The Sutler, the Mainers, and the Pickpockets of the 13th Mass.
On November 23, 1863—the day before Thanksgiving—the members of the 13th Massachusetts Volunteers, encamped near Brandy Station, Virginia, received a much-welcome pre-holiday visitor. “This was a great day,” wrote regimental historian Charles E. Davis, Jr.:
Read more...A Visit to the Gettysburg Cyclorama
I’d seen the Gettysburg Cyclorama once before — while in high school and on my way to Washington, D.C.—but had virtually no appreciation for the events it displays. Suppressed by a senior trip agenda, my last stop in Gettysburg was nothing short of a quick stroll around the battlefield’s grounds. There was little time for […]
Read more...Civil War Cookin’: Learning To Make Bread
Baking bread. Have you ever tried it? You know, yeast bread. Mix, knead, rise, knead, rise, bake. Time consuming. (I cheat and use a bread maker.) Back in the Civil War days, they prepared their bread without the convenience of a mixer or bread maker. Well, not everyone made their own bread. Some households had servants […]
Read more...Civil War Cookin’: Don’t You Want Some Pie?
Why would a hungry soldier refuse a slice of home-made pie after miles of marching on a dusty road? That was the mystery for one lady in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania when the Rebel soldiers appeared in town on June 26, 1863.
Read more...Question of the Week: 11/21-11/27/16
There are many primary sources that are incredibly helpful to historians…and we should be grateful for those who took the time to record their observations and thoughts. Who would you want to thank for writing a memoir, diary, letter, or other primary source?
Read more...Civil War Cooking’: Cornbread – All American
Cornbread is a uniquely American food and in the 19th it was a menu staple. Corn is a North American product, famously featured in the 1621 Pilgrim accounts as a hearty crop shared by the Native Americans. As the decades passed, corn remained a relatively easy crop to grow and a whole treasure trove of […]
Read more...Mexican-American War 170th: The Politics of Command
On November 19, 1846 Winfield Scott went to see President James Polk and the Secretary of War. Convening at the Executive Mansion, the three sat to talk about the ongoing war with Mexico. As the commanding general of the United States Army, Scott had kept close tabs on the operations of Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor […]
Read more...Civil War Cookin’: An Introduction
We’re just days away from Thanksgiving. So…it’s time to start those shopping lists (I prefer to call them logistic lists for the quartermaster’s department) and working on the menu or food preparations. Or maybe your mom, wife, aunt, or grandma is doing the cooking on Thursday? I know that some guys enjoy cooking or baking, but […]
Read more...