The day of all days -
This generation couldn't stomach having to deal with a real sacrifice like D-Day - there were no safe rooms on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword or Juno...
The day of all days -
This generation couldn't stomach having to deal with a real sacrifice like D-Day - there were no safe rooms on Omaha, Utah, Gold, Sword or Juno...
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
When you read about men like Dick Winters, they seem to be superhuman. They weren't, they were ordinary men that did extraordinary things. Looking at the way things are now, its hard to believe that such men ever lived in this country.
6/17 will be a day I will always remember. I remember I was at my house watching the us open, rooting against the liv players. Reports were just coming in and I didn’t think much about them at the time but this morning I found out what actually happened. Apparently, a few people associated with the Colbert show, tried to breach a federal building in our nations capital city. I was horrified! We may never know what happened that terrible day, but I really hope our federal government using our tax money will setup a commission to get to the bottom of this. I suggest a panel of 9 ultra-right people to investigate this and only present their side of the story. That is the only way to get to the truth! I won’t sleep until I see their public display on live tv in 2-3 years. Stay safe everyone.
June 19, 1865
Federal troops land on Galveston Island, Texas and inform slaves that they are "free" and had been since January 1, 1863, the so-called Emancipation Proclamation, a wartime measure implemented by Lincoln to sow revolution from slaves in the South. Lincoln hoped Southern blacks would refuse to work for the Confederate government/army in the building of defenses, bridges, etc... What the EP did NOT do was officially free slaves held in Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and New Jersey, all slave states but not in "revolt" against the US. Lincoln attempted to "free" slaves in states he had no control of but did not do the same for slaves in states he did have governmental control over. Now, in practice, due to the presence of Federal troops and abolitionists, most of the slaves in those five states had been removed from their owners...confiscated and taken away...but they had not been "freed."
Slavery remained 100% legal until ratification of the 13th Amendment in November, 1865.
Little did the Federal troops, the slaves, and the residents of little ole Galveston Island know, nor could never have anticipated, that this simple, insignificant event would become a frickin' NATIONAL HOLIDAY! But then, they could not have known that a clown named Joe Biden would have stolen a presidential election and pandering to the leftists, signed such a stupid thing into law.
July 1, 1863 Battle of Gettysburg begins
Confederate infantry under General Heth encounter Union cavalry under General Buford west of the town. Both sides feed in more units, for the Union, infantry of the 1st and 11th corps, for the Confederates more of General A.P. Hill's corps and later divisions from General Ewell's corps. First day ends as a Confederate victory with Union troops pushed through the town where they occupy the heights centered on Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill.
July 2, 1863
General Lee ordered his corps commanders to attack as soon as possible that day. But they drug their feet, came up with excuses, and there were no attacks until late in the afternoon. General Longstreet, who's corps was not engaged on day one of the battle...part of the reason the Confederates won the day, didn't have Longstreet mucking things up...had the freshest troops and was supposed to begin the attacks on his end of the line. General Ewell was to attack with his corps on the north end of the line, the "hook" composed of Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill, when he heard Longstreet begin his attack. General A.P. Hill, in the middle, was to cooperate with both wings sending troops to support Longstreet and Ewell's attacks as needed. General Robert E. Lee is often criticized for his battle plan on Day 2, but his commanders never carried out his plans as he had instructed.
Day 2 is best remembered for the fight on Little Roundtop, but there was a whole lot more to the battle that day. For instance, Louisiana troops, "The Tigers," 10 regiments arrayed in two brigades, under General Jubal Early, Ewell's Corps, enjoyed success in their attacks. The Tigers captured East Cemetery Hill and held it against repeated Yankee counter-attacks for hours!!! General Anderson's division of North Carolina regiments, A. P. Hill's Corps, was supposed to support the Louisiana troops, but after starting out across the field toward the hill, they came under artillery fire and Anderson determined it was too risky. The Tigers were left on their own, and after night fell, under the cover of darkness, the Tigers withdrew leaving the Yanks in control of the important high ground, Cemetery Hill.
July 3, 1863
Pickett's Charge failed to carry the center of the Union line along Cemetery Ridge. Lee called off further operations and decided to retreat back to the Virginia. The withdrawal would begin later that night with the bulk of the army departing the next morning, July 4th.
In Vicksburg, Mississippi on July 3, 1863 General John Pemberton decided enough was enough and he would surrender the city to Union forces under the command of General U.S. Grant. Pemberton chose July 4th for the meeting date with Grant because he thought he might secure the most generous terms on Independence Day. And Grant did accommodate him with very generous terms.
The double losses at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, at the same time, was a double whammy for the South. The war would drag on for two more years, but these two events changed the direction of the conflict.
I was going to go to Gettysburg today, but half the areas of interest were closed because of a storm last night. Will try again next time I’m in the area.
Worth a visit. I was just there in March, a cold, blustery day and virtually had the park to myself, very few visitors about. Loved it.
Visiting battlefields help to make the history real. It becomes more than words in a history book or visuals from a documentary on TV, you can walk the ground, "touch" the history.
July 4, 1776
Some fellows assembled in Philadelphia signed a document...