Category Archives: Postbellum Society

death down south

In early June 1868 two black men fought a duel in South Carolina; one of the men was mortally wounded. A northern editorial thought that duels in general were absurd, tragic, and barbaric, but saw this particular duel as a … Continue reading

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decorating the mounds

Civil War general John A. Logan has been in the news a lot lately. As a Representative from Illinois he was one of seven House managers during the Impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson. The U.S. Senate eventually acquitted the … Continue reading

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fictional preservation?

An editorial in the April 25, 1868 issue of Harper’s Weekly lamented all the historic Revolutionary War era structures that were being left to deteriorate and hoped that three other “sacred” buildings could be preserved. One of those structures related … Continue reading

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the long march

April 14, 1865 was something of a banner day in Washington, D.C. Gilbert Bates, who had served as a sergeant in the 1st Wisconsin Heavy Artillery during the war, arrived on foot in the nation’s capital carrying the Stars and … Continue reading

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“a secret organization, for no good purpose”

According to Wikipedia George W. Ashburn was born in North Carolina and later moved to Georgia. He opposed the secession of Georgia and was commissioned a Colonel in the Union army. In 1867 Mr. Ashburn called to order the Georgia … Continue reading

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cannonball express

On March 2, 1868 the United States House of Representatives agreed to nine Articles of Impeachment against President Andrew Johnson. The next day it added two more. You can read a summary of the charges at Wikipedia. Article One was … Continue reading

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first time for “last resort”

On February 22, 1868 the United States House of Representatives began debating its Reconstruction Committee’s report recommending the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. After a Sabbath Day’s rest the debate resumed on Monday the 24th. By 6:00 PM the full … Continue reading

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Johnson vs. Grant

In August 1877 President Andrew Johnson suspended Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton and named General Ulysses S. Grant Secretary of War ad interim. The president’s actions complied with the Tenure of Office Act enacted the previous March. When the … Continue reading

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happy bleak year

Duties evaded in the past press with increasing urgency in the future. On Christmas Day 1867 an editorial in The New-York Times lamented the terrible condition of the American South: “the Christmas Day of 1867 will be a black day … Continue reading

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hate speech?

Some people, who attended a memorial service for Abraham Lincoln in Wrentham, Massachusetts on the day of his Washington, D.C. funeral, weren’t too happy with what they saw when they left church. From The New-York Times December 30, 1867: Damages … Continue reading

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