Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865, but fighting continued after that. The last battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Palmito Ranch in Texas. The Union and the Confederacy had small forces on the southern tip of Texas along the Rio Grande River. A gentleman’s Read more
Tycho Brahe was a famous astronomer who accurately measured the stars and planets before the telescope was invented. He improved the sextant and quadrant to make his measurements. He was the first to propose that comets were objects in space. He also was a believer in alchemy. His achievements Read more
John Sedgwick graduated from West Point in 1837. He served in the Seminole War, the Mexican War, and posts in the west. By the time the Civil War broke out, he was a brigadier general. He commanded a division in the Army of the Potomac in the Battle of Read more
The recent threat of balloons over America was not the first time America has been threatened by balloons. But in 1945, we didn’t have 24 hours news stations. In 1944, Major General Kusaba of the 9th Army Technical Research Laboratory developed a secret weapon that he thought would create Read more
In 1807, Napoleon sent an army into Spain. Supposedly, the French army was allied with the Spanish army in a campaign to conquer Portugal. But soon it became apparent that the French were also there to conquer Spain. Napoleon’s brother Joseph was put on the throne. England sent an Read more
One of the Civil Wars greatest commanders was mortally wounded on the day of his greatest triumph. Stonewall Jackson was shot during the Battle of Chancellorsville. Earlier on May 2, 1863, Jackson’s corps has pulled off the greatest flanking attack of the war. He had marched his men all day Read more
The popular kids’ song “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain” was set to the melody of a slave spiritual “When the Chariot Comes”. That song referred to the Rapture when Jesus would have his Second Coming. He would return in a chariot. The chariot could also refer to a train, Read more
In 1943, North Africa had been liberated and the next planned invasion was Sicily. There was legitimate concern about how bloody that invasion could be, especially if the Germans reinforced the island. Convincing them that the invasion would occur elsewhere would greatly enhance the chances of success and greatly Read more
Today is the anniversary of the birth of the last American Revolution figure to be President. So, in honor of the man holding the flag in the painting “Washington Crossing the Delaware” here are some interesting facts and trivia about the only candidate to get all but one of the Read more
On March 15, 1951, United Nations forces recaptured Seoul (for the second and last time) and pushed northward to establish a defensive line protecting the capital. The UN army was stretched thin and relied on holding hills to prevent a Chinese breakthrough. In April, the British 29th Infantry Brigade Read more