Image from Harper's Weekly depicting President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1864. The proclamation was issued on October 3, 1863, making the Thanksgiving of 1863 the first official national celebration of the holiday.

Thanksgiving: A Civil War Call For Unity

Thanksgiving: A Civil War Call For Unity As Americans prepare each year for a festive Thanksgiving dinner, it’s worth remembering how deeply the holiday’s modern identity was …

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Photo of soldiers of the 9th Missouri State Militia Cavalry drilling in the streets of St. Joseph, Missouri, probably taken in 1863 or 1864.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 35: Aaron Wheeler 50th Illinois Infantry

Aaron Wheeler was born in 1830 and resided in Avon, Illinois when he enlisted in Company G of the 50th Illinois Infantry on September 24, 1861. He was married to Fannie…

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Street view of Vicksburg, Mississippi.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 34: Farner Shaw 4th Minnesota Infantry

Farner Shaw was born in Dane County, Wisconsin, in 1844 to Henry W. Shaw and Susan J. (Sunderman) Shaw. The family moved to Freeman, Minnesota sometime before 1860. He…

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William Clemmons 7th Tennessee Infantry Company K.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 33: William Clemmons 7th Tennessee Infantry

William Clemmons was born in 1843 to Edwin and Patience (Harris) Clemmons of Lebanon, Tennessee. He enlisted on May 20, 1861 in “The Blues,” company K of the 7th Tennessee Inf…

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Here is one of the first newspaper bookmarks we found in this Civil War clothing ledger. You can see more scraps of newspaper further into the book. Our angry archivist was not happy to find these....

Angry Archivist: Newspaper Bookmarks

Angry Archivist: Newspaper Bookmarks This week, we were scanning new material to add to our Research Arsenal database. This is always fun because you never know what historic…

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Illustration of Holly Springs, Mississippi from Harper’s Weekly issue dated January 10, 1863 via archive.org

Research Arsenal Spotlight 32: Henry Markham 2nd Illinois Cavalry

Henry Markham was born in 1840 to Lane Markham and Margaret (Griffin) Markham of Laporte County, Indiana. Both of Henry Markham’s parents died when he was quite young and he w…

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A bombproof shelter for the soldiers during the siege of Petersburg, August 10, 1864

Research Arsenal Spotlight 31: Charles Miller 140th New York Infantry

Charles Miller was born in 1843 to Ransom Randolph Miller and Francis “Fanny” Maria (Warner) Miller of Gates, New York. In August, 1862, he enlisted in Company D of the 140th …

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Painting of the 1st Minnesota Infantry at the Battle of Gettysburg. Painted by Rufus Zogbaum in 1907. It is currently on display in the Minnesota State Capitol building.

The 1st Minnesota Infantry: Courage Beyond Measure

The 1st Minnesota Infantry: Courage Beyond Measure The following is a short summary of the regimental history of the 1st Minnesota Infantry as published as History of the…

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A Battery at Chain Bridge, Washington, DC, overlooking the Potomac River.

Research Arsenal Spotlight 30: Cornelius Van Houten 1st New Jersey Light Artillery

Cornelius Van Houten was born in 1841 to Ruliff “Ralph” Van Houten and Catherine (Van Wagoner) Van Houten of Pompton Plains, New Jersey. Before the war he had campaigned for A…

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Illustration of the 2nd Delaware Infantry during the fighting in the Wheatfield of the Battle of Gettysburg

The 2nd Delaware Infantry Through Robert G. Smith’s Eyes

The 2nd Delaware Infantry Through Robert G. Smith’s Eyes Whenever I am looking for information on a regiment, I especially seek out any period written histories or…

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