A historian is live-blogging the American Civil War, 150 years ago day by day as it happened.
My favorite thus far: February 9, 1861. Two important things on that page:
- Jefferson Davis appointed as President of the Confederate States of America. Note that Jefferson Davis was never elected President, he was appointed by the secession convention. Funny how the Confederacy loved democracy so much that they were afraid to let it choose their president. Kinda like in 2000 when another Southern President was appointed. Just sayin' :).
- Federal reinforcements arrive at Ft. Pickens, which controlled Pensacola Harbor. The reason this is important is because the only naval shipyard in the South was the Pensacola Navy Yard in Pensacola, built in 1826 and at the time the best-equipped naval yard in the nation. Ft. Pickens stayed in Union hands for the duration of the war, forcing the Confederacy to jury-rig makeshift shipyards in various other places for their failed attempt to build a navy rather than having proper facilities for doing so.
-- Badtux the History Penguin
Although I snark about the New York Times in many ways, its "Disunion" series on the day-to-day events of the Civil War, and their deeper underpinnings, makes a worthwhile, educational read.
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