Christmas During the Civil War

Many of the current Christmas traditions celebrated today actually started during the Civil War era. Although Christmas wasn't an official holiday until President Ulysses S. Grant made it one in 1870, many Americans observed the holiday throughout the war as a way to find comfort and bond with family members through long-lost traditions...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/christmas-during-the-civil-war/

The Diary of John Wilkes Booth

When John Wilkes Booth fled Ford's Theater after shooting Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, he was chased down and killed in a barn on a farm in Virginia two weeks later. Officers found a red leather diary on his body that contained only two entries along with photos of five women. In the entries, which were later published in the New York Times, John Wilkes Booth defended his actions and denied that killing the president was wrong or immoral. He also expressed his anger at being hunted by the police and stated he couldn't understand why he was being persecuted instead of thanked...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/the-diary-of-john-wilkes-booth/

Timeline of the Civil War

October 1859:

John Brown's raid on Harper’s Ferry, Virginia.

December 1859:

Brown is hanged for murder and treason at Charles Town, Virginia. John Wilkes Booth watches the execution from the crowd.

November 1860:

Abraham Lincoln is elected President.

December 1860:

Lincoln’s election triggers South Carolina to secede from the Union.

January 1860 – February 1861:

Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas secede from the Union.

January 1861:

Kansas is admitted as a free state...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/timeline-of-the-civil-war/

Battle of Gettysburg

The Battle of Gettysburg was a three day battle considered by many as a major turning point in the Civil War. The battle was fought on July 1, 2 and 3 of 1863 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania between troops led by General Robert E. Lee and General George G. Meade. With 51,000 casualties by the battle's end, more soldiers died on the Gettysburg battlefield than on any other battlefield in North America. The battle was a part of General Lee's ambitious plan to invade the north after his troops successfully defeated Union troops at the battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia in the spring of 1863...Click here to read more:

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Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee was a distinguished Confederate general who bravely led his troops against Ulysses S.Grant and the Union army until his defeat at the Appomattox courthouse in April of 1865...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/robert-e-lee/

Robert Ford – The Man Who Shot Jesse James

Robert Ford was an outlaw from Missouri born on January 31, 1862. Like many young Missouri men of his time, he grew up admiring the war record and exploits of the famous bandit, Jesse James, a fellow Missouri native...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/robert-ford-the-man-who-shot-jesse-james/

Jesse James: The Confederate Guerilla

Jesse James, one of the most violent outlaws of the wild west, got his first taste for violence as a Confederate guerrilla during the Civil War...Click here to read more: http://civilwarsaga.com/jesse-james-the-confederate-guerilla/