Why Did the Media Love Custer?

 

George Armstrong Custer warmly welcomed newspaper man Mark Kellogg on the 1876 campaign against the Sioux.  It was by courting the press that the flamboyant Custer had become a national celebrity. 

Kellogg did not disappoint.  Acting as a correspondent for the Bismarck Tribune and the New York Herald, America’s best paying newspaper, Kellogg wrote:

“And now a word for the most peculiar genius in the army, a man of strong impulses, of great hearted friendships and bitter enmities, of quick, nervous temperament, undaunted courage, will and determination; a man possessing electrical mental capacity and of iron frame and constitution; a brave, faithful, gallant soldier, who has warm friends and bitter enemies; the hardest rider, the greatest pusher, with the most untiring vigilance, overcoming seeming impossibilities, and with an ambition to succeed in all things he undertakes; a man to do right, as he construes the right, in every case; one respected and beloved by his followers, who would freely follow him into the ‘jaws of hell.’ Of Lieutenant Colonel G. A. Custer I am now writing. Do not think I am overdrawing the picture. The pen picture is true to life, and is drawn not only from actual observation, but from an experience that cannot mislead me.”

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Custer's Last Stand Re-Examined

Are the D-Day Beaches Haunted?

 

The Normandy battlefields are widely said to be haunted, particularly the D-Day landing beaches such as Omaha Beach, Utah Beach, and the cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Reports over the decades have included accounts of phantom soldiers, unexplained voices, distant gunfire, footsteps in abandoned bunkers, and shadowy figures seen near memorial sites.

What makes Normandy different from many "haunted" locations is the sheer scale of the action. On June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops landed in Normandy, and thousands were killed.

If Germany Won World War II

Nuclear War 1962 (Alternate History)

Napoleon in Defeat

 

Paul Delaroche’s Napoleon at Fontainebleau painted in 1845 portrays Napoleon Bonaparte at one of the lowest points of his career, shortly before his abdication in 1814. Seated alone in a chair, weary and contemplative, the once-mighty emperor appears defeated and isolated. His muddied boots, discarded hat, and slumped posture contrast sharply with the grandeur of his surroundings, emphasizing the collapse of his power. Delaroche creates a deeply psychological portrait that captures Napoleon’s despair, vulnerability, and awareness of his impending downfall.

History's Ten Worst Generals

 

The Invasion of Canada 1933 (alternate history)

Napoleon Crossing the Alps

 

Napoleon understood the power of imagery better than almost any ruler in history. Many of his most famous portraits weren't simply paintings, they were political messages designed to portray him as a hero, lawgiver, conqueror, and emperor.

One of the most iconic paintings of Napoleon entitled Napoleon Crossing the Alps  painted by Jacque-Louis David was painted in 1801.

Napoleon is shown rearing on a magnificent horse while crossing the Great St. Bernard Pass into Italy. In reality, he crossed on a mule, but the painting transformed a difficult military march into a heroic legend.

It is perhaps the most recognizable image of Napoleon ever created and helped build his public image as a fearless leader.

                        

                                                             History's Ten Worst Generals

Sneak Attack! (Four Alternative History Stories)

The Coronation of Napoleon

 

Jacques-Louis David’s The Coronation of Napoleon painted in 180 is one of history's greatest propaganda paintings. It records the moment Napoleon elevated himself from revolutionary general to emperor.

It depicts the coronation ceremony held at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on December 2, 1804. The artist portrays the emperor crowning Empress Joséphine, emphasizing his authority and ambition. Through its grandeur, dramatic composition, and meticulous realism, the painting celebrates Napoleon’s power while serving as a masterful work of political propaganda.

Wars and Invasions (Four alternative history stories)

History's Ten Worst Generals

Napoleon’s Retreat from Moscow

 

Adolphe Northen’s The Retreat from Moscow vividly portrays the devastating withdrawal of Napoleon’s Grand Army from Russia in 1812.

 The painting captures exhausted soldiers struggling through deep snow amid bitter cold, conveying the human cost of war. The artist’s dramatic use of light and detail highlights the collapse of one of history’s greatest military campaigns.

History's Ten Worst Generals

Sneak Attack! (Four Alternative History Stories)

Libbie Custer: True Grit

 

History remembers General George Armstrong Custer.

But the true story of grit may belong to the woman who rode beside him into some of the harshest places in America.

Her name was Elizabeth "Libbie" Bacon Custer.

In her book Boots and Saddles she recounts the dual dangers she faced on the frontier. “My danger in connection with the Indians was two-fold.  I was in peril from death or capture, and liable to be  killed by my own friends to prevent my capture.”

“ The universal understanding was that anyone having me in charge  in an emergency where there was imminent danger of my capture should shoot me instantly.”

Custer’s Last Stand: Portraits in Time

Custer's Last Stand Re-Examined

George Washington's Coffin Opened

 

In 1837, George Washington's lead coffin was placed inside the marble sarcophagus that visitors see today.  The coffin was opened in 1837, witnesses reported that Washington's remains were remarkably well preserved because of the lead-lined coffin. A contemporary account states that a section of the lead was carefully lifted back, exposing the head and upper chest. Observers described:

The face as readily recognizable as that of George Washington. The features as shrunken but distinct. The nose retaining its shape. The hair still visible. The dark military cloak in which he had been buried remaining identifiable. The body appearing naturally mummified rather than skeletal.

One witness wrote that the body seemed so well preserved that it looked as though it had been buried only a short time rather than nearly four decades earlier. After the inspection, the coffin was resealed and enclosed within the marble sarcophagus donated by Philadelphia stonecutter John Struthers.

How Martha Washington Lived: 18th Century Customs

Love, Sex, and Marriage in Colonial America 1607-1800

What Stonewall Jackson said.

 

Here are ten of the best-known quotes associated with Confederate general Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson (1824–1863):

1. “The time for war has not yet come, but it will come, and that soon; and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.”
   Spoken to VMI cadets in March 1861. 

2.  “Then, Sir, we will give them the bayonet!”
   Reply at First Manassas (Bull Run), July 21, 1861, when told his men were being driven back—just before he earned the nickname “Stonewall.”

3.  “My religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me.”
   To Capt. John D. Imboden after First Manassas. He added that this was how all men should live so that all would be equally brave.

4. “Never take counsel of your fears.”
   Described by his widow, Mary Anna Jackson, as a favorite maxim.

5. “Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy, if possible; and when you strike and overcome him, never let up in the pursuit so long as your men have strength to follow.”
   His oft-quoted rule of offensive warfare.

5. “You may be whatever you resolve to be.”
   Frequently cited as a personal motto associated with Jackson.

7. “War means fighting. The business of the soldier is to fight.”
   From his views on how armies should be used—find the enemy, strike him, and do so quickly.

8. “I like liquor—its taste and its effects—and that is just the reason why I never drink it.”
   A characteristic remark on self-discipline.

9. “I yield to no man in sympathy for the gallant men under my command; but I am obliged to sweat them tonight, so that I may save their blood tomorrow.”
   Explaining a hard night march.

10. “Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.”
    His last words, spoken as he was dying of pneumonia after being wounded at Chancellorsville (May 10, 1863).

CIVIL WAR CIVILIAN LIFE: MANASSAS, VIRGINIA (Battle of Bull Run)

Treasure Legends of the Civil War

Crime: Colonial America

 

John Billington was not a Pilgrim. He was part of the “Strangers”—non‑Separatists recruited by the London merchants who financed the voyage of the Mayflower in 1620. From the moment the Mayflower left England, Billington was a problem.

William Bradford, later governor of Plymouth, described him as “a knave,” a man prone to defiance and disorder. His family was equally notorious: his wife Ellen was reprimanded for slander, and his sons were involved in repeated mischief.

The Billingtons were loud, unruly, and unwilling to submit to the colony’s leadership

Billington’s clashes with authority escalated quickly. In 1621, he refused to obey military orders issued by Captain Myles Standish. Billington’s refusal to comply was seen as a direct challenge to the colony’s survival in a savage environment.

He was arrested and nearly executed, but the colony—still fragile and desperate for manpower—chose leniency.  This would prove a mistake.

By 1630, Plymouth had grown more stable.  But stability did not tame Billington.

That year, he became embroiled in a feud with a young man named John Newcomen. One day, encountering Newcomen alone, Billington raised his musket and shot him. Newcomen died from his wounds.

Billington was arrested and brought before the colony’s governing council, which acted as both judge and jury.

Witnesses testified to the shooting. Billington offered no compelling defense. The council found him guilty of “willful murder.”

The governor described Billington as a man who had “been a bad man” from the beginning, whose death was the inevitable result of years of disorderly conduct.

Billington was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution took place in September 1630, making him the first European settler executed in what would become the United States.

Death and the Miser

 

Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch Renaissance painter renowned for symbolic works depicting religious and moral themes. He is known for grotesque creatures. His work critiques human folly, sin, and societal corruption.

Here death comes for a miser.  The miser tries to buy death off, but death is not impressed by the miser’s wealth.

Historic Cemeteries of Northern Virginia (Images of America)

Civil War Graves of Northern Virginia (Images of America)

English Princes Salute George Washington: 155 Years of History

 

Mount Vernon has always been a place of pilgrimage because of the tomb of George Washington, America’s secular saint.   Prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War, Mount Vernon was visited by HRH Prince Albert, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII).  On October 5, 1860 President James Buchanan accompanied the Prince on a tour of Mount Vernon and visited Washington’s tomb, which was not in very good shape.  A British correspondent wrote, “No pious care seems to have ever tended this neglected grave. . .It is here alone in its glory, uncared for, unvisited, unwatched, with the night-wind for its only mourner sighing through the waste of trees, and strewing the dead brown leaves like ashes before the tomb. Such is the grave of Washington!”

 After the First World War another Prince of Wales visited.  On November 13, 1919, the future King Edward VIII visited Washington’s grave and laid a wreath.  The Prince also planted a small English yew tree near the tomb.

On March 18, 2015, HRH Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall laid a wreath at Washington’s tomb.  The Prince, a major force in raising awareness about environmental issues, found Washington’s tomb in considerably better shape than did his great-great grandfather.  

How Sherlock Holmes Lived: Victorian Customs

What Sherlock Holmes Drank: Victorian Drinking Customs

Civil War: The Shaw 54th Regiment Memorial

 

                                                                                   

                                                    Love, Sex, and Marriage in the Civil War

Civil War Humor 1861-1865

Watson and the Shark

 

This dramatic painting is based on a true story, the rescue of fourteen year old Brook Watson from the jaws of a hungry shark in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, in 1749.

Watson survived. Years later, after he became a successful merchant and mayor of London, he commissioned the American painter John Singleton Copley to portray the incident.

Bermuda: Legends and Lore

Paititi ( The Treasure of the Lost City )