Monthly Archives: November 2019

Louis J. Weichmann was inside (to an extent) the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln and was the government’s chief witness at the conspiracy trial. Weichmann wrote a book on the subject. In 1899, Weichmann lamented that the publication of his … Continue reading →

Edwin Stanton was the Secretary of War. He is Mars, the god of war. Gideon Welles was the Secretary of the Navy. He is Neptune, god of the sea. In those times, Navy Secretary was a cabinet-level position. Not so … Continue reading →

A terrible epidemic had killed between 75 percent and 90 percent of the Wampanoag tribe. [1] Cotton Mather speaks of this in Magnalia Christi Americana: The Indians in these parts had newly, even about a year or two before, been … Continue reading →

In perhaps the closest turkey pardon contest in White House history, Butter won over Americans’ hearts by a slim margin—taking 50.3% of the vote. The other turkey, Bread, received 49.7% of the vote. The above comes from 1600 Daily for … Continue reading →

In what ought to be an instant classic, Lionel Shriver’s essay, “Lefty Lingo”, in the December 2019 issue of Harper’s magazine, identifies the glossary particular to today’s left. (Previous eras had their own fashionable argot, such as “Outta sight!”, “Far … Continue reading →

The first presidential pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey was in 1863, according to The Saturday Evening Post. Abe Lincoln’s son Tad pleaded for the bird’s life. [1] Gideon Welles, Navy Secretary during the Lincoln and Andrew Johnson administrations, in his … Continue reading →

CNN reports a new series, “Fractured States of America”, which will continue in coming days. Many parents no longer want their children marrying people from a different political party. “Americans at large dread the idea of Thanksgiving dinners with family … Continue reading →

“John Bull” is a term used in place of “England.” “John Bull,” wrote Navy Secretary Gideon Welles in his diary entry of July 27, 1863, “is unwilling to relinquish the hope of our national dismemberment. There is, on the part … Continue reading →

July 2, 1863: Dispatches received from Union General George G. Meade: a “smart fight” near Gettysburg. At 3 pm Meade by telegraph informed the War Department he was at any moment expecting an attack by the Rebels. July 4, 1863: … Continue reading →

“God bless the Russians,” wrote Navy Secretary Gideon Welles at the close of his September 25, 1863 diary entry. “The Russian fleet has come out of the Baltic and are now in New York… In sending them to this country … Continue reading →