Chronological History of the American Civil War

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Custis Lee, sued the federal government for confiscating Arlington illegally; the Supreme Court agreed in a 5-4 decision, and gave it back to him. But what could the Lee family do with an estate littered with corpses? George Lee sold it back to the government for $150,000. Over time, 250,000 soldiers would be buried in what is now Arlington National Cemetery. West Tennesseans Who Fought for the North A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. As we know not all Tennesseans, even West Tennesseans were pro-Southern and fought for the Confederacy. An area around McNairy County, was known as the “Hurst Nation” and was controlled by Unionist Col. Fielding Hurst (US) 6th Tennessee Cavalry. When speaking of Col. Hurst, (U.S.) General N.B. Forrest (CSA) said, “From Tupelo to Purdy, the country has been laid waste” and he wanted him, and his men shot on site. Northwest Tennessee had the 14th Tennessee Cavalry (sometimes referred to as Bradford’s Tennessee Cavalry Battalion) (U.S.) These homemade Yankees came from Union City in Obion County. The name Union City is not a product of the war however, but instead gets its name from the junction or union of two important rail lines that came there before the war. In December 1863, Major William F. Bradford, who had at one time been a lawyer at Dyersburg, organized the battalion. Other officers in this command were his brother Capt. Theodorick F. Bradford and Capt. John Cooter, both of Dyersburg. At the Battle of Fort Pillow, Major William F. Bradford was captured without any injury. He was among the prisoners that were sent back to Brownsville. That night he accepted an offer to stay in the tent of Colonel McCulloch (CSA) but he escaped during the night. He was re-captured, and one version is that he was shot trying to evade capture and the other story is he was executed. Depends on who’s telling it, a Yank or a Reb. In God We Trust A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. From Treasury Department records it appears that the first suggestion that God be recognized on U.S. coinage can be traced to a letter addressed to the Secretary of Treasury from Reverend M. R. Watkinson. In a letter dated November 13, 1861, petitioned Secretary Salmon P. Chase to add a statement recognizing “Almighty God in some form in our coins.” At least part of the motivation was to declare that God was on the Union side of the Civil War. An Act of Congress, approved on April 11, 1864, authorized the coinage of two-cent coins upon which the motto first appeared. The motto was omitted from the new gold coins issued in 1907, causing a storm of public criticism. As a result, legislation passed in May 1908 made “In God We Trust” mandatory on all coins on which it had previously appeared. Legislation approved July 11, 1955, made the appearance of “In God We Trust” mandatory on all coins and paper currency of the United States. By Act of July 30, 1956, “In God We Trust” became the national motto of the United States. Several years ago, the appearance of “In God We Trust” on our money was challenged in the federal courts. The challenge was rejected by the lower federal courts, and the Supreme Court of the United States declined to review the case. And did you know it cost more to make just one penny than it is worth? The US Mint Annual Report released in 2014, it costs the U.S. Mint 1.83 cents (down from 2.41 cents in 2011) to make one cent because of the cost of materials, production, and distribution. That’s all for your two cents worth from me today. A Local Revenge Killing? A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. Solomon G. Street or Sol Street was born in 1834, at Cub Creek half way between Bolivar and Middleton. He was the son of Anderson Street, one of the pioneer settlers of Tippah County, Mississippi. The elder Street’s home was about ten miles northwest of Ripley, the county seat, and about fifteen miles south of Saulsbury, Tennessee. Little is known of the early life of his son, who was a small boy when the family moved to Mississippi. Sol married Rhoda Balch. When the Civil War broke out, Sol enlisted early (1861) in the Magnolia Guards