It took more lives than the sinking of the Titanic, but many people today have never heard of this disaster.
And we still don't know exactly why it happened.
What was this secret disaster that was related to the United States Civil War?
It barely made headlines on April 27, 1865, because this disaster took place during April of 1865. So much had already happened in this incredible April, perhaps the most incredible April in the history of the United States. But April, 1865 was not yet done with our country.
Let's recap:
The Civil War had effectively ended. Richmond, the Confederate capital, had fallen on April 3. On April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia to Union General U.S. Grant. On April 14, President Abraham Lincoln was shot in the head while watching a play, and his Secretary of State, at a different location, was seriously injured. The President died early the next day, changing the course of our nation post-war. Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, escaped, but was cornered in a barn near Port Royal, Virginia on April 26, and was mortally wounded. And, also on April 26, the largest Confederate surrender occurred at Bennett House, near Durham, North Carolina.
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles from North Carolina, Vicksburg, Mississippi had become a gathering place for former Civil War soldiers in transit. Many of them were released prisoners of war, some survivors of one of the most notorious POW camps, Andersonville (Camp Sumter) in Georgia. All were eager to go home.
The Mississippi River was at flood stage. Many levees had been destroyed during the war. In the best of times, the Mississippi was a treacherous river to navigate. Riverboat pilots were well trained. The best known perhaps was Samuel Clemens, who later became famous as author Mark Twain.
Under the circumstances, the river was even more dangerous than usual.
With the crush of soldiers waiting for transit, a luxury steamboat called the Sultana was pressed into service. Built in 1863, it had a legal capacity of 376. But when it left Vicksburg it was crammed with over 2,100 soldiers. Many were weakened by their recent POW experiences.
On April 26, the Sultana arrived in Helena, Arkansas, having successfully navigated the flooding river. Perhaps the last known photos of the ship was taken there, clearly showing the overcrowded conditions. From there, the next stop was Memphis, Tennessee. The Sultana arrived in Memphis around 7pm on April 26 and left Memphis about midnight.
Around 2am, the Sultana, by then only about seven miles north of Memphis, exploded. Many survivors were just too weak to save themselves. Others were severely burned, or suffered from hypothermia in the ice cold river. Hundreds went down, clinging to each other. Others survived by clinging to trees jutting out of the flooded river.
The exact death toll is not known, as some bodies were never recovered, but the official death toll stands at 1,800 (mostly men, but also a handful of women). Some survivor accounts are available online, if you are interested, and there are other resources available online, and on Facebook.
Why did the Sultana explode? Was it due to the overcrowding? Or, was it, as some believe, sabotage? Or was it due to the design of the tubular boilers that powered it, a design known to be dangerous? There has been speculation over the years, not only about the explosion, but why the Sultana was so overcrowded. Who benefited financially from the overcrowding? There are many online sources filled with information about this disaster - I invite you to read more (and the purpose of this blog post is not to speculate.)
Why is this disaster not well known today? I speculate that, in the four years prior, we in the United States had become inured to massive death tolls in Civil War battles. Gettysburg. Chickamauga. Spotsylvania Court House. The Wilderness. Chancellorsville. Shiloh. Stones River. Antietam. When you have 51,000 casualties (dead, injured, captured) in one battle (Gettysburg), what is 1,800 in comparison?
And, with the war basically over, people were still dying. On the Sultana, some 1,800 humans died, not due to battle or POW camp, but because of a maritime disaster unknown to many today.
Perhaps the 150th anniversary tomorrow will change that.
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tennessee. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Sunday, November 2, 2014
Civil War Sunday- Moments That Changed History
Consider this statue in front of the Broome County Courthouse in Binghamton, New York. I pass it several times a week.
You are looking at someone who could have been President of the United States if only he had been chosen to run with Abraham Lincoln in 1864. Yet, chances are, you've never heard of him. His name was Daniel Dickinson, and he was a minor player in this incredible story.
To tell this story, I must tell a story about the United States Presidency.
In the United States, our Constitution (through the 22nd Amendment) currently limits a President to two full elected four year terms. That amendment did not exist in 1864, but tradition worked to similarly limit Presidential terms.
War between our States threatened as soon as Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860. Barely was Lincoln inaugurated with his Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin (March 4, 1861) than war broke out in Charleston, South Carolina (a state that had seceded the previous December 20th). Lincoln was a peacetime President for just a tiny bit more than a month, as the Civil War formally began on April 12, 1861. The saying "brother against brother" was no cliche. Families were torn apart.
Now, in the summer of 1864, it was time for a Presidential election. And the beauty of our system is, such an election has never, before or since been delayed or called off for any reason.
Would Lincoln run for reelection in 1864? And, would he have a different running mate for Vice-President? (In our system, the President and Vice-President run on one ticket). And would Lincoln even be able to run as the candidate of his own party, the Republican Party?
There were so many reasons for Lincoln not to run. Many people were not happy with his handling of the war, including some in his own political party. In fact, his political party, the Republicans, were a third party in 1860 (the main two parties being the Whigs, and the Democrats). Yes, Lincoln was the last third party candidate ever to win our Presidency, thanks in part to a splintering of the Democratic Party.
(The 1860 election was actually quite complex, and its complexity is beyond the scope of this blog.)
But now it was 1864.
The Union and the seceded Confederate States of America had been at war for three weary years. A Union victory seemed so far away in the fall of 1864.
The last President prior to 1864 to be reelected was Andrew Jackson - in 1832. No President had been reelected to a second term since then.
But run Lincoln did. His party split. One wing called the Radical Republicans nominated not Lincoln, but explorer of the West John C. Fremont, a man who grew up in what had become the Confederacy. Other Republicans who supported Lincoln united with "War Democrats" and Lincoln ran under a combined "National Union" banner. Meanwhile, the "Peace" Democrats ran a man by the name of [General] George McClellan - a man who once commanded the Union's Army of the Potomac. Yes, McClellan ran against his Commander in Chief.
I am far from a political junkie, but I know a good story when I read one. (And if I got any of my facts wrong, I'm sure I will hear from my politically inclined readers.)
But now, back to the Vice-President. It was decided not to have Hannibal Hamlin as his Vice-President again if he won a second term. Various candidates were considered, including the former U.S. Senator from New York, and War Democrat, the very Daniel Dickinson whose statue stands in front of the Broome County Courthouse. But he wasn't chosen.
Instead, Lincoln's running mate became someone born in one Confederate State (North Carolina) who was currently the Union military governor of a Confederate state under Union control (Tennessee) - Andrew Johnson.
The Confederacy itself did not participate in the election.
The election was close.
But Lincoln won, taking all but three participating states.. To this day, there is speculation that, if the Confederate states had been allowed to vote, if McClellan would have won. As the peace candidate,what would have McClellan done as President? We'll never know for sure.
When Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865, mere days after the Civil War ended, Johnson became President.
But it just as easily could have been Daniel Dickinson, and if it had, history, again, may have been quite different.
We'll never know how different, though.
Politics are not my main interest but there are many resources online if you want to learn more about this election.
 |
| Statue of Daniel Dickinson, Binghamton, NY |
You are looking at someone who could have been President of the United States if only he had been chosen to run with Abraham Lincoln in 1864. Yet, chances are, you've never heard of him. His name was Daniel Dickinson, and he was a minor player in this incredible story.
To tell this story, I must tell a story about the United States Presidency.
In the United States, our Constitution (through the 22nd Amendment) currently limits a President to two full elected four year terms. That amendment did not exist in 1864, but tradition worked to similarly limit Presidential terms.
War between our States threatened as soon as Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860. Barely was Lincoln inaugurated with his Vice-President Hannibal Hamlin (March 4, 1861) than war broke out in Charleston, South Carolina (a state that had seceded the previous December 20th). Lincoln was a peacetime President for just a tiny bit more than a month, as the Civil War formally began on April 12, 1861. The saying "brother against brother" was no cliche. Families were torn apart.
Now, in the summer of 1864, it was time for a Presidential election. And the beauty of our system is, such an election has never, before or since been delayed or called off for any reason.
Would Lincoln run for reelection in 1864? And, would he have a different running mate for Vice-President? (In our system, the President and Vice-President run on one ticket). And would Lincoln even be able to run as the candidate of his own party, the Republican Party?
There were so many reasons for Lincoln not to run. Many people were not happy with his handling of the war, including some in his own political party. In fact, his political party, the Republicans, were a third party in 1860 (the main two parties being the Whigs, and the Democrats). Yes, Lincoln was the last third party candidate ever to win our Presidency, thanks in part to a splintering of the Democratic Party.
(The 1860 election was actually quite complex, and its complexity is beyond the scope of this blog.)
But now it was 1864.
The Union and the seceded Confederate States of America had been at war for three weary years. A Union victory seemed so far away in the fall of 1864.
The last President prior to 1864 to be reelected was Andrew Jackson - in 1832. No President had been reelected to a second term since then.
But run Lincoln did. His party split. One wing called the Radical Republicans nominated not Lincoln, but explorer of the West John C. Fremont, a man who grew up in what had become the Confederacy. Other Republicans who supported Lincoln united with "War Democrats" and Lincoln ran under a combined "National Union" banner. Meanwhile, the "Peace" Democrats ran a man by the name of [General] George McClellan - a man who once commanded the Union's Army of the Potomac. Yes, McClellan ran against his Commander in Chief.
I am far from a political junkie, but I know a good story when I read one. (And if I got any of my facts wrong, I'm sure I will hear from my politically inclined readers.)
But now, back to the Vice-President. It was decided not to have Hannibal Hamlin as his Vice-President again if he won a second term. Various candidates were considered, including the former U.S. Senator from New York, and War Democrat, the very Daniel Dickinson whose statue stands in front of the Broome County Courthouse. But he wasn't chosen.
Instead, Lincoln's running mate became someone born in one Confederate State (North Carolina) who was currently the Union military governor of a Confederate state under Union control (Tennessee) - Andrew Johnson.
The Confederacy itself did not participate in the election.
The election was close.
But Lincoln won, taking all but three participating states.. To this day, there is speculation that, if the Confederate states had been allowed to vote, if McClellan would have won. As the peace candidate,what would have McClellan done as President? We'll never know for sure.
When Lincoln was assassinated in April of 1865, mere days after the Civil War ended, Johnson became President.
But it just as easily could have been Daniel Dickinson, and if it had, history, again, may have been quite different.
We'll never know how different, though.
Politics are not my main interest but there are many resources online if you want to learn more about this election.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Civil War Sunday-Fair Garden and Sevierville
On January 27, 1864, a battle was fought in beautiful Sevier County, in Eastern Tennessee, in the Smoky Mountains. Names in that area are so peaceful sounding. The French Broad River (which I've met in Asheville, North Carolina.) The Little Pigeon River. The small community near Sevierville where the battle would be fought: Fair Garden.
It wasn't a major battle as battles go. It was a battle for control of fords and resources along the French Broad river, and "only" about 265 casualties resulted. The Union won, but had to retreat as they were low on supplies. Both sides, in fact, were hungry.
Anarchy resulted.
The country superstar Dolly Parton, many years later, grew up in Sevierville.
We were supposed to travel through the area in September of last year, but my spouse's rapidly growing cataract (since operated on) took care of that. There is lots to see in Sevierville.
People from all over our country travel to that area of Tennessee to enjoy the natural beauty, the shopping, and other attractions. But, 150 years ago. things were way different, as our country was at war with each other.
When many people think about the United States Civil War, they think of Virginia. Or perhaps, Georgia (as in "Sherman's March to the Sea"). Or, they might think of the Battle of Gettysburg, in Pennsylvania, or Antietam, in Maryland.
But, as I have blogged before, the areas beyond the East Coast aren't thought of as much by many people.
These Western states suffered greatly. Tennessee was one of several border states (states along the United States/Confederate States border). Those states especially suffered, with their populations split in loyalties between the Confederacy and the Union. Tennessee, in fact, was the last state to secede from the Union. There were many Union supporters in the Eastern portion of the state. Sevierville was no exception.
"Brother against brother" can be a cliche, but, in Tennessee, it was a reality. Sevierville was one of those "crossroads" communities that suffered, as the tides of war twisted and turned, and the city was harassed by both Confederate and Union troops.
From Civil War to major tourist attraction 150 years later in a reunited United States, I intend to check out this area one day.
And the battlefield itself? From what I can discover, it is apparently on the campus of a community college. Last year, a marker was erected to mark the spot. (Preservation of Civil War battlefields is still another subject I've blogged about - not often enough.)
Meanwhile, in a couple of weeks, I will return to the West - this time, to the remains of a town in Northwest Arkansas that no longer exists, thanks to the Civil War.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Civil War Sunday - The "Bull Run of the West"
The first major battle of the Civil War, fought a little bit more than 152 years ago, was the first Battle of Bull Run (First Manassas) near Manassas, Virginia. I've been to the battlefield (during the 150th anniversary commemoration in July of 2011), and the battle is well known.
The South bore the brunt of fighting in the Civil War - but at least one Union state was up there in the statistical count, too.
The Confederate state of Virginia was "first" (a first not exactly wanted) with 122 battles (not counting battles that took place in West Virginia, which left Virginia and rejoined the union in June of 1863) and a total of 2,154 skirmishes, battles and "other actions".
Second was the Confederate state of Tennessee, (although it had strong Union sympathies - just as the Union state of Missouri had strong Confederate sympathies) with 38 battles, and a total of 1,462 skirmishes, battles and "other actions" .
Third? The above Union state, Missouri, with 29 battles and 1,162 skirmishes, battles and "other actions".
It still amazes me, a person who grew up in New York State, but who also lived part of her life in the South (Florida, Texas, Arkansas), and in Kansas, that the "western" actions of the Civil War - Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and other states not on the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Colorado and even New Mexico and California- that we ignore a lot of the Western actions.
Take Wilson's Creek, near Republic, Missouri, for example. Its 152nd battle anniversary was yesterday. I had never heard of it until two days ago, and yet it was the second battle of the Civil War.
It was fought where it was fought despite the fact that there was no strategic city, railroad, or river there to fight over. Missouri, itself was quite important. It borders the Mississippi River, a river still extremely important to the commerce of our nation. It bordered both Confederate and Union states, something that put it in an uncomfortable position. It was the eighth most populous state in the Union in 1860, and its citizens fought for both North and South.
Missouri allowed slavery. Since it stayed in the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not directly affect it or the other slave states that stayed in the Union (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky). Missouri would not abolish slavery until 1865.
And one piece of trivia; The famous outlaw Jesse James' brother Frank fought in the battle. Jesse joined the war later, as a guerrilla fighter.
It was a Confederate victory, but it paved the way for Missouri to stay in the Union.
And the lessons of Wilson's Creek?
-Just because you win a battle doesn't mean you will stay victorious unless you immediately take advantage of your victory (the Confederates did not take proper follow-up - something both sides were guilty of on several occasions);
-All is not lost if you don't win initial battles in the war (the action that started the War, the shelling of Ft. Sumter in South Carolina, the first Battle of Bull Run and Wilson's Creek were all Confederate victories) and you can't depend on early victories;
-If your enemy's attention is drawn to your victory and realizes it must act, it was really not a victory. Indeed, the Union forces paid attention to this defeat, regrouped, and gained a major victory in 1862 at the Battle of Pea Ridge, March 6-8, 1862, in nearby Arkansas.
Missouri stayed in the Union.
And, most of all:
The Civil War was going to be a battle of, literally, brother against brother, starting almost immediately. Wilson's Creek, for example, featured Joseph Shelby, of the Missouri State Guard, fighting for the Confederates and his step brother, Cary Gratz, of the1st Missouri Infantry, fighting for the United States Army. Gratz died in the battle. Shelby, on the other hand, survived and might have become a general hadn't the war ended when it did, and - well, you'll have to read it for yourself.
The Civil War histories of Missouri and a Union state it bordered, Kansas, are quite fascinating and something I will feature in my blog
Later this year, I hope to visit some battlefields not on the Eastern Seaboard, although, unfortunately (a factor of both timing and the recent flooding in that part of Missouri) I won't be able to get to Wilson's Creek.
Later this month, Civil War Sunday will go on hiatus, while I gather additional material to explore the Western fronts.
The South bore the brunt of fighting in the Civil War - but at least one Union state was up there in the statistical count, too.
The Confederate state of Virginia was "first" (a first not exactly wanted) with 122 battles (not counting battles that took place in West Virginia, which left Virginia and rejoined the union in June of 1863) and a total of 2,154 skirmishes, battles and "other actions".
Second was the Confederate state of Tennessee, (although it had strong Union sympathies - just as the Union state of Missouri had strong Confederate sympathies) with 38 battles, and a total of 1,462 skirmishes, battles and "other actions" .
Third? The above Union state, Missouri, with 29 battles and 1,162 skirmishes, battles and "other actions".
It still amazes me, a person who grew up in New York State, but who also lived part of her life in the South (Florida, Texas, Arkansas), and in Kansas, that the "western" actions of the Civil War - Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas and other states not on the Eastern Seaboard all the way to Colorado and even New Mexico and California- that we ignore a lot of the Western actions.
Take Wilson's Creek, near Republic, Missouri, for example. Its 152nd battle anniversary was yesterday. I had never heard of it until two days ago, and yet it was the second battle of the Civil War.
It was fought where it was fought despite the fact that there was no strategic city, railroad, or river there to fight over. Missouri, itself was quite important. It borders the Mississippi River, a river still extremely important to the commerce of our nation. It bordered both Confederate and Union states, something that put it in an uncomfortable position. It was the eighth most populous state in the Union in 1860, and its citizens fought for both North and South.
Missouri allowed slavery. Since it stayed in the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 did not directly affect it or the other slave states that stayed in the Union (Maryland, Delaware, Kentucky). Missouri would not abolish slavery until 1865.
And one piece of trivia; The famous outlaw Jesse James' brother Frank fought in the battle. Jesse joined the war later, as a guerrilla fighter.
It was a Confederate victory, but it paved the way for Missouri to stay in the Union.
And the lessons of Wilson's Creek?
-Just because you win a battle doesn't mean you will stay victorious unless you immediately take advantage of your victory (the Confederates did not take proper follow-up - something both sides were guilty of on several occasions);
-All is not lost if you don't win initial battles in the war (the action that started the War, the shelling of Ft. Sumter in South Carolina, the first Battle of Bull Run and Wilson's Creek were all Confederate victories) and you can't depend on early victories;
-If your enemy's attention is drawn to your victory and realizes it must act, it was really not a victory. Indeed, the Union forces paid attention to this defeat, regrouped, and gained a major victory in 1862 at the Battle of Pea Ridge, March 6-8, 1862, in nearby Arkansas.
Missouri stayed in the Union.
And, most of all:
The Civil War was going to be a battle of, literally, brother against brother, starting almost immediately. Wilson's Creek, for example, featured Joseph Shelby, of the Missouri State Guard, fighting for the Confederates and his step brother, Cary Gratz, of the1st Missouri Infantry, fighting for the United States Army. Gratz died in the battle. Shelby, on the other hand, survived and might have become a general hadn't the war ended when it did, and - well, you'll have to read it for yourself.
The Civil War histories of Missouri and a Union state it bordered, Kansas, are quite fascinating and something I will feature in my blog
Later this year, I hope to visit some battlefields not on the Eastern Seaboard, although, unfortunately (a factor of both timing and the recent flooding in that part of Missouri) I won't be able to get to Wilson's Creek.
Later this month, Civil War Sunday will go on hiatus, while I gather additional material to explore the Western fronts.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Civil War Sunday - Today's Snapshot of the Civil War
Thank you, friends and relatives, who gave me United States Civil War related books for both my birthday and Christmas - I promise I am looking at these books (little by little) and will feature them (eventually) in my blog.
For today, I am keeping a promise to feature the "west" more in my blogs. So much attention seems to be paid to the Southeast (especially Virginia)and I am guilty of it because I grew up in, and live in, New York State. However, we must keep in mind that the Civil War was far ranging, a lot more far ranging than many people realize.
Virginia had the greatest number of battles - but Tennessee was second.
The best way to learn about the Civil War is source material - including newspapers of the area.
You may be interested in these exerpts from a Memphis, Tennessee newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal from December, 1862 and January, 1863. These include
The Ku Klux Klan is post-Civil War and beyond the scope of this Civil War Sunday feature of my blog. But, the Klan was an outgrowth of the Civil War and deserves mention. I've blogged before that we are still fighting the Civil War almost 150 years after it ended- and, sadly, the Klan trying to recruit membership in its native Tennessee on Friday helps to prove that I am correct.
How sad.
For today, I am keeping a promise to feature the "west" more in my blogs. So much attention seems to be paid to the Southeast (especially Virginia)and I am guilty of it because I grew up in, and live in, New York State. However, we must keep in mind that the Civil War was far ranging, a lot more far ranging than many people realize.
Virginia had the greatest number of battles - but Tennessee was second.
The best way to learn about the Civil War is source material - including newspapers of the area.
You may be interested in these exerpts from a Memphis, Tennessee newspaper, the Memphis Daily Appeal from December, 1862 and January, 1863. These include
- -reactions, from the Confederate viewpoint, of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln of the United States on January 1, 1863;
- news from Vicksburg, Mississippi, which the Federals were attempting to take so the North could take control of the Mississippi River - a river still immensely important to our national commerce;
- and, an article about women suffering from "lack of snuff" (a tobacco product) due to the war.
The Ku Klux Klan is post-Civil War and beyond the scope of this Civil War Sunday feature of my blog. But, the Klan was an outgrowth of the Civil War and deserves mention. I've blogged before that we are still fighting the Civil War almost 150 years after it ended- and, sadly, the Klan trying to recruit membership in its native Tennessee on Friday helps to prove that I am correct.
How sad.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Civil War Sunday - All Was Not Quiet on the Western Front
The man in the Tennessee welcome center greeted my spouse and I with a smile and asked us to sign their visitor register. It was the third week of September, and we were on our way home (upstate NY) from western North Carolina.
I had nearly visited Tennessee (for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing commemoration) in late March but we had looked into motel rooms too late. But, I told the gentleman, I was interested in the Civil War and did he have any material I could use for a future visit.
He looked at me with a smile. He sure did. Did you know, he asked, that Tennessee, after Virginia, had the most number of battles in the war?
No - although it did not surprise me. But it did point to something that I have been negligent about blogging during my Sunday posts about the West. Shame on me. I used to live in Arkansas and commuted through two Civil War battlefields on the way to work each weekday for almost 5 years. I lived in Kansas, the site of a battle few have heard of - Mine Creek (Osage).
When people think "Civil War" they think Virginia, they think Maryland, they think Georgia, and maybe South Carolina. Next year they will be thinking Pennsylvania, too, as we approach the 150th anniversary of the perhaps most well known battle of all, Gettysburg.
They do not think about how widespread the war was. It was fought in the then New Mexico territory. It was fought in Kansas, in Missouri, in Mississippi. There was a small battle fought in Arizona on April 15, 1862, less than 10 days after Shiloh. The skirmish of Picacho Pass was fought some 50 miles from Tuscon.
Surprised?
All was not quiet on the Western front. Especially not the state of Tennessee. Tennessee deserves a lot more than a few words and I promise to blog more about it in the coming months. In the meantime, know that it was the last state to secede, and many in the state were pro-Union - so much so that Abraham Lincoln's running mate in 1864 (Andrew Johnson), was from Tennessee.
Some bloggers have done an excellent job of examining the western front of the war. As we approach the 150th anniversary of the two Civil War battles (Prairie Grove and Cane Hill) I commuted through daily, I will feature one of those bloggers.
In the meantime - when you think Civil War, think the entire United States and its territories.
He looked at me with a smile. He sure did. Did you know, he asked, that Tennessee, after Virginia, had the most number of battles in the war?
No - although it did not surprise me. But it did point to something that I have been negligent about blogging during my Sunday posts about the West. Shame on me. I used to live in Arkansas and commuted through two Civil War battlefields on the way to work each weekday for almost 5 years. I lived in Kansas, the site of a battle few have heard of - Mine Creek (Osage).
When people think "Civil War" they think Virginia, they think Maryland, they think Georgia, and maybe South Carolina. Next year they will be thinking Pennsylvania, too, as we approach the 150th anniversary of the perhaps most well known battle of all, Gettysburg.
They do not think about how widespread the war was. It was fought in the then New Mexico territory. It was fought in Kansas, in Missouri, in Mississippi. There was a small battle fought in Arizona on April 15, 1862, less than 10 days after Shiloh. The skirmish of Picacho Pass was fought some 50 miles from Tuscon.
Surprised?
All was not quiet on the Western front. Especially not the state of Tennessee. Tennessee deserves a lot more than a few words and I promise to blog more about it in the coming months. In the meantime, know that it was the last state to secede, and many in the state were pro-Union - so much so that Abraham Lincoln's running mate in 1864 (Andrew Johnson), was from Tennessee.
In the meantime - when you think Civil War, think the entire United States and its territories.
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