In early April 1863, Adjutant General of the United States, Lorenzo Thomas, stopped at many of the posts along the Mississippi River and addressed the troops. His mission, authorized by the secretary of war as well as President Lincoln, was … Continue reading →
Yesterday I spoke to the Bellevue (Tenn.) History and Genealogy Group about Milliken’s Bend. They were a pleasant and welcoming audience, and asked some good questions. Two of which I will answer here. 1) How do the losses by USCT … Continue reading →
As we close out Black History Month, and begin Women’s History Month, this seems like a fitting time to discuss how black women in the region of Milliken’s Bend were affected by the war. One of the finest works I … Continue reading →
In 1861, at Fortress Monroe, Virginia, Union general Benjamin Butler refused to return three runaway slaves to their owners, even though Federal law required him to do so under the Fugitive Slave Act. Butler had a different take. Southern law … Continue reading →
One of the finest works on American slavery is Roll, Jordan, Roll: The World the Slaves Made.Written in 1974 by the late Eugene Genovese, it is a study that still stands the test of time. Genovese’s focus is on the … Continue reading →