From … Continue reading →

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