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Blog Roundup: March 31 – April 6
7 AprBlog Roundup: March 31 – April 6, 2013
Cover of the first edition of To The Lighthouse circa 1927
Virginia Woolf’s Best-Selling Books : “‘During her lifetime, Virginia Woolf wrote over 10 novels and numerous non-fiction books that forever changed the landscape of modern literature. Although Virginia’s earlier books were often met with sharp criticism and poor sales, many of her later books were well-received and quickly became best-sellers…”
Edwin Booth with daughter Edwina in 1864
Edwin Booth Voted for Abraham Lincoln: “Despite his connection to his Confederate-sympathizing brother, John Wilkes Booth, stage actor Edwin Booth voted for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. John Wilkes Booth was reportedly deeply disappointed by his brother’s vote and lectured him for supporting Lincoln….”
Phillis Wheatley, as illustrated by Scipio Moorhead in her book Poems on Various Subjects circa 1773
The Poetry of Phillis Wheatley: “Phillis Wheatley was a slave from Boston who became a world-renowned poet and the first African-American to publish a book….”
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
2. Roles of Women in the Civil War
3. Battle of Gettysburg
4. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
5. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
6. Jefferson Davis: President of the Confederacy
7. Women Spies in the Civil War
8. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
9. Robert Ford: The Man Who Shot Jesse James
10. How the Civil War Broke Chang and Eng Bunker
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
3. History of Danvers State Hospital
4. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
5. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
6. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
7. The Boston Massacre
8. History of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport
9. Deborah Sampson: Woman Warrior of the American Revolution
10. Henry David Thoreau Arrested for Nonpayment of Poll Tax
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s Lesbian Affair
2. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
3. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
4. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
5. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
6. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
7. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
8. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
9. Virginia Woolf’s Last Day
10. Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury Group
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rbeatricebrooks@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Blog Roundup: March 3 – March 9
10 MarBlog Roundup: March 3 – March 9, 2013
Cover of the first edition of To The Lighthouse circa 1927
To The Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: “”To The Lighthouse’, published in 1927, is one of Virginia Woolf’s best known novels and is considered by many critics to be one of the most influential English-language novels of the 20th century…”
Studio Portrait of William Quantrill circa 1860-1865
William Quantrill’s Three Graves: “William Quantrill was the leader of a violent group of Confederate Guerrillas, known as Quantrill’s Raiders, whose members included brothers Frank and Jesse James…”
James Russell Lowell circa 1901
James Russell Lowell’s Feud with Henry David Thoreau: “James Russell Lowell was a U.S. Diplomat, poet and editor who had a longstanding feud with Henry David Thoreau that lasted well after Thoreau’s death…”
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
3. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
4. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
5. Battle of Gettysburg
6. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
7. Photo Gallery
8. Women Spies in the Civil War
9. Did a Gypsy Predict John Wilkes Booth’s Fate?
10. African Americans in the Civil War
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
3. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
4. History of Danvers State Hospital
5. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
6. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
7. The Boston Massacre
8. Photo Gallery
9. Traveling the Underground Railroad
10. The Curse of Giles Corey
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
2. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
3. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s Lesbian Affair
4. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
5.Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
6. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
7. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
8. Virginia Woolf’s Last Day
9. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
10. Leonard Woolf: Life After Virginia
Coming soon: a post about photos of Revolutionary War soldiers and a post about poet Phillis Wheatley.
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Boston Massacre Roundup
5 MarToday is the anniversary of the Boston Massacre, which occurred on the evening of March 5, 1770. To commemorate this historic event, here’s a roundup of the History of Massachusetts‘ Boston Massacre-related posts:
Paul Revere’s engraving of the Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre: “The Boston Massacre was a riot that began when a group of 50 citizens gathered outside of the State house on the night of March 5, 1770 to protest the large presence of British soldiers in the city…“
The Boston Massacre Victims: “After five people were shot dead by British soldiers during the Boston Massacre in 1770, many patriot leaders used the tragedy to stir up hostility against the British government…”
Boston Massacre Site Gets a Makeover: “The Boston Massacre marker has been moved…again. The marker, which is made up of 13 rings of cobblestones and a center stone marked with a star, had been on a traffic island in front of the state house for decades...”
Funerals and Wakes at Faneuil Hall: “According to the book, ‘Boston Sites and Insights,’ Peter Faneuil was the first but not the last person to lie in state at the building. The bodies of the Boston Massacre victims Crispus Attucks and James Caldwell, who had no family in Boston and no place to hold their wakes, also lay in state for three days at the great hall in 1770, while the other victims Samuel Gray, Patrick Carr and Samuel Maverick lay in their homes elsewhere in the city. Caldwell and Attucks’ bodies were then carried from Faneuil Hall to the Granary Burying Ground and buried with the other victims...”
Blog Roundup: February 17 – February 23
24 FebBlog Roundup: February 17 – February 23, 2013
Edward VIII in June of 1932
Virginia Woolf on the Abdication of King Edward VIII: “‘In December of 1936, King Edward VIII’s marriage proposal to Wallis Simpson, an American who was in the midst of her second divorce, sparked a constitutional crisis in the British Royal Family over whether Edward should be allowed to remain king if he married Simpson…”
An African American army cook at City Point, VA
Civil War Food: “Civil War food was very different from the types of food we eat today. Due to war-time food shortages and a lack of both refrigeration and large-scale food processing, most meals were simple, easy to prepare dishes made from basic ingredients that could be grown in a garden or purchased and stored easily…”
“A Society of Patriotic Ladies” a British cartoon lampooning women’s revolutionary commitment
The Roles of Women in the Revolutionary War: “Women in the Revolutionary War took on many roles, some were traditional while others were unconventional and scandalous for the time. From supportive roles like nurses, cooks and maids to more direct roles such as secret soldiers and spies, women did more than their share to help win America’s independence…”
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
3. Battle of Gettysburg
4. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
5. The Aftermath: The Booth Family & Lincoln’s Assassination
6. Women Spies in the Civil War
7. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
8. Photo Gallery
9. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
10. Alfred Packer: Civil War Soldier
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. History of Danvers State Hospital
3. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
4. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
5. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
6. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
7. Photo Gallery
8. Susannah Martin: Accused Witch From Salisbury
9. Traveling the Underground Railroad
10. The Boston Massacre
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s Lesbian Affair
2. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
3. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
4. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
5. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
6. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
7. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
8. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
9. Leonard Woolf: Life After Virginia
10. Timeline of Virginia Woolf’s Life
Coming soon: some new posts about the poet Phillis Wheately, Virginia Woolf’s novel “To The Lighthouse”, Confederate raider William Quantrill and James Russell Lowell’s criticism of Henry David Thoreau.
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Weekly Blog Roundup: February 3 – February 9
10 FebWeekly Blog Roundup: February 3 – February 9, 2013
Leslie Stephen in 1862
When Sir Leslie Stephen Met Abraham Lincoln: “‘In 1863, Virginia Woolf’s father, Sir Leslie Stephen, embarked on his first trip to America hoping to learn more about the ongoing Civil War. It was on this trip, during a stay at Washington D.C., that Stephen met President Abraham Lincoln, as well as several prominent members of his staff…”
James Russell Lowell photographed by Mathew Brady circa 1855-1865
James Russell Lowell’s Endorsement of Abraham Lincoln: “James Russell Lowell was an abolitionist and poet from Cambridge, Massachusetts who served as the first editor of the Atlantic Monthly magazine from 1857 to 1861. In October of 1860, Lowell wrote a long article titled “The Election in November,” in which he endorsed Abraham Lincoln for President of the United States, praising Lincoln’s opposition to slavery and eerily predicting that the election would be a “turning-point in our history…”
Rev John Hale House in Beverly Massachusetts
Reverend John Hale of Beverly: “Reverend John Hale was a minister from Beverly best known for his role in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Born in Charlestown in 1636 to local blacksmith Robert Hale, as a child Hale witnessed Massachusetts’ first execution of a convicted witch, in 1648, with the hanging of Margaret Jones of Charlestown…”
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
3. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
4. Abraham Lincoln
5. Battle of Gettysburg
6. Women Spies in the Civil War
7. African Americans in the Civil War
8. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
9. Civil War Prison Camps
10. John Brown
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
3. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
4. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
5. History of Danvers State Hospital
6. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
7. The Boston Massacre
8. Traveling the Underground Railroad
9. Photo Gallery
10. History of Hammond Castle
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
2. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
3. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
4. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s Lesbian Affair
5. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
6. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
7. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
8. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
9. Leonard Woolf: Life After Virginia
10. Virginia Woolf and Hitler’s Blacklist
No new posts planned for next week but I’ll be back soon with some posts about Civil War food and women in the American Revolution. See you next time.
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Weekly Blog Roundup: January 27 – February 2
3 FebWeekly Blog Roundup: January 27 – February 2, 2013
James Russell Lowell engraving by J.A.J. Wilcox circa 1894
James Russell Lowell: Virginia Woolf’s Godfather: “‘James Russell Lowell was an American poet whom Virginia Woolf’s father, Leslie Stephen, met during his trip to America during the Civil War. The two became such close friends that Stephen later made him Virginia’s godfather when she was born in 1882…”
Illustration of Benjamin Butler published in Harper’s Weekly on June 1 1861
Benjamin Butler: The Yankee Who Voted for Jefferson Davis: “Benjamin Butler was a Massachusetts Senator who served as a Union General during the Civil War. Despite the fact that he was a Democrat and a Northerner, during the 1860 National Democratic Convention in Charleston, Butler voted 57 times in favor of nominating Jefferson Davis as the Democratic presidential candidate…”
Engraving of General Thomas Gage
Was General Thomas Gage Born to Lose?: “General Thomas Gage was a British general who fought against the colonists during the Revolutionary War. As the military governor of the Province of Massachusetts Bay, in April of 1775, Gage and his troops inadvertently started the Revolutionary War when they attempted to arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock and seize the colonist’s ammunition supplies in the countryside surrounding Boston. These actions led to the famous battles of Lexington and Concord, which ushered Britain into the eight-year long war with colonists that eventually ended with Britain’s defeat in 1783…”
I also added two new books to the Civil War Saga Library Corner: The Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, Volume I and the Memoirs of General W.T. Sherman, Volume II
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. Battle of Gettysburg
3. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
4. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
5. Abraham Lincoln
6. African Americans in the Civil War
7. Photo Gallery
8. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
9. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
10. Women Spies in the Civil War
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
3. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
4. History of Danvers State Hospital
5. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
6. The Boston Massacre
7. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
8. History of Maudslay State Park in Newburyport
9. Tituba: The Slave of Salem
10. Animals in the Salem Witch Trials
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
2. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf’s Lesbian Affair
3. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
4. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
5. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
6. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
7. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
8. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
9. Virginia Woolf and Hitler’s Blacklist
10. Leonard Woolf: Life After Virginia
I’m working on some new posts about Reverend John Hale of Salem, Sir Leslie Stephen’s meeting with Abraham Lincoln, women in the Revolutionary War, some more posts about James Russell Lowell and a post about Civil War food so check back next week!
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Ban on Women Soldiers in Combat Roles Lifted
2 Feb
Female Civil War soldier Frances Clayton
The United States military recently announced plans to lift a ban on women soldiers in combat roles. The ban, originally set in place in 1994 with the Direct Ground Combat Definitions and Assignment Rule, prohibited women from serving in small combat units and restricted them from fighting on the front lines. Yet, as this PBS article highlights, women have already been serving in these roles for years, despite the ban.
Although women weren’t allowed the join the military until WWI, and even then they were only allowed to serve in non-combat roles, they’ve actually been serving as soldiers for much longer. During the 18th and 19th centuries, hundreds of women disguised themselves as men, adopted masculine names and enlisted in the army to fight in the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Although some of these women were eventually discovered, many more were not, making the exact number of secret female soldiers a mystery.
To learn more about these brave women, here is a list of blog posts I’ve written on the subject:
Roles of Women in the Civil War
Female Soldiers at the Battle of Antietam
Female Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg
Weekly Blog Roundup: January 13 – January 19
20 JanWeekly Blog Roundup: January 13-19, 2013
Cover of the first edition of “The Waves” circa 1931
The Waves By Virginia Woolf: “‘Virginia Woolf’s ‘The Waves,’ published in 1931, is considered one of her most experimental novels. Instead of a plot-driven story, the stream-of-consciousness novel is told in a series of soliloquies by its many characters….”
Union Spy Mary Elizabeth Bowser
Mary Elizabeth Bowser: Spy of the Confederate White House: “Mary Elizabeth Bowser was a slave who later became a spy for the Union army during the Civil War. Born as Mary Elizabeth Richards, sometime around the year 1839, she was a slave of John Van Lew of Virginia….”
Illustration from Matthew Hopkins “The Discovery of Witches” circa 1647
Margaret Jones: First Person Executed for Witchcraft in Massachusetts: “Margaret Jones was a midwife from Charlestown and the first person to be executed for witchcraft in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The only information that exists of Jones’ case comes from two sources, Governor John Winthrop’s journal and Reverend John Hale’s book “A Modest Inquiry in to the Nature of Witchcraft…”
I also added two new books to the History of Massachusetts Library Corner:
♠ The History of New England from 1630 to 1649 by Governor John Winthrop
♠ Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases, 1648-1706 edited by George Lincoln Burr; 1914
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. Battle of Gettysburg
3. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
4. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
5. John Brown
6. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
7. Photo Gallery
8. Female Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg
9. African Americans in the Civil War
10. Women Spies in the Civil War
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. The Boston Massacre
3. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
4. History of Hammond Castle
5. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
6. History of Danvers State Hospital
7. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
8. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
9. Paul Revere
10. Photo Gallery
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
2. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
3. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
4. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf and Vita-Sackville-West’s Affair
5. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
6. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
7. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
8. The Marriage of Virginia and Leonard Woolf
9. When Virginia Woolf Went Skinny Dipping with Rupert Brooke
10. Virginia Woolf’s Flirtation with Clive Bell
So there you have it. I’m working on some new posts about British General Thomas Gage, Virginia Woolf’s godfather James Russell Lowell and Civil War general Benjamin Butler which I will probably post these the week after next so stay tuned.
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
Weekly Blog Roundup: January 6 – January 12
13 JanHi there! It’s time again for my weekly blog roundup:
Title page of “Two Stories” written and printed by Virginia Woolf and L.S. Woolf on their hand press, Hogarth Press. 1917
Hogarth Press: “‘Hogarth Press was a printing press founded by Virginia and Leonard Woolf in 1917. The Woolfs originally started the press, which they named after their home Hogarth House in the suburb of Richmond, as a hobby for Virginia…”
Illustration of Loreta Janeta Velazquez from her memoir
Loreta Janeta Velazquez: Spy and Soldier: “Loreta Janeta Velazquez was a Cuban-born woman, raised in New Orleans, who became a soldier during the Civil War. Much of what is known about Velazquez comes from her memoir “The Woman in Battle,” but many historians doubt the credibility of the memoir due to Velazquez’s grand stories, vague details and lack of evidence for her claims….”
“The Mayflower Compact, 1620″ oil Painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
John Bilington: Mayflower Pilgrim Executed for Murder: “John Billington was a Mayflower pilgrim, and a signer of the Mayflower Compact, who became America’s first murderer after he shot and killed a fellow colonist in 1630….”
I also added a new book to the History of Massachusetts Library Corner: A General History of New England by Reverend William Hubbard.
Top 10 Posts of the Week:
Civil War Saga
1. Roles of Women in the Civil War
2. Battle of Gettysburg
3. Dinosaurs in Gettysburg
4. Child Soldiers in the Civil War
5. The Diary of John Wilkes Booth
6. John Brown
7. Female Soldiers at the Battle of Gettysburg
8. African Americans in the Civil War
9. Women Spies in the Civil War
10. Mark Twain’s Civil War Experience
History of Massachusetts
1. The Salem Witch Trials
2. The Boston Massacre
3. Timeline of the Salem Witch Trials
4. John Proctor: First Male Accused Witch
5. Where Did the Shot Heard Round the World Happen?
6. Sarah Good: Accused Witch
7. History of Danvers State Hospital
8. Photo Gallery
9. History of Hammond Castle
10. Paul Revere
Virginia Woolf Blog
1. Virginia Woolf’s Strange Treatment to Cure Her Mental Illness
2. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide Note to Vanessa Bell
3. Virginia Woolf’s Suicide
4. Vanessa Bell’s Reaction to Virginia Woolf and Vita-Sackville-West’s Affair
5. Virginia Woolf’s Misquoted Suicide Note
6. Virginia Woolf’s Affair with Vita Sackville-West
7. Virginia Woolf’s Last Diary Entry
8. Leonard Woolf: Life After Virginia
9. Timeline of Virginia Woolf’s Life
10. When Virginia Woolf Went Skinny Dipping with Rupert Brooke
I’ll be back next week with some posts about Civil War spy Mary Elizabeth Bowser, accused Boston witch Margaret Jones and a post about Virginia Woolf’s novel “The Waves.”
Are you on twitter? Me too! Feel free to follow me at @Rebekah_Brooks or you can reach me by email at rebekahbeatrice@gmail.com. I’m also on Pinterest and Instagram so check it out! Thanks!
R.B. Brooks is a freelance writer & history lover.
