Exploring the most important 55 months in American history
165 YEARS AGO TODAY: The young, promising General George B. McClellan takes command of the demoralized Federal forces that had been defeated at Bull Run.
OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Letter from Lt. Col. Robert McAllister, 1st New Jersey Infantry, to his friend.
165 YEARS AGO: Kentucky Congressman John J. Crittenden teams with Tennessee Senator Andrew Johnson to introduce a congressional resolution that aims to define the purpose of the Federal war effort.
165 YEARS AGO: The U.S. Congress defiantly resolves that the defeat at Bull Run will not stop the Federals from achieving ultimate victory.
165 YEARS AGO: The U.S. Congress begins debating on how to pay for the war, with various member proposing such things as borrowing, taxing, and confiscating rebel property. These also spark debates over the implications for slavery and wartime policies. The anti-war minority also makes itself heard.
165 YEARS AGO: The battle that many hoped would end the war takes place in northern Virginia near a stream named Bull Run.