Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. An earlier post briefly discussed former Confederate general James Longstreet's post-Civil War career in the Federal government. Among the positions he held was that of minister to Turkey (1880-81). His successor in that position … Continue reading Lew Wallace: After the Civil War
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. After the Civil War, former Confederates moved forward with their lives. They returned to their homes, many in tatters, their plantations and farms, now without slaves, and their businesses, now in ruins. Over the … Continue reading James Longstreet: After the Civil War
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher, Archivist at the National Archives in College Park The Civil War was swiftly coming to an end on April 3, 1865, when the President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis, his wife Varina, and their children abandoned Richmond, Virginia, the capital of the Confederacy. On … Continue reading The National Archives and Jefferson Davis’ Cloak, Shawl, and Spurs
Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher and is the continuation of last week's post. On April 9, 1863, President Lincoln met Tartar. On that day the President reviewed I Corps (commanded by Maj. Gen. John Reynolds) of the Army of the Potomac and freed slaves serving in the army on a plain two … Continue reading The Tale of Tartar the War Horse (Part II)
Today's post is the first part of a two-part story told to us by Dr. Greg Bradsher. Look for part two next week! In early July 1857, Captain John W. Phelps, commanding officer of Battery B, 4th Regiment of Artillery, at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, was acquiring horses for his battery for its planned expedition to … Continue reading The Tale of Tartar the War Horse
Today's guest blogger is Mark C. Mollan, a reference archivist specializing in records of the U.S. Navy and Maritime agencies at Archives I. When Herman Haupt reluctantly left the war on September 14, 1863 (150 years ago this week), he was not technically in the Army. Although addressed as General, Haupt rarely wore the full … Continue reading General Haupt’s Economic Legacy
Today's post is by National Archives Volunteer Bill Nigh. This is the sequel to his earlier post. _____ In my first post, I briefly described the volunteer project based on the records of the U.S. Secret Service (Record Group 87). I stated that this organization began its presidential security mission following a presidential assassination, but its initial … Continue reading Follow the money: the origins of the Secret Service
Our guest blogger today is DeAnne Blanton, reference archivist at the National Archives in Washington, DC (Archives I) The Archives I Reference Section is pleased to announce our in-house digitization project in honor of the Civil War sesquicentennial. During the course of the next five years or so, the 2,750 volumes comprising the Collected Record … Continue reading Select Confederate Records Digitization Project
Today's post is written by Stephanie Stegman, the special media projects volunteer at the National Archives at Fort Worth. This is the third post in a three-part series. (If you missed them, follow these links to the first and second posts.) Cargo – it was the main business of the New Orleans Custom House. After the … Continue reading Cargo and Contraband during the Civil War
Today's post is written by Stephanie Stegman, the special media projects volunteer at the National Archives at Fort Worth. This is the first post in a three-part series. Electoral projections are a popular topic these days, and everyone has an opinion. In July 1860, two engineers in Louisiana exchanged their predictions on the upcoming presidential … Continue reading Inside the New Orleans Custom House
