In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the

I know that I have been focusing on the Battle of Gettysburg the last few days, but my heart is with the Founding Fathers; and more so than ever it seems in light of recent political events. The founding of our wonderful nation and the promise of hope and liberty that it was founded on, should stir the hearts and minds of even the most acid of patriots. So with these thoughts in mind a letter from July 3rd, 1776 is in order:

John Adams, in a July 3, 1776 letter to Abigail, after the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 2 in Philadelphia:

The Delay of this Declaration to this Time, has many great Advantages attending it. The Hopes of Reconciliation, which were fondly entertained by Multitudes of honest and well meaning tho weak and mistaken People, have been gradually and at last totally extinguished. Time has been given for the whole People, maturely to consider the great Question of Independence and to ripen their Judgments, dissipate their Fears, and allure their Hopes, by discussing it in News Papers and Pamphletts, by debating it, in Assemblies, Conventions, Committees of Safety and Inspection, in town and County Meetings, as well as in private Conversations, so that the whole People in every Colony of the 13, have now adopted it, as their own Act. This will cement the Union, and avoid those Heats, and perhaps Convulsions which might have been occasioned, by such a Declaration Six Months ago.

But the Day is past. The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfire and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

You will think me transported with Enthusiasm, but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil, and Blood, and Treasure that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet, through all the Gloom, I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means, and that Posterity will triumph in that Day’s Transaction, even though We should not rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

Colonel Joseph Hayes. 18th Massachusetts:

At an early hour in the morning our brigade [1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps] moved to the left, and relieved the 3rd [brigade] on the Round Top. We skirmished with the enemy all the forenoon, his skirmishers lying behind the rocks in our front.




Excerpt from Fighting With the Eighteenth Massachusetts; The Civil War Memoirs of Thomas H. Mann; edited by John Hennessey

By daylight on the morning of July 3d, the 5th Corps was in the position it was expected to hold at all hazards during the day. This was the two Round Tops, with the ravine between, and constituted the left wing of the Union army. The Eighteenth, with its own brigade, occupied the slopes of Little Round Top, from which the line of battle ran almost directly north to Gettysburg, two miles away, and spread out like a map to the gaze of the occupants of this hill the whole live-long day. To say the little handful of men that composed the 1st Brigade enjoyed war for that day would be drawing it mild; they just gloried and reveled in it, watched it, cheered it on, elevated caps or articles of clothing upon the points of their bayonets, and flagged the giant hosts which, in their clash, marked an epoch in the world’s history this 3d day of July 1863.

Little Round Top was a mass of rocks and boulders, sloping quite abruptly into the valley that lay between these troops and the lower ridges that were occupied by some brigades of the rebel Longstreet’s corps. The men of the Eighteenth formed no distinct line of battle but distributed themselves in knots of threes and fours behind a convenient boulder, or temporized a protection for themselves by rolling smaller rocks into a breastwork. [Mann], [James] Snow, [Gerrie] Higby, and [John C.] McGinnis, were posted behind two quite large boulders, only a few yards below the crown of the hill. In a few minutes they had the open space between these boulders well filled with stones to present a pretty solid fort, in a small way, yet before night all four were well sprinkled with fragments of lead that spattered through the chinks, the result of volleys received from across the valley.






Colonel Joseph Hayes, 18th Massachusetts

I was on the Little Round Top and saw Pickett’s charge. Our cannon opened on them. They broke in disorder and huddled round their colors and advanced in disorder and were easily repulsed. They came forward sticking to it up to our front and in no line-of-battle, but a mob. Then they fell back in a rush, running over the field. We sat on the rocks and laughed at them. General Meade said that never before until that time had he seen a division in line-of-battle, as they are apt to be obscured by woods or other natural formation.

Capt. Francis A. Donaldson, 118th Pennsylvania

About 4 P.M. they began to show themselves at the edge of the woods and to manifest signs of an intended attack. Our batteries again opened, but the rebs appeared firm and proceeded in two lines to advance in splendid order. There seemed to be a heavy body upon rear and flank, as apparently as supports, all forming a mass, I should say, of at least eight or ten thousand men, who were being pushed forward in the face of our whole army upon some point considerably to the right of our position. There was nothing to hinder anyone in our whole line [on Little Round Top] from witnessing [the Confederate] advance, and the eagerness with which each man gazed upon this magnificent spectacle was evidence that all felt a terrible crisis was approaching…They continued to move on unflinchingly, and it was grand sight to see them, their splendid behavior calling forth burst of admiration from us all. A piece of woods considerably to our right and beyond which the enemy’s column soon passed shut out from our sight the finale of this desperate charge, but our ears were soon greeted by the tremendous roar of musketry, whilst a curtain of smoke ascended to the tops of the trees and remained there to tell us that a desperate fight was in progress. This state of things continued for some and we were uncertain as to the result, when present a few men were seen running from beyond the woods, followed by others, and at last whole clusters of the enemy were seen scampering to the rear as fast as possible, but it was also noticed that not one third of those who, but a few moments before had gone forward so bravely, returned; they had all been killed or wounded and the charge was unsuccessful. This latter fact we knew, as the enemy soon opened again their artillery fire to cover the retreat of their men, and we accepted the sign by giving a fearful shout for the victory gained.




Excerpt from The History of the 22nd Massachusetts Infantry

It was a warm and muggy night. The moon shed a dim and sickly light over the ground, and among the cedar openings, partially obscured by a fog or haze that settled about us. The Twenty-second went on picket to the front, among the rocks and boulders scattered thickly among the trees. Midnight came, and through the soft, yellow light here and there we could see the bodies of the dead and dying everywhere about us. We could reach out and touch them. Hundreds of the wounded, whom it was impossible to take off the field, were near, whom we could readily talk with. Every possible part of the equipment of a soldier of either army lay mingled with both the rebel and Union dead. Caps and hats with the red Maltese cross were mixed with the broad sombrero of the Texans. Haversacks, canteens of tin and wood, every kind of rifle, or musket, blankets, cartridge-boxes, and bayonet-scabbards, all strewed the ground.

I am proud to present my contribution to the Top Ten Books on the Battle of Gettysburg.

1) Those Damned Black Hats: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign, By Lance J. Herdegen (2008) - This is currently my favorite book on the battle as I really love regimental studies and this is an exceptional one dealing with the Iron Brigade’s presence at Gettysburg. Superbly written and as always a Herdengen touch to it that makes it so readable.

2) The Killer Angels, By Michael Sharra (1974) - has to be on any list. It was my first introduction to the Civil War in High School.

3) The Gettysburg Nobody Knows, By Gabor S. Boritt, ed. (1999) - one of the more interesting books on the battle and one that I refer to often.

4) Gettysburg: The Second Day, By Harry Pfanz (1998) - This was, of course, a monumental work and as John Hoptak noted a “landmark” book that has to be on the shelf of every Civil War enthusiast. He also covers a little about my ancestor, Charles H. Weygant of the 124th NY.

5) Pickett’s Charge in History and Memory, By Carol Reardon (1997) - a fascinating book on the battle’s most controversial and important event.

6) The First Day at Gettysburg: Essays on Confederate and Union Leadership, By Gary W. Gallagher, ed., (1992) - One of my favorite books including numerous essays that are informative and important.

7) Gettysburg: A Testing of Courage, By Noah Andre Trudeau (2003) - a bit difficult to follow at times, but overall I really liked Trudeau’s writing style.

8 ) Gettysburg, By Stephen W. Sears (2004) - his reading style is very accessible. I thought he handled Meade and Lee fairly, but really this book is a favorite as I enjoy his writing style. Gettysburg books can be very convoluted as it was indeed a massive battle.

9) Lincoln at Gettysburg, By Garry Willis (1992) - it seems appropriate to have Lincoln’s Address in here somewhere as it plays an important part in the memory of the battle and it helped to establish some meaning for the place beyond the controversy of whether or not the battle was thee turning point.

10) Gettysburg: July 1, By David G. Martin (2003)

The current issue of Prologue has an article in it about the first Nixon library - a little library in Hong Kong that was named for then Vice President Richard Nixon!
Except for its name, there was little remarkable about the modest library that stood in the neighborhood of Yuen Long on the outskirts of Hong Kong from 1954 until 1977.

It held only a few thousand books and employed just one librarian, and its patrons were mostly schoolchildren, farmers, and shopkeepers. Nevertheless, the humble building was a monument to Richard Nixon.

The library was also a relic of the creation of Nixon’s reputation as an expert in foreign affairs, the cornerstone of his campaigns for the White House and his defenders’ view of his administration. It began in large measure with his world travels as Vice President, including infamous trips to Latin America in 1958 (where he faced violent pro–Communist mobs) and the Soviet Union in 1959 (where he dueled with Nikita Khrushchev). Those trips, however, might not have happened without his first, successful tour of Asia and the Middle East in 1953–a story told in the records at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum.

The article goes on to talk about Nixon's trip in detail and then tells about the how the library came to be named after Nixon:
As he presented them to the Nixons, Sales announced that the Vice President had just given him permission to have the Jaycees’ next children’s library named after him. The library, under construction in Yuen Long, was the 11th to be built by Jaycees, which had made a project of providing for underprivileged children around the colony. Nixon could hardly have refused the offer, since during the speech he had praised the Jaycees and the Rotarians (who were cosponsoring the luncheon) for their local projects helping young people, which he said contributed to international peace.

The article then goes back to Nixon and his use of the trip, but we also hear what happened to this little library:
Back in Hong Kong, work proceeded on the addition to the building in Yuen Long that was to hold the future Nixon Library. It was dedicated on February 28, 1954, and Nixon sent Sales a telegram to be read at the ceremony: "There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than to have my name associated with your new children’s library. . . . I can think of no factor more important to a free, independent, and prosperous Asia than the opportunity for the youth of Asia to learn the truth, untarnished by Communist propaganda."

A local notable named Tang Kin Sun and a volunteer named Snowpine Liu, a Nationalist refugee from the mainland, took over the library’s fundraising and operations. Liu, who had attended American universities and had taught in Chinese schools, asked Nixon for help in obtaining a visa to the United States. There is no response to that request in the files, but Nixon’s office corresponded with Liu over the next decade. From time to time, Nixon made small but significant financial contributions to the library, which (with the Richard Nixon Elementary School in his hometown of Yorba Linda, California) was one of the few institutions to bear his name. He also sent the library a copy of a biography, This Is Nixon, by reporter James Keogh, who later became President Nixon’s head speechwriter.

After losing the 1960 presidential campaign to John Kennedy and the 1962 California gubernatorial election to Pat Brown, Nixon moved to New York City to become the lead partner in a major law firm. Part of Nixon’s work with the firm involved traveling around the world to meet with clients, a convenient reason for the former Vice President to keep himself in the public eye by making pronouncements on foreign policy at home and abroad. He made several such passes through Hong Kong, meeting with Liu on three occasions and visiting the library himself in 1966.

In February 1969, just three weeks into Nixon’s presidency, Liu called on the President in the Oval Office, where they met and talked about the library’s future. Liu proposed raising funds to expand the library and give it a permanent, independent home. Nixon was noncommittal, but Liu enthusiastically began soliciting donors by telling them the President supported the plan, which alarmed lower-level officials. The U.S. Information Agency, which had informally supported the library for some time, argued instead for moving the library into the Yuen Long town hall, then under construction. Such a move, USIA director and longtime Nixon associate Frank Shakespeare argued, would bolster American standing in Hong Kong while also denying "a high visibility target five miles from the Chinese mainland for Leftist [protesters]." The State Department later chimed in with its own concerns that Liu had been seeking donations from individuals tied to the Nationalist government on the island of Taiwan, which the department worried could cause "very considerable embarrassment" to the United States by politicizing what had formerly been a politically neutral cultural organization.

In classic Nixon administration style, the issue was staffed out, and the unlikely bureaucratic vehicle for resolving the controversy over the future of the reading room was the National Security Council under the direction of Henry Kissinger. In an April 1969 memorandum, Kissinger summarized the options: leaving the library in place, providing funds to transfer it to the Yuen Long town hall, or committing the U.S. government to raising $100,000 to build the new, independent library building. Kissinger, echoing the State Department and USIA, recommended moving the library to the town hall; President Nixon agreed, and directed that USIA inform Liu of his decision. (Ironically, Kissinger later complained that bureaucratic politics tended to produce options papers that narrowed the scope for presidential decision-making by presenting "two absurd alternatives as straw men bracketing [the bureaucracy’s] preferred option—which usually appears in the middle position.") Liu backed off from his independent proposal, and the library was moved into the Yuen Long town hall.

In June 1971, Shakespeare met with Nixon in the Oval Office and discussed an inspection tour of USIA facilities in East Asia. During the meeting, which was captured on the Nixon taping system, Shakespeare told Nixon that he had visited the Nixon Library. "I went in there and there must have been 150 young children quietly reading," Shakespeare told the President. "You know, if you went to a library where there are American kids, there’s always that little hubbub of noise and students shooting spitballs. Those Chinese kids are amazing. They sat there and you couldn’t hear a sound. . . . It’s attractive, it’s well decorated, it’s light, it’s airy, and it’s very well used." Nixon murmured his approval.

Soon thereafter, the administration—engrossed successively by the opening to mainland China, the reelection campaign of 1972, and then the mounting pressures of Watergate—could no longer afford the luxury of taking an interest in the Hong Kong institution. The library’s end came, unnoticed, in 1978 when its collection was transferred to the Yuen Long municipal government and became the core of the Yuen Long Public Library. At the same time, Nixon was drafting his memoirs and preparing to embark on a broader project of rehabilitating his reputation based on his mastery of foreign affairs, a topic he discussed in the memoirs. It was as a result of the 1953 trip through Hong Kong and the rest of Asia, Nixon wrote, "that I knew that foreign policy was a field in which I had great interest and at least some ability."

This article also has a lot of good information on the political aspets of this trip for Nixon and his career, but I enjoyed the story of the library.

The latest incarnation of the History Carnival is up at http://www.brettschulte.net/CWBlog/2009/07/01/history-carnival-78. The host is Brett Schulte at TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog. The next edition of the History Carnival should appear August 1 at History Today News. Please submit good posts you find this month to the next edition of the History Carnival.

As described here, I’m participating in a multi-blog project, coordinated by Brett Schulte of TOCWOC, identifying our ten favorite books on The Gettysburg Campaign.  A master page has been set up here.  As other bloggers post their lists, I’ll put up links at the bottom of this one. Thankfully Brett left the parameters broad and the [...]

Women have been presidents and prime ministers of many nations, beginning in the mid-20th century. Here are some collections of quotes from some of the women who've held this high office in their nations:

• Indira Gandhi Quotes
• Golda Meir Quotes
• Margaret Thatcher Quotes
• Gro Harlem Brundtland Quotes
• Corazon Aquino Quotes

Excerpt from Powell’s History of the Fifth Corps

Having marched over sixty miles since the morning of June 29th, and twenty-six of the sixty since 7 P.M., July 1st, the Fifth Corps reached Gettysburg about 5 A.M. July 2d, and was placed in reserve on the right of the line.


Excerpt from “Fighting with the Eighteenth Massachusetts; The Civil War Memoirs of Thomas H. Mann,” Edited by John Hennessey

The 5th Corps reached Gettysburg at five o’clock on the morning of July 2d, after a march of 60 miles since the morning of June 29th, and was held as a reserve in support of batteries until three in the afternoon. By that time all the stragglers who cared to be at the front had come up, and they made up full half of the Eighteenth – which was, no doubt, in about the same exhausted condition as other veteran regiments of the Corps. About two o’clock in the afternoon the 6th Corps came straggling up in very much the same condition in which the 5th Corps did in the early morning, taking the place of the latter as a reserve while the 5th was sent to the front to have its little experience in the edge of the “Devil’s Den.”

At three o’clock in the afternoon of July 2d the Fifth Corps went to the front to retrieve the ground lost by Sickles’ 3d Corps. General [James] Barnes was in command of the division, Colonel [William S.] Tilton, of the 22d Massachusetts, commanded the 1st brigade and Lieut. Col. [William B.] White led the Eighteenth. The 3d brigade was sent to Little Round Top…The 1st and 2d brigades undertook to fill the gap between the right of the 5th Corps and left of the 3d Corps, which brought them a little to the right of the foot of Little Round Top and to the edge of the “Devil’s Den.”

In moving to the front Tilton’s and [Jacob] Sweitzer’s brigades, the 1st and 2d, passed to the left of a stone house and across a lane leading to it that was heavily fenced by rolling large boulders together to form a wall.[1] Then they entered a piece of woods where a small brigade was passed over that it was understood belonged to the 3d Corps; it was lying down upon the ground. The line of Barnes’s division was formed in the edge of this piece of woods that was 200 yards or move away. It was hardly straightened in position to the satisfaction of General Barnes before an unusual movement was observed in the edge of the woods beyond, an in another moment a rebel line of battle emerged with that peculiar Indian yell that was very familiar to these veteran brigades. The line was a heavy one, struck the 1st brigade, on the extreme right of which was the Eighteenth, at an angle of 23 degrees, and lapped a long distance past where any troops were at hand to face it.[2]

A quick, sharp order was passed along the line: “Reserve your fire till the order is given!” As the Greybacks scattered out of woods, an instant’s halt was observed while they straightened out their lines, the the [Confederate] order to fire was distinctly heard by the right half of Barnes’s line, and it was quickly executed. Its effect was astonishing though not unusal. The volley was delivered at a distance of 200 yards, and from a line that was 40 or 50 feet below the elevation of the Union line, so instead of doing the fearful execution that was expected, nearly the whole shower of bullets passed harmlessly 10 or 20 feet over these Yankee heads. As the rebel order – “fire!” - was heard, the counter order – “down!” – was given by General Barnes, but too late to be effective even if it had been necessary to preserve lives.

Then the enemy sprang forward, and as they emerged from the smoke of their own volley, half way up the slope, the order for which the Union line was impatiently waiting – “aim, fire!” – sent a raking swarth of bullets into the yelling ranks that made many gaps and cause a decided check. Barnes’s men aimed for the rebels’ feet, having been taught in an instant not to fire over their heads, while the lack of casualties from the heavy rebel delivery had decidedly steadied their aim.

But half that charging line had no such fire to meet and was rapidly wrapping itself around Barnes’s right. The 1st Brigade must immediately change its line by facing about and making almost a half wheel to the rear. This was done, and the movement required the longest race on the part of the Eighteenth, because it was on the extreme right, while Sweitzer’s brigade to the left was disturbed but very little.

In making this change the swing back took the regiment again across the lane and heavy stone walls that fence it, and as the men jumped them advantage was taken of each to give the rebels a volley or two and to reload under their protection. The brigade thus swung back some 500 or 600 yards to where it was able to hold its ground without any further flanking on the part of the enemy. But by this time – nearly dark – its ammunition was exhausted, and a brigade of Pennsylvanians[3] from the 5th Corps came to its relief.

Although not a man of the Eighteenth was injured by that first, full volley from the rebel line, the formation of a new line in the face of the charging, flanking enemy, cost this regiment 32 men out of a total of only 108[4], nearly all of whom were only slightly wounded or taken prisoner….

The corporal [Thomas Mann, Co. I] had disposed of half his 40 rounds of ammunition, had just discharged his musket in the face of the advancing line of rebel flankers – which was less than 50 yards away – and was crouching behind the last wall of the lane when one of his comrades undertook to climb over it and was shot dead. The body fell across Tom in such a manner as to pin him and his musket, which he was in the act of reloading, to the ground. Not dreaming that the comrade was dead, [Mann] berated the prostrate form as a careless “lunkhead” until the copious stream of warm blood, which was thoroughly saturating him, led him to conclude the state of things and to untangle himself from the corpse. [5] But the incident had so absorbed [Mann’s] attention that he did not observe his live comrades moving still farther to the rear, and by the time he was ready to move the Johnnies were leveling their muskets across the wall, over his head, and into the ranks of the 1st Brigade.

[Mann] had no alternative but to lie quietly while the Greybacks took their turn in firing several volleys after his vanished comrades. Then they jumped the wall and moved a few yards farther toward the Union lines, which made [Mann] a prisoner of war. To make a picture of the the situation complete it must be understood that a dense pall of smoke, from the heavy fire of musketry, hung so close to the ground at this stage of the action that nothing could be seen 15 yards away.

As Barnes’s lines were brought fairly to face the charging foe they remained firm, and the further onward movement of the rebels was checked. A lull in the battle occurred that lasted 15 or 20 minutes, though quite a scattering fire was always dropping its hissing and zipping bullets against the walls and boulders that covered these fields, making [Mann’s] position a hot one from the fire of his own comrades.

A little later several members of the rebel hospital department made their appearance while attending to their duty of helping the wounded, and one of them, noticing the live corporal all saturated with blood by the side of the dead man, asked how badly he was hurt. At the same time, in a matter of fact manner, he reached for Tom’s musket, which he immediately clubbed across the wall in such a manner as to ruin it. Like a flash the condition he presented prompted Tom to reply in a faint voice: - “ Don’t know, but think I am used up.”

“Well, you all do the best yo’ knows and we’uns’l tote yo’ back d’rectly.” And away they moved, leaving the corporal to his devices.

[Mann] immediately crawled between a big boulder and the wall where he was not only pretty well protected from stray bullets, but well hid, though he was hardly settled into a comfortable position when the Pennsylvania Reserves, of the 5th Corps, charged won, cleared the field and lane, and gave the corporal a chance to crawl out, pick up a serviceable musket, and report to his regiment. He was received back by company “I” just at dusk as one raised from the dead, for [1st Lt. William W.] Hemenway was about to send in the company reports for the day, in which [Mann] appeared as “left on the field mortally wounded.”

…. Considering the reduced numbers of the Eighteenth, therefore, which were reported present for duty – only 314 – in contrast to the 108 that were found at the front during the afternoon of this July 2d, the real fighting strength of the army must always have been far below the numbers represented in reports and upon paper. Some of these absentees were necessarily disabled in the forced marches to the front; others were detailed to guard wagon trains and camp equipage, but the fact remains that it is a rare thing for much more than half of the supposed strength of a regiment to be found in the line when a charge is made upon or received from the enemy.[6]

[1] John Hennessey, Editor, notes the house belonged to J. Weikert and is still standing, while the road was called the “Wheatfield Road.”
[2] The Confederate troops were from South Carolina and part of Joseph Kershaw’s Division
[3] Pennyslvania Reserves, commanded by Brig. Gen. Samuel W. Crawford
[4] Company A had only 11 men in action at Gettysburg
[5] Sgt. James Leavens, Co. A, then 24 years of age, was the only man from the Regiment to be killed at Gettysburg. Capt. Louis Tucker of Co. A stated in a deposition that Leavens “was wounded first and on the way to the rear was hit again and killed. Leavens is buried at the Gettysburg National Cemetery, Section C, Grave 27. Donald Thompson has in his possession a stencil Leavens used to mark his clothing.
[6] Fighting with the Eighteenth Massachusetts, pp. 175-181


The Wheatfield












Regiments of the 1st Brigade, 1st Division, 5th Corps at the Wheatfield

Today we begin a recurring series looking at words and terms that are derived from military history - beginning with a few from the American Civil War:

• Antebellum
• Copperhead (right)
• Draftee
• Rebel Yell

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress

After seven years of restoration work on paintings in the Pauline Chapel inside the Vatican, the last frescoes Michelangelo ever painted are now more clear and vivid than they've been in centuries. In the process of restoration, a figure that some art experts believe may be a self-portrait by the artist was spotted. The image in question is a bearded figure on horseback in a blue turban in The Crucifixion of St Peter.

Find out more about this intriguing discovery in the article by Richard Owen in the UK Times Online, where you can see the fresco in its entirety and a close-up of the figure in question. And have a look at other portraits of Michelangelo in this image gallery by your Guide.

Testimony of Gen. Robert Patterson Report on the Conduct of the War, Vol. 2, pp. 89-98 WASHINGTON, January 7, 1862. General R. PATTERSON resumed as follows: I omitted yesterday to read a letter from the general-in-chief, dated July 5, 1861. It is as follows: “HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY, “Washington July 5, 1861—11 p. m. “Major General PATTERSON, Hagerstown Md.: “Your letter of [...]

With the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg upon us, Brett Schulte of TOCWOC recently asked a number of other Civil War bloggers if they would like to submit a list of Top 10 books about the battle (selection criteria deliberately undefined). For the most part, I chose a string of narrowly focused secondary works, that, taken together, provide the most detailed picture of the battle

A striking gold pendant dating to the 15th century will be offered for sale at Sotheby's Old Master Sculpture and Works of Art auction on July 9. The pendant is no bigger than a postage stamp and depicts the Holy Trinity in surprisingly ornate detail. Discovered by a metal detectorist while walking in a field near her home, the pendant is estimated to sell for at least £150,000. Find out more about this rare object, and see a very nice photo, in the item at artdaily.org.

While browsing the Modern History Sourcebook, I found an interesting account titled The Founding of St. Augustine, 1565. It was written by Francisco Lopez de Mendoza Grajales.

Here is the beginning of the text:

I. THE LORD having granted us favorable weather from the first, five days' sailing brought us in sight of the Lanzarote Islands and Fuerte Ventura. The following Wednesday, July 5, 1565, we reached the Canary Islands, which are two hundred and fifty leagues from Cadiz, where we stopped three days to lay in a supply of wood and water.

The following Sunday, July 8, our fleet, composed of eight ships, under the direction of our general, left the Canary Islands, and proceeded to the Island of Dominica, which was to be conquered from the Caribbee Indians. Unfortunately, the very evening we set sail, our first galley and a patache became separated from us. For two days we coasted up and down, hoping to rejoin them, but without any success; and our admiral, seeing that we should not be able to accomplish it, gave the order for us to sail directly to Dominica, where we were to await them in case they had not arrived before us. During this voyage a shallop, or boat, commanded by Capt. Francesco Sanchez sprung a leak, and, as it got beyond the control of the crew, he asked assistance from us, but it was impossible to give him any. The pilot wishing to continue to sail with the other vessels until they should arrive at their destination, and have the leak repaired there, the captain and a soldier had recourse to their swords to oblige the pilot to return to port, being fearful lest they should be all drowned. The pilot declared himself unable to do this on account of the rough weather, so they decided to make for the cape on the south-west in order to reach the land as soon as possible.

Thus it happened that we were obliged to leave them, which we did with deep regret and great anxiety as to what would become of them. The five vessels which remained of our fleet had a prosperous voyage the rest of the way, thanks to our Lord and His Blessed Mother. Up to Friday, the 20th, we had very fine weather, but at ten o'clock that day a violent wind arose, which by two in the afternoon had become the most frightful hurricane one could imagine. The sea, which rose to the very clouds, seemed about to swallow us up alive, and such was the fear and apprehension of the pilot and other sailors that I exerted myself to exhort my brethren and companions to repentance. I represented to them the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, His justice and His mercy, and with so much success that I passed the night in confessing them.

You can read the entire account at the link above if this is of interest to you.

Alfred Russell Wallace was an important evolutionary theorist in the 19th century. I found a good site dedicated to him at The Alfred Russel Wallace Website. It has details about Alfred Russel Wallace's life and work. It also includes a unique archive of images, FAQ's debunking some of the many myths surrounding Wallace and Darwin, plus information about the A. R. Wallace Memorial Fund and its projects. This is a nice history of science site worth checking out.

From the site:

Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was one of the 19th century's most remarkable intellectuals. His link to Charles Darwin as the co-discoverer in 1858 of evolution by natural selection would alone have secured his place in history, but he went on to make very many other significant contributions, not just to biology, but to subjects as far-ranging as glaciology, land reform, anthropology, ethnography, epidemiology, and even astrobiology. His pioneering work on evolutionary biogeography led to him becoming recognised as that subject’s ‘father’. Beyond this, Wallace is regarded as the pre-eminent collector and field biologist of tropical regions of the 19th century, and his book The Malay Archipelago (which was Joseph Conrad’s favourite bedside reading) is one of the most celebrated travel writings of that century and has never been out of print. Add to the above that Wallace was deeply committed to and a vocal supporter of spiritualism, socialism, and the rights of the ordinary person, and it quickly becomes apparent that he was a man with an extraordinary breadth of interests who was actively engaged with many of the big questions and important issues of his day.

By the time of his death Wallace was probably the world’s most famous scientist, but since then his intellectual legacy has been almost completely overshadowed by Darwin’s, largely thanks to the “Darwin Industry” of recent decades. This ‘industry’ has led to a highly “Darwinocentric” view of the history of modern biology, and as a result many of the important contributions made by Darwin’s contemporaries, like Wallace, are currently underestimated and undervalued.

No, I am Spartacus! I love this Pepsi ad using the classic movie based on Roman history and the famous slave revolt lead by Spartacus. I wish more ads made good use of both popular culture and history. Of course, Spartacus died in battle and was never captured by the Romans but...Hat tip to Weird Universe.

From a public domain image, U.S. Office of War Information, Alfred T. Palmer, photographer, 1942.

More Wordless Wednesday:

• Wordless Wednesday - Women's History in Pictures
• Wordless Wednesday around About.com
• See more Wordless Wednesday images on the Net

Related articles:

• World War II Rosie the Riveter and Her Sisters: Picture Gallery
• How Women's Lives Changed in World War II
• Women and World War II - Women at Work

I’m working on getting my site back up and running.   My plans are to establish this as my personal website of miscellaneous ramblings and thoughts.

One month into World War II in Africa and both sides were testing the waters – the British had to deal with the potential threat of a French fleet under the command of Germany, whereas Italy was looking to secure its position in East Africa

What is the connection between an island in the North Sea and the reason why Mt Kilimanjaro is in Tanzania rather than Kenya? The answer lies in the Heligoland Treaty and Britain's Queen Victoria desire for her grandson, the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, to 'have' a mountain in Africa. Read more...

This brand new quiz uses images to challenge your knowledge of the Middle Ages. If you haven't visited this site much, you may find this quiz quite difficult. If you're a regular visitor, you'll probably recognize all the images. But can you answer the qustions? Test yourself with our General Knowledge Quiz III.

Try our original General Knowledge Quiz or General Knowledge Quiz II.

I’ve been asked to contribute to a Top 10 books on the Campaign and Battle of Gettysburg in celebration of the upcoming anniversary. Though I am honored to have been asked to contribute, I feel somewhat unqualified compared to the other accomplished historians. However, I will do my best! Here are the details as described by Brett on his site:

• July 1, 2009: The 78th Edition of the History Carnival goes live at TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog.
• July 1, 2009: The Top 10 Gettysburg Books event officially gets underway with the Top 10 Gettysburg Books as chosen by Eric Wittenberg of Rantings of a Civil War Historian, Drew Wagenhoffer of Civil War Books and Authors, and John Hoptak of The 48th Pennsylvania Infantry/Civil War Musings
• July 2, 2009: The Top 10 Gettysburg Books event continues with the Top 10 Gettysburg Books as chosen by Harry Smeltzer of Bull Runnings, Craig Swain of To the Sound of the Guns, and Nick Kurtz of Battlefield Wanderings
• July 3, 2009: The Top 10 Gettysburg Books event winds to a conclusion with the Top 10 Gettysburg Books as chosen by Chris Wehner of Blog 4 History and Brett Schulte of TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog. A final blog entry here at TOCWOC will tabulate the results and create a combined top 10 list for all of the Civil War bloggers participating. A permanent page which will contain links to each blog entry and the final results has already been established and is only waiting for the posts to go live prior to being completed.
• July 4, 2009: A free book giveaway will occur to celebrate America’s independence from Great Britain. Stay tuned for further details on the morning of July 4!

As someone who reads books only once (very, very slowly) I had never heard of "comfort reads" before this. I suspected there were people who read a book twice due to memory failure but this is wild stuff...

Also on the LOC's list was William Jennings Bryan's Cross of Gold Speech. We actually discussed this speech on the blog when we asked "Which was the most important campaign speech?" This speech came in fourth. (You can see transcripts of all four speeches from that discussion here.]

I found an audio version of the speech (recorded by Bryan in 1923) on YouTube for you. It has an introduction from NPR. The person who put this up on YouTube has a question at the beginning - see if you can catch the narrator's mistake!

July 1, 1898 - American troops win the Battle of San Juan Hill. Having landed in Cuba in late June 1898, American forces under Maj. Gen. William Shafter began pushing towards Santiago de Cuba. Seeking to attack the Spanish position on the San Juan Heights, Shafter first diverted a division to assault the strongpoint at El Caney. As this attack went forward, he advanced infantry and dismounted cavalry towards San Juan. Holding them in place, despite being under fire, Shafter wished to await the return of the troops at El Caney before moving forward. Taking casualties, the commanders at the base of the San Juan Heights elected to commence the attack. While infantry on the left stormed the heights directly, cavalry, including Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," first moved up Kettle Hill before assaulting the heights. Leading from the front, Roosevelt was subsequently nominated for the Medal of Honor. The capture of the heights worked to close the ring around the city and it surrendered on July 17 after brief siege.

Photograph Courtesy of the Library of Congress

Acquisitions or review copies received this month:1. The Quest for Annihilation: The Role & Mechanics of Battle in the American Civil War by Christopher Perello (Strategy & Tactics Press, 2009).As many Civil War readers who are also gamers know, Strategy & Tactics has been publishing magazines and games for years. They are now publishing book length military histories that will "follow (their)

I'm continuing my series on the presidential items on the LOC's National Recording Registry. We have already posted twice here on FDR's Fireside Chats, so you can first visit those back posts: here and here.

For today, I thought I'd post a newsreel from one of the chats. They aren't exactly the same - you can read the transcript and hear the original audio if you'd like as well.

Virginia could not wait another moment and kicked off its Sesquicentennial program in Winchester this weekend with some 1859 re-enactors (!) in attendance (shown right).I don't want to be too hard on "Bud" Robertson because I am relying on a third party - a reporter - to translate what he said into one and two syllable words for a mass audience. If, however, you read the linked story carefully

West Virginia has 4,000 unclaimed ACW medals awaiting an owner.

The New York Times ran a re-enactment story, believe it or not. Seems to have a Mason vs. Mason angle...

In Greek and Roman mythology, female images include the goddesses -- with many different personalities -- and other figures, ranging from the Graces and Muses to nymphs and sirens to furies and harpies. Learn more about some of the monstrous female images used in Greek and Roman mythology, two groups usually depicted as triads, who are sometimes confused:

• The Harpies
• The Furies

"Did they come with any sand to this country? At which point of this country did they enter with sand in their bags to claim they own the land in Namibia?"

Samuel Daniel Nujoma, president of Namibia 21 March 1990 to 21 March 2005, from the article 'Land Issue Gathering Steam' in New African, May 2001.

"Our politicians should be excellent examples of honest and accountable leadership that our youth and the community at large can follow."

Sam Nujoma, president of Namibia, speaking on the seventh anniversary of Namibia's independence at Windhoek, 21 March, 1997.

The brief naval career of the CSS Virginia is not one starved of coverage, but the content emphasis and beauty of presentation of Carl D. Park's Ironclad Down: USS Merrimack - CSS Virginia from Design to Destruction (Naval Institute Press, 2007) sets it apart from the crowd.The book begins with biographical sketches of Confederate navy secretary Stephen R. Mallory, Virginia constructor John L.

[Sherman Invades Georgia: Planning the North Georgia Campaign Using a Modern Perspective by John R. Scales (Naval Institute Press, 2006). Hardcover, 21 maps, figures, photos, tables, notes, appendices, bibliography, glossary, index. 233 Pages. ISBN: 1-59114-815-4 $34.95]Setting aside necessarily non-narrative platforms (e.g. essay compilations, reference books, and edited diaries, letters, etc.)

June 29, 1644 - Parliamentarian forces are defeated at Cropredy Bridge. Advancing along the River Cherwell, the army of King Charles I (right) was pursued by Parliamentarian troops led by Sir William Waller. Marching on opposite sides of the river, neither wished to force a crossing under fire. Learning of the approach of 300 Parliamentarian dragoons, Charles' chief general, the Earl of Brentford, advanced troops to capture Cropredy and Hayes Bridges. Seeing the Royalist column become strung out, Waller launched two attacks with the goal of isolating and destroying Charles' rearguard. Sending Lt. Gen. John Middleton to assault Cropredy Bridge, Waller crossed Slat Mill Ford with 1,000 men. Both attacks were ultimately thrown back by Royalist troops. Defeated, Waller's army became wrecked through desertions and ceased to be a threat to the Royalist capital at Oxford.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

Kevin and Richard have a couple of posts concerning the popular Grant topic of his drinking and whether or not he was a drunk?  Kevin is currently reading a new manuscript from UNC on Grant titled U.S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth, written by Joan Waugh. (Interestingly, I wonder if they want Kevin discussing any part of this manuscript in public at all? Apparently they must not mind.) In this manuscript, apparently, Waugh tackles the “myth” of Grant being a Drunkard. Kevin writes, “Anyone familiar with recent Grant studies already knows that the evidence against Grant is weak or inconclusive.”

Richard takes “recent” historiography and Kevin to task suggesting that all we are doing is cleaning the records of Northern heroes while continuing to dismantle Southern ones like Lee. I am simplifying the debate here so read Richard’s post linked above.

I think Richard makes a valid point. However, I have done a little reading on Grant and I have to agree with recent historiography and say that I don’t think there is a lot there. Did Grant drink on occasion? Yes. But to start getting into was he a drunk? debate requires clear evidence of constant drunkenness on Grant’s part and there simply is none that I am aware of. This kind of splitting hairs is what we complain about with those who debate whether or not the flying of the Confederate flag is offensive, a debate I don’t take sides on for the same reason; it’s all about personal points of view (ideology) and not history.

Church leaders applying to get a local monastery approved as an UNESCO World Heritage Site have made a bold claim: that Bede, the late seventh to early eight century monk and author, was the “Einstein of his time”. Bede is probably the greatest scholar of the early medieval era, writing in history, biography, theology and science, and is the centrepiece in the bid to win the place of his monastry, Wearmoth-Jarrow, World Heritage status. I suppose the comparison really hinges on how you view Einstein, as well as how you view Bede. More information on the bid can be found here.

The John Rylands Library in Manchester, Britain, has digitised and uploaded a medieval cookery book. Called the Forme of Cury, the manuscript dates from c.1420 and includes recipes only the very rich could afford; indeed, the work was written by the chefs to English King Richard II. There are a hundred pages and hundreds of recipes but news reports, such as this one from the BBC, have picked out the one involving cooked Porpoise; this isn’t a meal which has survived in Britain, although I’m sure we all know people who’d try it. Other meals include “Noumbles” and “Roo Broth”. The Rylands Medieval Collection can be accessed here.

A world spanning study into the phenomenon of facedown burials has concluded that they were often deliberate attempts to “disrespect or humiliate” the dead. The report I saw on National Geographic used Sweden as an example, explaining how the greatest concentration of facedown burials occurred when Christianity was spreading through the region, and may have been a way of pagans displaying their displeasure at the new religion.

I reviewed Donald Frazier's Fire in the Cane Field: The Federal Invasion of Louisiana and Texas, January 1861-January 1863 (State House Press, 2009) in early May. There was a hiccup with the distributor at the time, but the book is now widely available. I just wanted to mention it again, as it's a fine book that kicks off a new 4-book series covering the Civil War in Louisiana and parts of Texas.

From a press release:

Washington, D.C.— Ford’s Theatre Society will host a museum unveiling on Tuesday, July 14, 2009, at Ford’s Theatre (511 10th Street NW). The invitation-only evening will include an exclusive premiere of the reimagined Ford’s Theatre Museum and a cocktail buffet on the historic stage from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. The Ford’s Theatre Museum is scheduled to reopen to the public following 20 months of renovations on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

The redesigned Ford’s Theatre Museum seeks to tell the story of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency, from his arrival in Washington via train to the day of his assassination. New exhibits feature information about Lincoln’s cabinet and Civil War milestones as well as recreations of a theatre box, Lincoln’s White House office and Mary Surratt’s boarding house. The Museum also features a remarkable collection of historic artifacts, including the deringer that John Wilkes Booth used to shoot the president, the suit and boots worn by Lincoln to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, and much more.

The Museum Unveiling event benefits the Ford’s Theatre Annual Fund. Individual tickets are $500. Interested patrons should call (202) 434-9526 for further information about the event. Limited space is available for press wishing to cover this event. Press should contact Lauren Beyea at (202) 434-9543.

Ford’s Theatre Society

Since its reopening in 1968, more than a hundred years after the April 14, 1865, assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, Ford’s Theatre has been one of the most visited sites in the nation’s capital. Ford’s Theatre has captivated visitors because of its unique place in United States history, and its mission to celebrate the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and explore the American experience through theatre and education. For its accomplishments, the organization was honored in 2008 with the National Medal of Arts, the highest award given by the U.S. government to artists, arts institutions and arts patrons.

Ford’s Theatre Society works to present the Theatre’s nearly one million visitors each year with a high quality historical and cultural experience, enhancing the vibrancy of this historic site, an important tool for promoting the ideals of leadership, humanity and wisdom espoused by Abraham Lincoln.

Since the arrival of Paul R. Tetreault as Director, Ford’s Theatre Society has been recognized by the critics and theatergoing public for the superior quality of its artistic programming. With works from the nationally acclaimed “Big River” to the regional premiere of “Trying” and world premiere of “Meet John Doe,” Ford’s Theatre has undoubtedly begun to make its mark on the American theatre landscape.

In addition, through the leadership of Wayne R. Reynolds, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, the mission of Ford’s Theatre Society has recently been expanded to include education as a central pillar of the organization, equal to that of producing theatre of the highest quality. As Ford’s Theatre looks to the future, the health of the organization will be defined and determined not only by the quality of the productions on the stage but also by the success of its educational programming in teaching about the life, Presidency and lessons of leadership of Abraham Lincoln.

For more information on Ford’s Theatre and the Ford’s Theatre Society, please visit www.fords.org.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lauren Beyea

[ "Liberty to the Downtrodden": Thomas L. Kane, Romantic Reformer by Matthew J. Grow (Yale University Press, 2009). Hardcover, illustrations, notes, appendix, index. Pages main/total: 306/368. ISBN: 9780300136104 $40 ]An upper class Pennsylvanian raised in a strict Presbyterian household, Thomas L. Kane was nevertheless an iconoclast and an important figure in the social reform movements of mid

How many women have served as Presidents or Prime Ministers in the 20th century? How many can you name? Some were highly controversial; some were compromise candidates. Some presided over peace; others over war. Some were elected; some were appointed. Some served briefly; others were elected; one, though elected, was prevented from serving. Many followed into office their fathers or husbands; others were elected or appointed on their own reputations and political contributions. One even followed her mother into politics, and her mother served a third term as prime minister, filling the office left vacant when the daughter took office as president!

• Women Prime Ministers and Presidents

Has there been a specific study that has dealt with how Union soldiers’ opinions concerning things like slavery, emancipation, ect., change as they transitioned from their homeland and descended South and witnessed, firsthand, the nature of slavery?

Additionally, how did their experiences going South, entering Rebeldom, change their point of view on Negro soldiers, and everything else that was involved in race issues, if at all? For example, here are some quotes from various soldiers from Indiana:

“Mother said she was afraid I would turn to an Abolitionist. If I had been one at home, I have seen enough to make me a Negro hater since I came here.” (Frankfort, Ky., Oct. 15, 1861)

“I suppose you hear plenty of talk about the free negroes I don’t know how the folks like it nor don’t kear [sic] if it will only bring the war to an end any sooner….We are in war and anything to beat the south.” (Jan. 8, 1863, Ft. Barnard, Va.)

“They [sic] is two or three Negro Regts here. They make good Soldiers and save the white soldiers a good deal of hard work. They make a fine appearance on drill. I am in for the Black Soldier. I say bring them on.” (Joseph Hollis, Folly Island, S.C., Sept. 9, 1863)

“Though I live in the negro country, I haven’t changed my opinion of them, only strengthened it. They are not good for anything, unless driven to work, so you don’t need to be afraid that I will fall in love with them, though it is the case with many soldiers.” (Winchester, Tenn., Nov. 6, 1863)

“I seen a new part of the ‘Elephant’ today viz. a squad of Negro soldiers drilling. They did a great deal better than many white troops I have seen with the same opportunities.” (Tullahoma, Tenn., May 31, 1864, p. 142)

“Nearly all the guards along the road are Negroes. They are fine looking soldiers. They always turn out at a present arms when the train passes. Their accouterments and guns are as bright as they can be, and the broad smile that marks their countenances attest their like of the change from Chattels to U.S. soldiers.” (Louisville, Ky., Sept. 17, 1864)

“Up to the time we landed I had not noticed any negro troops, but after we left Akins landing I saw nothing else…They flocked out to see us as we passed, and I never saw a blacker set of Negroes in my life. They beat the ‘Ace of Spades.’” (March 10, 1865)

With these quotes being from different soldiers it’s not possible to measure how they were impacted as they moved South and saw things such as slavery, Southern Women, Southern society, ect., and how that real life, face-to-face exposure impacted them.

If I took 100 or so soldiers and followed their evolution in thinking as they went South, that might make from interesting findings, would it not?

Oh, and if someone has done this please point me in that direction….

June 8-July 26, 1758 - British forces conduct the Siege of Louisbourg. Captured by colonial American forces in 1745, the fortress of Louisbourg was returned to France at the end of the War of the Austrian Succession. With the outbreak of the French & Indian War, the British realized that Louisbourg would need to be retaken in order for a campaign to proceed against Quebec. Sailing in late May 1758, a British force led by Major General Jeffrey Amherst (right) and Admiral Edward Boscawen approached the city. Landing on June 8, against enemy opposition, British forces led by Brigadier General James Wolfe secured the beaches allowing Amherst's main body to come ashore. Approaching the town, the British laid siege and began reducing its defenses. After the French warships in the harbor were eliminated and with the defenses in shambles, the garrison surrendered on July 26.

Photograph Source: Public Domain

Center design of the 6th U.S. Colored Troops regimental flag. The top motto reads, “Freedom for all”. From the Library of Congress Collection.

Three years after the start of the Defiance Campaign, anti-Apartheid activists held a Congress of the People in a Johannesburg suburb, Kliptown. Delegates ratified the Freedom Charter. The document set out the demand for a multi-racial democratically elected government, equal opportunities, and a redistribution of land. Only about 50 of the 3,000 people attending were white, including British Anglican missionary, Father Trevor Huddleston. The South African governments responded with a raid by police armed with Sten guns and rifles with affixed bayonets. Find out what the Freedom Charter said...

You might remember that I mentioned the LOC's National Recording Registry and the items on this year's list in an earlier post. Well, I went over the entire list and picked out the presidential ones to highlight here. I thought it would be a fun series. I already did Coolidge's inauguration, and now here is the speech that Coolidge gave on Lindbergh's reception in DC. You can hear the speech at the Spirit of St. Louis 2 Project (and a lot of other parts of this recording are there as well if you are interested in more on Lindbergh). You can also read the entire transcript of the speech.

I also found another story linking Coolidge and Lindbergh, as President Coolidge an award from National Geographic to Lindbergh as well.

Off-topic: I also found it really interesting the number of cultural recordings chosen that encompass such a wide variety of Americana. For instance, "Respect!" by Aretha Franklin is on the list as is "Nevermind." by Nirvana and the Star Wars soundtrack! So the entire list is definitely worth taking a look at for for personal enjoyment.

Women have been visible figures leading the environmentalist movement in many of its aspects. Rachel Carson, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall are well known for their observations about the natural world and their contributions to saving a world that is safe for people and their primate cousins to live in. Here is a selection of books about women naturalists, ecologists, and environmentalists.

Dimitri is right about the recent upsurge in releases.Acquisitions or review copies received this month:1. Sister States, Enemy States: The Civil War in Kentucky and Tennessee edited by Kent T. Dollar, Larry H. Whiteaker, and W. Calvin Dickinson (Univ. Press of Kentucky, 2009).A fascinating pairing, for sure. This book is eighteen essays, divided into three sections covering secession, the nature

N. S. Gill, About's Guide to Ancient and Classical History, recommends books on women of ancient Egypt.

Here in central Texas, we've been dealing with temperatures in the 90s (Farenheit) for several weeks now, so I almost didn't notice when the official beginning of summer arrived. In medieval Europe, most people were keenly aware of the changing of the seasons, and I doubt any but the most absent-minded city-dweller would miss the onset of summer. In the 13th century, someone even composed a little song about it:

Sumer is icumen in,
Lhude, sing cuccu!
Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
And springth the wude nu!
--The Cuckoo Song

Have a happy summer!

Very interesting recordings it sounds like are being released by the Nixon Presidential Library. As the movie Frost/Nixon identified, Nixon was a complex man. It stands to reason that we don’t really learn about a President until many years after their leaving office. It will be interesting how our most contemporary Presidents will be judged in years to come: Obama, Bush W., Clinton, Bush H., ect. In these tapes Nixon discusses Roe V. Wade, Equal Rights, and getting more women involved in politics, sort of:

Nixon is heard on a muffled tape recording telling his special counsel that abortion is necessary in some cases - including instances of multiracial pregnancy.

Speaking to Charles Colson after the January 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, the president said: “I admit, there are times when abortions are necessary, I know that.” He gave “a black and a white” as an example.

“Or rape,” Colson offered. “Or rape,” Nixon agreed.

The records show Nixon seemingly resigned to the likelihood of South Vietnam’s eventual collapse even as he strong-armed its president, Nguyen Van Thieu, to accept a settlement that would extricate the U.S. from the massively unpopular war.

He told his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, he’d do anything to get Thieu to accede, “cut off his head if necessary.”

Nixon historian Luke A. Nichter said the circumstances surrounding Nixon’s acceptance of a flawed peace-deal will probably be what scholars note from the latest disclosures.

“Producing the Vietnam peace agreement took the administration to the emotional brink,” he said. “At the very moment of triumph after finally ending combat operations in Southeast Asia, that process caused deep and lasting fissures among the top ranks in the White House.”

To read more…

If you thought drawing was "invented" in the Renaissance, think again. This month at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a selection of drawings is on display that reveals a startling array of talent through the medieval centuries. Entitled "Pen and Parchment: Drawing in the Middle Ages," the exhibition examines the achievements of medieval draftsmen, and includes many works that have never before been lent outside their home countries. The exhibition will continue until August 23, 2009.

Get a look at some of these marvelous works, and find out more about the exhibition, in these resources:

• Exhibition page at the Met
  An introduction to the exhibition. Be sure to visit the blog while you're there.
  
  
• Images to delight and confound
  Article at The Economist.
  
  
• Those Medieval Monks Could Draw
  Review by Roberta Smith at the New York Times.
  
  
• Defined by Line and Tone
  Feature by Karen Wilkin at the Wall Street Journal.
  
  

Thanks to Greg for this link!

At Disney World you can visit the Hall of Presidents to see past presidents. Barack Obama's robot will be unveiled on July 4th. The entire exhibit has been undergoing a face lift and will be ready on the 4th as well. President Obama helped in the creation of this robot and recorded its audio for it. Presidents Clinton and Bush also added their audio to this exhibit in the past.

The robot figure is as close to the original as it can be:
The Obama figure is the result of attention to minute details by Disney sculptors, animators, engineers and even anatomists who pored over presidential photographs and video of him and then drew on the latest advances in robotic technology.

Thus the audio-animatronic Obama purses its lips to pronounce its b’s and p’s in a way frighteningly evocative of the real one, and raises its hands, open-palmed, while shrugging its shoulders, in a way that can only be described as Obamaesque. Even the president’s wedding ring, with its braided design, has been recreated.

So something fun to look forward to if you plan on visiting Walt Disney World in the future!

[Sacred Memories: The Civil War Monument Movement in Texas by Kelly McMichael (Texas State Historical Association, 2009). Softcover, maps, photos, notes, index. Pages 150. ISBN: 978-087611-238-0 $9.95 ]As anyone skimming the current output of peer reviewed journals and university presses is already aware, the field is fairly awash with inquiry into various aspects of historical memory. Permanent

Madame de Staël as Corinne by Vigée-Le Brun
Adapted from a public domain image

More Wordless Wednesday:

• Wordless Wednesday - Women's History in Pictures
• Wordless Wednesday around About.com
• See more Wordless Wednesday images on the Net

Related articles:

• Madame de Staël Image Gallery
• Madame de Staël Biography
• Madame de Staël Quotes