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Posts Tagged ‘Washington’
In 1861, anti-recruitment riots in Baltimore marked a key moment in the Civil War. Tensions were high as Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers angered Southern sympathizers, especially in divided states like Maryland. When the 6th Massachusetts Infantry arrived in Baltimore, they were attacked by an agitated mob. In self-defense, the soldiers fired […]
Join Park Ranger Caroline Liaupsin in an exploration of the National Mall in the years leading up to, during, and after the US Civil War. Discover the unique landscape design, territorial battles between government agencies, the structures that inhabited the mall, why there were so many cattle there, and much more. Caroline Liaupsin is a park ranger at the […]
At the Medical Lake Cemetery in Spokane, Washington, a family who migrated from Maine in the 1870s is laid to rest. Among the headstones stands a cenotaph for the eldest child: Madison Frederick Boissonnault. While they honored the passing of their soldier kin, you will not find Madison’s remains in Washington State […]
On January 30, 1865, Washington was abuzz with gossip. A government clerk named Adoniram Burroughs had been shot twice at the Treasury Department. At a time when death was seemingly everywhere due to the war, this incident managed to stand out. A key detail traveled with the story: the killer was a […]
Women’s contributions during the American Civil War were substantial. Thousands on both sides served as nurses, while others manufactured ammunition. Some even took up arms in the battle between North and South. Historic Congressional Cemetery is the final resting place of numerous women who had active roles in the deadliest American […]
Learn the incredible story of the highest-ranking African American in the Civil War! Join us at the Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Office on February 28 at 2:00 PM as historian and re-enactor Dr. Michael A. Hill presents the story of Brevet Lt. Col. Alexander T. Augusta, M.D.: the first African American to be commissioned […]
On December 18, 1865, following the ratification of the 13th Amendment, President Andrew Johnson addressed the United States Senate. He declared: I have the honor to state that the rebellion waged by a portion of the people against the properly constituted authority of the Government of the United States has been suppressed; […]
Massachusetts has an undisputed claim on Thanksgiving. The story of the Mayflower, early America’s tough start, and the meal shared between Native Americans and Pilgrims in 1621 is part of our national identity. But Washington, D.C. deserves some credit for the holiday too. For it was here, in an attempt to lift […]
Fall brings changing leaves and, for some, an appetite for visiting graveyards. Holidays like Halloween and Day of the Dead inspire us to walk among these final resting places. Clara Barton passed away in her Glen Echo, Maryland, home on April 12, 1912. Her body was transported to North Oxford, Massachusetts, where […]
When an assassin’s bullet struck James Garfield in July 1881, the battle to save the president’s life began. In the weeks that followed, doctors argued over how to treat the stricken executive. In the end, Dr. D. Willard Bliss, a former Civil War surgeon, took control of Garfield’s recovery and controversy has […]
