The Civil War Months

The Fall of Lexington

September 20, 2026 WalterCoffey

OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Sterling Price’s pro-secessionist Missouri State Guards capture a Federal force and a key commercial town in their effort to expel the Federals from their state.

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From Robert McAllister, 1st New Jersey

July 25, 2026 WalterCoffey

OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Letter from Lt. Col. Robert McAllister, 1st New Jersey Infantry, to his friend.

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The Battle of Bull Run

July 24, 2026 WalterCoffey

165 YEARS AGO: The battle that many hoped would end the war takes place in northern Virginia near a stream named Bull Run.

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From Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island

July 14, 2026 WalterCoffey

OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Letter from Maj. Sullivan Ballou, 2nd Rhode Island, to his wife.

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The Battle of Rich Mountain

July 11, 2026 WalterCoffey

OTD 165 YEARS AGO: A detachment of George B. McClellan’s Federal army attacks an isolated portion of Robert S. Garnett’s Confederate army near Beverly in northwestern Virginia.

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From Thomas Lightfoot, 6th Alabama

May 29, 2026 WalterCoffey

Letter from 2nd Lt. Thomas Lightfoot, 6th Alabama Volunteer Infantry, to his cousin.

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From William B. Darst, 21st Virginia

May 3, 2026 WalterCoffey

Letter from William B. Darst, 21st Virginia Volunteer Infantry, to his mother.

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The Bombardment of Fort Sumter

April 12, 2026 WalterCoffey

OTD 165 YEARS AGO: Confederates open fire on the Federal garrison at Fort Sumter, touching off the most horrific conflict in American history.

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The Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln

March 4, 2026 WalterCoffey

Abraham Lincoln becomes the 16th U.S. president and prepares to face the sectional crisis head-on.

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The Inauguration of Jefferson Davis

February 18, 2026 WalterCoffey

Some 10,000 people attend the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as the first president of the Confederate States of America. The ceremony features a grand procession and an inaugural address emphasizing independence.

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The Farewell Soiree

February 6, 2026 WalterCoffey

The Lincolns host their final reception in their Springfield home as they prepare for their move to Washington. President-elect Lincoln expresses ambivalence about leaving his home and reflects on the daunting challenges that lay ahead.

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Building Greater Permanency

February 5, 2026 WalterCoffey

A convention opens in Montgomery as delegates from the seceded states start work on forming a new nation independent of the United States.

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The Belmont Expedition

November 3, 2021 WalterCoffey

Ulysses S. Grant receives orders to stop Confederates at Columbus, Ky. from reinforcing the Missouri State Guards.

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