Bread for an Army: The Capitol Bakery During the Civil War When the Civil War began in April 1861, Washington, D.C., was suddenly overwhelmed. President Abraham Lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers to defend the Union, and within days thousands of soldiers from...
Have you ever wondered how a simple candy can be tied to history? Recently, my daughter surprised me with a pack of NECCO wafers, and it got me thinking about their fascinating past, including their connection to the Civil War! In 1847, English immigrant Oliver Chase...
Honoring Heroes: The 54th Massachusetts and the Monument That Tells Their Story If you ever visit Boston, you might see a beautiful bronze monument right across from the Massachusetts State House. It shows rows of determined soldiers marching off to war, led by a...
Today, June 19th, marks a profound and pivotal moment in American history: Juneteenth. On this day in 1865, U.S. Army Major General Gordon Granger issued General Order No. 3 in Galveston, Texas, marking the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation and...
The Death of Elmer Ellsworth: A Union Martyr and the First Casualty on Virginia Soil On This Day – May 24, 1861 In the early days of the Civil War, long before the nation had fully grasped the scale of the conflict to come, the death of one young Union officer sent...
Thanksgiving during the Civil War wasn’t the extravagant feast we know today. But in 1864, even soldiers recovering in hospitals like Jarvis General in Baltimore experienced the comfort of a holiday meal. The Jarvis U.S. General Hospital was a military hospital...
