Maine at War August 2024 blog posts
In August 2024 my Maine at War blog examined the Emancipation Proclamation from the viewpoints of Mainer supporters and detractors. Plus the Swartz family tries to find at least one Yankee ancestor!
August 7, 2024: Maine and the Emancipation Proclamation part 1: a wartime game changer
President Abraham Lincoln broadens the Union’s wartime goals when he releases his Emancipation Proclamation after Antietam. As 1862 draws to an end, Maine soldiers serving in the Deep South write home about the slaves escaping into Union lines.
August 14, 2024: Maine and the Emancipation Proclamation part 2: not all slaves are free
Students attending Maine schools during the Civil War’s centennial heard repeatedly that Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves with his Emancipation Proclamation. As the document’s language indicates, that statement is not entirely accurate.
As the Emancipation Proclamation takes effect on January 1, 1863, some Mainers voice support. Others voice strong opposition.
August 28, 2024: Meeting the one Yankee in the family tree
The author and his daughter search for the family tree for a bonafide uniformed Yankee. They find just the one soldier, and he is a true Down East Yankee!
