Lincoln’s Winning Hand
These political cartoons, published as cartes de visite, highlight the outcome of the 1864 presidential election in which incumbent Republican Abraham Lincoln trounced his Democratic Party rival, Maj. Gen. George
Tag: confederacy
The Celebrated Man of the Hour
Bad news flooded Northern newspapers in 1861. Secession. Fort Sumter. Riots in Baltimore and St. Louis. Lost battles at Bull Run and Ball’s Bluff. Death snuffing out young lives. News
Near Death Encounter at Camp Jackson
Less than a month after the bombardment of Fort Sumter inaugurated civil war, pro-secession militia in Missouri agitated to join the nascent Confederacy. When word leaked that the militia planned
Divided Maryland: Portraits and personal stories from the Jonathan Beasley Collection
60,000 Fought for the Union. President Abraham Lincoln celebrated Maryland’s adherence to the United States in his December 1861 Annual Message to Congress. Referencing pro-secession riots in Baltimore and other
King’s Knight to King 7: Investigating connections between Confederate agent Caleb Huse, President Jefferson Davis and the Ames Company
By Ron Maness, featuring images from the author’s collection During a chess match, moving a knight to confront the opposing king in its initial position (King 8) can result in
Carbines, Colts & Confederates
Charles Darden has collected carbines for almost a half century—and he doesn’t have any plans to stop. Darden might have focused on the unique firearm exclusively. But that changed in
On the Eve of War: Previously Unknown Portraits of Jefferson and Varina Davis Come to Light
By John O’Brien In Washington, D.C. on Jan. 21, 1861, Jefferson Davis stood on the floor of the U.S. Senate and bid farewell to his colleagues. Two weeks earlier, his
The Absolute Truth of Photos
By William C. Davis Back in 1976 when we celebrated the Bicentennial of our declaration of independence from Britain, I was often asked why it was that during the ensuing
On the Eve of a Crossroads
By Joan E. Cashin These photographs capture perfectly the dilemmas of Jefferson Davis and Varina Howell Davis in early 1861. Soon, they would depart Washington, D.C., where they had lived
Jefferson Davis at the Pinnacle of Power
By John O’Brien Before President Jefferson Davis arrived in the new Confederate capital of Richmond, Va., on May 29, 1861, his likeness preceded him. Cartes de visite and engravings of