Year in Review 2015: The Sesquicentennial
2015 saw the closing act of the Civil War Sesquicentennial. For four years, Civil War buffs, students, and aficionados tromped battlefields, attended ceremonies, and commemorated sacrifices, and the closing months of the war provided some of the most memorable opportunities yet.
To see the full array of ECW’s Sesquicentennial coverage, search the “Sesquicentennial” category on the drop-down menu located on the right-hand column of the site.
We also discussed the Civil War Sesquicentennial at the Second Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge, later broadcast on C-SPAN. And for the Question of the Week for July 6, Meg Groeling posited the following: “Who Won the Sesquicentennial?”
Here’s a quick run-down of some of ECW’s Sesquicentennial highlights:
Feb. 1: Reaction to the Thirteenth Amendment
Feb. 1: Striking out from Savannah: Uncle Billy Moves North by Dan Davis
Feb. 5: Melee on the James by Caroline Davis
Feb. 5 and 6: Edward Alexander offered coverage for the anniversary of Hatcher’s Run (here and here).
Feb. 19: Some Context from Donelson for the 150th’s Surrender Season by Chris Mackowski
March 9: Kilpatrick’s Shirt-Tail Skedaddle: The Battle of Monroe’s Crossroads, March 10, 1865 by Eric Wittenberg
March 19-21: Dan Davis offered coverage of the battle of Bentonville (March 19, March 20, and March 21), with additional coverage from Phill Greenwalt, Eric Wittenberg and ECW correspondent Liam McGurl
March 29: The Battle of Lewis Farm, March 29, 1865 by Edward Alexander
March 31: The Battle of White Oak Road, March 31, 1865 by Edward Alexander
April 1: Breakthrough at Petersburg: “April Fool, Johnnies!” by Edward Alexander
April 2: Breakthrough at Petersburg: First Man Over the Works by Edward Alexander
April 4: “Let ‘Em Up Easy”—Lincoln in Richmond by Chris Mackowski
April 5: “The only chance the Army of Northern Virginia had to save itself” – Jetersville, April 5, 1865 by Rob Orrison
April 5: Cavalry Action at Painesville: 150 Years Ago by Bert Dunkerly
April 6: Crutchfield’s Last Stand at Sailor’s Creek by Lee White
April 6: The Battles for High Bridge April 6-7, 1865 by Dan Davis
April 7: “General Grant had us completely in a trap…” Farmville and High Bridge, April 7, 1865 by Rob Orrison
Apr. 9: “It seemed a cruel fate for one so deserving to share in his country’s joy”: The Death of Hiram Clark at Appomattox by Ryan Quint
Apr. 9: Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant’s Dispatch to the Secretary of War April 9, 1865
Apr. 10-12: Chris Mackowski offered a five-part series of reflections inspired by Appomattox (part one, two, three, four, and five)
Apr. 14: The week of Lincoln’s death inspired posts by Edward Alexander, Chris Kolakowski, Chris Mackowski, Ashley Webb, and Dan Welch.
Apr. 16: The Last Confederate Fort and the Last Confederate General by Lee White
Apr. 17: ECW correspondent Pat Tintle went on the trail of John Wilkes Booth’s escape route with Phill Greenwalt
Apr. 17 and 26: Eric Wittenberg offered two-part coverage of “Events Larger Than One Person: The Surrenders at Bennett Place, Durham, North Carolina” (part one and part two). On Apr. 28, he contrasted the surrenders at Appomattox and Bennett Place.
Apr. 21: “The Sad, sorrowful, and pathetic scene at Salem” (the surrender of “Mosby’s Confederacy) by Rob Orrison
May 9: Nathan Bedford Forrest’s Farewell
May 25: William Child and The Grand Review by Dan Welch
July 7: “The stain of innocent blood had been removed from the land”: 150th of the Hanging of the Lincoln Conspirators by Ryan Quint
Aug. 6: The Final Gun (the final shots fired by the C.S.S. Shenandoah) by Dwight Hughes
Nov. 10: “He Will Judge Between You and Me”: The 150th Anniversary of the Execution of Henry Wirz by Ryan Quint
Nov. 5: The Surrender of the C.S.S. Shenandoah inspired posts from Chris Kolakowski, Dwight Hughes, and guest correspondent Ed Wilson.
Dec. 25: Meg Groeling wrapped up our Sesquicentennial coverage with a look at The First Peacetime Christmas–December 25, 1865