This week: Wanted, A Leader; Congress cuts military budget; J.E.B. Stuart in Kansas; John Brown in Grinnell, Iowa; Daniel Sickles & the murder of Francis Barton Key.

Join me each week (Tuesday) as I spotlight people & events that eventually lead us into the four-year battle. If you'd like to start at the beginning, there is a playlist of all recap videos to-date, starting with January 1, 1859.

This week: Oregon becomes a state; Indiana gets its Senators; the Lecompton Constitution; President Buchanan wants war powers; fake news about John Brown; horrible consequences for the Doy freedom seekers; how much does it cost the President to live at the White House; a letter in the African Repository

As always, I invite you to join me each week (Tuesday) as I spotlight people & events that eventually lead us into the four-year battle. If you'd like to start at the beginning, there is a playlist of all recap videos to-date, starting with January 1, 1859.

I apologize for the delay! As you can see by previous blog posts, I spent a couple of weeks down South, and I didn't have time to work on the most recent video until I got back home.

This week: Arkansas passes a bill to rid the state of all free African Americans; Virginia is not pleased with President Buchanan; Abraham Lincoln as speaker & lawyer on his 50th birthday; Louisiana discusses a bill that would allow them to import enslaved people from outside the U.S.; Edwin Stanton; Pierce Mease Butler squanders his fortune & it's the enslaved people that will pay

As always, I invite you to join me each week (Tuesday) as I spotlight people & events that eventually lead us into the four-year battle. If you'd like to start at the beginning, there is a playlist of all recap videos to-date, starting with January 1, 1859.

Greetings from back home in Kentucky! We've barely unpacked, and I have so many photos & videos to download that it will probably take a full day to get them all organized on my external drives. I figured I should write down my thoughts on the jam-packed last part of our trip before I start forgetting stuff! If you missed Part One, you can read it here.

We first stopped by Rosemont (Plantation) outside of Woodville, Mississippi. This is Confederate President Jefferson Davis's boyhood & family home. As you can see from the photos, even though everything I looked at said it would be open, it clearly was not. I couldn't see a house or anything from the closed fence, so it was a bit of a bust. I have been to all of Abraham Lincoln's homes, and I was really trying to be fair here. Oh well, I tried my best! Moving on...

I'm a big William Tecumseh Sherman fan, so I had to stop here. Sherman himself arranged for the two brass cannons to be donated to the school. I had seen some stuff online that said they were removed back in 2019, but they are there now. It might seem like an odd donation, but Sherman was the first Superintendent of the Louisiana State Seminary of Learning & Military Academy in Pineville, Louisiana, from late 1859 to early 1861. Once Louisiana seceded from the Union, Sherman could not continue in his role as he did not support the rebellion. This school eventually became Louisiana State University, so there is a presence here (and the next location) on campus acknowledging this history. As for the cannons, it's said the Confederates fired them on Fort Sumter (4/11/61)...but they were produced in Massachusetts in 1861, so it's possible that it's not factual.

We then drove several blocks to the LSU Memorial Tower, which houses The William A. Brookshire LSU Military Museum. The Museum was unfortunately closed (that's on our list for next time), but there were two writings outside the tower that referenced William T. Sherman; one was a carving that lists the first Board of Supervisors & Faculty, and the other was a plaque that mentions the history of the military academy, and that Sherman was the first President. For Sherman, this was his dream job after years of struggling to find himself. I think he'd be quite pleased to be remembered so favorably.

Our first stop in Natchez, Mississippi. Forks of the Road was once the second highest volume slave market in the Deep South. It now has several informative displays that talk about the slavery & also how the slave market impacted the town & its residents. There are slave chains laid in concrete, and a list of former enslaved people who served in the Civil War as U.S. soldiers during the Mississippi Valley Campaign. Even beyond this space, if you continue walking west down St. Catherine Street, there are additional markers that also relate to this site.

William Johnson was born a slave but freed by his enslaver at age 11; his enslaver had also provided freedom to his mother & sister years earlier. After a successful apprenticeship, he had a place for his business & home built in downtown Natchez, and this is what you visit today. The whole building is actually a duplex, with the left side being owned by his neighbor, Ronald McCallum, and the right-side building was owned by William. There is also a building in the back that was used as a kitchen & slave quarters. McCallum's first floor is used by the National Park Service as a visitor space, and Johnson's first floor serves as a museum. The top floor is currently closed for renovations but will showcase the Johnson residence & items from the family when it reopens. William's life is quite fascinating, and I'm eager to do a spotlight video about him in the near future because it's too much to share here. He ends up being one of the most successful black men in the state, both as a barber & landowner. He also owned slaves, which is just part of the complexity of his story. A key focus at this museum is his diary, which he started in 1835. His writings & drawings give a unique insight & perspective into his life & the lives of those he knew. William was murdered in 1851 due to a boundary dispute, and his killer was never convicted due to laws at the time that said a black person was not allowed to be a witness against a white person. I'm not doing the man justice here, so just stay tuned for a future video!

Two different sites, but within a few miles of each other. The Davis Plantations marker talks about the plantations Jefferson Davis & his older brother Joseph once had about 4 miles east of this sign. The land has since become an island in the middle of the Mississippi, so without a boat this was the closest I could get. It's ok, there are no buildings left of either Davis plantation. Winter Quarters was built in 1805, and at one point included over 2,000 acres and more than 300 enslaved persons. The family was away when the area was swarmed by the Union army in the Vicksburg campaign of 1863, but the overseer was able to get a letter of protection from two advance officers, General McPherson & General Smith. It was the only plantation home (out of 15) on the banks of Lake St. Joseph left standing, with the others being destroyed on General Sherman's orders. Excuse the raindrops on the Winter Quarters photo, we couldn't get the rain to stop! The home is temporarily closed, so we were not able to see inside.

The sun certainly came out here, and it made the ruins even more spectacular. Windsor Plantation was built by Smith Coffee Daniell II, a successful cotton planter in 1861. Unfortunately, he would die before it was completed, leaving behind his wife Catherine, their five children, and their yet to be born sixth child. The house, one of the largest private residences in the state before the Civil War, was built near Bruinsburg, MS, where Union soldiers crossed the Mississippi River during the Vicksburg Campaign. 17,000 Union soldiers would have come across the Mississippi River and seen the five-story home with these magnificent columns. General Ulysses S. Grant even used the home as his headquarters for a few days. Catherine & her children were able to remain in the home during the war. In 1890, a party-goer left a cigar on an upper balcony, and the entire home burned, leaving only some broken family items and what you see on the site today. Time has produced more destruction to the columns, but there is currently a $3.7 million restoration project going on. Though we spent a good hour taking photographs & video, I don't know if anything can do the magnificent site justice. The size & magnitude left us in awe.

This was my first time to the Vicksburg Civil War Museum in downtown Vicksburg, Mississippi. It was a quote from the owner, Charles Pendleton, on his website that made me really want to stop by: "Our goal is not to educate you but to inspire you to become more educated." I love that mission and I really loved the journey we got to take during our visit. While there are countless relics from the military side of the war, there is this other part of it that takes you on a thoughtful & impactful journey. A real sharecropper's cabin serves as a slave cabin here, and I won't give away what's inside because I want you to be as hit in the gut as I was when you hopefully go to visit. This museum encourages everyone to think more deeply about parts of our history that shouldn't just be glossed over and encourages meaningful conversation. Mr. Pendleton's passion in helping each visitor walk away wanting to learn more is felt throughout, and the man himself was even on hand for questions, comments, etc. He'll ask you some questions when you first come in, but don't be intimidated. There's no punishment for wrong answers. The big question is whether you'll leave thinking differently about your answers and feeling motivated to look into things that maybe you never thought of before. Hopefully, the answer is a positive one. Also, do what we did & ask him why he's dedicated all his time towards this venture, because it shows what can happen when one person starts a honest journey to find answers to difficult questions. I left feeling inspired to learn more about a few concepts he introduced that I had not seen a lot about in all of my other historical site visits & research, and I plan on returning again in the future to see if there are any new things that hit me the second time around. This is a must-see if you're ever in or near Vicksburg!

I thought I would celebrate Mr. Lincoln's birthday with a little video showcasing all the places I've been to in an effort to understand our 16th President. (I realized two days later that I forgot the very important Lincoln Cottage, so I wanted to give them a shout-out here!) I hope this may inspire you to visit some of these wonderful locations, each of which holds a piece of Abraham's story.

Hello from Gulf Shores, Alabama, just down the street from Fort Morgan (which we visited in 2020 and highly recommend). The trip we've had down South has been more tiring than we had hoped, but we've seen some amazing sites. Early rains messed up our plans, so we'll be circling back as we head home, hoping to hit some of the places we had to skip early on.

I'll go into more detail, likely with videos, over the next month or so, but for now here are a few places that we really enjoyed:

Did you know that Ulysses S. Grant has a Presidential Library? If you didn't, it's probably because it's at a place where most people would least expect it: Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi. Why Starkville? Well, the people who founded it felt Grant really became the infamous Grant while he was in Mississippi during the Civil War. The most awesome thing here were the Grant likenesses at four periods in his life: A cadet at West Point, a General in the Civil War (shown above, a President, and a dying man writing his memoirs so his wife would be taken care of when he passed away. They literally took all of Grant's measurements from those various times, used real life people and clothes of the same size, and made the most lifelike replicas I've ever seen. It was completely worth the long trek from a far away parking lot to the 4th floor of the Mitchell Memorial Library. And if you want a great lunch while you're there, hit The Little Dooey, an amazing BBQ joint where you could really taste the labor of love put into smoking those meats to perfection. Even thinking about it makes me want to jump in the car & drive four hours just to eat there once more before the trip ends.

In Gulfport, Mississippi, you'll find two key sites for the only President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis: Beauvoir (his final home) and The Jefferson Davis Presidential Library & Museum. They are on the same property, so head to the library/museum first to get your tickets to see the home & all the rest. Beauvoir has been tenderly cared for over the decades, even with hurricane damage & such. There are a lot of family items there and our tour guide, Donna, knew that place inside and out! I absolutely love it when the guides are really connected to the home & family they are representing. The Library also includes a museum, so it's worth it to go & spend a morning or afternoon there. There are plenty of places to sit & rest, such as on the front porch where you can see & hear the Gulf waves, in the garden, or even in one of the rooms at the Library that was playing Gods & Generals while we were there (though it was advertised the film playing was Gettysburg - so I'm guessing they switch between the two).

In New Orleans, Louisiana, down the street from the epic National World War II Museum, is Memorial Hall, Louisiana's oldest museum. It's also referred to as the Confederate Memorial Hall Museum (if you search for it online). The amount of treasures in this modest (yet architecturally magnificent) building is jaw dropping. They do a wonderful job telling the stories of the personal effects they have from each person, which gives it a lot more meaning than just random items. Yes, it is mostly stories from the Confederate side, but they are still people, and there are some very heartwarming & heartbreaking stories. Mostly heartbreaking, as one can imagine. They also have a very substantial gift shop with many items I've never seen before. If you're in the mood for pizza afterwards, G's Kitchen & Bar is where we love to go when we're in the neighborhood. It's only three or so blocks away, and easy to get to by foot.

We took our favorite ferry from Gulf Shores, Alabama to Dauphin Island, where we spent most of the day at historic Fort Gaines. Forts like these are complete gems that I can't recommend enough. They have a small museum & a decent size gift shop, but the main attraction is how accessible the fort is. It's great for the person who likes a little adventure and doesn't mind walking into some very dark, old spaces. There are beautiful views, fresh breezes...who could ask for more? And if you want to see Fort Morgan while you're down here, which is just across Mobile Bay from Fort Gaines, both are very different and I'd recommend seeing them both.

The city of Meridian, Mississippi has ten stops on its Civil War Trail. General William T. Sherman's men captured the city in February 1864 and inflicted heavy damage on it. A few of the stops are just signs talking about things that happened during the Meridian campaign. You can tour Merrehope, one of the six structures that wasn't burned down, along with several cemeteries around the area for the Confederate dead. The downtown area is quite nice, and if you're looking for a good Southern meal that is reasonably priced along with some serious dessert options, you want to go to Jean's.

This week: Major General John F. Reynolds writes to his sisters back home; the Battle of the Spurs in Kansas; Our American Cousin starring actress Laura Keene; the slave market of New Orleans; John Brown, his men & the freedom seekers cross into Iowa.

As always, I invite you to join me each week (Tuesday) as I spotlight people & events that eventually lead us into the four-year battle. If you'd like to start at the beginning, there is a playlist of all recap videos to-date, starting with January 1, 1859.