Tag Archive

Decoration Day Speech by Gen. James A. Garfield (1868)

Published on May 25, 2025 By sirrahc

Some of you may remember that several years ago I put together “A Brief History of Memorial Day”. In that post, I discussed the calling for a national day “for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and […]

A Brief History of Memorial Day

Published on May 29, 2016 By sirrahc

“By the flow of the inland river, Whence the fleets of iron have fled, Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver, Asleep are the ranks of the dead: Under the sod and the dew, Waiting the judgment-day; Under the one, the Blue, Under the other, the Gray.” — first stanza of “The Blue and the […]

Was the American Civil War Fought Over States' Rights?

Published on July 22, 2010 By sirrahc

What was the difference between the Confederate and U.S. Constitutions? – Don’t Know Much about History (2003), by Kenneth C. Davis One week after Lincoln’s inaugural address, on March 11, the Confederacy adopted a constitution. Given the long-held arguments that the crisis was over such issues as federal power and states’ rights, and not slavery, […]