Patrick Teegarden

The two-day Civil War Battle of Shiloh, sometimes referred to as the “Battle of Pittsburgh Landing,” began in the predawn hours of Sunday, April 6, 1862, when Confederate General Albert Sydney Johnston’s army rushed out of the dense woods upon the more or less unsuspecting Union army of General Ulysses S. Grant. Grant’s troops were, for the most part, just rising from their tents when the attack began.

February 7, 1862 was the originally scheduled execution date for Nathaniel Gordon, a convicted trans-Atlantic slave trader. However, Gordon, the scion of a respectable Presbyterian family from Portland, Maine, had good reason to believe that neither his death sentence nor any other severe punishment would actually be carried out.

It was 150 years ago, on January 27, 1862, that President Abraham Lincoln issued a somewhat extraordinary directive, titled “President’s General War Order No. 1.” Lincoln’s Order stemmed from both his boiling frustration with the inaction of his top generals and from his own recognition of the strategic opportunity for coordinated and simultaneous action among the Union’s various military forces.

First, following is a brief description of a very bloody and inconclusive battle (technically counted as a Union victory) known as the Battle of Stones River or Murfreesboro. Second, I’ve provided a list of my own favorite Civil War historians/non-fiction writers and some suggested (very readable, not dry and boring) books related to the Civil War and its place in our national psyche.

December is the traditional time for overall “year in review” wrap up stories. So here’s an attempt to summarize the years of the Civil War. The following is admittedly far too superficial for any historian or amateur student of that period, but will hopefully give more general readers a glimpse of the painful annual retrospectives families were somberly reflecting upon during the holiday seasons of 1860-1865.

Saturday, November 19, is the 148th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 delivery of the Gettysburg Address. It will likely bring a smile to the face of any admirer of Lincoln to know that the President’s first words to his friend and bodyguard, Ward Lamon, after delivering his brief remarks were, “that speech won’t scour.” Lincoln was utilizing a farmer’s vernacular for plowing untilled soil, and by “won’t scour” he meant that the speech was a dud!

Here’s how well I understand Veterans Day — I told my publisher/editor/friend, Ms. Strogoff, how thrilled I was to write about this important national holiday, because it had in fact been originated by Civil War General and Congressman John “Blackjack” Logan. Which would have been correct if we had been talking about Memorial Day! In the immortal words of Gilda Radnor’s Emily Litella, “Never Mind.”

Having recently discussed the bare bones story of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, I’ve been uncertain how to best present or frame the apparent ambiguities and lack of urgency in Lincoln’s own commitment to end slavery. When studying or reading about Lincoln’s life, particularly his early career in Illinois, one cannot help but stumble across any number of troubling statements and writings with respect to true equality between the white and African American races.

On September 22, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln publicly announced his intention to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, effective on January 1, 1863. Under the terms of this Presidential Order, any area in a state of rebellion against the Union would immediately forfeit the institution of “legal” slavery without compensation.

September 17, 1862 was the bloodiest single day in U. S. history-by a long shot.

Total deaths — the worst. Total casualties (killed, wounded and missing) — the worst. Deaths and total casualties adjusted as a percentage of total population — worse yet!