E8#75: Famous Figures of the Civil War

Many generals made names for themselves in the American Civil War. I’m not just going to talk about the generals that fought in the war but also some political figures. I have chosen six people in total to talk about. I’m going to talk about Robert E. Lee, the famed general of the south; Stonewall Jackson, who earned his name in the Battle of Bull Run on the side of the Confederates; Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederacy; Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th President of the United States; George McClellan the over-cautious general; and Abraham Lincoln. Today I will take an in-depth dive into their lives during the war, but also some things about their lives that don’t have anything to do with the Civil War.

First I will talk about some of the famous figures of the Confederacy. Robert Lee was born in 1807 in Virginia. His family was poor, but he was able to find a way into military school despite all of the financial roadblocks that he faced to enroll in the school. (Gallaher, 2023) Before Robert Lee had the chance to fight in the Mexican-American War, he worked as a military engineer for the United States Government. (Gallaher, 2023) During the Mexican-American War, Lee fought under Winefield Scott when Scott attacked and captured Mexico City, abruptly ending the war. (Gallaher, 2023). When Lee’s home state of Virginia seceded in 1861, Lee was offered command of the Union army. “He declined, with the explanation that he opposed secession but could not take the field against the southern states. ‘Save in the defense of my native State,’ Lee wrote to General in Chief Winefield Scott, ‘I never desire again to draw my sword.’” (Gallaher, 2023) So Lee decided to side with the confederates instead of the Union. Pretty much every general decided to join the war on the same side as their own state, and this was no different with Lee. Since Virginia had left the Union, Lee joined the Confederacy as well. Lee was appointed to the position of General for the Confederates almost immediately (Gallaher, 2023) because the southern states recognized Lee’s skill in war and knew that he was their best shot at beating Ulysses Grant and George McClellan. Although Lee lost the Civil War, he wasn’t charged for treason, and was allowed to go about his life as normal. Lee became a professor at Washington College (Gallaher, 2023) and worked there until his death from a stroke in 1870. I enjoyed studying Lee because he was very determined for his cause, much like Ulysses Grant. Lee was a man of honor, and he believed his men could do anything.

The second Confederate General I will be talking about is Stonewall Jackson. Jackson had a very hard time in military school but ultimately was able to pass and become a great general. (History.com, 2009) Jackson spent his time before the war as a professor of artillery tactics at the Virginia Military Institute (History.com, 2009). Though Jackson was originally born in what would become West Virginia, he still sided with the Confederates when the time of war came. “Jackson accepted a commission as a Colonel in the Confederate army and went off to war, never to return to Lexington alive.” (History.com, 2009). In the first Battle of Bull Run (or the First Battle of Manassas), Jackson earned his nickname, Stonewall Jackson. “During the firing and confusion of the battle, Confederate Gen. Barnard E. Bee said, “There is Jackson standing like a stone wall’” (Thomas J. Jackson). Jackson died in 1863 to Confederate troops because he was riding in the dark and was mistaken for a Union soldier. He was fired upon and died. (History.com, 2009) Throughout his life, Jackson was stern and believed in strict discipline in his troops; however, this instilled more trust in his troops, and they became very loyal to him. Unlike McClellan, Jackson was fearless and unmoving and offensive. I admire Jackson for his bravery more than any of the other people in this essay.

I’m next going to talk about the only President of the Confederacy himself, Jefferson Davis. Davis’ home was Mississippi, although he was born in Kentucky. Jefferson was the youngest child of Samuel Davis, who had fought in the Revolutionary War (Jefferson Davis [Battlefields.org]). He grew up in Mississippi around slavery and it was perfectly normal to him. Davis served in the Black Hawk War in 1832. “While stationed under Colonel Zachary Taylor (future President of the United States) the following year [1833], he met the colonel’s daughter, Sarah. Jefferson Davis married her in 1835 against her father’s wishes. Sadly, the couple came down with bad cases of malaria only three months after the wedding, and the young bride died.” (Jefferson Davis [Battlefields.org]). Davis spent the next eight years on his cotton plantation. After this period of time, he was elected to the House of Representatives for Mississippi. Jefferson served a very short tern in the House of Representatives before resigning in 1846 to go fight in the Mexican-American War. He was offered a position as a general, but declined as he was elected to the senate. (Jefferson Davis [Battlefields.org]). Davis always wished he could be a general. He wasn’t nearly as strong a president as Abraham Lincoln, and that was one of the factors that caused the defeat of the confederate forces. He didn’t do a very good job as a leader. Grant did a better job when he became president a few years later. Regardless, Davis was very ambitious and worked very hard during the time he worked in the House of Representatives.

Mississippi seceded from the Union in 1861. Like Lee and Jackson, Davis also left when his state seceded. Davis didn’t want to be the President of the Confederacy; he would have much rather been a general in the army. However, Davis was elected to the position, and he determined to take it. (Jefferson Davis [nps.gov]) Davis wasn’t the most popular president; the people liked him at first, but as the war continued on, he became less and less popular. At the end of the war, Davis was imprisoned for two years, but then released without a trial. (Jefferson Davis [Battlefields.org]) Davis believed that the secession of the southern states had been legal and constitutional, but he also encouraged the southern states be loyal to the Union in the years before his death. (Jefferson Davis [nps.gov]) Davis wrote his book titled “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government” and it was published in 1881. Davis died in 1889. (Jefferson Davis [Battlefields.org])

Ulysses S. Grant was born in Ohio in 1822. Grant’s real name was actually Hiram Ulysses Grant, and not Ulysses S. Grant. The ‘S’ doesn’t actually stand for anything. This change of Grant’s name was caused by an error when he enrolled in military school, and the name stuck. His classmates called him Uncle Sam Grant, U.S. Grant, and eventually just Sam Grant. (NCC staff, 2023) Like most of the generals in the Civil War, Grant fought in the Mexican-American War, and so gained experience there. Grant went on to fight for the Union in the Civil War. (Ulysses S. Grant, 2022)

Grant was the first veteran of the Civil War to become a President of the United States. Grant won the 1868 election and became the Eighteenth President of the United States. As President, Grant pushed for and passed the Fifteenth Amendment, which gave the African-American citizens the right to vote. Grant also wrote his “Memoirs of the Civil War” after he lost his fortune to make some money, and they are now some of the best military records in history. (Ulysses S. Grant, 2022) Grant was by far my favorite person that I got to learn about for this paper as well as history class. He was a great general, had great military strategies, and was popular enough to become president. The only ones who could challenge his military prowess at the time were Stonewall Jackson and Robert Lee.

George McClellan was the top general for Abraham Lincoln for the majority of the war in the East (Grant was doing great work for the Union in the West at the time). McClellan had not fought in other wars before the Civil War, aside from helping to build roads and bridges for the army in Texas during the Mexican-American War. (George McClellan). McClellan was quite a cowardly general, and was always afraid that the force he was opposing was larger than his. This made him extremely cautious and careful. It also caused him to be quite unwilling to take chase after the enemy. McClellan could have easily finished Lee’s army off, but instead went back to Washington D.C. This eventually made Abraham Lincoln fire McClellan because McClellan wasn’t winning battles. McClellan would go on to run against Lincoln in the next election (George McClellan), and McClellan got absolutely whipped into the ground by Lincoln. I guess losing battles and being cowardly doesn’t help your campaign. After the Civil War, McClellan became the President of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, Governor of New Jersey, and some other positions. He died from a heart attack when he was 58. (George McClellan) In stark contrast to Grant, McClellan was by far my least favorite general from this week. McClellan was way too cautious to be of much use to Lincoln.

Lastly, I’m going to talk about Abraham Lincoln. Since I’ve already written an essay about his life, I’m only going to talk about him with the same level of detail that I did the others. If you want to read more about Abraham Lincoln, you can check out my essay for lesson number sixty-five of my eighth grade history class (H8#65).

Abraham Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but he moved between Indiana and Illinois, eventually settling there. Lincoln was very close with his stepmother after his mother died. Lincoln made a name for himself in Law at a relatively young age, and was fairly quickly elected to the House of Representatives for Illinois. The newly formed Republican party took Lincoln and elected him as their nominee for President. The moment Lincoln knew there was going to be a war, he started to read up on war strategies. Lincoln was probably one of the best strategists that could have been employed during the war because of this knowledge that he gained from reading about the famous men of wars long past. Lincoln gave many famous speeches as well, greatly boosting the morale of his armies. Shortly after being inaugurated to his second term, he was assassinated in a theater.

I enjoyed my study of the Civil War. I got to learn about Ulysses S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, George McClellan, Stonewall Jackson, Jefferson Davis, and Abraham Lincoln. I liked learning about the famous figures in the war, especially Grant and Lee; however, I have written eight pages about the Cvil War, and I’m quite ready to learn about some other, new topics.

Works Cited

“Jefferson Davis” American Battlefield Trust. 6 Nov. 2018. Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/jefferson-davis]

“George B. McClellan.” American Battlefield Trust, 26 July 2018. Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/george-b-mcclellan]

Gallagher, Gary. “Robert E. Lee – Slavery and Racial Attitudes” Britannica. Britannica.com. Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-E-Lee/Slavery-and-racial- attitudes]

“George B. McClellan”. National Parks Service. Nps.gov, 2018, Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.nps.gov/people/george-b-mcclellan.htm]

‌History.com Editors. “Stonewall Jackson”. HISTORY. A&E Television Networks, 11 Sept. 2018. Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/stonewall- jackson]

‌“Jefferson Davis”. National Parks Service. Nps.gov, 2018, Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.nps.gov/people/jefferson-davis.htm]

NCC Staff. “10 Fascinating Facts about President Ulysses Grant” Constitutioncenter.org, 2019. Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [constitutioncenter.org/blog/10-fascinating-facts-about- president-ulysses-grant]

“Thomas J. ‘Stonewall’ Jackson” National Parks Service. Nps.gov, 2016, Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.nps.gov/people/thomas-j-stonewall-jackson.htm.]

‌“Ulysses S. Grant” National Parks Service. Nps.gov, 2017, Web. 19 Dec. 2023. [www.nps.gov/people/ulysses-s-grant.htm.]

E8#55: With Clive in India Book Review

With Clive in India is a historical fiction written by the famous author George Alfred Henty. Set in the mid-1700’s, With Clive in India follows the fictional character Charles Marryat as he serves for the British East India Company under the non-fictional character Robert Clive. It tells the story of how the English regained control of trading rights in India when France tried to usurp England. Charlie has many adventures and some close calls as he fights for the British East India Company.

First, we must look at the British East India Company before we can discuss the scenario that Charlie finds himself in. The British East India Company was the name of the company that carried on almost all of the English trade with India. People in the service of the company would travel to India and bring back spices and the like. The British East India Company was also responsible for keeping trade relations in India secure; hence, the company kept a fairly strong army employed to protect the country from invasion.

The book takes place in the mid-1700’s in India, although parts are at sea or in England. These are, however, few and far between. The story covers how the English drove the French out of India and claimed the rights to trade with the natives themselves. India would eventually become a province of the British Empire until they finally earned their Independence.

The main characters are Charles (Charlie) Marryat and Robert Clive. Charlie is a fictional character and doesn’t exist outside of the book. Clive, on the other hand, was a real person that fought for the British East India Company in real life. He won many battles that determined the tide of the war between England and France. Charlie was born and raised in England by his mother. He has two younger sisters. His father is dead. His great-uncle is the one that finds him a job in the British East India Company. Charlie has had no experience fighting, and so he learns when he is already in India. The reader gets to see his character growth from a young boy into a powerful general for the British East India Company.

I did not really enjoy this book very much. The assignment lengths were rather long for my liking, and they made it really hard to keep up on all my other schoolwork. I tried to solve my problem by listening to an audiobook, but they did not have the book on Audible and so I had to listen to the LibreVox audiobook instead. I really did not like the narration of that version of the audiobook and it sucked almost all of my enjoyment and understanding from the book. I think it was an entertaining title, but I chose the wrong way to read it. I feel inclined to re-read the book in my free time. I would have enjoyed this book if I wasn’t crunched for time and if I was reading instead of listening. Because of these facts, I am going to recommend this book, especially if you enjoyed The Lion of the North or Wulf the Saxon, both written by G.A. Henty. Just do not listen to the LibreVox version of the audiobook.

E8#60: A Comparison Between A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Pimpernel

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy are two very different books written in very different styles about a the same time in history. I am going to briefly explain the French Revolution, and then I will talk about the authors of A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Pimpernel, Charles Dickens and Baroness Orczy. I will then give a brief, spoiler-free overview of each book and state my opinion of each one, before I wrap up the essay with a comparison between the two books about the French Revolution.

The French Revolution was a large important movement in French history, and the history of the world as well. The lower classes French people would not tolerate the abuse that they were subjected to by the aristocrats of their country any longer. King Louis XVI and his nobles taxed the lower classes out of every single frank they possessed to build their palaces and giant buildings, and it was all that the poor people could do to keep from dying, as many did. They had not money to buy food, or anything else to sustain themselves. The poor people had seen the success of the North American colonies in freeing themselves from their British oppressors, so why couldn’t the French do the same for their own country? Here is why: The Americans had a very smart structure created by some of the smartest men during that time to make their efforts purposeful and directed. They also had a government that would replace the old one already decided upon before they even began their revolution. The French did not have any organization at all. They only knew three things: They wanted to make their bad situation change; They wanted everyone in the country to be equal so that there weren’t aristocrats oppressing them; They hated the aristocrats that had been oppressing them for many a year. So what did the people do? They revolted. They overthrew the monarchy, executed King Louis XVI, and killed nobles and aristocrats and anyone even suspected of helping aristocrats escape France to other nations. Ariostos (a shortened term used to refer to Aristocrats) escaping France to other lands is the main topic of both A Tale of Two Cities and The Scarlet Pimpernel. The revolution eventually came to a close when Napoleon decided he wanted to be the dictator (renamed king) of France, and, overall, not much changed from the way it had been before the revolution. The people were still oppressed (although slightly less so) and they were still taxed (slightly less so), so there was change, but it was small change.

I am now going to talk about the authors of each of these books quickly. A Tale of Two Cities was written by Charles Dickens in 1859. Charles Dickens was born on February 7th 1812 in England. In 1830 C Dickens wrote his first work in 1833 called A Dinner at the Poplar Walk. It ran in The Monthly Magazine (yes that was the name of the magazine). In 1836 Charles Dickens married. Charles wrote his first book in 1836 as well, compiling a lot of old stories that he wrote a while ago into one longer book. In 1837, he and his wife had their first of ten children. Charles produced some lesser known works between his first and A Christmas Carol, but A Christmas Carol was written in 1843. Again, some less notable works were written between big ones, but A Tale of Two Cities was written in 1859. Charles Dickens died eleven years later in 1870 from a stroke.

Baroness Orczy was born in Hungary in 1865. After living in a few countries, her family eventually moved to London, England, where she studied art and married. Orczy then decided she did not like art very much, and, to supplement her husband’s income, she took to writing. Her first work, The Emperor’s Candlesticks was a failure, but then she went on to write The Scarlet Pimpernel, which gained great success. She would go on to write three sequels to the book, titled as follows: I Will Repay; The Elusive Pimpernel; and The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Baroness Orczy died on November 12th, 1947.

A Tale of Two Cities focuses on the family and friends of Lucie Mannette. The story is set during the time of the French revolution, and tells how Lucie’s father was accused of aiding an aristo and so he was sent to prison and served a long sentence there. It also talks about Lucie’s husband Charles Darnay, and his problems with his family. Charles was related to one of the nobles of France, and so he was technically an aristo. I didn’t really like A Tale of Two Cities that much, but that was mostly because the plot is a little bit hard to understand and slow to develop. It was really hard for me to understand what was happening, and also the reading assignments were very, very, long so I got sick of the book quickly. The book was really over my head, so I would recommend waiting longer than I did to read it so that you can understand it better.

The Scarlet Pimpernel tells the story of Lady Blakeney, who was a French aristocratic woman, her brother, Sir. Armand St. Just, and her husband, Sir. Percy Blakeney of England. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a figure whose identity is unknown to the public that helps French Aristocrats escape over the English channel into England. He is very cunning, and nobody knows who he is. In contrast to A Tale of Two Cities, I really enjoyed The Scarlet Pimpernel, and hope to read the other three books in the series by Baroness Orczy. The book is a really fun and enjoyable read, and the plot is clearly understandable, but not dull by any means; rather, its simplicity makes it more exciting and enjoyable than had it been complicated. I would definitely recommend this book to most average readers.

I enjoyed both of these books. Although they take place during the same historical event, they don’t have as many similarities as you would expect them to. The books are written in very, very different styles, and from different perspectives as well. Lucie is a French girl who moved to England and her father had been in prison for many years. Lady Blakeney is the French wife of and English lord, and is much smarter and more involved in the story than Lucie is. The Scarlet Pimpernel is told in from the third person omniscient point of view, while A Tale of Two Cities is told in objective point of view. I think I would recommend The Scarlet Pimpernel, but not A Tale of Two Cities.

The Scarlet Pimpernel and A Tale of Two Cities are both phenomenal books. I think, if I was a little bit older, I would have enjoyed A Tale of Two Cities much more than I did, simply because it was really complicated and slow to develop, and I like books that focus on building action quickly and in a straightforward way better. The Scarlet Pimpernel is a perfect example of a book that builds action fairly quickly, is very easy to understand, and is very interesting, enjoyable, and entertaining. I would definitely recommend you read The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, as it is one of the best books that I have read.

H8#55: Inventions of the Nineteenth Century

I’m going to talk about several of the inventions that were invented during the 1800’s, including but not limited to the locomotive, Morse code and the telegraph, the telephone, and the light bulb. I’ve already take a course that focused specifically on inventions specifically, so I will probably go into more detail than Mr. Fish did this year.

The cotton gin, while it was invented in 1793, was listed among the 19th century inventions, so I will list it here. The cotton gin was invented by Eli Whitney in 1793. Separating the seeds from the cotton was a very important task to be done before it could be woven into fabric. Normally, slaves would have done this grueling, painful task. Eli Whitney made it much easier and more efficient. The cotton gin pulls cotton through a strainer which the large seeds cannot pass through, leaving only the pure cotton. Now, one might think that this makes slavery less needed for cotton producing states, but it actually made slavery become more popular. Plantation owners wanted to grow as much cotton as possible, so they bought more slaves to plant, harvest, and overall, tend to the cotton, and then also have slaves running the gins so that it could be sold.

The locomotive was one of the most important inventions in history. It revolutionized travel and transport. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869. One could now travel from ocean to ocean in a relatively comfortable fashion and in a relatively short time. Travel would never be the same ever again after this invention was created and popularized. It became widespread across every nation, and was also very important in the outcome of the American Civil War and the victory of the Union over the Confederacy.

Morse code, along with the electric telegraph, were invented by Samuel Morse. Morse code is a series of “dots” and “dashes”, that, when combined with spaces, make code that can be interpreted into normal English. The telegraph transformed communication as it was known. Instead of waiting weeks or even months for mail to be delivered, telegraphs could be purchased for a little more money and would arrive nearly instantly.

The telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. It took the telegraph and stretched it to new lengths. You could now talk in real-time instead of only having text to communicate long-distance through. Graham Bell also founded Bell Labs, which would eventually become the large network company that we know today as AT&T. Here’s a fun fact: AT&T stands for American Telephone and Telegraph.

Last but not least, the light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879. The light bulb is the symbol for invention, and for a good reason. It was the beginning of electrical lighting, and is now used in almost every home today.

In conclusion, the nineteenth century brought many new, important inventions into the industrial revolution. These inventions completely changed history, and they have had an absolutely humongous impact on the world we live in today.

H8#60: The Story of the Texas Revolution

The Texas Revolution was a war that ultimately led to the territory of Texas being transferred from Mexico to the United States, and it also led to the Mexican-American War, which caused a lot of other territories to change hands as well, such as California and Arizona. The war wasn’t very long, but its implications were great. It was the first part of a domino effect that eventually led to the California Gold Rush, and it was also what got James Polk elected as president, as it was the first half of his slogan.

Mexico and Texas were both areas in America that were colonized by Spain, and, when Mexico won it’s independence from Spain in 1821, Texas became a portion of Mexico’s land. The area was very lightly settled and sparsely populated, so Mexico encouraged Americans to come live on the land so as to keep off Indian raids. Americans flocked to Texas, to the point where there were more Americans than Mexicans in the territory. In 1830, the president of Mexico banned emigration because the local government was having a hard time controlling the rowdy Americans. The local government was not happy with their president interfering with their local problems, and so rebellions began. The Mexican president sent his brother, General Cos, to put down the rebellion. He was not able to reach the Texans because a Mexican fort nearby had lent the Texans a cannon, and they weren’t afraid to use it. The Battle of Gonzales was the result of this. One hundred Mexicans went under Cos to retrieve the cannon from the Texans. Texans swarmed to the battle field. It ended with the Texans repelling Cos and his forces. Only three people died in the whole conflict. The Texans declared themselves an independent republic, and the Battle of the Alamo followed. The Texans were swiftly besieged by the Mexican forces led by their President, Santa Anna. There were one-hundred Texans in the catholic missionary building that was the Alamo, and three thousand Mexican soldiers besieging the Alamo. As you might expect, the Mexicans won the battle, as it was very, very lopsided to begin with. Several famous figures died at the Alamo. Davy Crockett and Sam Bowie are just a few of these. Rather than discourage the Texans, the Battle of the Alamo actually motivated the Texans even more. The Battle of San Jacinto was a turning point. The Texans caught the Mexicans by surprise and obliterated them. Santa Anna was forced to sign a treaty to save his life. It said that Mexico would never again attack Texas, and that both sides would return prisoners of war.

Texas was now its own independent republic. Texas requested to be annexed into the United States of America, but was declined it until James Polk was finally able to annex the country. Mexico had not recognized Texas as a republic in the first place, so it went to war with America over Texas and about the border between Texas and Mexico. So began the Mexican-American War.

H8#70: My Favorite Parts of the American Civil War

We studied the American Civil War this week. I’m going to talk about my favorite parts and the parts I found most interesting. I’m going to talk about parts of the war such as military tactics that I found interesting (and a few that I found laughable), the causes for the war, the origin story of West Virginia, and how Lincoln kept Europe from being involved in the Civil War in any way.

The American Civil War had one main cause: the ever-persistent issue of slavery. Even before the war, there was a clear-cut difference between the abolitionists in the North and the plantation owners in the South. Slavery was only allowed in some states, as well, which further increased the difference between the two groups. Several presidents before Lincoln had delayed solving slavery with acts like the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska act, but nobody was ready to face the problem head-on until Lincoln was elected and states began to succeed from the Union. South Carolina succeeded, and was shortly followed by Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. After the battle of Fort Sumter, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia joined the Confederacy as well.

West Virginia was formed when half of Virginia wanted to be a slave state and succeed, but the other, more northern half wanted to remain a part of the Union. West Virginia separated itself and organized a State government, joining the United States as the thirty fifth state in the Union. The very creative and original name of West Virginia was selected for the new state. It is just laughable that somebody actually thought naming the state West Virginia was a good idea. I mean, imagine if the South had won, and Virginia was part of the Confederate States of America and West Virginia was part of the (somewhat) United States of America. That would have put West Virginia in a bit of a bad spot, and it’s quite possible a whole other small conflict could have occurred over just Virginia.

There were several military tactics that were employed during the Civil War. Lincoln, when he realized war was a possibility of war, read up on war strategies. Every other major leader was already a veteran of the Mexican-American war, and so they already had some good experience. Most of them had also been to military school, and had learned a lot from there.

The north had some really smart strategies for the transportation of goods. They gained control of the Mississippi River, and so they were able to split the South into two. Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas were completely cut off of supply lines from the rest of the South, which weakened the Confederacy immensely. The north also had an abundance of railroads with which to move troops and supplies around their states.

George B. McClellan was Lincoln’s first general in the east (Grant was doing miraculous work in the west). McClellan had some questionable tactics when it came to war. Lincoln wanted McClellan to go attack the Confederate forces at Antietam. McClellan said he thought the Confederate forces were much larger than his, and so Lincoln supplied him with a massive army. McClellan finally marched to Antietam, only to go on the defensive. He moved his forces slowly toward the fort occupied by Robert E. Lee. Lee eventually retreated south into confederate territory, but McClellan was unwilling to chase him. Lincoln disapproved of this maneuver, and this helped lead to Lincoln firing McClellan. Funnily enough, McClellan ran against Lincoln in 1864. Lincoln won by a landslide for obvious reasons.

Up until January of 1863, Lincoln had been fighting for the sole purpose of keeping the Union together. Multiple things happened that caused Lincoln to change the cause of the Union to freeing slaves. One of these were Lincolns morals on slavery. He had always hated slavery, and he realized that this was his chance to end it in America for good. Another influence was that Europe had been threatening to join the war on the side of the Confederacy, simply because Europe (England in particular) did not like the United States, and having it split into two would make it weaker and theoretically easier to re-conqueror. It hadn’t been long since Britain had fought the War of 1812, and it wouldn’t be unhappy to split the States. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and it stated that any territory belonging to the Union would be free of slavery. Suddenly, if Europe fought for the Confederacy, that would mean that they were fighting to keep slavery in existence. Not only would they people in Europe themselves not want that, it would also make the leaders look like they support slavery even if they really don’t, and don’t allow it in their own country. So the Emancipation Proclamation kept Europe out of the war.

The American Civil War was one of the most interesting conflicts in American History. I found some of the strategies used in the war quite fascinating, such as the control of supply lines used by the North, as well as the way George McClellan’s mind operated. The causes for the war are fascinating, as well as the interaction with Europe. I also found the origin of West Virginia’s separation from Virginia to be fascinating, but I really don’t like the fact that they called the new state “West Virginia”. Overall, I really enjoyed learning the civil war, and I am looking forward to the study of the famous figures and generals from the war next week.

H8#80: Developments from 1865 to 1881

There were several technological and non-technological advancements made during the years of 1865 and 1881. The Transcontinental Railroad and the Transatlantic Cable were some of the most prominent of these developments. I’m also going to talk about the Homestead Acts and how the government enticed settlers into new states. I’m going to discuss Steward’s folly and the purchase of Alaska from Russia, but also other new continental states.

The Transcontinental Railroad was actually begun in 1863, but because it was so important, and it wasn’t actually finished until 1866, I determined that it would be good to put it in this paper. The railroad actually began as two railroads; one running from Omaha in the east to the west, and one running from San Francisco in the west to the east. The two railroads met at Promontory Point, Utah on May 10th, 1869. The Transcontinental Railroad had significant implications; you could now travel from one side of the country in a week instead of over three months. That is a drastic improvement. The transcontinental railroad also became a railroad for other railroads to branch out from, connecting and uniting the nation like never before. It also helped new settlers get out into the western territories to settle.

The Transatlantic Cable was also very important to communication. While the first cable didn’t last long, a new one was laid shortly after. The Transatlantic Cable finally allowed for messages to be sent between mainland Europe and America without having to wait for the long shipment via steamboat or sailboat. The cable was laid by steamboats in 1858. While the first cable lasted just three weeks before degrading, a new, much more durable cable was laid in 1866. The first cable was more of a proof of concept than anything else.

The Homestead Acts were an important part of this time period. Again, it wasn’t actually passed during the time-frame of this essay, but it was very important. Abraham Lincoln passed the Homestead Act in 1862. It stated that settlers could get land for free if they lived on it and cultivated it for a certain amount of time. The farmers eventually grew their lands and prospered after they had earned it from the government. This is what caused most of the settling in the great plains in particular.

Lastly, I’m going to discuss Steward’s folly and the addition of new states to the union. If you look at a map of the world, you will see that Russia is actually quite close to North America; hence it makes sense that Russia would have colonized a portion of the land in North America. The United States Treasurer made a deal with the Russian government to purchase this land for fairly cheap prices. This agreement was viewed as a mistake by the people at the time, but it eventually paid off, and the land became the state of Alaska.

Two new states were added to the Union during this time. They were Nebraska and Colorado. Nebraska became the 37th state of the Union on March 1st, 1867. Colorado joined the Union on August 1st, 1876, the 38th state.

Lots of things happened between the years of 1865 and 1881. There was the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, the most important of the list, the completion of the Transatlantic Cable, allowing for the communication via telegraph across the Atlantic, the influence of the Homestead Acts across the Great Plains, Steward’s folly, and also two new states being admitted to the union.

H8#50: Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the 7th United States President. He was the only president ever to pay off the national debt. During his early life he actually didn’t go to school very much. He served in the Revolutionary War as a courier to his older brother Robert Jackson. Before he became president, he served many different political positions, including senator and congressman for Tennessee. Jackson also served in the War of 1812, and fought the last battle in that war. He was president from 1829 through 1837, after losing the election to John Quincy Adams in 1824 and then winning in 1828. He died from lead poisoning several years after his presidency.

Andrew Jackson was born on March 15th, 1767 to Andrew Jackson (Sr.) and Elizabeth Hutchinson Jackson. His father died the same year he was born. Young Andrew was then raised by his mother and his older brothers, Hugh and Robert Jackson. Hugh died in the Revolutionary War. Robert and Andrew were captured by the British during the war, and nearly starved to death. While Andrew made a full recovery, Robert died shortly after. Untimely, their mother also died, and Andrew was raised the rest of his life by his uncles, left with no immediate family.

Jackson was elected to be a senator for the new state of Tennessee, and later he became a congressman. In the election of 1824, he ran against John Quincy Adams for President. There was so close a tie, that they had to put the vote to the House of Representatives. John Quincy Adams won by a small margin, and Andrew Jackson swore to win the next election. In 1828, Jackson was elected to be the 7th President of the United States of America.

Jackson was the first true democrat, which also meant that he was the first of the feud between republicans and democrats. Jackson, funnily enough, actually held a public white house ball, where anybody could come. It quickly turned into a wild, uncontrollable party. The president at that point had always had veto power, the power to disapprove of bills and spending and laws if they disagreed. Jackson, however, was the first president to really use this power. He used it to block many sorts of unnecessary spending. Jackson also did not approve of the Second Bank of the United States and the way it was controlling the economy of the country, and so he refused to renew the charter to allow the bank to continue. Clearly Jackson was doing at least some things right, because for the first time since the Revolutionary War, America was free of national debt. Ever since then, the National Debt has never even been remotely close to that number.

On March 30th, 1806 (before his presidency or the War of 1812) Andrew Jackson had challenged Charles Dickinson to a duel. Jackson let Dickinson fire first, and a bullet landed near Jackson’s heart, but did not kill him. He made a full recovery. Dickinson, on the other hand, was shot and killed by Jackson’s first bullet. Because of how close the bullet was to Jackson’s heart, there was no safe surgery that could remove the bullet from his chest, so it stayed there for the rest of his life; however, after his presidency, the bullet came back to bite him, killing Jackson through lead poisoning on June 8th, 1845. That means Andrew Jackson had a bullet in his chest for thirty-nine years before it killed him.

Jackson was very influential in the world of politics. He was the first democrat, and he also helped the nation’s economy in ways that we should probably be thankful for now.

H8#65: Abraham Lincoln

Today I’m going to talk about Abraham Lincoln. I’m going to summarize his life as best I can, but focus mostly on his childhood and early years because I think most people don’t talk about Lincoln’s childhood and it was one of the more interesting compared to some other historical figures. I will begin by talking about his birthplace and early years, before I begin talking about his political life, and, eventually, his presidency and assassination.

Lincoln was born in Kentucky on a farm in 1809. His parents were quite rich at the time, but that all changed when Lincoln’s father lost most of his land and money in a legal dispute over the titles to said land. Lincoln’s family moved to Perry County, Indiana in 1817, which is just across the Ohio river from Kentucky. Lincoln was 8 when he moved. Just one year later, Lincoln’s mother died of tremetol. His father remarried, and young Abe bonded with his stepmother better than most. Abe’s stepmother also encouraged him to learn how to read, which would help him much later in life. He only had about eighteen months of formal schooling, and these were only a few days at a time. Abe had to walk miles and miles just to borrow a book so that he could practice reading, but he was determined to learn, and so he did not flinch from long exertions to enhance his knowledge. In 1830 (Abe was twenty-one at this time) his family moved again. This time they moved to Illinois. They moved again about one year later, but this time Lincoln struck out on his own, now that he was a grown man.

The next chapter in Lincoln’s life began when he moved off his parent’s land. Lincoln was tall, at six feet four inches, and quite physically strong. He made a living for himself splitting wood with his ax. He moved to the town of New Salem, Illinois. He would go on to work as a shopkeeper, then a postmaster, and, lastly, a general store owner. Lincoln had been mostly isolated in his childhood, and so it was here that he finally was able to gain social skills that would help him go on to become the president of the United States.

Lincoln was elected to the Illinois state legislature in 1834; he was actually a member of the Whig party, and supported their thoughts and ideas. He would later change to the Republican party. Lincoln decided to become a lawyer after his term in the state legislature ended. Lincoln then moved to Springfield, Illinois, to practice law some more, for, up to that point, Lincoln had only read books about law, and hadn’t had a chance to practice. Lincoln served one term in the House of Representatives from 1847 to 1849. After his term he left for his home in Springfield to continue practicing law. Lincoln would serve as an attorney for the Illinois Central Railroad. He began working for other companies in addition to the railroad, such as banks and insurance companies. It was about this time that Lincoln married to Mary Todd, and they had four children.

After the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the republican party was formed, and Lincoln promptly joined it. Lincoln then attempted to join the Senate, running against the pro-slavery Stephen Douglas. While Douglas won, it got Lincoln the publicity he would need to be nominated for the Presidency. Lincoln was elected president in 1859, and took the oath of office in 1860.

I’m not going in detail about the civil war because I will likely have another essay about it, but, suffice it to say, Lincoln read up on military tactics, and became a good military stratigist. At the end of the war, he declared the emancipation proclamation, and freed all the slaves of the nation, earning him the respect of people all over the country.

S8#97: The Sun

For us humans, there is no star more important to our daily lives than the sun. The sun provides two important things required to support life: heat and light. Without heat, nothing would be able to survive, much less thrive, and without light, plants wouldn’t be able to grow, and without plants, all CO2 would not be converted back into oxygen, and so animals would die out very quickly. That’s not even touching on the fact that we wouldn’t be able to see, but that comes secondary if you can’t breathe. The sun is massive. The diameter of the sun is one-hundred and three times wider than the planet Earth, and ten times wider than the diameter of Jupiter, the second largest object in the solar system. The sun’s heat is also intense. As in, you will be melted and dead within seconds if you are closer to it than mercury. The sun also has sunspots, which are actually solar storms on the surface of the sun. That is one thing I never knew about the sun up until the point of writing this essay. Woo Hoo, I finally learned something that I found mildly interesting in Daniel Dignan’s science course. It only took him three and a bit years to teach me something interesting.