On this day, June 7, 1863, a small but brutal battle was fought at Milliken’s Bend, Louisiana, a Federal outpost just upriver from the Confederate stronghold of Vicksburg, Mississippi. Both sides brought about the same number of men to the more »
This Memorial Day, I have chosen to honor Civil War soldier Jacob Bruner, one of the hundreds of men who died at Milliken’s Bend on June 7, 1863. Bruner was 29 years old when he enlisted in the 68th Ohio more »
This Black History Month, learn how Frederick Douglass almost became a staff officer for Adjutant General of the United States, Lorenzo Thomas, to aid in the recruitment of U.S. Colored Troops for the Union Army. In late July 1863, abolitionist, more »
Milliken’s Bend is now featured in an entry in the Louisiana online encyclopedia, 64 Parishes. The article provides a brief but solid overview of the battle and its significance. It contains links to other related articles at 64 Parishes, and more »
Juneteenth is a storied and noteworthy day in the African American Freedom Story. But no single day “freed the slaves.” And slavery continued for a brief time, legally, even after June 19, 1865. It was not until the 13th Amendment more »