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When Lincoln Inspired Van Orden
On February 19, 1861, President-Elect Abraham Lincoln was on a train headed towards Washington D.C. for his inaugural. The train stopped at the Peekskill Depot in Westchester County, NY, to lay on...
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Salute of Arms
On April 9 – 12, 1865, Archibald Van Orden wore this ribbon on his uniform, signifying his position in an honor guard accompanying General Grant at ceremonies of surrender on the grounds of Appomattox...
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From Union Square to Freedom’s Fortress
Three months after my great-grandfather, Archie Van Orden, enlisted in Company D of the NY 12th Infantry, orders were issued to move to Washington, D.C. The regiment assembled in Union Square of NYC,...
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Deadly See-Saw: The Battle of Gaines’ Mill
It is June 27, 1862 — exactly 6 months after Private Archibald Van Orden enlisted in the NY 12th Infantry. He and his Union comrades are now near Richmond, VA, preparing to attack the capitol of the...
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Can You See The Connection?
What’s the connection between this first picture … … and this second picture below? The answer is found in this third picture below! This man is Frederick Law Olmsted. He is renowned as the landscape...
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34 Hours of Hell
On Friday, April 12, 1861, Confederate batteries in Charleston, SC opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, which had remained under Federal control. At 4:30 AM the first cannon fired....
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Crossroads of Life
Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, but it was not to go into effect until 100 days later on January 1, 1863. If slave states in rebellion returned to the Union before...
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Crossroads of Death
My last post was entitled “Crossroads of Life”, focusing on the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, forever changing America for the better. This post is entitled “Crossroads of Death”, for a...
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Unconditional Surrender Grant
Most Americans did not know the name Ulysses Simpson Grant in early 1862. However, by late 1868, all knew who he became: President of the United States. The man known as U.S. Grant seemed destined for...
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Bloody Lane: No Turning Back
Antietam is a name most Americans have heard. We learn it in high school history. However, many don’t recall why they know it, or even where it is. Here’s where it is: Robert E Lee’s first invasion of...
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