Category Archives: 150 Years Ago This Week

News from 150 years ago

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Civil War prisons, Confederate States of America, Military Matters, Southern Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Confederate States of America, Southern Society | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Confederate States of America, Southern Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Civil War prisons, Confederate States of America, Southern Society, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Confederate States of America, Northern Society, Southern Society | Tagged , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Confederate States of America, Southern Society | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Lincoln Administration, Military Matters, Northern Politics During War, Northern Society | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“All honor to the Flag”

Posted on August 19, 2013 by SUMPTER

Six weeks after Gettysburg, the assistant surgeon for the 126th New York Volunteer Infantry wrote home to explain that newspaper accounts had missed the extraordinary courage of the 126th’s color bearers during the battle. From a Seneca County newspaper in … Continue reading →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Gettysburg Campaign, Military Matters, Northern Society | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

not much of a theater-goer

Posted on August 17, 2013 by SUMPTER

From The Papers and Writings of Abraham Lincoln To J. H. HACKETT. EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON August 17, 1863. JAMES H. HACKETT, Esq. MY DEAR SIR:—Months ago I should have acknowledged the receipt of your book and accompanying kind note; and … Continue reading →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Northern Society | Tagged , | Leave a comment

private no more

Posted on August 16, 2013 by SUMPTER

From The New-York Times August 16, 1863: Jeff. Davis’ Private Letters. The country will be interested and amused, if not instructed, by the letters received by JEFF. DAVIS from all sections and all sorts of men during the secession Winter, … Continue reading →

Posted in 150 Years Ago This Week, Northern Politics During War, Northern Society, Vicksburg Campaign | Tagged | Leave a comment