The Ten Oddest Things About the Confederate Army in the Civil War

 

The Confederate Army, vastly outnumbered and chronically short of supplies, fought with desperate ingenuity, deception, and eccentricity for four brutal years. Its soldiers blended old-world grit with makeshift innovation. Here are ten of the oddest things about the Confederate army:

One: Silk-Dress Sky Spies: Southern ladies donated silk dresses so the fabric could be sewn into observation balloons for scouting Union positions.

Two: Camel Pack Train: Captured U.S. Army camels, hauled supplies across the arid Southwest.

Three: Lemon-Sucking Stonewall: General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson constantly carried and sucked lemons, convinced they cured his dyspepsia and restored bodily balance.

Four: Quaker Guns: Painted wooden logs mounted on fake carriages mimicked real cannons, fooling Union scouts at Centreville, Port Hudson, and elsewhere.

Five: Secret Sisters: Hundreds of women cut their hair, bound their chests, and enlisted as men, fighting undetected until wounded or discovered.

Six: Boy and Graybeard Army: Conscription swept in boys as young as 14 and gray-haired men over 50, especially in the war’s desperate final years.

Seven: Twenty Negro Law: Owners of 20 or more enslaved people could exempt one white overseer from the draft—sparking bitter cries of “rich man’s war, poor man’s fight.”

Eight: Worthless Wages: Soldiers’ pay in Confederate scrip inflated so wildly that a month’s wages bought almost nothing; many went unpaid for months.

Nine: Deadly Torpedoes: The Confederacy pioneered buried explosive land mines (“torpedoes”) that terrorized advancing Union infantry.

Ten: Native Warriors: Cherokee, Choctaw, and other tribal regiments served; Brigadier General Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader, became the last Confederate general to surrender.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

War and Reconstruction in Mississippi 1861-1875: A Portrait

The Pledge of Allegiance

 

The Pledge originated in  1892, when Francis Bellamy, a former Baptist minister, penned it for The Youth's Companion magazine as part of a Columbus Day celebration marking the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival. Bellamy's original version reads: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It was designed to foster national unity amid post-Civil War healing and waves of immigration, promoting "true Americanism" through public education.

 Over the decades, the Pledge evolved. In 1923-1924, "my Flag" became "the Flag of the United States of America" to clarify loyalty. Initially accompanied by the Bellamy Salute—an extended arm gesture reminiscent of the Roman salute—it was changed in 1942 to the hand-over-heart position due to its similarity to the Nazi salute during World War II.

 In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation inserting "under God" to differentiate the U.S. from "godless" communism during the Cold War.

Secrets of American History

Murder in Colonial Virginia

Top Ten American Military Paintings

 

Number 1: Washington Crossing the Delaware (1851) by Emanuel Leutze: This dramatic scene shows General Washington leading troops across icy waters, symbolizing determination during the Revolutionary War.

Number 2: The Death of General Wolfe (1770) by Benjamin West: Capturing the British victory in the French and Indian War, it portrays the fallen general amid his troops, blending heroism with tragedy.

Number 3: The Spirit of '76 (1875) by Archibald Willard: Also known as Yankee Doodle, it features three patriots marching with fife and drum, evoking Revolutionary fervor.

Number 4: The Declaration of Independence (1819) by John Trumbull: Depicting the founding fathers presenting the document, this painting highlights the ideological roots of American military efforts.

Number 5: Surrender of Lord Cornwallis (1820) by John Trumbull: Illustrating the British defeat at Yorktown, it marks the end of the Revolutionary War with allied forces triumphant.

Number 6: The Battle of Bunker Hill (1786) by John Trumbull: A chaotic portrayal of the early Revolutionary clash, focusing on the death of patriot Joseph Warren.

Number 7: The March to Valley Forge (1883) by William Trego: Showing Washington's weary army in winter, it underscores endurance amid hardship.

Number 8: Prisoners from the Front (1866) by Winslow Homer: A Civil War scene of Union capture of Confederates, reflecting division and humanity.

Number 9: Grant and His Generals (1865) by Ole Peter Hansen Balling: Honoring Union leaders on horseback, celebrating Civil War strategy.

Number 10: The Peacemakers (1868) by George Healy: Lincoln conferring with Grant and Sherman aboard ship, symbolizing the path to Civil War victory.

History's Ten Worst Generals

Nuclear War 1962 (Alternate History)

General Winfield Scott Hancock After the Civil War

 

After his severe wounding at Gettysburg in 1863, Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, known as "Hancock the Superb," continued commanding the II Corps through the Overland Campaign and Petersburg Siege. Debilitated by his injury, he relinquished field command in November 1864, overseeing the First Veterans Corps in Washington, D.C., and the Middle Military Department in the Shenandoah Valley. In July 1865, he supervised the execution of the Lincoln assassination conspirators.

During Reconstruction, Hancock commanded the Department of the Missouri and Dakota before leading the Fifth Military District in New Orleans from 1867. His lenient policies toward former Confederates drew criticism from Radical Republicans but earned Southern favor. In the late 1860’s he led an unspectacular campaign to subdue the Plains Indians before being relieved by General Philip Sheridan.

A lifelong Democrat, Hancock ran for president in 1880, narrowly losing to James A. Garfield in a close popular vote (losing by fewer than 8,000 ballots) but decisively in the Electoral College. He remained in military service until his death on February 9, 1886, from diabetes complications at age 61.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

Civil War Humor 1861-1865

General George Meade After the Civil War

 

Following the Union victory at Gettysburg in 1863, Major General George G. Meade continued commanding the Army of the Potomac under Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant's oversight from 1864. He led forces through grueling campaigns including the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and the siege of Petersburg, earning promotion to major general in the regular army. Though effective, Meade was absent from Lee's surrender at Appomattox in April 1865, overshadowed by Grant and others like Philip Sheridan.

Post-war, Meade played a key role in Reconstruction. From 1865-1866, he commanded the Military Division of the Atlantic in Philadelphia. He then oversaw the Department of the South (1866-1868), supervising the formation of state governments in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina for reentry into the Union. In 1868, he led the Third Military District in Atlanta, enforcing Reconstruction policies amid political tensions. He returned to the Atlantic Division from 1869-1872.

Known for his short temper—earning the nickname "Old Snapping Turtle"—Meade faced rivalries, including with Daniel Sickles, who challenged his Gettysburg legacy. Meade died of pneumonia on November 6, 1872, at age 56, in Philadelphia.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

Why the South Fought the Civil War

General George B. McClellan After the Civil War

 

In 1864 George McClellan, who did not resign his commission until election day, ran for president against Abraham Lincoln.   Lincoln won the election handily, with 212 Electoral College votes to 21, and a popular vote of 55% to 45%.  For all his popularity with the troops, McClellan lost the military vote to Lincoln 3–1.

George McClellan sailed to Europe with his family.  Returning in 1868, McClellan rebuffed Democratic overtures for another White House bid. Instead turning to  civilian railroad ventures: as president of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad from 1872.

In 1877 Democrats nominated McClellan for governor of New Jersey.  Elected, he served from 1878 to1881, reforming the militia, establishing industrial schools, and forming a tax commission. 

McClellan penned his memoirs, McClellan's Own Story  which were posthumously published in 1887, defending his war time record.  McClellan defended his cautious strategies, emphasized his organizational skills and devotion to his troops, while lambasting President Lincoln and other critics for interference and betrayal.

He died of heart failure on October 29, 1885, in Orange, New Jersey and is buried in Trenton.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

Civil War Humor 1861-1865

Top Ten Victorian Era British Military Paintings

 

The Victorian era (1837-1901) witnessed Britain's imperial expansions, inspiring military paintings that glorified heroism while hinting at war's toll. Artists like Lady Elizabeth Butler dominated, depicting Crimean, Napoleonic, and colonial battles with realism and emotion. Based on historical acclaim and collections, here are ten standout works.

One: Calling the Roll: (1874) by Elizabeth Butler: Exhausted Grenadier Guards after a Crimean battle, emphasizing human endurance.

Two: Scotland Forever! (1881) by Elizabeth Butler: The Scots Greys charging at Waterloo, capturing cavalry's thunderous momentum.

Three: The Thin Red Line (1881) by Robert Gibb: Highlanders repelling Russian cavalry at Balaclava, symbolizing steadfast defense.

Four: The 28th Regiment at Quatre Bras (1875) by Elizabeth Butler: British square formation under French attack, highlighting discipline amid chaos.

Five: The Remnants of an Army (1879) by Elizabeth Butler: Lone survivor Dr. Brydon reaching Jalalabad after Afghan retreat, evoking tragedy.

Six: Balaclava (1876) by Elizabeth Butler: Wounded Light Brigade survivors after the charge, blending valor and sorrow.

Seven: The Defence of Rorke's Drift (1880) by Alphonse de Neuville: British soldiers fending off Zulu warriors, a heroic stand post-Isandlwana.

Eight: The Capitulation of Kars (1856) by Thomas Jones Barker: Ottoman surrender in Crimea, depicting diplomatic closure to siege.

Nine: The Charge of the Light Brigade (1894) by Richard Caton Woodville: Doomed cavalry assault at Balaclava, immortalizing Tennyson's poem.

Ten: The Dawn of Waterloo (1895) by Elizabeth Butler: Scots Greys awakening before battle, foreshadowing the day's drama.

History's Ten Worst Generals

Sneak Attack! (Four Alternative History Stories)

The Ten Oddest U.S. Presidential Quirks

 

U.S. Presidents are often remembered for their policies and legacies, but many had eccentric habits that reveal their human side. Here are ten of the strangest quirks from White House history.

1. John Quincy Adams' Skinny-Dipping Ritual: The sixth president swam nude in the Potomac River daily at 5 a.m., even granting an interview to a journalist who sat on his clothes.
2. Andrew Jackson's Swearing Parrot: Jackson taught his pet parrot, Poll, to curse profusely; it had to be removed from his funeral for disrupting mourners with obscenities.
3. Calvin Coolidge's Petroleum Jelly Obsession: "Silent Cal" applied Vaseline to his head every morning while eating breakfast, believing it aided his health.
4. Lyndon B. Johnson's Toilet Meetings: LBJ notoriously held staff discussions from the bathroom, unflinchingly continuing business on the throne.
5. Thomas Jefferson's Shakespeare Vandalism: While visiting Stratford-upon-Avon, Jefferson cut a sliver from Shakespeare's chair as a souvenir.
6. Franklin Pierce's Equestrian Mishap: The 14th president was arrested for running over an elderly woman with his horse while in office.
7. Franklin D. Roosevelt's Number 13 Phobia: FDR suffered from triskaidekaphobia, avoiding travel on the 13th and adjusting schedules to evade the unlucky digit.
8. Harry Truman's Ghost Beliefs: Truman wrote that the White House was "haunted, sure as shootin'," convinced spirits roamed its halls.
9. Theodore Roosevelt's Exotic Eats: Teddy was an adventurous eater, once consuming a whole ostrich egg for breakfast.
10. Grover Cleveland's Age-Gap Marriage: Cleveland married his 21-year-old ward, Frances Folsom, in the White House, raising eyebrows over their 27-year age difference.

Secrets of American History

Nuclear War 1962 (Alternate History)

The Ten Oddest Things About the Union Army in the Civil War

 

The Union Army, which swelled to over two million men and secured victory in America’s bloodiest conflict, was anything but conventional. Its ranks blended cutting-edge experiments, cultural quirks, and sheer strangeness. Here are ten of the oddest:

One: Sky Spies: The Union launched the world’s first military Balloon Corps under Professor Thaddeus Lowe. Hot-air balloons floated hundreds of feet up, telegraphing Confederate positions in real time.

Two: Fashion-Forward Zouaves: Entire regiments, like the flamboyant 5th New York, marched in baggy red trousers, short jackets, and tasseled fezzes—copying French North African troops.

Three: Immigrant Avalanche: One in every three Union soldiers was foreign-born. Germans, Irish, Poles, and others formed ethnic brigades that spoke multiple languages in camp.

Four: Secret Sisters: At least 400 women disguised themselves as men, cut their hair, and fought undetected—some only revealed when wounded or pregnant.

Five: Boy Army: Official rules said 18, but thousands of boys (some as young as 9 or 10) lied about their ages and served as drummers, buglers, or full infantrymen.

Six: Ketchum Grenades: Union troops hurled finned, football-shaped explosives. Confederates simply caught many in blankets and tossed them back.

Seven: Pay Rebellion: Black soldiers (nearly 10% of the army by war’s end) refused all pay for 18 months to protest earning $7 instead of $13 a month—until Congress gave them equal (and retroactive) wages.

Eight: Glowing Wounds: After Shiloh, some Union casualties developed wounds that glowed blue-green at night. The bioluminescent bacteria actually helped them heal—later called “Angel’s Glow.”

Nine: $300 Substitutes: The draft let wealthy men pay $300 for a poor substitute to fight in their place, spawning the derisive nickname “three-hundred-dollar men.”

Ten: Night Floodlights: Union forces deployed giant calcium (“limelight”) lamps to turn night into day, illuminating Confederate trenches during sieges like Petersburg.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

The Great Northern Rebellion of 1860 (alternate history)

The Ten Oddest Things About the Battle of the Little Bighorn

 

The Battle of the Little Bighorn on June 25-26, 1876, saw Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and over 260 men of the 7th Cavalry crushed by 1,500-2,000 Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors. What should have been a routine scout became America’s most mythic military disaster, laced with bizarre quirks, miscalculations, and cultural collisions. Here are ten of the oddest:

One: Greasy Grass, Not Little Bighorn: The Native name came from the river’s slippery, grease-slicked grass after rain and butchering—far more poetic than the map label.

Two: Comanche the Sole “Survivor”: The only living creature from Custer’s five doomed companies was Captain Myles Keogh’s horse Comanche, found riddled with arrows and bullets but nursed back to health and retired with full honors.

Three: Custer’s Last-Minute Buzz Cut: The vain “Boy General” cropped his famous cinnamon-scented curls short days before to beat the heat—shattering the long-haired legend forever.

Four: Declined Gatling Guns: Offered modern rapid-fire cannons, Custer refused them, boasting “the Seventh can handle anything it meets.” They might have changed everything.

Five: Fought on Allies’ Land: The giant village sat illegally on Crow reservation territory. Custer’s own Crow and Arikara scouts were fighting their ancient Sioux enemies.

Six: Warriors’ Baffled Treasure Hunt: Sioux and Cheyenne found ticking watches “magic,” discarded them when they stopped, mistook paper money for children’s pictures, and believed compasses “pointed to dead white men.”

Seven: Dead-Horse Breastworks: On Last Stand Hill, troopers shot their own mounts to form a 30-foot circle of carcasses as makeshift barricades.

Eight: Mass Suicides in Panic: Multiple Native accounts describe soldiers turning guns on themselves or each other after Custer fell, rather than face capture and torture.

Nine: Sitting Bull’s Grasshopper Vision: Weeks earlier, the chief’s Sun Dance vision showed soldiers tumbling into camp “like grasshoppers from the sky”—eerily fulfilled.

Ten: Fake Survivors: Over the next 70 years, more than 120 men claimed to be the “lone survivor” of Custer’s battalion.

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

General Joseph E. Johnston After the Civil War

 

General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered his forces to William T. Sherman on April 26, 1865, at Bennett Place, North Carolina—the largest Confederate capitulation of the war, involving nearly 90,000 troops. After the war, Johnston opened an insurance agency in Savannah, Georgia, before relocating to Richmond, Virginia, in 1877. There, he engaged in railroad ventures and authored his memoir, Narrative of Military Operations (1874), which sharply criticized Jefferson Davis and defended his own strategies.

Politically active, Johnston was elected as a Democrat to the U.S. House of Representatives for Virginia's 3rd District, serving from 1879 to 1881 without seeking reelection. Under President Grover Cleveland, he was appointed U.S. Commissioner of Railroads (1885–1889), overseeing national infrastructure.

In a poignant display of reconciliation, Johnston served as a pallbearer at Sherman's funeral in February 1891, refusing to wear a hat in the cold rain out of respect. He contracted pneumonia and died on March 21, 1891, at age 84 in Washington, D.C.

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

War and Reconstruction in Mississippi 1861-1875: A Portrait

The Ten Oddest Things About George Armstrong Custer

 

Here are the ten oddest things about George Armstrong Custer, whose glittering career ended in disaster at Little Bighorn

One:Baby-Talk Nickname: Family called him “Autie” his whole life after toddler George mispronounced his middle name “Armstrong.”

Two: West Point’s Worst Cadet: Graduated dead last (the infamous “goat”) in 1861 after racking up a mountain of demerits for pranks—snowball fights, stolen chickens, even wearing a wig to hide non-regulation hair.

Three: Cinnamon-Scented Locks: The vain cavalryman drenched his long golden curls in cinnamon oil so they smelled sweet during charges.

Four: Dandy Uniforms: Rode into battle wearing black velvet jackets trimmed with gold lace, bright red scarves, and wide-brimmed sombreros—looking more like a showman than a soldier.

Five: Boy General at 23: Promoted to brigadier general at age 23 after daring charges; newspapers dubbed him the youngest Union general.

Six: Surrender Table Trophy: His wife Libbie received the actual small table Grant used to draft Lee’s surrender at Appomattox. She loaned the table to the Smithsonian in 1912. Title to the table was transferred to the Smithsonian after her death.

Seven: Custer Family Massacre: Five members of his immediate family—including two brothers, a nephew, and brother-in-law—died with him at Little Bighorn.

Eight: Court-Martialed for Love: Suspended a year in 1867 for abandoning his Kansas regiment without permission just to see his beloved Libbie.

Nine: Custer’s Luck: Eleven horses shot out from under him during the Civil War; he emerged unscathed every time—until June 25, 1876.

Ten: Last-Minute Haircut: Contrary to legend, he cropped his famous curls short right before Little Bighorn to beat the summer heat.

Custer’s Last Stand Re-examined

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

General Ambrose Burnside After the Civil War

 

With the collapse of the Confederacy in April 1865, Union Major General Ambrose Burnside—infamous for the Union debacle at Fredericksburg and the Crater fiasco at Petersburg—resigned his commission on April 15, closing a checkered military career. The 1847 West Point graduate returned to civilian life.

Burnside dove into industry, becoming president of several emerging railroad companies.  He was elected governor of Rhode Island for three one year terms beginning in 1866.

In 1871, Burnside became a co-founder of the National Rifle Association becoming the groups first president.

In 1874, the affable Burnside was elected to the U.S. Senate, winning re-election in 1880. He chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee until his sudden heart attack death on September 13, 1881, in Bristol, Rhode Island.

Treasure Legends of the Civil War

The Civil War Wedding

Joshua Chamberlain After the Civil War

 

In the spring of 1865, Union hero Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, the "Lion of Little Round Top," mustered out. His bayonet charge at Gettysburg had etched him into legend, but a wound suffered at Petersburg in 1864 , a Minié ball that shattered his pelvis, left him in chronic agony.

Returning to Maine, Chamberlain's entered politics. Elected governor in 1866, he served four one-year terms, championing veterans' aid, education reform, and Black civil rights amid Ku Klux Klan threats. A moderate Republican, he navigated partisan strife, finally earning the Medal of Honor in 1893 for his actions at Gettysburg.

Chamberlain’s marriage was complex and sometimes strained.  Modern biographers often describe their relationship as: deeply loving but mismatched, shaped by 19th‑century expectations of gender, duty, and sacrifice, and a casualty of war, in its own way. 

In 1871, Chamberlain became president of Bowdoin College where he had once been a professor of rhetoric and oratory.  There, the former professor modernized curricula, boosted enrollment, and fostered intellectual rigor.  In 1880, Chamberlain commanded the militia to restore order during a disputed Maine election.

In 1898, Chamberlain at the age of 70, volunteered to command US Army forces in the Spanish American War. He was passed over due to health issues.

He died in 1914 at the age of eighty-five.  His memoirs The Passing of the Armies were published posthumously in 1915.

History's Ten Worst Generals

Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

zn.to/2qnUPfj

Jubal Early and the Lost Cause

 

In the aftermath of Appomattox in April 1865, Confederate Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson Early rejected the sting of surrender. Disguised as a ragged farmer, he slipped through Union lines, hiding in Franklin County, Virginia, before fleeing to Mexico. This "unreconstructed rebel" refused to accept defeat, embarking on a nomadic exile across the Caribbean and finally to Canada.

 Early channeled his fury into ink. His Memoir of the Last Year of the War for Independence published in 1867 recast the Confederacy's fall not as military folly, but as betrayal by weak leaders and Northern treachery. The book ignited the "Lost Cause" flame, a narrative that romanticized the Old South.

 Pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in 1869, Early returned to Lynchburg, resuming the practice of law. There, he weaponized words and oratory, through speeches that vilified federal overreach. As president of the Southern Historical Society, he helped erect monuments and curated histories, re-enforcing Southern identity.

Early became an outspoken and vehement critic of Confederate Lieutenant General James Longstreet who after the war worked for the Grant Administration.  Early found particular fault with Longstreet’s actions at the Battle of Gettysburg.  Early also often criticized Ulysses S. Grant as a "butcher."

 Jubal Early died unbowed in 1894, and was buried in Lynchburg.

Runaway Slaves in Virginia

The Great Northern Rebellion of 1860 (alternate history)

General Phil Sheridan After the Civil War

 

Following the American Civil War, Union General Philip Sheridan transitioned from battlefield triumphs to key roles in Reconstruction and westward expansion. In 1867, he was appointed military governor of the Fifth Military District, overseeing Texas and Louisiana. Known for his stringent enforcement, Sheridan removed Confederate sympathizers from office and suppressed Ku Klux Klan activities

Transferred to the Department of the Missouri, Sheridan directed campaigns against Plains tribes during the Indian Wars. Employing "total war" strategies from the Civil War, he authorized winter assaults, destruction of villages, and encouraged buffalo extermination to force Native Americans onto reservations. He oversaw conflicts like the Red River War (1874/1875), the Great Sioux War (1876/1877), and the Nez Perce War (1877), effectively subduing resistance but drawing criticism for brutality.

Promoted to lieutenant general in 1869, Sheridan succeeded William T. Sherman as Commanding General of the U.S. Army in 1883. He advocated for Yellowstone National Park's protection, deploying cavalry to safeguard it from exploitation. Marrying Irene Rucker in 1875, he enjoyed a quieter later life until suffering heart attacks. Congress promoted him to full general on June 1, 1888, weeks before his death on August 5 at age 57 in Nonquitt, Massachusetts. Buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Sheridan's legacy blends Civil War heroism with controversial conquests in the West.

Nuclear War 1962 (Alternate History)

Treasure Legends of the Civil War

General John Bell Hood after the Civil War

 

Confederate General John Bell Hood surrendered to Union forces in Natchez, Mississippi, on May 31, 1865. He moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, seeking to rebuild his life.  There, Hood ventured into business as a cotton broker, merchant, and insurance agent, eventually becoming president of the Life Association of America. Despite chronic pain from war wounds—including the loss of his right leg at Chickamauga and use of his left arm at Gettysburg—he embraced civilian pursuits.

In 1868, Hood married Anna Marie Hennen, and the couple had 11 children, including three sets of twins, over the next decade. He actively supported veterans through charitable work, attending reunions like the 1872 gathering of Hood's Texas Brigade in Houston. Hood also penned his memoir, Advance and Retreat: Personal Experiences in the United States and Confederate States Armies, defending his wartime decisions.  This was published posthumously.

Tragedy struck in 1878 when a yellow fever epidemic devastated New Orleans, collapsing his insurance business. Hood succumbed to the disease on August 30, 1879, just days after his wife and eldest daughter, leaving 10 destitute orphans. The Texas Brigade Association and Southern families supported the children for years.

Runaway Slaves in Virginia

 Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War