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April Fools Day
Happy April Fools Day Everyone loves a good April Fools joke even during the Civil War. Published in April 2, 1864, in Harper’s Weekly, Thomas Nast's drawing titled 'The First of April, 1864' is a mix of jokes, making fun of the Civil War, and commenting on...
The Gettysburg Stone and Satterlee Hospital
A Glimpse Into Civil War History in West Philadelphia Clark Park, the largest park in West Philadelphia, holds a significant place in American history. Not only is it a central green space for the community, but it also sits atop the former site of Satterlee Hospital,...
Civil War in Color Series – Lincoln Assassination Conspirators
On April 14, 1865, at the climax of a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., actor John Wilkes Booth entered Abraham Lincoln’s private balcony and shot the president in the back of the head. In the hours and days that followed, Booth’s conspirators would be rounded up and locked in prison. I thought it would be fun to colorize a few of the key players in the assassination and share them with you.
Lincoln Assassination Witness Samuel Seymour
Samuel J. Seymour was present at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, the night that President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. Samuel J. Seymour was born on March 28th, 1860, in Maryland, United States. He was five years old when his father took him...
Walt Whitman – Pensive On Her Dead Grazing
Walt Whitman wrote a stirring poem titled "Pensive On Her Dead Grazing" within days of the surrender at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865, when Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia. “Pensive on her dead gazing I heard the...
A Civil War Basket Case
So this came across my Facebook feed recently. It is a photo of a Civil war amputee carrying basket from 1861. According to the card on the image, the historical origin of the phrase 'basket case' came from Civil war veterans with amputated legs who were...
Emily Todd – Mrs. Lincoln’s Half-Sister
Emily Todd was Mary Todd Lincoln’s half-sister with Southern sympathies who often visited the White House.
Civil War in Color Series – 2nd New York Artillery
Civil War in Color Series - 2nd New York ArtilleryMy latest in my Civil War in Color series is of the Officers of Company F, 2d New York Artillery at Fort C.F. Smith. The original image was taken in June 1865 by photographer William Morris Smith....