Today in History: A Lincoln Pardon (And, You Know, That Whole Surrender at Appomattox Thing)

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Major & Knapp Print, Library of Congress.

On April 12, 1865, Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met, and Lee formally accepted the surrender terms drawn up on April 9th, and disbanded the Army of Northern Virginia. Several small battles took place after Lee's surrender, but the war was effectively over. For thousands of troops, the fighting was now done.

George Maynard's Letter to His Uncle. From the Compiled Military Service Records, US National Archives

For one Union soldier, however, this date held even more significance.  Private George A. Maynard of the 46th New York Infantry was arrested September 18, 1864, as a deserter, only 15 days after enlisting, and taken to Fort Monroe. He was charged with the even more serious crime of deserting to join the opposition. At trial, Maynard was found guilty on February 14, 1865, and sentenced "to be hung by the neck until dead."  

Telegraph from Lincoln to Grant, Dated February 23, 1865. From the Compiled Military Service Records, US National Archives

The soldier sent a message to his uncle, Harrison Maynard, of St. Albans, VT, entreating for help.  Uncle Harrison must have been well connected, because less than ten days later on February 23rd, President Abraham Lincoln telegraphed General Grant, ordering him to suspend Maynard's sentence until his case could be further reviewed.  Lincoln, in spite of the Herculean burden of running a country at war with itself, reviewed the cases of hundreds of individual soldiers, converting sentences and pardoning many. Entreaties on behalf of soldiers came from those in high positions of power--governors, congressmen--and regular, everyday people, if they could get their request to him. The President treated each request, once received, the same. Lincoln's mercy became a sore subject with his Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton,  who wished the President would remember that the Army needed harsh consequences at times to keep the troops in line.

 On April 12, 1865, Lincoln officially pardoned George A. Maynard, and ordered he be returned to his regiment.  Two days later, Lincoln would be assassinated by John Wilkes Booth; so Maynard was lucky in more ways than one. The official order pardoning Maynard was published on April 24th, and sent out to General George G. Meade and the Army of the Potomac. Meade in turn sent the order back, explaining that the 46th New York Infantry was no longer serving with his outfit. Maynard finally returned to his regiment on June 5, 1865, and was mustered out with the rest of the 46th at the end of July. We'd call his army tenure a short, but storied career.

You Know You're Gonna Lose the War When...

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Things are going poorly when you have to take the other side's forms; scratch out their name and add yours.  Here, the Confederates took a US shipping agreement, and presto chango--it's a CSA contract! We love coming across these gems at the Archives.

Today in History: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

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International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University.

Today is the 105th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of New York City and one of the most gruesome the United States has ever seen.  The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers, the majority women, who died from fire, smoke inhalation and jumping to their deaths.  Most of the victims were recent Jewish and Italian immigrant woman, aged 16-23 years old, with two victims being as young as 14.  The factory was located on the 8th and 9th floors of the Asch Building in NYC.  The owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits (a then common practice) to prevent both theft and deter workers from taking unauthorized breaks, causing many workers to become trapped in the burning building.  This horrible tragedy led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards as well as helped to spur the growth of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union (ILGWU).

Check out the front page of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle from the day following this horrific tragedy:

Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Vol 72. No. 84. March 26, 1911. p. 1.

This Day In History: "Dump the Tea Into the Sea!"

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W.D. Cooper. "Boston Tea Party.", The History of North America. London: E. Newberry, 1789. Engraving. Plate opposite p. 58. Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress.

The Boston Tea Party, initially referred to by John Adams with the less catchy title: “The Destruction of The Tea in Boston,” was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty (a “secret society” created to protect the rights of colonists and protest taxation by the British) in Boston, MA, on this day in 1773.  The colonists were unhappy about the passage of the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, as they believed it violated their rights as British citizens to “no taxation without representation.” 

On the evening of December 16th, 30 to 130 men boarded three ships in Boston Harbor, some disguised as Mohawk warriors. Over the course of three hours, they dumped all 342 chests of tea into the water—a shipment worth £9,000 at the time, or $1.7 million in American currency today.  This event is seen as a major catalyst leading up to the American Revolution.

This iconic 1846 lithograph by Nathaniel Currier was entitled "The Destruction of Tea at Boston Harbor"; the phrase "Boston Tea Party" had not yet become standard. Contrary to Currier's depiction, few of the men dumping the tea were actually disguised as Native Americans. Image. Library of Congress

This notice from the "Chairman of the Committee for Tarring and Feathering” in Boston denounced the tea consignees as "traitors to their country." Image, Library of Congress.

Parliament responded to the Tea Party with the Coercive Acts, known as the Intolerable Acts in the Colonies, in 1774, which ended local self government in Massachusetts and closed all of Boston’s commerce.  This did not sit well with citizens in all 13 colonies, who not only continued to protest, but then convened the first Continental Congress which petitioned the Monarchy to repeal the acts and provide representation for the colonists. 

It is thought that coffee jumped to Americans' preferred drink after the Tea Party, as John Adams and many other Americans believed drinking tea to be unpatriotic! This is a key example of the better choices Americans make (don't tell us about how tea has as much caffeine as coffee, ugh), and why we needed to separate from the English tyrants.

The Boston Tea Party Museum

Today, you can visit the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum which is located on Congress Street in Boston, MA.  Alex enjoyed a very memorable 3rd grade field trip there where you can see two replica ships, one of the tea chests from the original event, and even take a turn throwing a chest into the harbor while yelling “dump the tea into the sea!”

Bill "Bojangles" Robinson

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1933 Portrait by Carl Van Vechten. Library of Congress.

1933 Portrait by Carl Van Vechten. Library of Congress.

66 years ago today, the great entertainer Bill Robinson died at the age of 71, after breaking down innumerable barriers, and inspiring us all to dance. Born in Richmond, VA, May 25,  1878, Robinson began his dancing career at the age of five, dancing in beer gardens.  At nine, Robinson was hired in a touring troupe to act in minstrel shows, which led him to perform in vaudeville acts and nightclub shows. He also worked as a jockey at the racetrack, but found dancing to be more lucrative than horses. Robinson took a break from performing to serve as a drummer in the Spanish American War.  A legend about the dancer claims he also served in the trenches during World War I, but he would have been 40 at the time and this claim remains unsubstantiated. He did, however, put on free shows for thousands of troops before they shipped out to fight during the latter war; receiving a commendation in 1918 from the War Department. 

Robinson's talent got him noticed by many, and after working steadily for years, and finally at age 50, he made his Broadway debut.  In 1928, Robinson starred in the first African American Broadway show, "Blackbirds of 1928." He then went on to make his film debut in 1930, in a movie called "Dixiana." He then starred in "Harlem is Heaven"--the first movie with an all African American cast ever made. In 1935, the first of his four movies partnering him with Shirley Temple came out; "The Little Colonel." This movie marked the first time an interracial dance team appeared on screen, and Robinson formed a close friendship with his young partner. His last film was "Stormy Weather," a musical based loosely on Robinson's life, and also starring Lena Horne.  Robinson's protagonist was a dancer returning home from World War I to pursue a career performing; likely one of the sources of the myth that Robinson did in fact serve in said war.

1941 Portrait by Carl Van Vechten. Library of Congress.

1941 Portrait by Carl Van Vechten. Library of Congress.

During his lifetime, Bill Robinson faced a lot of criticism that he played into white stereotypes of African Americans. While  Robinson was forced to accept the roles provided for black actors in his time, he fought hard against these stereotypes off the stage and screen--convincing Dallas police department to hire its first African American policemen, lobbying FDR during World War II for more equitable treatment of African American soldiers, and co-founding the New York Black Yankees team in Harlem. Known for his generosity, Robinson performed for free in over 400 benefit shows, and gave away much of his fortune; dying penniless, Ed Sullivan paid for Robinson's funeral. His generosity often extended to his fellow performers, including teaching actors Sammy Davis Jr. and Ann Miller to dance. In 1989, the US Senate declared Robinson's birthday, May 25th, to be National Tap Dance Day.

Get Out the Vote!

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232 years ago today, the Continental Army peacefully disbanded after defeating the British. Celebrate by exercising your right to vote!

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Boxer, Cowboy, Soldier, President: Happy Birthday TR!

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Happy birthday to inarguably the most colorful US president of all time! Theodore Roosevelt was born on October 27, 1858, and we talk about him a lot here because we love him so much, especially his work to promote conservation and save public lands, and that he proceeded with a 90 minute stump speech after being shot in the chest. Here are a few more reasons he is the original "Most Interesting Man in the World:"

- TR was the first president to appoint a Jewish cabinet member (Secretary of Commerce and Labor, Oscar Solomon Straus), and invite a black man (the esteemed Booker T. Washington) to have dinner at the White House.
- TR had a boxing ring in the White House, and would challenge staff members and visitors to matches. An unfortunately placed punch blinded him in his left eye during his presidency; which was kept a very close secret by only TR's closest confidantes. 
- Following his presidency, TR went on scientific expeditions to Africa and South America, bringing back specimens for the Smithsonian Institution and American Museum of Natural History. During the latter expedition, he contracted a tropical fever after jumping to the river to prevent a collision of the group's canoes with some jagged rocks, and cutting his leg. His condition was so bad that he begged his small party to go on without him, and let him perish, out of concern that he was endangering them all. It was only at his son Kermit's insistence that he continued on.
- TR walked Eleanor Roosevelt down the aisle at her wedding to FDR.
- After his presidency, TR also took up the cause of women's suffrage. He delivered a famous speech for the cause in 1915 at the Metropolitan Opera House stating:

"Conservative friends tell me that woman’s duty is the home. Certainly. So is man's. The duty of a woman to the home isn’t any more than the man’s. If any married man doesn’t know that the woman pulls a little more than her share in the home he needs education. If the average man has more leisure to think of public matters than the average woman has, then it’s a frightful reflection on him. If the average man tells you the average woman hasn’t the time to think of these questions, tell him to go home and do his duty. The average woman needs fifteen minutes to vote, and I want to point out to the alarmist that she will have left 364 days, 23 hours and 45 minutes."

Photograph is a different view of TR than we usually see; a young Teddy Roosevelt in 1880 in his mountaineering attire, 21 years before he would become president. Part of the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection held b…

Photograph is a different view of TR than we usually see; a young Teddy Roosevelt in 1880 in his mountaineering attire, 21 years before he would become president. Part of the New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection held by the Library of Congress.

165 Years Ago Today- The First "National Woman's Rights Convention"

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A poem read at the National Woman's Rights Convention, and reprinted in William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator on November 15, 1850.

Circa 1870 Photograph of Lucretia Mott by F. Gutekunst of Philadelphia, PA.

On October 23, 1850, in Worcester, MA, women from across the country met for the first time to create a organized plan of action for gaining equal rights.  The Seneca Falls Convention had been held two years earlier, but that meeting had been somewhat impromptu, and was only regional.  The National Woman's Rights Convention was planned for months, and included participants from across the country.  Twenty years later, in 1870, Elizabeth Cady Stanton would state that the Women's Rights "movement in England, as in America, may be dated from the first National Convention, held at Worcester, Mass., October, 1850."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was not present herself at the convention, because she was about to give birth, but she sent a letter that was read to the crowd, giving her support to the movement. Among those who were in attendance were Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone, William Lloyd Garrison, and Frederick Douglass; the latter two famous abolitionists being some of  the original male Feminists.  The causes of abolition and women's rights had a complicated relationship; women like Stanton, Mott, and Stone started their activist careers as abolitionists, but were outraged to find that many male abolitionists would not allow them to speak publicly for the movement, or to play an active role in the cause. This inspired these women to start demanding equal rights from themselves.  Many male abolitionists supported the movement, like Garrison and Douglass, believing there should be equal rights for all.  Others saw these women as stepping outside their intended role; the Evangelical community made up a large percent of the anti-slavery movement, and believed these women's ideas went against the Bible's teachings.

Lucy Stone

Along with the many speeches given and debates had over two days, the Convention formed the first organized committees for a cohesive movement across the country.  These committees created local chapters, and addressed fundraising, publicity, education, employment, and lobbying, among other needs and goals. This fundamentally changed and strengthened the movement- putting forth a unified message to the world.  The Convention became a yearly event, and continued to gain momentum and attendees.  

An example of the backlash from the Convention, reprinted by The Anti-Slavery Bugle.

These efforts helped to give women better property rights and rights to the wages they earned, more legal standing within the family structure- including parental rights and the increased ability to initiate a divorce, and eventually suffrage.  Without these brave women, and men, we ladies would not be where we are today! So raise a glass to the National Woman's Convention, and celebrate that you live in the 21st century they helped to create!  Or ladies, just wear some pants, show little ankle, revel in your independent checking account, go to work, and earn a fair wage!

Wacky Whiskers Wednesday: Bearded Lady Annie Jones!

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For this Wacky Whiskers Wednesday, the Gals bring you another Gal after our own heart, bearded lady Annie Jones!

Annie Jones was born in Marion, Virginia on July 7, 1865, with a chin covered in hair.  She joined performer P. T. Barnum as a circus attraction at the age of only nine months; her parents receiving a $150 a week salary for her participation as “The Infant Esau.”  She was photographed by famous US photographer Matthew Brady as an infant in 1865.  By age five, Jones had sideburns and a mustache and was billed as the “Bearded Girl.”

When Jones was sixteen she married Richard Elliot, a professional sideshow bally talker.  They were married for fifteen years before divorcing, then Jones married her childhood sweetheart, William Donovan.  Donovan died suddenly not long after their marriage, and when Jones was widowed she returned to Barnum’s circus.

As an adult, Jones became America’s most well known “bearded lady,” as well as the spokesperson and advocate for Barnum’s other “freaks,” a word she tried to abolish from the business.  Jones died October 22, 1902 of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-seven.

“Noted Freak Dead.” Belvedere Daily Republican. Vol. 11. No. 201. October 23, 1902. p. 4.

“Street Sayings.” The Saint Paul Globe. Vol. 8. No. 169. June 18, 1886. p. 2.

Liberty's Puppies

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In 1975, President Ford's dog, Liberty, gave birth to nine puppies at the White House. These were not the first babies born at the White House, however. The first White House baby was Thomas Jefferson's grandson, Martha Jefferson Randolph's son James Madison Randolph. The only president to have his own baby born at the White House was Grover Cleveland. After losing the presidency, then being re-elected for a second, non-consecutive term, Cleveland's wife Frances Folsom Cleveland, 27 years his junior and the daughter of Cleveland's former law partner, gave birth to their second child, Esther

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library

POW!!

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The Archive Gals are big fans of the TV show Drunk History; it combines some of our favorite pastimes (and if anyone has any connections, the Gals would make for some really excellent narrators- some possible topics they excel at include Lincoln, Custer, the Roosevelts, the Vanderbilts, Pocahontas- come audition them on 9th Street at happy hour on Thursdays). 

One of our favorite episodes told the story of how the Superman radio show was used to broadcast the secrets of the KKK and fight their resurgence following World War II. Read more here about Stetson Kennedy, the man who infiltrated this evil empire and passed their secrets on to the Man of Steel, plus listen to some of the original audio!

Diggin' Up Bones

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History is alive and well! Jamestown Rediscovery and the Smithsonian Institute announced yesterday that they have discovered and excavated the graves of four prominent Jamestown citizens, as well as a peculiar silver box. All had been buried inside the church that once stood in James Fort. Amazingly, archaeologists were able to determine the identity of the four sets of remains; but what is housed inside the silver box remains something of a mystery. It is believed that the box is a reliquary- or receptacle for holy relics. Veneration of holy relics is a Catholic practice- so how did these relics come to be in an English colony in the early 17th century? Sounds like a mystery for Indiana Jones-a much worthier and more interesting one than Kingdom of the Crystal Skull-although the dig site would likely be compromised and all context lost.

1606 Map of Virginia Engraved by William Hole Based on the Descriptions of John Smith.

1606 Map of Virginia Engraved by William Hole Based on the Descriptions of John Smith.

TR and the Antiquities Act of 1906

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Teddy Roosevelt did a lot of amazing and incredible things during his life time (including winning BOTH the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Medal of Honor). But by far, the Archive Gals' favorite contribution Teddy made to society was his work in the field of conservation. Today, in 1906, he signed into law the Antiquities Act of 1906, which allowed presidents to make public lands into National Monuments by presidential proclamation, to protect significant natural andcultural resources. This act would pave the way for the creation of our National Parks system. If this at all seems interesting to you, we of course highly recommend binging on Ken Burns (PBS)'s The National Parks and The Roosevelts documentaries (which during the latter, you can learn about our boy Teddy giving a two hour speech after being shot in the chest in an assassination attempt). Caitlin is also obsessed with The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, if you want to learn more specifically about Teddy and the conservation movement.

"In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which, so far as I know, is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. Keep this great wonder of nature as it is. You can not improve it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it."

- Theodore Roosevelt, impromptu speech at Grand Canyon on May 6, 1903.

The Grand Canyon was declared a National Monument on January 11, 1908. It was then established as a US National Park in 1919.

 


Devil's Tower became the first US National Monument on September 24, 1906. 

Here are Caitlin and her cousin Allie at Devil's Tower; searching for aliens, and bedecked in their middle school finest.

 

 

Presidential Signature: James Monroe

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Our Friday special- that presidential post you all have been waiting for! On March 10, 1813, James Monroe was serving as Secretary of State under President James Madison. The US was in the middle of the War of 1812, and Monroe wrote this pass to allow a British agent free travel around Washington, DC, so he could negotiate the exchange of POWs. Eighteen months later, after the British burned both the White House and the Capitol, Madison would fire then Secretary of War John Armstrong, and appoint Monroe to the position. But, after his switch, a successor was not appointed as Secretary of State through February 1815 when the war ended; leaving Monroe to fill two cabinet positions. Before the Treaty of Ghent was signed and peace was official, Secretary of War Monroe had been planning an invasion of Canada- a fantasy many red-blooded Americans still hold today (not us, we love Canucks!). With the war over, Monroe returned to his position as Secretary of State, until he himself was elected president.

Archives Find of The Week- Cherokee Muster Rolls

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Today, we got to take a look at some of the "Muster Rolls of Cherokee Indians Who Have Emigrated West of the Mississippi" from 1833. Tribes were being forced out of the Deep South, following the Indian Removal Act of 1830, to make way for white settlers. The law was initially merely to authorize the President to negotiate with tribes for their removal to federal lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for their ancestral homelands. But what was intended to be a voluntary move became a forced expulsion. In 1833, the Cherokee Nation was not yet being forced to head west, but the government was keeping track of those who left voluntarily- displaying some particularly colorful names. In the midst of the Georgia Gold Rush, President Andrew Jackson put increasing pressure on the tribes to move, and refused to protect them from state laws stripping the Nation of all land except personal residences (some strong supporting evidence in the case to get Andrew Jackson replaced on the $20 bill with Harriet Tubman- go Harriet!). The Treaty of New Echota was signed in 1835 by a minority party within the Cherokee Nation, ceding all its southeast territory and agreeing to the move west. The enforcement of this treaty led to what is now known as the Trail of Tears. The remaining Cherokees were forced to march 1000 miles to Oklahoma in the dead of winter, carrying everything they owned. Over 4000 people died, and the rest had to build new lives in foreign territory, with few possessions and little hope.

Pimlico and Reconstruction

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Since the Preakness was this past weekend, here's a little bit of Pimlico Race Course history, courtesy of the Baltimore Provost Marshal files. Pimlico is widely known to have opened its doors in 1870- but there seems to have already been a race site nearby, called "Pimlico" or "Pemlico"- which in 1865, caused quite a stir. Following the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, President Andrew Johnson declared June 1, 1865 a "National Day of Mourning." But, a horse race had already been planned for that day, and several participants refused to cancel. The State Attorney for Baltimore County wrote to Lieutenant Colonel John Woolley of the 8th Army Corps for assistance in preventing the race.

"Many persons have applied to the authorities of Baltimore County, to stop a Horse Race, which has been fixed to take place at the 'Pemlico Race Track,' about two miles west of Baltimore,, in this County, on Thursday next.... It is in a neighborhood where persons wish to attend church and observe in proper manner the day set apart by the President of the United States for Thanksgiving, and do not wish to be annoyed by this Race and do not think that this mark of disrespect to the authorities should be tolerated."

The US Army agreed that this event needed stopped, and Lt. Col. Woolley was ordered to:

"[S]end a squad of cavalry (10 men) in [the] charge of a commissioned officer to the Race course on the Reistertown pike about four (4) miles from Baltimore known as the Pimlico course, at an early hour to-morrow morning June 1st 1865, with instructions to prevent any assemblage of persons on said Track for any purpose inconsistent with or inimical to the object for which the day has been set apart by his Excellency, the President of the United States, as a day of fasting, humiliation, and prayer for the calamity to the nation by the assassination of President Lincoln."

No record in the Provost Marshal's file indicated the reception Woolley's men were given, but there were likely any disappointed race fans that day.

Animals for Cincinnati

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106 years ago, President William Howard Taft, of bathtub and Supreme Court fame, promised to send any animals he received as gifts to the Cincinnati Zoo, according to The Washington Post. The question that remains is: what bumpkin gifted him with "several dozen possums."