In 1864 the American Civil War was still raging. The capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, was still tantalizingly close to Union forces, but as of yet out of reach. There on an island in the James River was Belle Isle, a holding pen for Union prisoners. Like most Civil War prisons, it was not […]
Tag: Civil War
Joshua Chamberlain and the Ghost
The American Civil War was in full rage by 1863. On July 1, 1863 the armies were massing around a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg. The battle that followed was one of the bloodiest and crucial in the war. Joshua Chamberlain was the Colonel of the 20th Maine, promoted after the battle of Chancellorsville. […]
Frederick Douglass
Written on February 2, 2017 by ER at 4:03 PM | 1
Americas, England, ER, Northern Europe, United States
Americas, England, ER, Northern Europe, United States
Frederick Douglass was another straight up badass. When you look at his life on paper, it is impressive- rising from slavery to famous orator and abolitionist. However, in reading Gumption: Relighting the Torch of Freedom with America’s Gutsiest Troublemakers by Nick Offerman (if you haven’t read it, go now), it struck me as it struck […]
Emperor Norton I of the United States
So those of us here in the United States go to the polls today. Wouldn’t it be just easier if we just had an emperor? According to one man in San Francisco, we did and it was him. On September 17, 1859, Joshua A. Norton declared himself the “Emperor of the United States and Protector […]
The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company made a boatload of money. The company had improved upon the Volcanic Repeater, a rifle that used a lever mechanism to load bullets into the breach. Improving on the this design, the company started production of the Henry Rifle, which became a favorite with Northern troops at the beginning of […]