Civil War History – Page 7 – Old Magazine Articles

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…

Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address
(National Park Service, 1956)

Here is the brief text to President Lincoln‘s very eloquent second inaugural address, that was delivered during the closing weeks of the Civil War.

Lincoln Remembered
(National Park Service, 1956)

Shortly after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, William H. Herndon (1816 – 1891), Lincoln’s law partner, devoted much of his life to collecting as much original source material on the man as he could possibly find. Indeed, scholars have pointed out that there never would have been an accurate word written about Lincoln if not for the efforts of Herndon. The following description of Lincoln is from a lecture delivered by Herndon in 1865.

The Lincoln – Douglas Debates: Defining Slavery
(National Park Service, 1956)

The Republican Party, which developed rapidly as a new political force following the enactment of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in 1854, gathered its strength chiefly from those who opposed the extension of slavery into the territories. In the Lincoln – Douglas Debates this issue was paramount. Perhaps nowhere can a more concise and explicit statement of the position of the Republican Party on this issue be found than in Mr. Lincoln’s opening speech at Quincy [Illinois] in the sixth of the joint debates.

The Battle of Kenesaw and the Goodness of Colonel Martin
(Confederate Veteran, 1922)

Here is a segment from a longer article found on this site that recalled the history of boys who had enlisted in the Confederate cause – this short paragraph tells the story of a Rebel colonel, W.H. Martin of the 1st Arkansas Regiment, who called out to his opposite number in the Federal ranks during a lull in the fighting for Kenesaw Mountain and allowed for a truce so that the immobilized wounded of the Northern infantry would be rescued from a fire that was spreading in no-mans-land.

The Humanity of Dick Kirkland
(Coronet Magazine, 1957)

He led no charge, won no thrilling victory. But men honor his memory because, in the midst of slaughter, he dared death to bring solace to his wounded foes… He was Sergeant Richard Kirkland of the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers.

We honor him on this page because he was one of the few men in war who simply refused to submit himself entirely to the savage spirit of war and surrender all sense decency.

On a cold Virginia day in 1862, Kirkland and his Carolinians were locked in a bitter struggle with Federal infantry. It was not a good day for the men in blue, and many of their wounded lay on the ground crying out for help. During the few lulls in the firing Kirkland decided he could take their cries no more and ventured out onto the killing ground bringing water and blankets:

The Union men were thunderstruck when a Confederate soldier, laden with canteens, suddenly climbed into view. Their surprise was probably what saved Dick, for in a few seconds he had sprinted to the nearest wounded man, given him water, covered him with an overcoat, and gone on to the next… Dick was the talk of both armies that day.

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

A Humane Act at Gettysburg’s Bloody Angle
(Literary Digest, 1913)

During the 1913 Battle of Gettysburg’s fiftieth anniversary commemoration, a surviving member of Picket’s Charge encountered the Federal soldier who had saved his life at the Bloody Angle; this is the moving story of their encounter.

(Due to the broken title link above, you must Click here to read the article)

A Humane Act at Gettysburg’s Bloody Angle
(Literary Digest, 1913)

(Due to the broken title link above, you must Click here to read the article)

The Civil War in 1864
(Southern Rebellion, 1867)

A chronology of the important events that occurred during one of the most eventful years of the American Civil War: 1864.

As the year commenced, President Lincoln called for an additional 500,000 men to be drafted; General Ulysses S. Grant assumed command of the Army of the Potomac; Admiral Farragut sailed victoriously out of Mobile Bay and assorted New York hotels were set ablaze by rebel agents.

Lt. Colonel Fremantle at Gettysburg
(W.C. Storrick, 1951)

Lt. Colonel Frementle (1835 – 1901), a member of the Coldstream Guards, was a guest of the Army of Northern Virginia during the Gettysburg campaign. After the Battle of Gettysburg, he returned to England and published Three months in the Southern States. The following is a vivid extract, describing a part of the battle from the Southern lines:

The position into which the enemy had been driven was evidently a strong one. His right appeared to rest on a cemetery, on the top of a high ridge to the right of Gettysburg, as we looked at it.

General Hill now came up and told me he had been very unwell all day, and in fact he looks very delicate. He said he had had two of his divisions engaged, and had driven the enemy four miles into his present position, capturing a great many prisoners, some cannon, and some colors; he said, however, that the Yankees had fought with a determination unusual to them.

Traveling to the Lincoln – Douglas Debate
(National Park Service, 1956)

Stephen Douglas (1813 – 1861), Lincoln’s Democratic rival in the contest for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois, was a popular figure with a great deal of political capitol who enjoyed wide spread fame throughout much of the fruited plain; this all contributed to a robust ego which would not suffer anything less than traveling to the debates in a grand style. By contrast, Honest Abe traveled in economy class, packed among the masses (although as a railroad lawyer, he certainly could have afforded better).

This short paragraph (accompanied by a photograph of both men) was written by a friend of Lincoln who recalled his train ride with the (losing) candidate as he made his way to Ottawa, Illinois, the site of the first debate.

Ford’s Theater Layout
(Harper’s Magazine, 1865)

Attached is a schematic drawing depicting the theater box occupied by the President and Mrs. Lincoln the night of his assassination.

Featured in the image is the dark hallway leading to the President’s Box, the footlights and the stage by which Booth was able to make good his escape.

Click here to read about a dream that President Lincoln had, a dream that anticipated his violent death.