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Samuel Abbott Cooley: The Civil War Photographer Who Captured History
Samuel Abbott Cooley, born on November 3, 1821, in Hartford, Connecticut, was a pioneering figure in Civil War photography. As the eldest child of Dr. Abiel Abbott Cooley and Lucretia Hurlbert Cooley, Samuel’s early life was shaped by his family’s support and the...
The Deadly Halloween Candy of 1858
As Halloween approaches, tales of poisoned candy often seem like urban legends—but in 1858, a real-life candy horror unfolded in Bradford, Yorkshire, leaving over 200 people gravely ill and claiming the lives of 20 others. This tragedy, known as the Bradford Humbug...
Civil War in Color Series – Secret Service Officers
During the first two days of fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg, General Robert E. Lee's Confederate forces attacked General George G. Meade's Army of the Potomac. Shortly after nightfall on the second day, General Meade assembled a Council of War at the home of...
Abraham Lincoln for President – August 8 1860
On Wednesday, August 8, 1860, the Illinois Republicans hold an immense rally to celebrate Lincoln's nomination in Springfield. Thousands of people attend and a giant morning procession passes Lincoln's residence which he reviews from his doorway. In the afternoon...
The Civil War in Color Series – John Harrison Surratt Jr
John Harrison Surratt was born on April 13, 1844, the last child of Mary and John Surratt, Sr. Surratt's father managed to purchase a boarding house in Washington along with a tavern in Surrattsville, Maryland, where he also served as the local postmaster. As a young...
Salome Sallie Myers – Civil War Nurse at Gettysburg
In late June 1863, Sallie Myers was a school teacher who had just turned 21. She was on summer vacation when Confederate forces invaded her hometown of Gettysburg and changed her life forever.
The Civil War in Color Series – Gettysburg Dead
Recently a friend of mine asked me to do a Then and Now overlay of some dead Confederate soldiers who were buried in the Rose Farm at Gettysburg. Based on some previous research, he was seeking out the original location where these brave soldiers were buried and...
Gettysburg Campaign – Henry Thomas Harrison – Confederate Spy
On June 28, 1863, an important event took place in the small town of Chambersburg, Pa that changed the course of Robert E. Lee'sInvasion of the North. A Confederate spy by the name of Harrison came into camp and reported on the movements of Union troops. General...