Iron Brigader began its blog with a poem by Edmund Clarence Stedman, a poet from Connecticut who served as a field correspondent for the “New York World” in the early years of the Civil War. Today, we bring you a poem written by a southerner, which versifies the April 13, 1861 bombardment of the Fort, [...]
“Goober Peas” is such a well known Civil War song because its popularity continued long after the war was over. It even entered the elementary music curriculum when instilling patriotism in school children was still important. “Goober Peas” was still being taught, even in Northern schools, in the 1960s. I know that because I learned [...]
Ella Wheeler Wilcox was not a Civil War poet, per se, although she did live through the war and at least had the direct experience of seeing her brothers leave to serve their country. “One went in as a mere lad,” she said In her autobiography, “The World and I (1918),” and noted that they [...]
Continue reading about ‘When the Regiment Came Back’ by Ella Wheeler Wilcox
With the upcoming sesquicentennial of the firing on Fort Sumter and the beginning of the Civil War rapidly approaching, there is no shortage of commemorative events in the Palmetto State. Many events as well as ongoing exhibits are in the Charleston area. There are way too many to mention here, but here are few highlights [...]
Continue reading about April 2011 Civil War Sesquicentennial Events in South Carolina
Not to be outdone by the U.S. Mint and its offering of Civil War commemorative quarters, the U.S. Postal Service will issue two Civil War commemorative stamps per year from 2011 through 2015. The first two stamps in the series will be available on April 12th, 2011, the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the [...]
Continue reading about Post Office Will Issue Civil War Commemorative Stamps
Today we have a Christmas poem written by Thomas Hill (1818-1891), taken from a 16-page booklet entitled Christmas, and poems on slavery, for Christmas, 1843 in support of an anti-slavery fair in Massachusetts. The then 25-year-old Hill dedicated the pamphlet to Eliza Lee Follen and we also have some interesting information about these individuals. Mrs. Follen [...]
