Today in the far West a clash between Indians and U.S. soldiers takes place. In the Battle of Julesburg some 1,000 Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Lakota Indians, seeking revenge for the Sand Creek Massacre less than two months earlier, defeat a small contingent of 60 soldiers and 50 civilians. In the weeks following, the victorious Indians…
Elijah J. Marrs of Company L, 12th U.S. Colored Artillery, is keeping a written record of his time in the service. Born a slave in January 1840 in Shelby County, Kentucky, in his youth Marrs converted to the Baptist faith, the denominational choice of most Christianized slaves in the South. Learning to read and write…
Compared to the commotion in the North today, Christmas appears to have been a rather quiet day of celebration. From the nation’s capital, the normal sounds of city life are shattered by the firing of ordnance. The morning was “ushered in with a booming of cannon, 300 having been fired in honor of the capture…