"The women who go to the Philippines on our great transports of to-day cannot realize and will scarcely believe what we endured for lack of ice and of good food on that never-to-be-forgotten voyage down the Pacific coast and up the Gulf of California in the summer of 1874" (28). Martha wrote that sentence about … Continue reading “The Heat…was Intense:” Series 1, Part 4
“Women Don’t Reckon in At All:” Series 1, Part 3
As a new army bride, Martha's first days with the Eighth Infantry were glitteringly happy ones that soon came crashing down to reality, if not quite misery. Even though Martha was surprised by Fort Russell's remote location compared to the grandeur of Germany (11), it wasn't long before the ways of the Army captured her … Continue reading “Women Don’t Reckon in At All:” Series 1, Part 3
Glittering Misery: Series 1, Part 2
At twenty-seven years old, Martha Summerhayes fell in love. She did not fall in love with a man, or a place, or a career of her own. Instead, she fell in love with the Army. King George of Hanover. Image courtesy of Wikipedia. Martha's introduction to the Army was unusual, to say the least. In … Continue reading Glittering Misery: Series 1, Part 2
Meet Martha Summerhayes: Series 1, Part 1
In the last chapter of Vanished Arizona, Martha Summerhayes wrote: "I am glad to have known the army: the soldiers, the line, and the Staff; it is good to think of honor and chivalry, obedience to duty and the pride of arms; to have lived amongst men whose motives were unselfish and whose aims were … Continue reading Meet Martha Summerhayes: Series 1, Part 1
The Fallible Washington
Charles Wilson Peale's 1772 portrait of George Washington in his Virginia Regiment uniform. Image courtesy of Washington and Lee University. With the 4th of July weekend upon us, many of us are surely looking forward to family gatherings, cookouts, parades, and fireworks. In the back of our minds, distracted though we might be by our … Continue reading The Fallible Washington
How the Civil War Speaks to a Covid Christmas
Writing in 1862, the Union Army officer John McHarg mournfully said to his little brother, "I have just reminded Father of the change since last New Year’s Day, & the many calls that will be missed on account of this horrid war."1 The "horrid war" John referred to was, of course, the Civil War, which … Continue reading How the Civil War Speaks to a Covid Christmas
The Surprising Reason the Lincolns Owned a Rebel Flag
Tad Lincoln - full citation below One day, during the tumultuous years of the Civil War, a number of Union troops gathered on the front lawn of the White House, awaiting their Commander in Chief's review. Abraham Lincoln stepped out onto the portico with an American flag firmly gripped in his large hands. The men's … Continue reading The Surprising Reason the Lincolns Owned a Rebel Flag
Living in History 