Civil War History – Page 13 – Old Magazine Articles

H.L. Mencken: Not Impressed with Lincoln
(The Smart Set, 1920)

As far as culture critic and all-around nay-sayer H.L. Mencken was concerned, Abraham Lincoln was simply another opportunist who fed at the federal trough and he found himself at a loss when it came to understanding the American deification of the man. It seemed that even Jefferson Davis might have had an easier time uttering a few sweet words to describe Lincoln then did the Bard of Baltimore. Yet, there was one contribution Lincoln made that Mencken applauded, the Gettysburg Address:

It is eloquence brought to a pellucid and almost gem-like perfection –the highest emotion reduced to a few poetical phrases. Nothing else precisely like it is to be found in the whole range of oratory. Lincoln himself never even remotely approached it [in other speeches]. It is genuinely stupendous.

(Although, like any unreconstructed Confederates, he thought the argument was all a bunch of rot.)

1865: The Last Four Months of War
(Southern Rebellion, 1867)

A chronology of the most prominent events that occurred during the last, and most decisive year of the American Civil War: 1865.

As the year began, General Sherman’s army began it’s march through the Carolinas; four months later Richmond fell and President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. On May tenth the victorious Union army marched in review down Pennsylvania Avenue and at month’s end, Kirby Smith and his rebel forces surrendered in the West.

It was argued that slavery in the United States did not end in 1865…

The Civil War in 1863
(Southern Rebellion, 1867)

Here is a printable chronology of the important events that occurred during 1863, the most slaughterous year of the American Civil War.

The blood flowed deep in 1863 and the year proved to be a decisive one for the Union Army as the Rebels were driven out of Pennsylvania – at the same time the Confederate defense of Vicksburg (Mississippi) collapsed. General Sherman continued his march to the sea while the women of Mobile (Alabama) cried out for bread. In the North, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus and draft riots broke out in Boston and New York City.

The Civil War in 1862
(Southern Rebellion, 1867)

A printable chronology of the major events that took place during 1862, the second year of the American Civil War.

The high hopes that both sides enjoyed during the previous year had entirely vanished, and were replaced instead by a sense of grim determination as all concerned rolled up their sleeves and faced a war that had no end in sight. The year began with news of two Missouri Senators who were expelled from that body for their Rebel sympathies; among the many military engagements that marked that year, the most legendary were the battles of Shiloh, Fredericks burg and Antietam. Monitor and Merrimac had at it, General McClellan was replaced by General Halleck, and the year ended with Union General William Tecumseh Sherman occupying the city of Savannah.

The Civil War in 1861
(The Southern Rebellion, 1867)

A printable chronology of the important events that occurred during the first year of the American Civil War: 1861.

In April of 1861 the first gallons of blood begin to pour and as December slowly rolled around, news spreads of a battle fought by one Native American tribe loyal to the Union against another tribe siding with the Rebels. For the next two years the great momentum of the war would be on the side of the Confederacy.

Click here to read about the heavy influence religion had in the Rebel states during the American Civil War.

The Lincoln – Douglas Debates Observed
(The National Park Service, 1956)

These four paragraphs first appeared on the pages of THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE and were written by a reporter named of Horace White at the conclusion of Lincoln – Douglas debates of 1858. The journalist did a fine job in describing the excitement at the debates and the spirit of the participating candidates.

Douglas ended in a whirlwind of applause…and Lincoln began to speak in a slow and rather awkward way. He had a thin tenor, or rather falsetto voice, almost as high pitched as a boatswain’s whistle.

The debates resulted in a close election that returned Douglas to the U.S. Senate and Lincoln to his law practice.

The Great Civil War Battles
(Pageant Magazine, 1958)

The second portion of Bruce Catton’s article (see above) concerning the necessary knowledge required in order to justifiably call your self a Civil War Buff was this short piece listing the greatest battles of the war. Accompanying the five brief thumb-nail summaries is a map of the South Eastern U.S., highlighted with red stars, which serve to identify where the blood poured.

General John Rawlins: General Grant’s Chief of Staff
(The Literary Digest, 1917)

Attached is a review of a biography covering the life and times of Brigadier General John Rawlins (1831 – 1869). Rawlins distinguished himself as the Chief of Staff to General Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War. It is explained that the two met while Grant was engaged as a sales clerk at a leather shop which was owned by Rawlin’s brother; at the outbreak of the war, in 1861, Grant’s skill as an officer became clear to many and with each promotion he was able to secure Rawlins’ certain advancements in grade. By 1863 Rawlins was promoted to Brigadier General. During Grant’s term in the White House, Rawlins served as Secretary of War.
The author of the book, Major-General James Harrison Wilson, is remembered as the man who captured Confederate President Jefferson Davis in flight; the review of his autobiography can be read here.

British Praise for General Grant
(Literary Digest, 1897)

When the Grant Memorial in New York City was first presented to the public during the Spring of 1897, few could have guessed that one of the places most excited about the monument would be Great Britain. An American journalist posted to that distant isle filed the attached article, quoting from as many as eight British newspapers that saw fit to liberally sprinkle their pages with a variety of laudatory adjectives in praise of General Grant:

He sprang from the people, he was the son of a plain farmer, and had ‘driven team’ in his day. Yet he was also a trained soldier. But, from first to last, he was merely the citizen in arms, and with the mighty array he commanded, he resumed his position in civil life as soon as his work was done…The giants of the Civil War were probably the last of a great race.

Click here to read Grant’s recollection of the first time he met President Lincoln.

Grant at Shiloh
(Famous Events Magazine, 1913)

A summation of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh:

Bull Run, the first Southern victory of the war, was followed by others. Nor did the tide of battle turn in favor of the North until General Ulysses S. Grant won in Tennessee the hard fought struggle of Shiloh. This was in April of 1862. Grant first besieged and captured Fort Donelson, then advanced until he was suddenly assailed at Shiloh by the entire army which the Confederates had gathered in the West…