Sutlers were civilian merchants who sold provisions to the soldiers. They were also known as victualers. The occupation went back to the French and Indian War and sutlers could be found in the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Read more
The Earl of Oxford attended Queen Elizabeth’s court one day and as he bowed low before the monarch, he broke wind. He was so embarrassed that he stayed away from the court for several years. When he finally returned and Read more
I was just clued in to a fascinating video on the wars of the 20th Century. The wars are covered in chronological order. You’ll probably be surprised how many wars mankind was involved in last century. Or maybe you won’t. Read more
Foraging was common in the Civil War. It is defined as “living off the land” by confiscating civilian food and supplies to supplement the army’s logistics. It differs from looting which can be defined as the stealing of non-military items. Read more
After Becket’s martyrdom, legends grew about him. Supposedly, he turned water into wine twice while dining with the Pope. But accidentally since he would not have wanted to be pretentious. He was known for not only wearing hair shirts to Read more
A plantation is a large farm that mass produces a cash crop using a large labor force. The first were the latifundia in the Roman Empire which produced wine and olive oil. Later, the Spanish and Portuguese created plantations on Read more
President Lincoln was the first President to “pardon” a turkey, but it was not for Thanksgiving. Lincoln got a turkey as a gift for Christmas dinner. His ten year old son Tad fell in love with the bird which he Read more
In November, 1862, Lincoln replaced George McClellan with Ambrose Burnside as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Burnside developed a plan to take Lee by surprise by crossing the Rappahannock River and swiftly advancing on Richmond. Easy, peasy. Unfortunately, Read more
In the 1880’s, Austrian psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud began experimenting with and researching a new miracle drug called “cocaine”. In 1884, he published his findings in a report entitled “Uber Coca”. Freud sung the praises of this “magical substance.” He touted Read more
Or were they traitors? Each had taken an oath to the U.S. when they joined the U.S. Army. Thomas Jackson (he didn’t get his nickname “Stonewall” until the First Battle of Bull Run) voted for the Southern Democratic candidate John Read more