The story of the assassination on Abraham Lincoln, 150 years ago, is the story of American flags, blood-stained, ripped and draped with black ribbons. On April 14, 1865, joyous over the recent end of the Civil War, when Confederate flags had been folded in defeat at Appomattox, Lincoln had an idea. He invited his wife… continue
The conclusion of the four-year-long 150th anniversary of the Civil War is a good time to remember how some firemen put down their hoses to pick up flags and firearms. In the spring of 1861, when southern states began to secede, The New York Times reported that “the extreme danger to which the Federal Capital… continue
In 1865 – 150 years ago – the U.S. was the scene of two historic moments: the end of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. It was also the year a college named for the president was founded, a college that possesses a significant flag connected to his election. Chartered in 1865,… continue
One hundred and fifty years ago, in the closing weeks of his life, Abraham Lincoln was focused on the finale of the Civil War – and on flags. On March 17, 1865, for example, he issued an address to the 140th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, which had captured a rebel flag during a battle in North… continue
From the start of the Civil War in 1861 to its conclusion 150 years ago, thousands of Irish-Americans played major roles on battlefields, and they loved the flags that went with them. The history of the Ninth Massachusetts Volunteers, for example, describes “our battle flags, the Stars and Stripes and the Green Flag of Erin,… continue