My dear Mollie: Civil War Letters

Letter from Harvey Black in Brandy Station, Virginia. Black, descended from the founding family of Blacksburg, Virginia, served as a surgeon to the Army of Northern Virginia. In this letter to his wife Mary (whom he affectionately nicknamed Mollie) he recounts their courtship and expresses the great love he has for her.

“And how happy the thought that years increase the affection & esteem we have for each other to love & be loved. May it ever be so, and may I ever be a husband worthy of your warmest affections.”

Brandy Station, Sunday night, Nov. 1 [1863]

My dear Mollie

President Obama Says Latest Fort Hood Shooting ‘Definitely’ A Terrorist Attack

DUFFEL BLOG

FORT HOOD, Texas — In a speech to the nation at a military base rocked by another shooting which left three dead and 16 wounded, President Obama issued a defiant call to arms against the enemies of the United States while saying the attack was “definitely an act of terrorism.”

American Civil War: The After Party

If you think about it, The Civil War is the only war in US History where the veterans gather together to celebrate the anniversaries…with the “enemy.” There’s quite a bit of difference between the enemy of 1861 and the allusive enemy we face today so this scenario will likely never take place.

With that being said, to keep with the theme of the Day, (anniversary of beginning of Civil War) I’m sharing more photos of the veterans and their families celebrating on days just like today. Enjoy!

Against all enemies…

Here’s another post written by a veteran [Vietnam] friend of mine via Google Plus. He was with the Special Forces during that conflict and has dubbed himself “The Angel of Death.” He does not consider that to be a good thing stating he was “a maker of widows and orphans.” and has relived the nightmare  every day since. This is something I cannot begin to comprehend nor would I want too. His “poems” (like the following) are his views on the state of the world today, as he sees it. 

“Meet me on the Battlefield”: Civil War Reunions

Today marks the beginning of the bloodiest war the US has ever seen.The Civil war lasted four long years, and when all was said and done, the North claimed victory over the South leaving a total of over 600,000 fallen Americans Soldiers.

The Civil War begins: 1861

English: View of the flag-raising over Fort Sumter, Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina, April 14, 1865, . Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

The bloodiest four years in American history begin when Confederate shore batteries under General P.G.T. Beauregard open fire on Union-held Fort Sumter in South Carolina’s Charleston Bay. During the next 34 hours, 50 Confederate guns and mortars launched more than 4,000 rounds at the poorly supplied fort. On April 13, U.S. Major Robert Anderson surrendered the fort. Two days later, U.S. President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 volunteer soldiers to quell the Southern “insurrection.”