This is a cute little video that attempts to capture the technology behind an early Edison TV. Edison, or his assistant, can be heard chatting with Gen. Sherman at the end, inquiring whether the General would be attending upcoming festivities with Sen. Conkling. Sherman’s on-again off-again feud with Roscoe Conkling was a running joke in New York social circles.
When it comes to Gen. Benjamin Butler there is no shortage of controversy. Butler is arguably best known for his infamous General Order No. 28 of May 15, 1862, which stated that if any woman should insult or show contempt for any officer or soldier of the United States, she shall be regarded and shall be held liable to be treated as a “woman of the town plying her avocation”, i.e., a prostitute.
Most of us are familiar with Butler’s treatment of the ladies of New Orleans, but how about his handling of foreign nationals? Can someone tell me why, in the summer of 1862, Gen. Butler ordered the residents of New Orleans to register, indicating to which country they held allegiance?
There is no prize other than the pride that comes with a correct answer to an obscure question.
Interestingly, this film was done in 1982, well before the YouTube Era. You will have to excuse me, but for some reason I find this sort of video to be quite funny. This one clearly reflects the persistence of the “Grant the Drunk” narrative. A more recent video that depict Grant with bottle can be [...]
Afew months ago I reported that Mississippi State University is slated to become the new home to the Ulysses S. Grant Papers after 50 years at Southern Illinois University under the direction of John Y. Simon. Simon’s recent death raised the question of who would continue the massive project of publishing Grant’s papers until historian [...]
This is my favorite painting of the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox in April 1865. It was painted in the 1920s by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris and clearly reflects the ascendency of Lee in our national memory and imagination. Ferris titled his painting, “Let Us Have Peace” even though these words [...]