Category Archives: Southern Society

“whiskey-drinking odor about it”

Posted on September 7, 2013 by SUMPTER

150 years ago today The New-York Times praised Abraham Lincoln’s letter to James Conkling defending his Emancipation Proclamation and the use of black troops to fight the rebellion. Mr. Conkling read the letter to a pro-Union mass meeting in Springfield, … Continue reading →

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four hundred pound supper

Posted on September 5, 2013 by SUMPTER

It might not be a coincidence that that the same issue of the Richmond Daily Dispatch that praised the Confederate armies also published a letter written by George Washington that expressed his concern with the seeming apathy of Americans not … 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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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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Granted …

Posted on August 15, 2013 by SUMPTER

A Yankee general who could exploit the odds in his favor From the Richmond Daily Dispatch August 14, 1863: Gen Grant. Military merit is so rare among the Yankee Generals that we are not at all surprised by the excessive … Continue reading →

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high fuel prices

Posted on August 13, 2013 by SUMPTER

It might have been a blisteringly hot August in Virginia, but citizens  still needed fuel to cook (and it might be prudent to stock up on wood for the coming winter). On August 12th the editors of the Richmond Daily … Continue reading →

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