Over the past holiday season my family and I went to see the new Lincoln movie, starring Daniel Day-Lewis as our 16th president. I don’t want to spoil the movie for anyone who may not have seen it; however it is based on true events, so chances are you know how well Lincoln does in [...]
Founded during the Revolutionary War at the urging of General George Washington, the fortress at West Point, NY, has stood guard over the Hudson River since its construction in 1778. The fort officially became the United States Military Academy in 1802, and has since been producing officers well versed in military leadership and a variety [...]
Hello again Connections followers! In honor of the 57th inauguration yesterday, this blog is dedicated to the second inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. In my research today I found a fun fact that might be of some interest. In both 2009 and 2013, President Obama used the same Bible to take the oath of office that [...]
Today marks the 150th anniversary of the official issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Though many mistakenly believe that the Proclamation is a document tied solely to the date January 1, 1863, a preliminary proclamation was presented in September 1862 calling for reunion. If the rebellious states failed to rejoin the Union by January 1 of [...]
Hello once more, readers, and welcome to the Connections blog! Sadly, today marks my last blog posting on the theme of Civil War Memory. I shall still issue the occasional Music Monday post in the future, and perhaps a post or two in December as time permits, but I’m afraid the (somewhat) regular weekly postings [...]
Hello folks, and welcome back to the Connections blog! In today’s society, Abraham Lincoln is often remembered as not only one of our most popular presidents, but as the president who freed the slaves. The popular conception is that Abraham Lincoln, using the Emancipation Proclamation, freed the slaves and ended slavery during the Civil War. [...]
Howdy folks, and welcome back to the Connections blog! This is part 2 of a 2-part blog series on “Black Confederates,” or more accurately, on the misconception about them. In my blog post of this past Tuesday, I explored the possibility of black soldiers fighting with the Confederates, and if you haven’t read it, please [...]
Hey there folks, and welcome back to the Connections blog! To begin today’s two-part topic, I shall tell to you an awkward personal story. When I was visiting a large, outdoor living history museum in Virginia last year (a museum that shall remain nameless and had nothing to do with the Civil War), I overheard [...]
Hello readers, and welcome back to the connections blog. As the east coast recovers from the impact of Hurricane Sandy, our thoughts and prayers go out to all those who lost their lives as a result of the weather. While the Hampton Roads area was spared the brunt of Sandy’s power, our fellow Americans to [...]
Hey there, folks, and welcome back to the Connections blog! As you kind readers have no doubt surmised by following this blog, the Civil War was fought by social and ethnic groups of all kinds. One of the largest ethnic groups that are often overlooked in the conflict is the Hispanic population. Heavily concentrated in [...]
