American Civil War Photos-Gettysburg-Lincoln Memorial
I took all of the color photos at Gettysburg, and at the Lincoln Memorial & Museum.
Gettysburg Hotels - Lodging for Gettysburg Tours
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania is the location of one of the most important battles during the United States Civil War. Gettysburg is also site of the largest land battle ever fought in North America.
There are many tours around this historic town. Tour of the battlefield park is best done with your own vehicle. Throughout the landscape, the roads wind extensively throughout the battlefields. Plenty of places adjoin the battlefield to pull off and allow visitors to walk around. As you drive in your car, it would be useful to purchase a CD at several locations throughout Gettysburg that will orientate you to the battlefield.
Whether you are a Civil War History buff or simply a visitor on a vacation, Gettysburg offers many other attractions. There are other popular destinations, such as Land of Little Horses Farm Park, the Hall of Presidents, Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center, Victorian Photography, American Civil War Museum, Lincoln's Lost Treasure, International Museum of Spiritual Investigations (IMSI), and the Gettysburg Majestic Theater.
There are many Gettysburg hotels, motels, and bed-and-breakfasts for lodging during your vacation in Gettysburg. For reservations, call
717-334-4274
Gettysburg Motel 6 President Inn
Click on the link above for online reservations.
Did FBI find Civil War gold in Pennsylvania?
(9 Oct 2018) A father-son pair of treasure hunters are challenging the FBI's position that nothing was found during an excavation aimed at uncovering a fabled cache of Civil War-era gold earlier this year.
Dennis and Kem Parada say they believe dozens of gold bars might have been buried in the woods near Dents Run, about 135 miles northeast of Pittsburgh, around the time of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Last March, the treasure hunters led the FBI to the mountainous, heavily wooded area to dig for the gold, after which the FBI says it came up empty.
But the Paradas say they had shown agents back in January how their sophisticated metal detector lit up like crazy when aimed at the spot where they believed the gold was hidden.
Within a month, they say, the FBI had hired an outside firm to conduct an underground scan using a device called a gravimeter. The scan had identified a large metallic mass with the density of gold, they say.
Per an agreement with the agents, the FBI was to let the men watch the excavation but officers, instead, confined them to their car _ out of sight of the wooded hillside where a backhoe was digging _ for six hours that first day before they were finally allowed up the hill. The digging proceeded for another hour before an agent called an abrupt halt at 3 p.m., saying the team was cold, tired and hungry and it would be getting dark soon. They were just 3 feet from the target, according to the Paradas.
The second day of the excavation was similar to the first and they were once again confined to their car for hours and soon escorted up the hill to the dig site _ by then a large, empty hole. The FBI had finished the excavation without of their presence.
We were embarrassed, Dennis Parada told The Associated Press in his first interview since the well-publicized dig last winter.
They walk us in, and they make us look like dummies. Like we messed up, Paradas added.
The Paradas, backed by neighbors' accounts of late-night excavation and FBI convoys, contend the FBI isn't telling the whole story and are pressing the bureau to release secret records on the dig.
Federal investigators insisted a few days after leaving the site that the search came up empty, adding cryptically that its work there was related to an ongoing investigation and declining further comment to the Associated Press.
The dispute between the Paradas and the FBI is the latest chapter in a mystery that has persisted for more than a century and a half. As the story goes, around the time of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg, the Union Army sent a shipment of gold from Wheeling, West Virginia, to Philadelphia.
The wagon train took a circuitous route through the wilds of northern Pennsylvania so as to avoid Confederate troops. Along the way, the gold was either lost or stolen.
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The Battle of Gettysburg
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Ghosts Caught in the Woods of Gettysburg Battlefield
A clip of what looks like it could actually be ghosts of soldiers walking through the woods of the Gettysburg Battlefield. They were also seen by a few people with the cameraman, seems to be genuine reactions. This clip has made the rounds a few times, but still might be one of the best chances of ghosts being recorded.
Lincoln's Rewrite of the Declaration of Independence
Six score and 30 years ago, the 16th president of the United States delivered an address at the site of the major Civil War battle in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania — the Gettysburg Address.
Body Discovered in Background of American Civil War Photograph (1864)
A body of a soldier was discovered possibly only a few years ago online in the background of two stereoscopic photos taken on the battlefield of the December 1862 Battle of Chickasaw Bayou in Mississippi. The body is visible behind the wreckage of what appears to be an artillery caisson and limber in a stream gully. The photos were taken by William Redish Pywell in February 1864 according to the Library of Congress, which was around 14 months after the battle. The body moves a little bit and dirt and sticks in the area around him become unsettled between photos. It is unclear if the body is that of a soldier who died during a skirmish or accident and was moved by the photographer and his assistants between photographs or else the soldier was merely an actor posing for the camera. The earliest place I can find reference to the original discovery of the body online is at mkwe.com. The author surmises that the photos might actually have been taken shortly after the 1862 battle.
Link:
Source: Library of Congress.
Mathew Brady | Photographing the Civil War | Genealogy Gold Podcast
Mathew Brady (1822-1896) was a photographer whose work is quite well known and famous today. In addition to taking photographs of 19th-century politicians, who we would otherwise have no images of except paintings, he also documented the American Civil War in photographs. In fact, the Civil War is the first war to be documented and disseminated to the public via newspapers using photographic accompaniment. The vast majority of those photos were taken by Mathew Brady or one of his many, personally trained assistants.
He and his assistants marched out across the country during a very dangerous time for travel, in search of the most compelling, truthful images of the war. Amongst them, they took more than ten thousand photographs of the war, letting the average civilian American see in real, graphic detail just what was happening to the men on the battlefields of the nation. Join me today, as we look into his life and his photographs… to know what the Civil War really looked like.
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HD Gettysburg Address, The lost art of the quotable speech
A short speech, long remembered: Gettysburg Address praised at Pa. battle site 150 years later.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. — In solemnity, thousands gathered at a central Pennsylvania battlefield park Tuesday to honor a speech given 150 years ago that President Abraham Lincoln predicted would not be long remembered.
The inspirational and famously short Gettysburg Address was praised for reinvigorating national ideals of freedom, liberty and justice amid a Civil War that had torn the country into pieces.
President Lincoln sought to heal a nation's wounds by defining what a nation should be, said Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett, calling Lincoln's words superb, his faith deep and his genius profound. Lincoln wrote his words on paper, but he also inscribed them in our hearts.
Echoing Lincoln, keynote speaker and Civil War historian James McPherson said the president took the dais in November 1863 at a time when it looked like the nation might indeed perish from the earth.
The Battle of Gettysburg became the hinge of fate on which turned the destiny of that nation and its new birth of freedom, McPherson said.
In the July 1863 battle, considered the turning point of the war, Union forces fought back a Confederate invasion of Pennsylvania. Lincoln's speech was delivered more than four months later, at the dedication of a national cemetery to bury the battle's casualties.
In the short oration, he spoke of how democracy itself rested upon the proposition that all men are created equal, a profound and politically risky statement for the time. Slavery and the doctrine of states' rights would not hold in the more perfect union of Lincoln's vision.
In 272 words, he put together what everyone was thinking, what everyone should know, said park historian John Heiser. Because of varying transcriptions, scholars generally put the text at 268 to 272 words.
The Haunting of East Cemetery Hill (Gettysburg) - Our Haunted Travels
The Haunting of East Cemetery Hill (Gettysburg)
Sit back my friends and listen to the tales about the Haunting of East Cemetery Hill in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. There are many reports that are related to the American Civil War Battle that took place in Gettysburg on July 1, 2, 3 of 1863. This video will focus on July 2 and the battles that took place on the East side of Cemetery Hill.
Ghost Stories and Folklore are Paranormal History that will cover the paranormal claims at the particular locations. On occasion, we may deviate from a location and provide some sort of creepy pasta or urban legend video. These videos are narrated by our mascot Boris to add that special creepy effect to the videos. So sit back, listen, and enjoy. You can see the complete catalog of Ghost Stories and Folklore Videos we have at:
PANICd Paranormal History - Our Haunted Travels is a series of Paranormal History that we provide the history of the location, the ghost stories and folklore, the paranormal claims, our personal experiences, and why we believe the location could be haunted. Be sure to follow along with our adventures where we feature a new location we have visited each week at:
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Steven Spielberg on 149th Anniversary of Gettysburg Address: Lincoln (2012)
The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, one of the best-known in American history. It was delivered by Lincoln during the American Civil War, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Abraham Lincoln's carefully crafted address, secondary to other presentations that day, came to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln reiterated the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence[5] and proclaimed the Civil War as a struggle for the preservation of the Union sundered by the secession crisis,[6] with a new birth of freedom,[7] that would bring true equality[8] to all of its citizens.[8] Lincoln also redefined the Civil War as a struggle not just for the Union, but also for the principle of human equality.[5]
Beginning with the now-iconic phrase Four score and seven years ago—referring to the Declaration of Independence, written at the start of the American Revolution in 1776—Lincoln examined the founding principles of the United States in the context of the Civil War, and memorialized the sacrifices of those who gave their lives at Gettysburg and extolled virtues for the listeners (and the nation) to ensure the survival of America's representative democracy, that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Despite the speech's prominent place in the history and popular culture of the United States, the exact wording and location of the speech are disputed. The five known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address differ in a number of details and also differ from contemporary newspaper reprints of the speech. Modern scholarship locates the speakers' platform 40 yards (or more) away from the Traditional Site within Soldiers' National Cemetery at the Soldiers' National Monument and entirely within private, adjacent Evergreen Cemetery.
Steven Allan Spielberg (born December 18, 1946) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and business magnate. He is regarded as one of the finest directors in motion picture history. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as archetypes of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. In later years, his films began addressing humanistic issues such as the Holocaust, the transatlantic slave trade, war, and terrorism. He is considered one of the most popular and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema.[5] He is also one of the co-founders of DreamWorks Studios.
Spielberg won the Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler's List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Three of Spielberg's films—Jaws (1975), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993)—achieved box office records, each becoming the highest-grossing film made at the time. To date, the unadjusted gross of all Spielberg-directed films exceeds $8.5 billion worldwide. Forbes puts Spielberg's wealth at $3 billion.
Gettysburg Visit with Ryan and Cynthia
The Battle of Gettysburg was a turning point in the Civil War, the Union victory that ended General Robert E. Lee's second and most ambitious invasion of the North. Often referred to as the High Water Mark of the Rebellion, Gettysburg was the Civil War's bloodiest battle and was also the inspiration for President Abraham Lincoln's immortal Gettysburg Address.
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Ancient Aliens: Alien Visions of the Founding Fathers (Season 9) | History
Tune in to Alien Invasion Week on History starting Monday 9/30 through Friday 10/4 for new Ancient Aliens, plus the premiere of In Search Of, new UFO Specials and More!
Ancient Astronaut Theorists claim that extraterrestrials influenced the outcome of the Civil War and made believers out of American's Founding Fathers in this clip from Season 9, Aliens and the Civil War. #AncientAliens
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Ancient Aliens explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years.
HISTORY®, now reaching more than 98 million homes, is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network's all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, epic miniseries, and scripted event programming. Visit us at for more info.
The Lincoln Home Presents A Message At Midnight
A Message at Midnight one act play presented at the Lincoln Home National Historic Site Visitor Center in Springfield, Illinois on December 1, 2018.
This special holiday program is set on Christmas Eve of 1864. General Grant is late arriving at the White House. Celebration is far away from the minds of Grant and President Lincoln as they eagerly await the news from General Sherman as he marches towards Savannah. A victory will help assure the passage of the 13th amendment and provide a life-saving boost to the morale of the North. A defeat may be the final blow to hopes of reunion and freedom for the slaves. The clock ticks... midnight approaches as Grant arrives to meet with the President.
A Message at Midnight, features Fritz Klein as Abraham Lincoln; Pam Brown as Mary Todd Lincoln; and Dennis Rendleman as Ulysses S. Grant.
Monuments at Gettysburg - Context and Beyond (Lecture)
Ranger Troy Harman takes the blinders off, explaining the layered meanings behind the monuments of Gettysburg National Military Park in his winter lecture. Monuments discussed include the Pennsylvania Memorial, the 26th North Carolina monument on Cemetery Ridge, and the Eternal Light Peace Memorial.
Auction of Gettysburg soldier skull called-off
Over 150 years after the Battle of Gettysburg, a soldier who lost his life in the fight will soon be laid to rest.
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HD Chasing York 17 to Hanover Junction & SIHX 6076! 11 10 19!
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It's been two years since i last Saw York 4-4-0 17 at Steam into History.
On Sunday November 10th-2019 i went down to see her with a Friend of Mine.She put on quite a show and i was able to do some nice pacing en route.I also got to see a Reenactor of Abraham Lincoln doing His Famous Gettysburg Address.Finally,on the way Home,we got to see SIHX GP9 6076 which is the eventual replacement for PRR 7580 That i've filmed in previous days. It was quite a good day,info is below and thanks for watching!
Here are all the videos we have of York 4-4-0 17 at Steam Into History.
November 10th-2019.
November 28th-2017.Pulling the Christmas tree train.
May 29th-2017.
July 10th-2016.
December 6th-2015.Pulling the Christmas Tree Train.
July 17th 2014.
March 15th 2014.
December 28th-2013.
November 13th-2013.Running with The Leviathan 63.
November 11th-2013.Running with the
Leviathan 63.
June 2nd-2013.
Info 0:00
Steam Into History.
Main Street,Railroad,PA. 0:16
WL or Whistle 0:38
AR or Arrives 0:44
SIH Excursion.
New Freedom,PA to Hanover Junction,PA
and Return.
NCRR Kloke Locomotive Works 4-4-0 17.
Single Chime.
Built 2013.
Seitzland,PA.
Just south of Glen Rock,PA.01:03
WL 01:19
AR 01:29
Main Street,Glen Rock,PA.01:52
Bells or BL 02:10
WL 02:16
AR 02:39
Seven Valleys Rd
Glen Rock, PA.03:14
WL 03:17
AR 03:28
Pacing the train on Seven Valley's Road.03:43
SC or Scene Change 04:00
Larue,PA.05:28
WL 05:42
AR 05:55
Pacing One More on Seven Valley's Road,
Hanover Junction,PA.06:12
SC 07:01
Hanover Junction,PA 07:19
Reenactor of Abraham Lincoln doing
the Gettysburg Address.07:36
York 17 getting ready to Depart Hanover Junction,PA.11:47
17 Departing Hanover Junction,PA.11:59
Starts Moving 12:39
Larue,PA 13:52
WL 14:16
AR 14:28
Pacing 14:41
SC 14:52
SC 15:20
SC 15:37
Seven Valleys Rd
Glen Rock, PA.16:32
AR 16:37
Seitzland,PA.
Just south of Glen Rock,PA.16:50
WL 17:10
AR 17:31
Main Street,Railroad,PA.17:44
HN 18:11
AR 18:24
Indian Rock Dam Rd
York, PA.18:41
SIHX EMD GP9 6076.
EX
ADIX 6076/CR/PC/PRR 7249.
Built October 1959.
PC or Picture Change
PC 19:25
PC 19:51
Confederate General William Extra Billy Smith book trailer
William Extra Billy Smith, the oldest and one of the most controversial Confederate generals on the field at Gettysburg, was also one of the most colorful and charismatic characters of the Civil War and the antebellum Old South. Despite a life full of drama, politics, and adventure, until now very few books have been written on Smith since a biased account in the 19th century by his brother-in-law. Scott L. Mingus Sr. has ably filled this historical void with Confederate General William Extra Billy Smith: From Virginia's Statehouse to Gettysburg Scapegoat.
Known nationally as Extra Billy because of his prewar penchant for finding loopholes in government postal contracts to gain extra money for his stagecoach lines, Smith served as Virginia's governor during both the War with Mexico and the Civil War, served five terms in the U.S. Congress, and was one of Virginia's leading spokesmen for slavery and States' Rights. Extra Billy's extra-long speeches and wry sense of humor were legendary among his peers. A lawyer during the heady Gold Rush days, Smith made a fortune in California and, like his income earned from stagecoaches, quickly lost it.
Despite his advanced age Smith took the field and fought well at First Manassas, was wounded at Seven Pines and again at Sharpsburg, and marched with Lee's Army of Northern Virginia into Pennsylvania. There, on the first day at Gettysburg, Smith's frantic messages about a possible Union flanking attack remain a matter of controversy to this day. Did his aging eyes see distant fence-lines that he interpreted as approaching enemy soldiers—mere phantoms of his imagination?—or did his prompt action stave off a looming Confederate disaster? What we do know is that his calls for support diverted limited Confederate manpower away from attacks against Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill that might have turned the tide of Southern fortunes in Pennsylvania.
Mingus's biography draws upon a wide array of newspapers, diaries, letters, and other firsthand accounts to paint a broad, deep, and colorful portrait of one of the South's most interesting leaders and devoted sons. Complete with original maps and photos, Extra Billy Smith will satisfy anyone who loves politics, war, and a story well told.
American History - Part 089 - Lincoln - The Shadow of War - S Carolina steals Federal Property
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION-- American history in VOA Special English.
South Carolina faced several problems after it seceded. The most serious problem was what to do with property owned by the federal government. There were several United States forts in and around the Port of Charleston. Fort Moultrie had fewer than seventy soldiers. Castle Pinckney had only one. And Fort Sumter -- which was still being built -- had none.
The commander of the forts asked for more men. Without them, he said, he could not defend the forts. The army refused. It told the commander to defend the forts as best he could.
He was told to do nothing that might cause South Carolina to attack. If South Carolina attacked, or planned to attack, then he could move his men into the fort that would be easiest to defend. That would probably be the new one, Fort Sumter.
The governor of South Carolina planned to stop any movement of federal troops. He ordered state soldiers to stop every boat in Charleston Harbor. They were to permit no United States troops to reach Fort Sumter. If any boat carrying troops refused to stop, the state soldiers were to sink it and seize the fort.
Six days after South Carolina seceded from the Union, the commander of Charleston's forts decided to move his men to Fort Sumter. They would move as soon as it was dark.
The federal troops crossed the port in small boats. The state soldiers did not see them. The governor was furious when he learned what had happened. He demanded that the federal troops leave Fort Sumter. The commander said they would stay.
The governor then ordered state soldiers to seize the other two forts in Charleston Harbor. And he ordered the state flag raised over all other federal property in the city.
President James Buchanan, who would leave office in just a few months, was forced to deal with the situation. His cabinet was deeply divided on the issue. The southerners wanted him to recognize South Carolina and order all federal troops out of Charleston Harbor. The northerners said he must not give up any federal property or rights.
The commander of federal troops at Fort Sumter had a difficult decision to make. He had received permission to defend the fort, if attacked. But his orders said nothing about defending ships. He knew that if he opened fire, the United States and South Carolina would be at war.
The decision was made for him. South Carolina's cannons finally hit the ship. The ship slowed, then turned back to sea. It returned north with all the troops and supplies.
The commander of Fort Sumter sent a message to the governor of South Carolina.
Your forces, he wrote, fired this morning on a civilian ship flying the flag of my government. Since I have not been informed that South Carolina declared war on the United States, I can only believe that this hostile act was done without your knowledge or permission. For this reason -- and only this -- I did not fire on your guns.
During the crisis over Fort Sumter, Congress tried to find a compromise that might prevent war. Lawmakers proposed a new line across the country. South of the line, slavery would be permitted. North of the line, slavery would be illegal.
Many Republicans supported the proposal, even though the Republican Party opposed the spread of slavery into the western territories.
One Republican, however, rejected the idea completely. He was Abraham Lincoln, who would take office as president in March. Lincoln said there could be no compromise on extending slavery. If there is, he said, then all our hard work is lost. If trouble comes, it is better to let it come now than at some later time.
The trouble would come soon. One by one, the states of the South seceded.
By February first, 1861, six states had followed South Carolina out of the Union. A few days later, representatives from the states met in Montgomery, Alabama. Their job was to create a new nation. It would be an independent republic called the Confederate States of America.
As Lincoln got on the train that would take him to Washington, he said I now leave, not knowing when -- or whether ever -- I may return. The task before me is greater than that which rested upon our first president. Without the help of God, I cannot succeed. With that assistance, I cannot fail. Let us hope that all yet will be well.
Our program was written by Frank Beardsley. The narrators were Frank Oliver and Larry West. Transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our programs can be found, along with historical images, at voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for THE MAKING OF A NATION -- an American history series in VOA Special English.
American History - Part 093 - Lincoln - Robert E Lee refuses Lincoln - Union Posturing
Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION -- American history in VOA Special English.
The first state to secede after the start of the Civil War was Virginia. It was an important state because of its location. It was just across the Potomac River from Washington.
Virginia's decision to secede cost the Union a military commander of great ability. He was Robert E. Lee. Lee was a Virginian and had served in the United States Army for more than thirty years. Lincoln asked him to be head of the army when General Winfield Scott retired.
Lee said he could not accept the job. He said he opposed secession and loved the Union. But, he said, he could not make war on his home state. Lee resigned from the army. He did not really want to fight at all. But soon after his resignation, he agreed to command the forces of Virginia.
Virginia's forces moved quickly after the state seceded. A group of one thousand soldiers went to Harpers Ferry, Virginia, where the Union army had a gun factory and arsenal. It was the same town where abolitionist John Brown had tried to start a slave rebellion a few years before.
Washington was not strongly defended. It did not have enough soldiers to stop any real attempt by Confederate forces to seize the city. It was extremely important to get more soldiers to Washington as quickly as possible.
Thousands of men were on their way to Washington. But they could not get there quickly.
The first troop train from the North passed through Baltimore, Maryland, without incident. The second train was not so lucky.
A mob blocked the rail line and threw stones at the train. Shots were fired. Four soldiers and twelve civilians were killed.
State and city officials met to discuss the trouble. They agreed that there would be even more violence in the future. So they ordered railroad bridges outside Baltimore destroyed. No more trains from the North could reach Washington that way.
President Lincoln told the officials of the great need to get more soldiers to the capital. He agreed that they did not have to pass through Baltimore. But he wanted them to be able to land safely at Annapolis, a city on the Chesapeake Bay.
Landing at Annapolis would be easy. Getting to the capital would not. Still, with all these difficulties, ten-thousand troops made it to Washington in the first few weeks of the Civil War. The city and government were safe.
President Lincoln worried about the presence of Confederate supporters in Maryland. He knew they would continue to be a threat to the movement of Union troops and supplies.
Lincoln wanted to restrict the activities of the Confederate supporters. So he took an extremely unusual step for an American president. He put much of Maryland under military rule. He gave military officers the power to arrest civilians believed to be hostile to the Union. And he gave them the power to hold these suspects without trial.
This order suspended two of the basic rights under the Constitution. One was the right to go free until officially charged. And the other was the right to a speedy trial.
The chief justice of the United States wrote a letter to President Lincoln. He said the Constitution did not give the president the power to suspend the rights of citizens. Lincoln disagreed. He felt the situation facing the Union permitted him to take such strong measures. If he had not acted, he believed, Maryland would have seceded.
Maryland did not withdraw. But North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas did. There were now eleven states in the Confederacy. There could be two more. No one knew how long Kentucky and Missouri would remain in the Union. Both supported the southern rebels.
President Lincoln treated Kentucky carefully. He did not want the state to secede. Nor did he want it to remain neutral. Kentucky reached from the mountains of Virginia to the Mississippi River. As a neutral state, Kentucky could block northern troops from much of the South. Lincoln wanted it firmly on the side of the Union.
Lincoln hoped that, in time, these efforts would win Kentucky's support for his war effort.
The capital of the Confederate states of America was located far south in Montgomery, Alabama. Within the first few weeks of the Civil War, the Confederate Congress voted to move the capital farther north to Richmond, Virginia. They believed Virginia would be an important battlefield in the war. They were right.
Two days before Confederate President Jefferson Davis left for Richmond, Union troops invaded Virginia. They left Washington, crossed the Potomac River, and seized the towns of Arlington and Alexandria.
No shots were fired. Confederate forces withdrew as Union troops moved forward. Within a month, thousands more Union soldiers were in Virginia. They were to prepare for a major battle at a place called Manassas Junction, or Bull Run.
That will be our story next week.
thanks to manythings.org for audio and text This is a VOA product in the public domain