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The Story of ‘Jingle Bells’ by Oliver Ditson
One of the cherished tunes that fills the air during the Christmas season originated not as a holiday anthem but as a humorous ditty performed in minstrel shows in the 1850s. “Jingle Bells” is among the most popular American songs of all time. Although it is strongly...
Joseph Becker covers the Gettysburg cemetery dedication ceremony
On December 5, 1863, a mere fortnight following President Lincoln's iconic Gettysburg Address at the National Cemetery Dedication, a striking sketch graced the front page of "Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper." This sketch captures the solemn ceremony as observed...
The Election of 1864
Voting for President during the Civil War In November 1864 Abraham Lincoln was running for reelection against his former top Civil War general, the Democratic candidate, George B. McClellan. Interestingly, since the 1864 election occurred during the Civil War,...
Colorization of the Camp of Captain John Hoff in Gettysburg
Colorizing original photographs of the Camp of Captain John Hoff Recently I spent some time doing colorizations of a series of photographs of the Camp of Captain John Hoff. Captain Hoff was the Commissary of Subsistence during that time and was in charge of...
Saint Patricks Day During the Civil War
The following are a few letters from soldiers sent on St. Patrick's Day during the Civil War. Fort Sumter, S.C. March 17, 1861 Hon. D. F. Jamison, Executive Office, Department of War: Sir: I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your communication of the...
Happy Halloween
On October 31, 1863, Harper's Weekly featured a cartoon by artist Henry Louis Stephens about the controversial campaign of Clement Vallandignham, a leading Peace Democrat or "Copperhead" who was running for governor of Ohio. Under the image it states: The...
Two New Gettysburg Rock Carving Videos
Family Fun Finding Rock Carvings in Gettysburg National Military Park The kids had the Monday after Easter off and it was a beautiful day so we packed a lunch and headed to Gettysburg for the day. While there, we did a lot of walking around Devil's Den, Little...
Touring Gettysburg with Students and Their iPads
I recently had the opportunity to lead a group of students on a trip to Gettysburg. The original plan was to take the Seniors and visit Little Round Top and Devil's Den. My role was to talk to the students about the fighting at Devils Den and another teacher...