#uscivilwar

[archives-rat]

Reading “Look Away!: A History of the Confederate States of America,” William C. Davis’s internal description of the Confederacy from agitation to secession to reconstruction.  This is probably not what I should be taking away from it, but it’s driving home just how limp the Deadland's portrayal of the Confederacy is/was.  

Confederate society was crumbling from the start.  Gangs of deserters and draft dodgers roam the countryside, stealing from anyone. Cadres of Southern Unionists meeting in secret.  Conscription officers looking to grab any likely-looking man.  Militias made up of the too-young and too-old avoiding big fights.  Militias made up of the well-connected or wealthy looking to avoid any kind of fight.  Clusters of fleeing slaves living in the woods and mountains.

It would be sheer hell - in a good RPG way - to navigate the area. Dodging the Confederate troops as they look to requisition anything not nailed down. Avoiding drawing attention from those loyalists hoping to sniff out Union sympathies. Dodging conscription teams looking to make quota. Trying to make it along crumbling roads as the railways had lost most of their engines to the military.  

The bridge is destroyed.  Was it Yankees?  Unionists? Confederates trying to slow the Yankees?  Bandits trying to slow the militias?  Who knows?  The woods are full of white deserters and escaped slaves.  Some of the slaves probably know the area well enough to show you a ford.  Can you convince them to trust you?  Can they trust you?

Lording over it all and trying to run the country with a rusted iron hand is an oligarchy of aristocrats.  The Lee’s of Virginia, the Rhett’s of South Carolina, the Mason’s of Georgia, the big families of the planter class swap around appointed positions in government and impose poll taxes to keep anyone else from voting.  Their domains are crumbling, their slaves are running off, the peons are starting to rebel, but they still control the government and their younger sons fill the militias.  

They adored Walter Scott but ended up creating a dark fantasy. 

[harimabiff1492]

The Roles England and Russia Played In The US Civil War

Russia and England played significant roles in the US Civil War, albeit in different capacities. Russia, under the leadership of Tsar Alexander II, provided diplomatic support to the Union during the conflict. The Russian government expressed its sympathies for the Union cause and made it clear that it would not recognize any attempts by foreign powers to intervene on behalf of the Confederacy.…

[joseph-mansfield]

The Memorial to the New York 7th Regiment: a very important force during the Civil War (1861-1865). President Lincoln bid them goodbye and good luck at New York’s oldest pub: McSorley’s Old Ale House on 15 E Seventh St.Still open today! #centralparknyc #ny7thregimentmarchingdownbroadway #uscivilwar #mcsorleysoldalehouse (at Central Park, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CnVY4IQJ-_v/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ricisidro]

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Lincoln's Dilemma on @AppleTv+, inspired by the book #Abe: #AbrahamLincoln in His Times by David Reynolds, is a cultural #biography of America’s greatest president. #Lincoln envisaged a nation that was both united and committed to political equality. #USCivilWar #AfricanAmerican

[petervintonjr]

Lesson #107

"Good morning, sir! I've brought you some of the old United States guns, sir!"

In another "why on earth haven't they made a movie out of this person's life yet?" entry, we examine the fascinating tale of Robert Smalls.  Born enslaved on a plantation in 1839 Beaufort, South Carolina, Smalls's childhood was, as one might expect, a never-ending horror show --the region was still grappling with the aftermath of Denmark Vesey's (planned) slave uprising, and local laws had decidedly amped up the oppression and the cruelty.  At the age of 12 Smalls's owner sent him to Charleston to work as a ship-rigger and sailor.  At the time all earnings went to the owner but Smalls managed to negotiate being able to keep 85% of the earnings by the time he was 18 --his plan ultimately being to buy his wife's and daughter's freedom.  During these years he learned everything there was to learn about seamanship and by the time the Civil War kicked off, Smalls found himself serving as a deckhand about the sidewheel steamer Planter, a supply ship tasked with delivering armaments to various Confederate forts, including the now-infamous Fort Sumter.

On May 13, 1862 at 2:30 a.m., Smalls changed the narrative a little. 

While the Planter was berthed in Charleston and all of her white crew (including its officers) were ashore, Smalls snuck his wife and children aboard her, and, along with twelve other secretly-recruited slaves from the city, commandeered the vessel and sailed her right past 5 other Confederate ships and other heavily-armed shore emplacements and forts --Smalls having mastered the coded whistle signals necessary to bluff his way past.  The Planter then approached the Union blockade and raised the white flag to hail a Union clipper ship, the Onward.  The Planter's entire store of munitions, plans, charts, and codebooks were turned over to U.S. Naval intelligence, and the ship itself became a Union warship.  Smalls quickly gained notoriety in the Union's cause and drew the attention of President Lincoln, which almost certainly influenced his decision to permit Black soldiers to enlist in the Union Army.

There is of course a great deal more to the story --not the least of which includes Smalls's commissioning as an actual U.S. Navy officer and formal instatement as the Planter's actual Captain.  He also piloted the Skipper, the Isaac Smith, and the ironclad Keokuk.  He supported Sherman's March to the Sea and was present for the Union flag-raising ceremony at Fort Sumter in April 1865.  His postwar story is equally compelling --including his purchase of his former owner's plantation house in Beaufort, and the founding of a school for Black children.  He lent support to the Freedmen's Bureau, started and published a Black-owned newspaper, the Beaufort Southern Standard , and then --perhaps most improbably of all-- in 1874 ran for the U.S. House of Representatives, won, and served in Congress a total of five terms (first in South Carolina's 5th District, then after gerrymandering, the 7th District).  His public role did not end in 1884 --he lived long enough into the twentieth century to witness the rise of Jim Crow and fiercely pushed back against Black disenfranchisement, which was being rewritten back into a great many state constitutions, including South Carolina's.  Smalls died of malaria in 1915, at the age of 75. 

A monument to Smalls at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Beaufort includes his 1895 statement to the South Carolina legislature: "My race needs no special defense, for the past history of them in this country proves them to be the equal of any people anywhere. All they need is an equal chance in the battle of life."

(Okay, I fibbed a bit in that first paragraph --there IS in fact a Robert Smalls biopic at last greenlit and in development by Amazon Studios.  No casting announcements yet, but it will reportedtly be directed by Malcolm M. Mays.  Keep an eye out.  In the meantime, for further enrichment I would recommend "Moonlight Helmsman" by Richard Maule and "Trouble The Water" by Rebecca Dwight Bruff --while I am not normally a fan of historical fiction, these two books definitely bring the drama and the excitement while still staying true to the actual facts.)

[18thfoot]

The markings on the back of the button whose picture I posted a couple of days ago reads P. TAIT & CO / R&W / PATENT / LIMERICK. Tait's was a clothing factory in Limerick Ireland founded by Peter Tait, a Scot who moved to Ireland as a child. He opened his first factory in 1850 and built his fortune on contracts for uniforms from the British Army. Peter Tait also made uniforms for the Confederate Army during the American Civil War. An example of one isin picture 2. The Confederate government ordered 50,000 caps, greatcoats, jackets, trousers, shirts, blankets, boots, stockings and haversacks in December 1863. Tait also entered into a separate contract for uniforms with the state of Alabama in June 1864. https://www.historyireland.com/tait-uniforms/ #18thfoot #royalirishregiment #redcoat #britisharmy #britishempire #newzealand #maoriwars #uscivilwar https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb7_Hw_tOMe/?utm_medium=tumblr

[1863designs]

- Major General Hiram Ulysses “S” Grant - This was a piece I completed a few months back. It’s all done digitally via @_adobeillustrator_ and was one of the more complicated to do. I can blame his beard for that. US Grant is the fourth in my current Generals Series. Each one is currently available on my store (LINK IN BIO) as stickers. The shirts will be out shortly for these as well. - If you have requests for future Generals or Commanding Officers, just let me know! And yes, Lee, Jackson, and Stuart are on the way 👍🏻 - - #civilwar #uscivilwar #acw #americancivilwar #warbetweenthestates #thecivilwar #civilwarphotography #americanhistory #civilwarhistory #keephistoryalive #ushistory #militaryhistory #military #history #confederate #union #us #cs #blue #grey #north #south #blueandgrey #thesehonoreddead #logodesigner #digitalart #grant #usgrant #generalgrant (at Point Pleasant, Ohio) https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDRsS_hXiH/?igshid=6v2ytnpy8g6m

[omniatlas]

North America 157 years ago today: Battle of Antietam (17 Sep 1862) https://buff.ly/32JW5w2 Having established naval supremacy, Union forces landed on the Virginia peninsula and advanced on Richmond, only to be smashed by Confederate General Robert E. Lee in the Seven Days Battles. Lee followed up his victory with an invasion of Maryland, but was brought to a halt at the Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg, the bloodiest single-day battle in American history. Antietam ended the threat to Washington and gave US President Abraham Lincoln confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, officially ending slavery in the Confederacy. #northamerica #history #map #1860s #19thcentury #1862 #americancivilwar #americanhistory #uscivilwar #ushistory #confederacy #confederatestates #civilwarbuff #mexico #robertelee #september #september17 #antietam #sharpsburg #britishempire #abrahamlincoln #maps #todayinhistory #thisdayinhistory #historyteacher #historybuff #historygeek #historynerd #worldhistory #cartography (at Antietam National Battlefield) https://www.instagram.com/p/B2gZxM-gsW7/?igshid=7pj3zakcka44

[ofotherworlds2]

A favorite patriotic song of mine. Happy Veterans Day!

[civilwar-soldiers-history]

- “Francis C Barlow” by @matthew.werner.art - Barlow was one of the few men who enlisted as a Private and rose to General during the war. - Company F, 12th Regiment New York State Militia (3 month)1861; Private-1st Lieutenant - 61st New York Infantry 1861-1862; Lieutenant Colonel-Colonel - Brigadier General 1862-1863; 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division, 11th Corps - Division Command (Brigadier General) 1863-1864; 1st Division, 11th Corps (wounded @gettysburgnps )//1st Division, 2nd Corps - Brevet Major General 1864-1865; 2nd Division, 2nd Corps - Major General 1865 (was appointed on May 26, 1865 but wasn’t confirmed until February 23, 1866 after his retirement from the military) - In his post war years he served as US Marshall, New York State Attorney General (prosecutes the Boss Tweed ring), founder of the American Bar Association and was active in Republican politics. - - If you would like your #civilwarart or #civilwarphotography featured on our page, drop us a DM or email us at cwsh.1863@gmail.com (email is also available on our one page)!! We have received multiple entries so why don’t you send in yours! - - #civilwar #uscivilwar #acw #americancivilwar #warbetweenthestates #thecivilwar #americanhistory #civilwarhistory #keephistoryalive #ushistory #militaryhistory #military #history #confederate #union #us #cs #north #south #blueandgrey #civilwar #historicalart (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B7zGkI1hZM2/?igshid=gvwpv8fnburd

[archives-rat]

Thomas G. Crawford, former member of the Free State of Jones and delegate to the 1865 Constitutional Conference in Mississippi, not quite getting the hang of the Reconciliation Narrative:

“Yes, sir, we did secede from the Confederacy, and, sir, we fought them like dogs, we killed them like devils, we buried them like asses - yes, like asses, sir.”

-According to the papers this line was delivered to the whole Convention, but the official proceedings do not mention the speech.

[graphisch]

My Dearest Wife, I am writing you between battles Rockport Lincoln Pioneer Village and Museum @PioneerLincoln . . sitting at a desk he writes with ink and stylus recording each name . . #uscivilwar #federalsoldier #unionsoldier #inkandpen #reenactor #reenactment #rockportpioneervillage #lincolnrockportpioneervillage #rockportindiana #lincoln #spencercounty #southernindiana #cabins #haiku #photojournalism #blackandwhitephotography #bnw #bnw_photography #bnwphotography https://www.instagram.com/p/Bxe-ORrAyrI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jtvfwx1lg0lm

[fractialis]

Marker for Fort Ocracoke on Ocracoke Island. Fort Ocracoke was a Confederate fortification that was partially destroyed when Confederate troops abandoned it (second photo). It was completely destroyed shortly afterwards by Union troops. The remains of the fort can still be seen to this day (third photo). The fourth photo is a map of the fort's location. #fort #fortocracoke #ocracoke #ocracokeisland #history #uscivilwar #civilwar #civilwarhistory #northcarolina #northcarolinahistory (at Ocracoke Island) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgjncFsA9IA/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[goku20193]

#TheCityOfPraguePhilharmonicOrchestra #TheWildWest #TheEssentialWesternFilmMusicCollection #GettysburgMainTitle #GettysburgTheme #GettysburgMusic #Gettysburg #RandyEdelman #RonaldFMaxwell #USCivilWar #CivilWarMusic #CivilWarSongs #UnitedStatesOfAmerica #ConfederateStatesOfAmerica #ConfederateLosers #ConfederateTraitors #Spotify https://www.instagram.com/p/CcQfQr9llyYRn_44itQrJl3e69pZ4RUJlSQ7T80/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ricisidro]

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A post shared by Jun Isidro (@rcisidro)

#Emancipation on #AppleTvPlus was inspired by the true story of a slave called Gordon aka 'Whipped Peter' – who became a major part of the abolitionist movement. He was photographed often titled “The Scourged Back,” and published worldwide by Harper's Weekly magazine on Fourth of July in 1863.

#AfricanAmericans #USCivilWar #slavery