So… we want separation of church and state.

Ida is turning in her grave right now.

On April 13, 1873 over 100 Black Americans were murdered by white supremacists near Colfax, Louisiana.

The massacre was among the most devastating acts of race-driven terrorism during Reconstruction, though memory of what white Southerners called a “riot” has since been hotly contested.

On April 12, 1861 Confederates fired on the US garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston, sparking a long and bloody Civil War.

On the 3rd anniversary of the attack Confederates massacred Black US Army soldiers at Fort Pillow, violently demonstrating the root cause of the conflict.

On April 13, 1862, two days after US troops captured Savannah’s Fort Pulaski, General David Hunter issued Orders No. 7 declaring all “persons of color lately held to involuntary service by enemies of the United States in Fort Pulaski…hereby confiscated and… free…”

Happy Appomattox Day to all who celebrate, and even those who don’t.

Soon thousands of NFL Draft attendees will converge upon my hometown of Pittsburgh; most who are unfamiliar with our drivers and roadways.

Let God sort ‘em out.

That work, however, is still challenged by the same forces who railed against birthright citizenship and racial equality nearly 160 years ago.

I pass this monument every day; each time considering the legacy of Thaddeus Stevens and those who fought to bring freedom and citizenship to millions of Americans. Their work is still enshrined in the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

One is Early American Warfare 1585-1840 and the other is Presidential Leadership at a Crossroads… so one term paper is centered around the Stono Rebellion while the other is focused on Lincoln’s relationship with Reconstruction in the Lowcountry.

The stack is ever-growing.

One month left of the Spring 2026 semester!

Fantastic! I’m currently developing related public programming at my site (in MD), and this will absolutely come in handy. Thank you for sharing!

Unrelated but related - is that platform publicly available yet?? Asking for a friend.

Last week we scattered the remains of my father in a place that meant the world to him. It was a bittersweet and cathartic experience that was seven years in the making.

Here’s your weekly moment of Appalachian zen.

Soaked in it.

Exactly. And I truly wonder which sources he will choose to highlight following his grand announcement.

I’d never thought to use primary sources for historical research. Very cool.

This is worth your time today.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Grandpa James W. Condon of County Limerick (bottom left).

Like so many immigrants before and after him, James came to this country in 1848 searching for a better life. 🇮🇪

Sure, Washington Irving is cool, but have you tried Carl Schurz?

a man wearing a pair of goggles looks at the camera with his mouth open ALT: a man wearing a pair of goggles looks at the camera with his mouth open

If you want to know how the general population will react in the event of catastrophe and uncertainty, look no further than a National Park parking area on a semi-busy weekend.

Yes!

Many thanks to Melissa Hacker Winn and Dana B. Shoaf for the invite to provide some context behind this wartime treasure!

Last night a 162-year-old flag was unveiled for the @CivilWarMed collection; a flag that once flew over US Army Hospital No. 15 in the coastal town of Beaufort, South Carolina, and bore witness to immense societal change in the Deep South, from slavery to freedom.

Approaching the end of a six-day work week in an understaffed and underfunded federal agency as the nation plunges into another costly war.

Many thanks to my friends at the Civil War Roundtable of Gettysburg for inviting me to speak about my two favorite Burg(h)s, and to everyone who tuned in to listen!

On February 25, 1870 Hiram R. Revels, a former preacher and educator from Mississippi, took his oath of office as the first Black member of the US Senate. In a twist of irony Revels was to hold the seat previously occupied by Jefferson Davis - former president of the Confederacy.