History Commons^™

Bells On Bobtail Ring: A Cold Day In Hell, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

"Snow and sleighing," are, a correspondent in the Franklin Repository opined in January of 1864, "delightful words to the young, and foolish, and careless." Still, the elder correspondent was keen to, "thank time! we have outgrown such follies." [excerpt]

25425 & 20500: Zip Codes For A Revolution, John M. Rudy

Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public

I put on my coat and headed out the door today around lunchtime. My excuse was to grab a sandwich to munch on at my desk, but I was really hunting something very different. The Post Office is right along High Street down the block from work and Tuesday was the first day they've been open this year. [excerpt]

Charles S. Wainwright: The Development Of Loyal Dissent From 1861-1865, J.J. Beck '13

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Charles S Wainwright had participated in all three days of battle at Gettysburg. He witnessed his close friend and compatriot General Reynolds struck down on the first day. On July 5th, 1863, Wainwright traveled to what would later be known as Pickett’s Charge. Upon seeing the battlefield scattered with the bodies of the dead and smelling the stench of bloat, he lamented: “There was about an acre or so of ground here where you could not walk without stepping over the bodies, and I saw perhaps a dozen cases where they were heaped [sic] one on top of the other”. …

Culp’S Hill: Key To Union Success At Gettysburg, Ryan Donnelly

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Brigadier General George S. Greene’s position on Culp’s Hill during the Battle of Gettysburg is arguably the crucial lynchpin of July 2, 1863. Had this position at the barb of the fishhook defensive line fallen, Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his army would then have been positioned to take Cemetery Hill, thus breaking the curve of the hook on the Union right. This most likely would have sent the Union into retreat, leaving the direct route to Washington unguarded. Fortunately, valiant efforts were made by men like Generals George S. Greene and Henry H. Lockwood in order to preserve …

Gettysburg College Journal Of The Civil War 2013

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Complete issue downloadable as a PDF.

Afterward, Abraham Lincoln, Gabor Boritt, James Daugherty

Civil War Institute Faculty Publications

Caldecott Honoree and Newbery Medalist James Daugherty's pictorial interpretation of President Abraham Lincoln's famous speech, the Gettysburg Address, was originally published by Albert Whitman & Company in 1947. This book is available again in a fresh new edition just in time for the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address with a new introduction by Lincoln- and Civil War-scholar Gabor S. Boritt.

Front Matter

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

A History Of The Early Fairfield Town Lots, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

In 1732 Charles Carroll of Maryland received a grant of 5000 acres of land in present Adams County, Pennsylvania, from the authorities of Maryland. Soon after, a survey of that land, known as “Carroll’s Tract” or “Carroll’s Delight,” was conducted. At that point in time there was still some dispute over the location of the boundary between the two states. A temporary line was agreed upon in 1739, and a more permanent line (very near that temporary boundary) was surveyed by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon during the 1760s. And even though it was established that Carroll’s Tract was in …

Northern Town Lot Histories Of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

Each lot history give the original lot number, original owner, the current address, the owner of the lot in 1860, a description of the lot or dwelling in 1860, a recital of ownership with as much detail as is known, a comprehensive lot history, any known residents in 1860 (may be different than lot owner), and any family notes on any residents mentioned in the lot history. The research is comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive. Thorough information for all lots was not always available to the researcher.

Southeasterly Town Lot Histories Of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

Each lot history give the original lot number, original owner, the current address, the owner of the lot in 1860, a description of the lot or dwelling in 1860, a recital of ownership with as much detail as is known, a comprehensive lot history, any known residents in 1860 (may be different than lot owner), and any family notes on any residents mentioned in the lot history. The research is comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive. Thorough information for all lots was not always available to the researcher.

Adams County History 2013

Adams County History

No abstract provided.

Southwesterly Town Lot Histories Of Fairfield, Pennsylvania, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

Each lot history give the original lot number, original owner, the current address, the owner of the lot in 1860, a description of the lot or dwelling in 1860, a recital of ownership with as much detail as is known, a comprehensive lot history, any known residents in 1860 (may be different than lot owner), and any family notes on any residents mentioned in the lot history. The research is comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive. Thorough information for all lots was not always available to the researcher.

1860 Fairfield Town Lot Owners, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

Lot owners are divided into directional quadrants; northeasterly, northwesterly, etc. Each quadrant then lists the lots by number, given the owner's name in the year 1860.

Presentation Of The Early Fairfield Town Lots, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

What follows is a preliminary study of the Fairfield town lots, focusing on the owners and appearance of the lots up through the American Civil War. Because the existing records are sporadic, some of the lots were more difficult to research than others and will require further research at some future time. This was anticipated going into the project. But it is hoped that this study will provide a foundation for that future research. Undoubtedly, there are many surviving Fairfield deeds still in private hands. It is anticipated that this study will bring attention to the subject and lead to …

Rural Fairfield Property Histories, Timothy H. Smith

Adams County History

Each lot history give the original lot number, original owner, the current address, the owner of the lot in 1860, a description of the lot or dwelling in 1860, a recital of ownership with as much detail as is known, a comprehensive lot history, any known residents in 1860 (may be different than lot owner), and any family notes on any residents mentioned in the lot history. The research is comprehensive, but not necessarily exhaustive. Thorough information for all lots was not always available to the researcher.

Book Review: Colonization After Emancipation: Lincoln And The Movement For Black Resettlement, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

“There is a clause in the Act which is likely to meet with misconstruction in Europe,” wrote Frederick Milnes Edge about the legislation that emancipated the slaves of the District of Columbia in April 1862, “namely the appropriation for colonizing the freed slaves.” Ignore it, Edge advised. It only “was adopted to silence the weak-nerved, whose name is legion—and to enable any of the slaves who see fit to emigrate to more genial climes.” And this, for a long time, has been the way that most commentators have understood colonization—a plan ostensibly designed to expatriate any emancipated blacks to …

Lincoln And Justice For All, Allen C. Guelzo

Civil War Era Studies Faculty Publications

“Justice and fairness” has become something of a mantra ever since presidential candidate Barack Obama told Joe the plumber that his hope was to “spread the wealth around” so that the economy is “good for everybody.” The plumber, Samuel Wurzelbacher, was less than thrilled by the implications of spreading the wealth, since his fear was that much of the wealth the president-to-be proposed to spread around was the plumber’s. But that has done nothing to give pause to President Obama’s determination to answer the “call to justice and fairness.” In his 2009 Lincoln’s Birthday speech in Abraham Lincoln’s hometown of …

Gettysburg: The Last Invasion, Allen C. Guelzo

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

From the acclaimed Civil War historian, a brilliant new history—the most intimate and richly readable account we have had—of the climactic three-day battle of Gettysburg (July 1–3, 1863), which draws the reader into the heat, smoke, and grime of Gettysburg alongside the ordinary soldier, and depicts the combination of personalities and circumstances that produced the greatest battle of the Civil War, and one of the greatest in human history.

Of the half-dozen full-length histories of the battle of Gettysburg written over the last century, none dives down so closely to the experience of the individual soldier, or looks so closely …

Letter From The Editors, Rebekah Oakes '13, Tiffany Santulli '13

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

No abstract provided.

An Apology For Confederate Poetry, Elizabeth J. Elliott '13

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

This paper explores the reasons why poetry written in the Confederate states during the Civil War is rarely included in the American literary canon. Historians and literary critics have dismissed Confederate poetry as nothing more than jingoistic and sentimental "trash in rhyme." Nevertheless, poems buried in the mountains of Southern literary magazines and journals from the period tell a more nuanced story. Covering a wide and fascinating range of subjects, both good and bad Confederate poems aptly reflected how the Southern popular mind reacted to and dealt with the events of the war.

An Unsettling Civil War: A Review Of Ruin Nation, Lincoln M. Fitch '14

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

This review of Meghan Kate Nelson's Ruin Nation examines the immense environmental destruction and social impact of the Civil War. This brief review analyzes Nelson's work and it's implications for Civil War history.

Ole’ Zip Coon Is A Mighty Learned Scholar: Blackface Minstrelsy As Reflection And Foundation Of American Popular Culture, Cory Rosenberg '12

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

The blackface minstrel show is often disregarded in both popular and professional discourse when American popular culture is being examined. Often dismissed as a unilateral, purely racist spectacle, this paper argues for a more nuanced understanding of blackface minstrelsy and its formative role in the creation of a trans-regional American culture. Through an exploration of the ways in which ethnic minorities, women, language, and histrionics were presented on the blackface minstrel stage, an understanding of the ways in which popular entertainments both reflect and create popular sentiment can be formed. As the dominant American cultural output of the 19th century, …

Earning The Rank Of Respect: One Woman's Passage From Victorian Propriety To Battlefront Responsibility, Lauren H. Roedner

The Gettysburg College Journal of the Civil War Era

Like Civil War soldiers, nurses in the Northern forces found it difficult to sustain the conflicting duties to home, nation, and army. It was especially difficult for women to assume responsibilities in battlefield hospitals. Women struggled with their new roles, which challenged and extended notions of nineteenth century womanhood. Furthermore, navigating a military establishment of male power, while also trying to maintain connections to home, forced women to use gender assumptions to their advantage when trying to gain agency in the hospitals, respect from their patients, and independence from their superiors. Women brought their Victorian manners, morals and duties into …

“To Think Of The Subject Unmans Me:” An Exploration Of Grief And Soldiering Through The Letters Of Henry Livermore Abbott, Rebekah N. Oakes

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

“‘To think of the subject unmans me:’ An Exploration of Grief and Soldiering Through the Letters of Henry Livermore Abbott,” explores the challenges to both the Victorian ideals of manliness and the culture of death presented by the American Civil War. The letters of Henry Abbott, a young officer serving with the 20^th Massachusetts, display the tension between his upper class New England world in which gentleman were to operate within an ideal of emotional control and sentimentality, and his new existence on the ground level of the Army of the Potomac. After the death of his brother, this …

Kara Walker: Harper's Pictorial History Of The Civil War (Annotated), Shannon Egan

Schmucker Art Catalogs

The preface to the original edition of Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War, published in 1866 by Alfred H. Guernsey and Henry M. Alden asserts, “We proposed at the outset to narrate events just as they occurred; … to praise no man unduly because he strove for the right, to malign no man because he strove for the wrong." The suite of lithographs on display at Schmucker Art Gallery by prominent contemporary African-American artist Kara Walker entitled Harper’s Pictorial History of the Civil War (Annotated), on loan from the Middlebury College Museum of Art, challenges the truth Guernsey and …

Navigating Boundaries: The Development Of Lewis, Clark And Pike In The Historic Consciousness, Andrew J. Ewing

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

This papers seeks to evaluate modern conceptions that have emerged regarding the Expeditions of Lewis and Clark, and Zebulon Pike. Instead of being thought as separate enterprises, the article argues that these two expeditions should be jointly considered as outgrowths of an American expansionist ideology and that the expeditions are examples of this growing national interest in the West.

Escaping In The “Tender, Blue Haze Of Evening”: The Morro Castle And Cruising As A Form Of Leisure In 1930s America, Joshua W. Poorman

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

The paper demonstrates a microhistory approach to the development of cruising as a form of leisure in the early twentieth century of American history. Using the 1934 Morro Castle disaster and the subsequent attention the ship and its survivors received, this paper provides a window into an unexplored topic of American leisure. This paper is unique in its finding because the disaster provided numerous firsthand accounts of cruising in the 1930s. The findings illustrate that this form of leisure was directly connected to larger events and trends of the time, including the Great Depression, Prohibition, and America’s Cuban connection. Cruising …