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 →
It often bothers me when I hear people say, “Lincoln set the slaves free.” He did not. What he did do was to issue a proclamation that – by declaration – freed those persons held in bondage in certain specific … Continue reading →
150 years ago, the entire reason for the Civil War changed. Although the majority of men in the Northern ranks enlisted to restore the Union, on Jan. 1, 1863, President Lincoln’s final Emancipation Proclamation declared that all persons held in … Continue reading →
In the spring of 1863, Adjutant General of the United States, Lorenzo Thomas, traveled to the Mississippi Valley as an ambassador of the government. “I can act precisely as if the President of the United States were himself present,” he … Continue reading →
There’s no more emotionally contentious topic today than the heated discussions that can break out among Civil War buffs or descendents (of either side) than the question of “Was the Civil War about slavery?” And I believe there is the … Continue reading →