Week in Review: August 12th-17th
"Copper" debuts this Sunday on BBC America. The series features a Civil War soldier-turn-vigilante cop in the famed Five Points neighborhood of New York City.
Civil War in the News…
On Tuesday, two engineers-turned-explorers found the wreck of a Civil War-era steamship in Seneca Lake (NY). The ship was intentionally blown up in September 1898 after it outlived its usefulness. This Sunday, BBC America will debut their first scripted drama, “Copper,” set in 1864 New York. The series centers on Kevin Corcoran—played by Tom Weston-Jones—an Irish-American former boxer turned cop, who returns from the Civil War only to find that his wife is missing and his daughter is dead. Corcoran, along with two Civil War compatriots (the wayward son of a wealthy industrialist and an African-American physician who secretly assists the forensic investigations), seeks justice for the Five Points neighborhood's powerless. While the series pays homage to Gangs of New York and primarily focuses on the deadly underbelly of New York City, references and images of the Civil War are sure to abound. Also on Sunday, the William G. Thompson Museum and Gardens in Hudson, Michigan will open a travelling exhibition entitled, “Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War.” Tomorrow, the Floyd County Historical Society will unveil an Indiana State Historical Marker highlighting the July 1862 race riots in New Albany—a bloody, thirty-hour affair that included the destruction of property and mob violence. The University of Iowa Libraries launched a new Civil War blog, Joseph F. Culver Civil War Letters, which will bring to life Culver’s story by publishing his letters day by day—exactly 150 years after their initial writing. And, the city of Petersburg (VA) and Petersburg National Battlefield announced that they will begin stabilizing and restoring the South Side Depot in Old Towne Petersburg courtesy of $400,000 in Transportation Enhancement grants from the state and a $100,000 donation match from the Civil War Trust. The building eventually will house a visitor's center and park rangers.
In the coming weeks, there will definitely be a lot to see and do in relationship to the sesquicentennial. This weekend is the sesquicentennial celebration of the Battle of Lone Jack, Missouri—with re-enactments highlighting the battle’s impact on civilians. For more information, please check out the Kansas City Star article about the re-enactments. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Civil War Commemoration Task Force announced the forthcoming celebration of the anniversary of the 1862 US-Dakota War, which began 150 years ago this week and ended in December 1862. On Saturday, August 25th, the Shiloh National Military Park will be premiering the new Ric Burns documentary "Death and the Civil War”—based on Drew Gilpin Faust’s This Republic of Suffering. Similarly, on September 4th, the Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick, Maryland will be premiering the documentary film, "Maryland’s Heart of the Civil War." Lastly, the Civil War Center at Kennesaw State University announced their fall symposium entitled, “New Interpretations of the Civil War: '1862: Following the Path to Freedom.” This free event will be Saturday, October 13th and features Howard Jones, Craig Symonds, and George Wunderlich.
As I am sure you all know, the sesquicentennial of Second Manassas/Second Bull Run is upon us. As such, Discover Prince William & Manassas recently launched a $15 “Civil War Experience Pass” program which offers visitors more than 50 percent off the combined entry admissions at six historic sites including Manassas National Battlefield Park, Manassas Museum, Ben Lomond Historic Site, Bristoe Station Battlefield Heritage Park, Brentsville Courthouse Historic Centre and Rippon Lodge. The pass is valid through December 2013 and can be purchased at the Manassas Museum, Rippon Lodge, Brentsville Courthouse, or Ben Lomond.
What We Are Reading…
Over on the Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial blog, Gordon Calhoun discussed the destruction of the CSS Arkansas in August 1862 and "Farragut's Punitive Raid on Donaldsonville." Meanwhile, the bloggers of Disunion have been quite busy. Ronald Coddington recounted how in August 1862, Robert Gould Shaw accompanied the remains of five fellow officers to Culpeper, Virginia—the first leg of their final journey home to Boston. Meanwhile, Meredith Hindley discussed the “The Making of Rear Admiral Farragut” and Rick Beard described Abraham Lincoln’s meeting with a group of African Americans to discuss the potential resettlement of emancipated slaves in present-day Panama. Donald Shaffer also discussed this fateful meeting in “Lincoln Meets Black Leaders,” which includes a transcription of the meeting’s minutes.
Meanwhile, To the Sound of Guns guru Craig Swain discussed General John Pope’s “hard war” policies and the import of General Orders No. 19 in “150 Years Ago: Pope backs off the “Hard War” just a bit.” Keith Harris explored how “Union Veterans Reflect on Robert E. Lee" on Cosmic America. And, on Civil War Emancipation, Donald Shaffer recounted the Confederate practice of enslaving free Northern blacks who fell into their hands in “Enslaving the Free.”
What We Are Listening To…
While a few years old, we have been revisiting the Organization of American Historians’ (OAH) “Talking History” series. Podcasts of note include Melvyn Leffler’s discussion of “U.S. Grand Strategy and the Cold War,” Michael Kauffman’s assessment of John Wilkes Booth in “American Brutus,” Laura Leedy Gansler’s assessment of “The Mysterious Private Thompson”—also known as Sarah Emma Edmonds, and Bruce Levine’s recounting of “Confederate Emancipation” and a March 1865 proposal that stated: “Every slave in the South who shall remain true to the Confederacy in this war, and take up arms it is defense will be freed."
In Case You Missed It…
Over on The Bookshelf, Elizabeth D. Leonard reviewed Brian R. Dirck’s Lincoln and the Constitution. According to Leonard, Dirck follows through on his promise to provide readers with a “relatively straightforward and basic overview of Lincoln’s constitutional thought, spanning his entire lifetime,” accessible to a “general reading audience” (3). Meanwhile, on Behind the Lines, David Thompson interviewed Megan Kate Nelson about her new book Ruin Nation: Destruction and the American Civil War—now out with University of Georgia Press. Dr. Nelson also reflects on one of the most influential books to her own scholarship.
Those are the news and highlights for the week.
Laura June Davis, Contributing Editor
Image Credit: BBC America.
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