#americancivilwar

[whencyclopedia]

George Armstrong Custer

George Armstrong Custer (l. 1839-1876) was an officer in the US Army, serving in the cavalry from 1861 to 1865 during the American Civil War and the wars against the Plains Indians 1866-1876. Although he became a widely recognized hero during the Civil War, he is best remembered for his death at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Custer established a reputation for recklessness, courage, and self-promotion early in the Civil War and, by 1863, after the Battle of Gettysburg, was a national hero. He blocked the retreat of General Robert E. Lee (l. 1807-1870) in April 1865 and was present at Appomattox Court House when Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant (l. 1822-1885). After the war, he oversaw Reconstruction in Texas before taking command of the newly formed 7th Cavalry in campaigns against the Native Americans of the West.

He led his troops against the Cheyenne people at the Washita Massacre/Battle of the Washita River in November 1868 and, ignoring the terms of the Treaty of Fort Laramie of 1868, marched his troops into the Black Hills in 1874 where he discovered gold. News of this discovery soon brought more settlers and miners into Sioux and Cheyenne territory, igniting the Great Sioux War of 1876-1877. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn (25-26 June 1876) Custer and his men were slaughtered by Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Sioux warriors under chief Sitting Bull (l. c. 1837-1890). Afterwards, thanks in large part to the efforts of his wife, Elizabeth Bacon "Libbie" Custer (l. 1842-1933), George Armstrong Custer came to be regarded as a great American hero.

His legacy and reputation held until shortly before the Second World War (1939-45) when scholars began challenging the traditional narrative. Today, Custer is a controversial figure, often condemned for his brutality and ruthlessness. Although Custer should certainly be held accountable for his actions, it must also be recognized that he was primarily advancing the genocidal policies of his government which saw the American Indian as an obstacle to progress, civilization, and Manifest Destiny.

Early Years & West Point

George Armstrong Custer was born on 5 December 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio, to Emanuel Henry Custer, a blacksmith, and his second wife, Marie Ward Kirkpatrick. He was named after a minister as his mother hoped this would encourage him to follow that path. He had three older half-siblings from his mother's first marriage and four full siblings, including Thomas and Boston, who would also join the military and die with him in battle.

He was sent to live with his older half-sister and her family in Monroe, Michigan, to attend school and met the girl who would one day become his wife, Elizabeth Clift Bacon. After graduating, he moved to Hopedale, Ohio, and enrolled at the Hopedale Normal College, pursuing a teaching degree. He began his teaching career in Cadiz, Ohio, in 1856 and boarded at the home of the Holland family, where he fell in love with the daughter, Mary Jane Holland. He hoped to marry her but found little opportunity for advancement in Ohio, so he decided to change careers and apply to West Point Military Academy. Scholar Nathaniel Philbrick comments:

He'd been a seventeen-year-old schoolteacher back in Ohio when he applied to his local congressman for an appointment to West Point. Since Custer was a Democrat and the congressman was a Republican, his chances seemed slim at best. However, Custer had fallen in love with a local girl, whose father, hoping to get Custer as far away from his daughter as possible, appears to have done everything he could to persuade the congressman to send the schoolteacher with a roving eye to West Point.

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Custer entered West Point in July 1857 and, before the end of his first session, had earned 27 demerits. By graduation, he had been given more demerits than any of the other cadets in his class. After graduation in June 1861, he faced court martial for failing to break up a fight between cadets but was only reprimanded as the American Civil War was already underway. Many of Custer's classmates had left to fight for the Confederacy and the Union forces were in dire need of trained officers. Custer was commissioned a second lieutenant and sent to drill volunteers in Washington, D.C.

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The Bone Pile Series, a trilogy book about Civil War, explores the mindsets of Yankee and Confederate participants through the eyes of James Hanger and Halbert Paine, highlighting the horrors of slavery, battlefield injuries, and the nation's resilience.

Grab a copy now at https://www.sharontranerbooks.com/ to learn more about the American Civil War.

[colorizedpast]

Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter (USN)

David Dixon Porter was born in Chester, Pennsylvania on 8 June 1813.  His family had strong naval traditions; his grandfather David and great-uncle Samuel had been captains of Massachusetts vessels during the American Revolutionary War; his father David and his uncle John served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during the War of 1812.  His father achieved the rank of commodore.

Porter had nine siblings, five brothers.  His youngest brother died aged ten, but the surviving five boys all became U.S. military officers, four in the Navy: William, David, Hambleton, and Henry in the Navy and Theodoric in the Army where he was was killed at Matamoros during the Mexican-American War.  David’s cousin Fitz John Porter became a major general during the Civil War.  Another cousin, Bolton Porter, was lost with his ship USS Levant in 1861.  Another cousin, David Henry Porter, became a captain in the Mexican Navy during its fight for independence.

Before David Dixon was born, his parents adopted James Glasgow Farragut, whose mother had died in 1808 and whose father George, fellow naval officer and friend of David Sr., was unable to care for all his children.  In 1811, James, aged 10, started serving as a midshipman under Porter and changed his name to David as well.  David G. Farragut would serve with distinction during the Civil War and become the first man to attain the new rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy.

In 1824, Porter’s father resigned from the U.S. Navy and became the commander of Mexico’s navy.  He took with him into Mexican service his nephew David Henry and his sons David Dixon and Thomas.  On 10 February 1828, David Dixon and his cousin Captain David Henry Porter were involved in a fight against a Spanish frigate Lealtad.  Captain Porter was killed with many of his crew and midshipman David Dixon was wounded and imprisoned in Havana.  Once exchanged, his father sent Dixon back to the United States.

In 1829, Porter officially joined the U.S. Navy as a midshipman and slowly climbed the ranks serving in the Coast Survey and the Hydrographic Office.  In 1846, he was dispatched by Secretary of State James Buchanan to investigate the suitability of the Republic of Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) for U.S. naval operations.  When he reestablished communications and delivered the information the State Department wanted, he found that the U.S. had gone to war with Mexico.

Mexico having very little naval power, the war presented few opportunities for distinction for a naval officer.  On 13 June 1847, Commodore Matthew C. Perry mounted an expedition to capture the interior town of Tabasco.  Porter led a charge to capture the fort defending the city and was rewarded with the captaincy of the Spitfire.

At the break of the Civil War, he was part of a plan to hold Fort Pickens, Pensacola, Florida.  This plan’s execution disrupted efforts to relieve the garrison at Fort Sumter, however.  In April 1862, Porter commanded a semi-autonomous part of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, commanded by his adoptive brother Captain David G. Farragut, bombarding with twenty mortar boats Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip south of New Orleans.  The bombardment was ineffective, and Farragut chose to run past the forts.  Successfully bypassing the forts, Farragut demanded the surrender of New Orleans on 29 April.  When Porter began to bombard Fort Jackson again, its garrison mutinied and forced its surrender and Fort St. Philip followed suit on 28 April.

Farragut and Porter continued up the Mississippi River to Vicksburg.  Porter’s mortars suppressed Rebel artillery while Farragut’s ships linked up with a flotilla coming down from the north.  However, without army support, the Vicksburg could not be taken.  In July, Porter and Farragut were ordered east to assist in Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign.

In October, Porter returned to Cairo, Illinois to take command, as an “acting” rear admiral having skipped the captain and commodore ranks, the Mississippi River Squadron.  Porter met the Army generals he would work closely with to open the Mississippi and capture Vicksburg.  He became fast friends with Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, disliked Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand, and developed a professional friendship with Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant.

On 16 April 1863, Porter moved the bulk of his fleet south past the batteries at Vicksburg.  On 22 April, another run provided Grant with the transport he needed to cross his army from the west bank of the Mississippi to the east south of Vicksburg.  Grant initially attempted to attack through Grand Gulf, but Porter could only silence one of the two forts guarding it.  His fleet played a secondary role throughout the rest of the campaign, blockading Vicksburg and controlling the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers.  On 4 July, Vicksburg fell, and Porter was made a permanent rear admiral.

In March 1864, Porter participated in Maj. Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks’ Red River Expedition.  Cooperation between Banks and Porter was lacking and Confederate Maj. Gen. Richard Taylor was able to keep them separated.  Banks gave up on the expedition and Porter had the difficult task of extricating his fleet.

In late 1864 into early 1865, Porter took command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron to assist in the attack on Fort Fisher protecting Wilmington, North Carolina, the only Confederate port still open.  Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler proposed flattening the fort by exploding a ship filled with gunpowder near it.  Porter agreed and the USS Louisiana was packed with powder and blown up on 24 December 1864 with little effect on the fort.  Butler gave up on the planned assault.

Porter went to Grant and demanded Butler be removed.  Grant agreed and placed Maj. Gen. Alfred H. Terry in charge of a second assault on the fort.  The second assault began on 13 January and by the 15th the fort was vanquished.

Porter accompanied President Lincoln on a tour of the capture Confederate capital of Richmond in April 1865.  Only days later, Lincoln was assassinated, and Porter was greatly upset by the news even feeling some responsibility for his death by not being with him that night.

Following the war, the U.S. Navy was downsized, and Porter was left with little to command.  Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles appointed him Superintendent of the Naval Academy.  Porter set about making the underfunded academy the rival of the Military Academy at West Point.

Porter gained a high level of influence under Grant’s Secretary of the Navy Adolph E. Borie, a businessman with no knowledge of the navy, and began to shape the navy as he wanted it.  He made several enemies and after three months, Borie resigned, and the new navy secretary, George Robeson, curtailed Porter’s powers.

Porter was the second ever U.S. Navy admiral, elevated to that rank after his adopted brother David G. Farragut’s death in 1870.  He was allowed to remain on active duty after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 62 in 1875.  He died at the age of 77 on 13 February 1891, having served on active duty in the U.S. Navy for 62 years.

[1863designs]

- With Gettysburg’s 160th and the 1993 movie’s 30th Anniversary coming up this year, I’d like to take a second and ask you what lines from the movie you’d like to see done! Buford’s “Lovely” and Hood’s “I do this under Protest” are already in the works. I’ll also add if there are any brigades or units that fought at Gettysburg that you’d like to see done let us know! Hood’s Texas Brigade, the Stonewall Brigade, the Bucktails, and the Reserves are all on being worked on now! Comment your requests below and/or in the request box in our story!!! #civilwar #americancivilwar #civilwarart #gettysburg160th #30thanniversary #civilwar160 #gettysburg (at Gettysburg National Military Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/CosUeRyuALk/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[inspire-by-art]

ABRAHAM LINCOLN 🗽 Eccentric LIFE | FUN & Unusual FACTS 🔥

[beckwith98]

Precious (“In His Sight”)

The novel, “Precious” (In His Sight), tells of the myriad, life-altering U.S. Government-sanctioned and implemented, changes…, societal (1864 – 1887), events, that followed, the conclusion of the American Civil War, that shaped the “Re-United States of America”…

ReadMore: https://www.booksbymarvinblake2.com/precious/

[n5701-inc]

Abraham Lincoln's Election: The Prelude to America's Civil War

The year was 1860, and the United States was a nation on the brink of change. In the midst of political turmoil and mounting tensions, Abraham Lincoln’s election as the 16th President of the United States became the catalyst for one of the most significant events in American history – the American Civil War. In this article, we’ll delve into the circumstances surrounding Lincoln’s election, the…

[actiontourguide]

Embark on a self-guided driving tour through the hallowed grounds of Antietam National Battlefield, a pivotal site in the American Civil War. This immersive tour offers a profound glimpse into a critical chapter of American history amidst the serene landscape of Sharpsburg, Maryland.

[whencyclopedia]

History of Juneteenth

Juneteenth is an annual event celebrating the end of chattel slavery in the United States in commemorating the issuance of General Order No. 3 (which included the line "all slaves are free") in Galveston, Texas on 19 June 1865. In 2021, Juneteenth was declared a federal holiday and is also celebrated outside of the United States.

Continue reading...

[readersmagnet]

The Bone Pile Series, a trilogy that is found on Sharon Traner's "Novelist" website and examines the American Civil War, explores the mindsets of Yankee and Confederate participants through the eyes of James Hanger and Halbert Paine. It highlights the human toll of slavery, battlefield injuries, and the deplorable condition of the citizenry, as well as the nation's tenacity to survive despite its self-induced alienation and destructiveness.

Uncover the untold stories of the Civil War and explore the resilience of a nation through powerful storytelling. Visit https://www.sharontranerbooks.com/ and join the journey today.

[colorizedpast]

Colonel William Root Brewster (USV) – 73rd New York Infantry Regiment

William Root Brewster was born on 27 July 1828 in Goshen, Connecticut.

When the Civil War broke out, Brewster was commissioned major of the 28th New York State Militia.  His unit did not see action at the First Battle of Bull Run.

Returning to New York, he helped recruit elements of the Excelsior Brigade under Daniel Sickles, becoming the colonel of the 73rd New York Infantry on 13 September 1861.  The recruits were mostly from the fire departments of New York and Brooklyn (on Brewster’s chest is a N.Y.F.D. 29th Company badge).

Brewster and his regiment participated in McClellan’s Peninsula Campaign of 1862.  At some point during the campaign, Brewster was captured by the South.  However, he was exchanged in August and led his regiment at the Battle of Fredericksburg.  He missed the Battle of Chancellorsville due to illness and upon returning to the Army of the Potomac, Brewster found himself in commander of the Excelsior Brigade in Brig. Gen. Andrew A. Humphrey’s division of Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles’ III Corps.

On the second day of fighting at Gettysburg, Sickles advanced his corps out of line with the rest of the Army of the Potomac along Cemetery Ridge to the Peach Orchard.  Brewster’s brigade was out flanked by Confederate Maj. Gen. Lafayette McLaws’ division; Brewster had a horse shot from under him and his brigade lost 778 of the 1,837 men engaged in the day’s fight.

Falling ill again, Brewster made his way back to the front during the Mine Run Campaign in the autumn, reportedly inspiring his men by rising from his “sick bed” to the lead the Excelsiors during the campaign.  He retained command of the Excelsiors during Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign of 1864.  The brigade was part of Brig. Gen. Gershom Mott’s Fourth Division, II Corps during the Battle of the Wilderness.  Remnants of the division were folded into Maj. Gen. David B. Birney’s third division before the Battle of Spotsylvania becoming the Fourth Brigade.  Brewster led these men at the Battle of Cold Harbor and in the initial operations of the Siege of Petersburg until 13 May 1864.

The Excelsior Brigade was abolished and the remnants moved to the First Brigade, Third Division, II Corps.  Brewster became senior colonel when Brig. Gen. Régis de Trobriand took command of the brigade.  On 24 October 1864, Brewster and the 73rd New York mustered out of service near Petersburg, Virginia, and returned to New York.  He was given the brevet rank of brigadier general on 2 December.

Brewster returned to civilian life in Brooklyn and was active in early reunions of the 73rd New York.  He died only five years later at the age of 41 on 13 December 1869.

[safecallnow]

What Military Action Started the American Civil War?

The Confederate forces fired Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Harbor. After 34 hours of artillery fire exchange, Union forces surrendered without casualties.

Read more: https://www.safecallnow.org/what-military-action-started-the-american-civil-war/

[mrglitterati]

Juneteenth is a milestone toward racial equality and acknowledges the brutal history of slavery while celebrating African American resilience.

[bogdanmateias]

The Winner Takes It All

collage

43 x 30 cm

2023

[1863designs]

- The newest addition to our Unit Series, Wilder’s Lightning Brigade!!!! Like the Pioneer Brigade, this unit was the brainchild of General William Rosecrans. The idea behind having a whole brigade of mounted infantry was at first to help deal with Confederate cavalry like John Hunt Morgan by allowing an inafntry unit more mobility by being mounted. Wilders men proved valuable on the battlefield by being able to quickly move from fight to fight much quicker than their on foot counterparts. These men were armed with Spencer’s rifles as well as long handled hatchets giving the brigade another name, the Hatchet Brigade. After Chickamauga the Brigade was split up and it’s regiments converted to Cavalry. Though short lived, Wilders Lightning Brigade gained great fame. Our design features their monument at Chickamauga at its center with lightning bolts making up the border. The regiments of the brigade adorn the center and two crossed hatchets at the bottom pay homage to the brigades other name. Now available at our store! (Link in bio) Shirts will be out soon as well as other units!! #civilwar #civilwarart #americancivilwar #wilderslightningbrigade #wilder #lightning #hatchet #illinois #indiana #chickamauga (at Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cpxr0NiOG44/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=