On July 4, 1865, George Michael Neese stood on the heights of Massanutten Mountain and looked out over the Shenandoah Valley. It was the final day of his long journey home to New Market, Virginia. The war was over, and the young Confederate artilleryman was reflecting on what the four years of conflict had meant. … Read more
In the spring of 1864, the Army of the Potomac prepared for a new campaign in Virginia, this time with Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant accompanying it. Although Major General George Gordon Meade technically commanded the army, Grant was effectively calling the shots. His presence marked the beginning of the Overland Campaign, a sustained push … Read more
In the years after the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee shared his personal reflections on the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg in conversations with a trusted colleague. Those conversations were recorded in memoranda that offer a rare glimpse into Lee’s own assessment of the campaign. The notes were made by William Allan, an educator and … Read more
On February 17, 1865, Union forces under Major General William T. Sherman entered Columbia, South Carolina. The city was in chaos, with citizens in the streets and cotton flakes blowing through the air like snow. As Sherman rode into the conquered state capital, he was approached by a group of escaped Union prisoners of war. … Read more
In the autumn of 1861, a debtor living in a rented house in North London wrote an article explaining the American war to readers in Vienna. That man had spent his life developing a theory about how a rotten system recruits honorable people and teaches them to defend it with a perfectly clear conscience. Karl … Read more
In late March 1865, with his army starving and deserting in growing numbers, Confederate General Robert E. Lee faced his final desperate gamble. He turned to the young and trusted General John B. Gordon, asking for options to break the Union stranglehold on Petersburg, Virginia. Gordon presented three possibilities: negotiate peace with General Ulysses S. … Read more
A satanic cult operating in plain sight across rural Texas, a psychiatric hospital where patients run the asylum after the doctor is killed, and a possessed White House press secretary attacking citizens by night—these are just a few of the visions that slipped through the cracks of 1970s horror cinema. The decade produced far more … Read more
Min mamma sa att jag var familj, trots att jag var adopterad, men hon kom bara ihåg mig när hon behövde pengar. Om du träffade henne i en mataffär skulle du tro att hon var världens snällaste kvinna. Hon ler med ögonen som krusas, som om hon delar en hemlighet med dig. Och hon frågar … Read more
De telefoon ging om precies 14. 47 uur. Ik weet het tijdstip nog zo goed omdat ik naar de klok zat te staren en me afvroeg hoe de wereld kon blijven draaien terwijl de mijne volledig tot stilstand was gekomen. Vierentwintig uur. Dat was alles wat Patricia me gunde om te rouwen voordat ze toesloeg. … Read more
In the autumn of 1895, a marriage contract was signed in New York. A young English duke received a trust of $2. 5 million and a guaranteed annual income of $100,000. In exchange, he received an 18-year-old bride who did not want to marry him. Her name was Consuelo Vanderbilt. Her mother had arranged everything. … Read more