Today in 1776: “… conceived in liberty…”

Today in 1776, fifty-six men gathered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to discuss a public declaration of the adoption of the Lee resolution, “that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, Free and Independent states…”

The Declaration of Independence, originally drafted by Thomas Jefferson, was debated, edited, and ultimately adopted by the end of the day. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” it said, “that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

Jefferson would later write over and over again of the “sacred fire” kindled on that July day, and he knew that the light of liberty would “spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished…” (letter to John Adams, September 12, 1821). And throughout history, Jefferson has been proved right, even in his own country. Though Jefferson was never able to reconcile the issue of slavery for the Republic or even in his own personal circumstances, the sacred fire which he so succinctly captured in the Declaration would still be burning to set men free four-score and seven years later.

On July 4, 1863, Confederate General Robert E. Lee was leading the Army of Northern Virginia in retreat to the Potomac after the defeat at Gettysburg, and Ulysses S. Grant was leading the Union army under his command to victory at Vicksburg, Mississippi. The tide of Civil War was turning.

Today, our nation was, as Abraham Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address, “conceived in liberty.” Our country was “trusted with the destinies of this solitary republic of the world, the only monument of human rights, and the sole depository of the sacred fire of freedom and self-government, from hence it is to be lighted up in other regions of the earth…” (Jefferson, March 4, 1808), and today light and liberty are still on steady advance.

Happy Independence Day, friends. May every day find us “…with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,” for the continual support of the freedoms upon which our country was founded, together may “we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

Today in 1863: “On great fields, something stays.”

“In great deeds, something abides. On great fields, something stays. Forms change and pass; bodies disappear; but spirits linger, to consecrate ground for the vision-place of souls. And reverent men and women from afar, and generations that know us not and that we know not of, heart-drawn to see where and by whom great things were suffered and done for them, shall come to this deathless field, to ponder and dream; and lo! the shadow of a mighty presence shall wrap them in its bosom, and the power of the vision pass into their souls.” — Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain’s address at the dedication of the 20th Maine monument.

150 years ago today, the Battle of Gettysburg ends at the cost of 51,000 casualties from both armies. The Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, under the command of Robert E. Lee, invaded the north late in June. The Army of Northern Virginia had successfully repulsed the Union Army on multiple occasions, and the situation was perilous. If Lee destroyed the Union Army of the Potomac in the north, there would be nothing to prevent him from continuing on to Washington, and ultimately, the breaking off of the Confederate states forever.

On July 1, 1863, Union Cavalry encountered Confederate Infantry just outside Gettysburg, setting off what would be a three-day engagement with horrific losses. By the end of the first day, most of both armies had converged outside Gettysburg and the Union held the high ground. On July 2nd, Lee ordered assaults which were tactically unsuccessful but very costly for the Union army.

Lee’s next move is inexplicable, given his experiences at Fredericksburg (which, essentially, was Gettysburg in reverse and happened not VERY long before). On July 3rd, he ordered a Napoleonic charge at the Union center, which he believed to be vulnerable. The assault, which later was known as Pickett’s Charge, sent divisions under Gen. Longstreet over a mile of open field under heavy fire from Union guns on the high ground. In the end, the Army of Northern Virginia was only briefly able to break the Union center. They were soundly defeated and sustained heavy losses. On July 4, 1863, Lee’s army retreated south. The Confederacy would never recover.

The Civil War Trust has been live-tweeting the event, and their feed is really worth a scroll-through for a good narration of the action. The Smithsonian also has a really snazzy interactive post on their website that walks you through the battle and allows you to see the ground. For more on Gettysburg, be sure to check out the Civil War Trust’s page.

I was up at Gettysburg this last weekend to kick off the 150th festivities. On Sunday night, the Park Service along with the Gettysburg Foundation held a commemorative service which included a dramatic account of the battle narrated by actors reading eye-witness accounts, Trace Adkins singing the national anthem, speeches by Charlie Gibson and Doris Kearns Goodwin (author of Team Of Rivals), and an illumination of the graves of the Union soldiers’ graves at Soldiers National Cemetery, lead by the Old Guard (widely known as the US Army Infantry Regiment which guards the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington).

Being there on the eve of the 150th anniversary of the battle was like being on one side of a one-way mirror; I could see everything. The nearness was palpable, I was inexorably tied to what happened, but could not touch it or hold it in my hands or change it. Standing there on that field, where the beauty, peace, and calm belied strife of a century past, I was a witness. And I understood more completely than ever before the words of Pres. Abraham Lincoln:

“… we can not dedicate — we can not consecrate — we can not hallow — this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us — that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion — that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain — that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” — Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.

Life Update: “… peculiar ambition.”

“Every man is said to have his peculiar ambition.”  — Abraham Lincoln

It was ambitious of me indeed to think that I would have ANY time (or, energy, rather) AT ALL between all of my zaney travels this month. I’ve been tweeting where I can, but clearly I’m behind. I’m looking forward to having this weekend to recuperate, write some more, and maybe actually get some laundry done. But mostly I’m hoping for some focus.

I was diagnosed with ADD when I was in middle school — and I don’t say that because I just get bored easily. Some days, it’s feels like I have two dozen TV sets on and set to different channels in my brain. The amount of energy I expend to pay attention for a half-hour lecture is exhausting — but I can do it. Over the years I learned coping mechanisms to get things done because I can’t take medication for it without feeling like a zombie, but it’s recently occurred to me that I’ve never tried to actually focus on things outside school and now, work.

I have a lot of things I want to do, but I never seem to get anywhere on them because OH HEY SHINY.

So, over the next couple of months I’m going to try some new routines and see if I can’t apply myself to my hobbies and talents. God doesn’t waste blessings, and I shouldn’t waste the ones he gave me.

That said, I’m looking forward to getting some writing done this weekend to chronicle Dolly’s-Tour-Of-Hot-And-Dusty-Places for next week’s posts and planning some more content. Maybe I’ll finally get some more stuff on Pinterest, too. Who knows. As for the rest of this week: Gettysburg and Independence Day, of course!

Tasty History: Ice Cream

I feel like before I start I need to offer the general disclaimer that I’m not a historian, did not study history in college, and didn’t really get into history until pretty recently in my life so sometimes I’m probably going to sound like I’m stating the obvious. This may be one of those times. So bear with me.

My best friend, Gwen, and I were in Colonial Williamsburg this weekend. We had an amazing time and ate TONS of good food. I’d heard tell before we got there that M. Dubois Grocery would be open when we got there. While it would have been fun to see it as an historic trade (like the Apothecary or Milliner, where you can see what shops were like in the 18th century), it was equally fun to see it set up, open, and serving ice cream (and other things, of course).

Which got me thinking… how does one make ice cream in the 18th century? You know, before refrigeration was invented? That is, I knew they had ice cream in the 18th Century; Dolley Madison and Martha Washington both reportedly served it at receptions hosted by their husbands as President. So I did a little digging, and apparently ice was harvested in winter from rivers and lakes, and kept in semi-underground ice houses throughout the year. The Papers of George Washington has an interesting article you can read on the ice house at the Executive Mansion in Philadelphia.

All this to say, I knew that ice cream absent a refrigerator was possible if you could find ice (therefore a possibility in winter), but I didn’t realize that ice houses were capable of keeping things freezing for so long.

The other fun find from this little research project (read: Google search) was the discovery that the Library of Congress is in possession of Thomas Jefferson’s Vanilla Ice Cream recipe. Paula Deen helpfully has a modern/transcribed version here. Happy eating!

Today in 1775: “…the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends…”

Today in 1775, British General William Howe lands troops on the Charlestown Penninsula and marches them up Breed’s Hill, just below Bunker Hill and fortified by the American militia, and what becomes known as the Battle of Bunker Hill begins. Though the Americans were outnumbered and eventually forced to retreat, the the British casualties were far, FAR higher than the American losses.

Abigail Adams wrote the following to her husband on June 18, 1775:

“The Day; perhaps the decisive Day is come on which the fate of America depends. my bursting Heart must find vent at my pen. I have just heard that our dear Friend Dr. Warren is no more but fell gloriously fighting for his Country-saying better to die honourably in the field than ignominiously hang upon the Gallows. great is our Loss. He has distinguished himself in every engagement, by his courage and fortitude, by animating the Soldiers & leading them on by his own example — a particular account of these dreadful, but I hope Glorious Days will be transmitted you, no doubt in the exactest manner.

The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong — but the God of Israel is he that giveth strength & power unto his people. Trust in him at all times ye people pour out your hearts before him. God is a refuge for us. –Charlstown is laid in ashes. The Battle began upon our intrenchments upon Bunkers Hill, a Saturday morning about 3 oclock & has not ceased yet & tis now 3 o’clock Sabbeth afternoon…” 

Dr. Joseph Warren, friend of the Adams’, was the influential leader of the cause of liberty in Boston. In fact, it was Warren who sent Paul Revere on his infamous Midnight Ride to warn of the British approach to Lexington and Concord. His death was a major blow to the Americans. You can read more about Warren here.

Of personal note, one of my Patriot ancestors, Reuben Woolworth, was there. He was 22 at the time.

Reuben was one of twelve* brothers born to Timothy and Mercy Woolworth of Suffield, Connecticut. He was one of five Woolworth children to serve in the Revolutionary War; he also was at the Battle of Lexington and the Siege of New York.

*And that’s just the boys, yall. The Woolworths had two daughters, Mercy and Lucy. That’s fourteen kids. Phew.

Today in 1777: Thirteen stripes and thirteen stars

Happy Flag Day! On this day in 1777, the Continental Congress passes a resolution:

“Resolved that the flag of the thirteen united states be 13 stripes alternate red and white, that the union be 13 stars white in a blue field representing a new constellation.”

Flag Day was officially recognized by Congress in 1949 when it passed a law:

“(a) Designation.— June 14 is Flag Day.
(b) Proclamation.— The President is requested to issue each year a proclamation—

1. calling on United States Government officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on Flag Day; and
2. urging the people of the United States to observe Flag Day as the anniversary of the adoption on June 14, 1777, by the Continental Congress of the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the United States.”

Today in 1776: “… all men are born equally free…”

Today in 1776, the First Virginia Convention in Williamsburg adopts the Declaration of Rights, drafted by George Mason. The language used in the Virginia Declaration of Rights was used by Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence, which would be adopted by the Continental Congress a few weeks later:

“… all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety.”

You can read the entire Declaration of Rights at Archives.gov.

Adventures in Genealogy: Letters

On June 8, 1864, Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republican party to seek a second term as president.  News spread across the country at a moderate pace, and by June 11, 1864, it reached the ears of the men of the 115th Ohio Infantry Regiment stationed at Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Among them was my three-times great-grandfather, Edward Ellis.

Edward was born in Pennsylvania on April 5, 1835, to Thomas and Mary Ellis who emigrated to America from Wales. He married Elizabeth Ellen Evans, also from Wales, on April 12, 1855. I haven’t really been able to figure out how they ended up in Ohio, but Edward and Elizabeth lived in Summit County with their two children, Charles and Nettie, who is my two-times great-grandmother.

Edward was 30 when he enlisted in the Union Army (the 115th Ohio Infantry) on August 14, 1862; he was taken as a prisoner of war in December of 1864 and held at Andersonville prison camp. Miraculously, he survived Andersonville, but died in the explosion of the Sultana in 1865 on his way back home.  He wrote prolifically to his wife throughout his service during the Civil War, and I count myself very blessed to have copies of his correspondence that came to my family through our Ellis cousins. I’ve been working my way through his letters and transcribing them for the public record. It’s really heartbreaking to read some of his letters, particularly the ones he wrote just after being liberated from Andersonville. He was very eager to see his family again, but never got the chance.

Edward’s letters are all rather clincial; he gives reports rather than his opinions (other than his nearly-constant and understandable desire to see his wife and kids) most of the time, so the post-script of his June 11, 1864 letter caught my attention:

“Old Abe has been nominated to be our president for the next term, he is my choice and the choice of most of the soldiers, next to him would be Butler, the vice president is to be Andy Johnson of this state another good man, Hurrah for Lincoln and Johnson.”

Not sure he ever got that furlough — but I’m not done going through the over 400 pages of letters yet. So, to be continued…

Life Update: “Interesting occupations…”

“Interesting occupations are essential to happiness: indeed the whole art of being happy consists in the art of finding emploiment. I know none so interesting, and which croud upon us so much, as those of a domestic nature.” — Thomas Jefferson to his daughter, Martha. 

After looking at my calendar and realizing that I’m going to be out of town every weekend between now and the Fourth of July, I think Jefferson would approve. I have no earthly idea how I’ll get anything accomplished between now and July, but I’m confident that God will give me the time I need to do what needs doing. He’s surprising and good that way.

I am SO excited for this coming weekend because my best friend from high school is coming to visit and we’re driving down to Colonial Williamsburg for the weekend. She’s never been, and I’m suffering from withdrawl because the last time I was there was in April (my name is Dolly, and I have a problem).  I will surely be tweeting pictures and all sorts of nonsense, so make sure you give me a follow.

Of course, this will make blogging for the next month or so interesting, because I usually write on the weekends. And the weekend after next I’ll be back in Iowa for a visit with my family, and the weekend after THAT I’ll be in Gettysburg for the re-enactment.

This year is the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Park Service is estimating a crowd of 200,000 for the festivities. To put this in perspective, Gettysburg as a town has not grown (like, at all) since 1863, and currently is home to about 7,620 people. So this will be fascinating on several levels.

All that to say, I will be updating — there may be days when I don’t make it, though, so I beg your indulgence. I have some varied content planned: some genealogy, some Civil War history, some more Very Revolutionary Road Trip posts, and of course updates from my travels. I’m also going to try and update the blogroll and links when I get a chance. Right now there are blogs I *read* linked there, but not much content related to my blog.

See y’all on the other side of this June madness.

Historical footnote of the day: On this day in 1692, the first Salem witch trial victim, Bridget Bishop, is hanged.

Today in 1776: “Certain resolutions concerning independency…”

On this day in 1776, the delegates to the Second Continental Congress gathered in Independence Hall (then, the Pennsylvania State House) and began deliberations on miscellaneous items related to the defense of America against the British. A Committee had just been established to investigate a matter related to gunpowder being manufactured at a mill in Frankford, PA, when Richard Henry Lee stood to be recognized.

Having been freed by the Virginia Assembly to do so, he proposed a resolution:

“… That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.” 

The resolution would be debated and postponed off and on throughout the month of June. It came to a vote on July 2, 1776, and was approved by a vote of 12-0, with one abstention.