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The Civil War (post conflict)… June, 1865

Blog-6-5-2015-When-Johnny-Comes-Marching-Home [1]What news was reported in June, 1865 – 150 years ago? Such a walk back in time through the eyes of those who read the daily and weekly newspapers of the period can be quite revealing. This is why we often say, “History is never more fascinating than when it’s read from the day it was first reported.” The following link will take you back in time to show the available newspapers from the Rare & Early newspapers website. There’s no need to buy a thing. Simply enjoy the walk back in time:

June, 1865 [2]

A sampling of what you will find may include articles and info regarding: President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral, the capture of Jefferson Davis (found wearing a woman’s dress), the first Hebrew free school in New York City, the trial of the conspirators (including Mrs. Surratt),  follow-up detailed Civil War battle reports from several Generals, a well-known print in a Harper’s Weekly titled, “When Johnny Comes Marching Home,” and more. Enjoy!
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1 Comment To "The Civil War (post conflict)… June, 1865"

#1 Comment By Mark Curran On 06/07/2015 @ 5:23 pm

Wearing a dress?

Learn the full story, according to orginal sources, trying to defend Davis!

Davis not only wore his wife’s dress — that was the least of it.

He also, according to his wife’s book, told her to make sure she was not taken alive . “Force your assailants to kill you” he told her — and that is IN HER BOOK.

The jist of Davis speech to Varina was meant to impress those gathered, about how Davis was so brave. Davis clear implication was that he too, would be force his assailants to kill him.

When Union troops drew near, Davis got into his wife’s dress. Contary to myth, often repeated, Davis was wearing an “errant shawl” or shoulder wrap. Nonsense,

According to his wife — and she is trying to deflect embarrassment from him — Davis had on three different garments, though she herself does not call one a dress, she does say one was a “dressing gown”. She also wrote, in her letter at the time, that she told the Union soldiers that Jeff was her mother. Those are her words “It’s my mother”.

The union reports you can discount if you want, they report clearly he wore a dress, and that Varina put that very dress on, when they allowed Davis to get back in his normal clothing. You heard right, Varina put on the dress Davis took off. See Union reports.

Davis nephew’s journal also confirmed, Davis wore a dress.

But the real story is his cowardice. He runs when his children and wife were in danger — he runs away in her dress.

Davis would insist he saved the children’s lives by his surrender. He claimed he wanted to, intended to, kill the first soldier and go down fighting, but the proxiimity of his dear dear children let him to surrender, for their sake, not his.

The man had no shame. He was no where near those children he “saved” by his surrrender, in fact, for all he cared, those Union soldiers, who were firing their weapons as they rode into camp, could have killed those kids in the tent. Davis was some distance away, running for his own safety.

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