Civil War Diary of P. L. Loufman

March 1865 started out very wet. In each of Philip's diary entries for March 1 st through the 4 th , rain is one of, if not the first or only thing he mentions. On the 2 nd , he received a letter from home and mentions “splendid news” but doesn’t elaborate. Perhaps just receiving the letter is the splendid news. On March 4 th , Philip traveled to Washington, D.C for President Lincoln’s second inauguration. It is estimated that approximately 50,000 people were assembled at Capitol Hill on that rain-soaked morning for the inauguration. The day began with the swearing in of newly elected Vice-President Andrew Johnson. Unfortunately, Johnson had been out drinking the night before and then unwisely stopped that morning on his way to the inauguration and reportedly consumed 3 glasses of whiskey. The obviously intoxicated Johnson proceeded to deliver a strange, rambling speech that subsequently prompted some senators to call for his resignation. Lincoln's Second Inagural Address Sour...

In today's Civil War Diary excerpt, in addition to lamenting the weather, Philip mentions the fall of Charleston which ended the siege of the city that began in 1863. Charleston, South Carolina, was one of the most important cities during the American Civil War and was often referred to as the "Cradle of the Confederacy." In 1860, it was one of the largest cities in the South and hosted the Democratic convention for the 1860 presidential ticket in the spring. Republican Abraham Lincoln won the presidency in November of 1860 against the split Democratic ticket of Stephen A. Douglas and John C. Breckenridge. Fearful of the new Republican administration, South Carolina set up a special secession convention in Charleston in December 1860 and the convention voted unanimously 169-0 in favor of seceding from the Union. On April 12, 1861, the first shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter, located in Charleston Harbor. The Great Fight at Charleston S.C April 7th 1863 by ...

AMENDMENT XIII SECTION 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. In 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which declared that people held as slaves within areas of the Confederacy that were in rebellion against the United States would be “forever free.” However, because the Emancipation Proclamation only applied to the Confederate States, an amendment to the US Constitution was required to guarantee that slavery would be abolished in the United States. The House Joint Resolution Proposing the 13th Amendment to the Constitution Source: The National Archives The 13 th Amendment was passed by the Senate in April 1864, however it did not initially pass in the House. Lincoln added the passage of the 13 th Amendment to the Republican Party platform for the 1864 presidential election. The 13 th Amendm...

Today’s Civil War Diary excerpt marks the start of 1865. Philip starts the new year with guard duty and a bad cold. However, his subsequent entries mark the turning of the tide in the Civil War. In January 1865, Fort Fisher guarded the last remaining open port for the Confederacy at Wilmington, North Carolina. At the beginning of the Civil War, the Confederacy constructed Fort Fisher near the mouth of the Cape Fear River. Throughout the war, Fort Fisher remained vital to keeping the port of Wilmington open to ensure that necessary supplies reached the troops inland. The Capture of Fort Fisher Source:  North Carolina in the American Civil War In December 1864, the first battle of Fort Fisher ended when Union troops failed to capture the fort. The second battle took place January 13 to 15, 1865. After intense fighting, and after his defenses were overrun by Union troops, a wounded Major General William H.C. Witting surrendered his garrison of 1,900 men to the Union army. The capture ...