#OTD 1864, Union victory at the Battle of Atlanta opened the door for General Sherman's March to the Sea, later capturing Savannah. 📷: Siege of Atlanta. ca. 1888. LOC. #CivilWar #USHistory #OnThisDay 1/4

“The Father of Waters again goes unvexed to the sea,” President #Lincoln said after the fall of #Vicksburg. #OTD 1863, Confederate Gen. Pemberton surrendered to Union Gen. Grant after a 47-day siege of Vicksburg, a monumental victory for the Union. #CivilWar #4thofJuly  📷: LOC

#OTD 1863, the final Confederate assault of the Battle of #Gettysburg, known as Pickett's Charge. But our focus is the Brian Farm, atop Cemetery Ridge. 1/8 📷: Detroit Publishing Co., Copyright Claimant, & Publisher Detroit Publishing Co. Gettysburg from Cemetery Ridge. LOC.

#OTD 1863, the Battle of #Gettysburg begins. Located 10 miles north of the Mason-Dixon line, let’s focus on the civilians affected by one of the most significant battles of the #CivilWar 1/6 📷: Battle of Gettysburg., ca. 1887. May 16. LOC #Documentary #BlackHistory

#OTD 1862, the Seven Days' Battle continued at the Battle of Gaines' Mill in Hanover County, Virginia. 🧵 1/4 📷: Sneden, Robert Knox. Plan of the Battle of Gaines' Mill, Virginia, fought June 26th. LOC (While dated June 26th, the battle was fought on the 27th.) #CivilWar

#OTD 1862, the Seven Days' Battle continued with the Battle of Beaver Dam Creek near Mechanicsville, Virginia. 🧵 1/5 📷: Battle of Beaverdam Creek Va., Chickahominy River. LOC. #CivilWar #USHistory #Documentary #OnThisDay

#OTD 1862, Union Gen. McClellan launched a preemptive attack known as the Battle of Oak Grove to capture Richmond, VA, beginning the Seven Days’ Battles. 1/2 📷: Major General George B. McClellan, 1861. LOC. #CivilWar #USHistory #Documentary

Our goal is to tell the untold stories of the resilience, sacrifice, & courage of Black Americans who played a pivotal role in their quest for freedom & equality. This #Juneteenth, remember the efforts that helped secure freedom for Black Americans & preserve the Union. #CivilWar

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day into law & declared #Juneteenth a national holiday. The federal government took 156 years to acknowledge this abolitionist commemoration—a long overdue recognition. 📷: Kevin Breuninger, CNBC.

The first recorded #Juneteenth celebration was in 1866. However, these commemorations were private ceremonies. TX became the first state to designate Juneteenth as a holiday in 1980. #CivilWar #USHistory #BlackHistory 📷: The Texas African American History Memorial, José Pestana

#DYK Did you know #Juneteenth is the longest-running African American holiday? Juneteenth, a Black English contraction of "June" & "Nineteenth," is celebrated as a second Independence Day. 📷: Emancipation Day Celebration 19 June 1900, Austin History Center, Austin Public Library

#OTD, June 19, 1865: #Juneteenth, the effective end to slavery in the United States of America. #CivilWar #USHistory #BlackHistory 📷: Thomas Nast, Emancipation of the Negroes – the Past and the Future, (from ‘Harper’s Weekly’),” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Jan 24, 1863.

#OTD: U.S. Major General Gordon Granger, commander of the Headquarters District of Texas, and his troops arrive in Galveston, Texas. 1/2 #CivilWar #Documentary #Galveston #USHistory 📷: Portrait of Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger, officer of the Federal Army. LOC.

As our nation prepares to celebrate #Juneteenth this Wednesday, let’s examine the #CivilWar connection of this holiday & why it is so meaningful for Black Americans. 1/3 🖼️: “The Journey.” Ted Ellis.

You can also use VENMO to send a one-time donation. All funds go to making the documentary happen, from supporting research assistants to paying participating scholars & actually recording! Every $1 counts. How many of our followers can send at least $1? Venmo: @TheCivilWarDoc

#OTD 1863, Battle of Big Black River Bridge Mississippi. General Grant’s Union troops secured victory while pursuing General Pemberton’s Confederate forces. Pemberton left 5,000 soldiers to defend Big Black River as he took the rest of his command to #Vicksburg. 1/2 #CivilWar

#OTD in 1837, the birth of Pickney Benton Stewart Pinchback, the son of a Mississippi white planter & a formerly enslaved woman. During the #CivilWar, Pinchback served as an officer in the Union army. 📷: Britannica

#OTD In 1865, Union troops captured & imprisoned Confederate President Jefferson Davis in Irnwinville, GA. After General Lee's defeat at Petersburg on April 2, 1865, Davis planned on fleeing from the east coast of FL & sailing to TX in hopes of establishing a new Confederacy. 📷: LOC #CivilWar

“Ferro lis Libertas Perveniet.”Freedom will be theirs by the sword. In May 1865, nearly two hundred #AfricanAmerican Union soldiers received the Butler Medal. This medal was the only one created during the #CivilWar honoring a specific regiment or action. 📸: NMAAHC 1/3

Last week, we mentioned General Henry Halleck, who was commanded by #PresidentLincoln to telegraph #GeneralGrant & revoke General Order No. 11. #OTD in 1862, Gen Halleck, also known as Old Brains, began a month-long objective of besieging & capturing #Corinth, Mississippi. 1/3

Cesar Kaskel was a Jewish immigrant from Prussia who moved to #Paducah, Kentucky, in 1858. #Kaskel was a staunch supporter of the Union. However, it is his response to orders issued by General Grant that would be pivotal. 1/🧵

#OTD in 1861, the state of Virginia decided to call a special convention of delegates to consider secession and days after the attack on Fort Sumter, Virginia passed its “Ordinance of Secession.” #publichistory #civilwar #ushistory

President Abraham Lincoln died of his wounds at 7:22 a.m. on April 15, 1865. Unlike the images depicted, his wife, Mary, was not in the room. A few hours later, at 11:00 a.m., Vice President Andrew Johnson took the oath of office as the 17th president. 📷 Death bed of Lincoln. 1865. LOC.

OTD 🧵April 12, 1861. Fort Sumter, South Carolina, the American Civil War officially starts. After Abraham Lincoln’s presidential victory in November 1860, SC viewed his upcoming presidency as threatening the plantation economy & called upon the state’s delegates to vote for secession from the Union.

Albert J. Myer. A thread: In 1860, the U.S. Army adopted Myer’s aerial telegraphy system, the wig-wag system - a binary code that included a single flag by day & a kerosene lamp by night. NPS notes that the Union and Confederate armies utilized the wig-wag system during the American Civil War.

While he is known as the Father of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which Union general gave the National Weather Service its first name: The Division of Telegrams and Reports for the Benefit of Commerce? Answer shared tomorrow! Image: Davis, Theodore  R. A Signal Station at Night. January 24, 1863.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: we are so excited to host Candice Hooper for a conversation about her latest book! Link and more information to follow!

Are you a Civil War era historian? We’d love to host a conversation about your work! If you’re interested, please send a DM!

We're so excited to share that Dr. Frank Cirillo took the time to talk with us about his new book, The Abolitionist Civil War: Immediatists and the Struggle to Transform the Union. You can get his book from the LSU press here: lsupress.org/978080717915...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night! Wishing you a restful week spent doing what brings you joy. We look forward to seeing you in the New Year, as 2024 has big things in store!

Guess what! It’s #GivingTuesday! We’d love (and need) your support to make this documentary possible!

Are any of our friends going to be in Gettysburg, PA this weekend for the 160th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address? Lots of fun things happening!

Wow, how cool: @sciam wrote about Rebecca Lee Crumpler, born in 1831. She was the first African American female medical doctor in the U.S. and is considered the first Black person to publish a medical book. #histmed #blackhistory #ushistory

#OTD 1862 - General Ambrose Burnside assumed command of the Union Army of the Potomac.

#OTD in 1860, Americans elected Abraham Lincoln into office. #history #ushistory #impendingcrisis #civilwar

Friendly reminder that this documentary project is only possible with the support of friends and followers like you! Please consider supporting us over on Patreon for as little as $3/mo! We'll send you some swag! Thank you for all of your support! www.patreon.com/TheCivilWarDoc

We're sitting on some exciting news! Do you want to know who we've added to our creative team? Like/Follow/Comment and we'll share! #staytuned

What is one question about/aspect of the Civil War that you really want addressed in a documentary?

1862. Seriously. 🤦‍♀️

After the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam, President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 2023.

"If slaves will make good soldiers, our whole theory of slavery is wrong." - Unknown

Hey friends! We’re looking for an independent book store to partner with for our forthcoming book club! Please tag your favorite small bookstore business! Thanks! #civilwar #booklovers #ushistory #bookclub

You can watch the first segment of our trailer here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cw5KcolO2s5/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

🗃️ The Richards Center is searching for TWO postdoctoral fellows to begin next fall—one in Civil War Era history & one in African American history! These are 2-year fellowships w/ research & moving funds & no teaching. Please share widely! AFAM position here: psu.wd1.myworkdayjobs.com/en-US/PSU_Ac...

We're also sponsored by The Southern Documentary Fund, and one-time donations can be sent here: southerndocumentaryfund.org/thecivilwar/ Donations of $250 or more are tax deductible!

We're a forthcoming documentary led by historian Dr. Keri Leigh Merritt. To help make this project possible, please consider subscribing and donating over on Patreon: www.patreon.com/TheCivilWarDoc All proceeds directly support researchers on the project and making the film possible