Our Stories

The stories that I offer on my tours and in my programs are historically true. While creating this Web site, I decided that it would be nice to have a page guests could access from which they could learn what took place in Civil War Washington, DC. I did not want to present that information in the form of a report. That would be boring. Rather, I decided that it would be fun to offer the history and facts first hand, through the eyes of real people who lived in Washington during the 1860s. Each offering is written in the style of a personal narrative. I call these personal narratives “Our Stories.”

I hope the reader will enjoy the characters’ narratives of what historically took place while learning a little about the characters themselves. The mini-narratives will form a continuing commentary on events in Washington, DC, from the months leading up to Abraham Lincoln’s inauguration until the time when the anti-Lincoln conspirators are tried and their sentences are carried out.

I chose to draw from the experiences of four real-life characters for this first set of narratives. For the most part, there will be new characters introduced in each new offering who will be presented during the lifetime of this Web site. But there will be times when a character who has been previously introduced may return for an encore. These characters will tell their stories as if you are listening to them speak or you are reading their diaries or letters.

For the most part, these characters will be familiar to Civil War buffs. Some will be familiar to the casual history fan. To those of you who are meeting these characters for the first time, it is my pleasure to introduce you to them.

So let us start with our first installment of characters.

Julia Taft was a 16-year-old girl when Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Julia helps us understand the political climate of Washington, DC, when Lincoln was inaugurated in 1861. Julia became a friend of the Lincoln family.

William Lincoln was the third son born to Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. His family called him Willie. He tells the story of how his father and mother and younger brother Tad adjusted to life in Washington, during their first several months there.

Elmer Ellsworth arrived in Washington with the Lincoln family as a guest for the Presidential inauguration. He was a friend of the family who had worked for President Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois. Elmer relates how he became a colonel in the Union Army at the start of the war.

Elizabeth Keckley is a former slave, who made a profitable trade from skills she learned before her emancipation. We get to see a little of what life was like for her in Washington, DC. We will also get to see what some of her important clients were like.

Rose O’Neal Greenhow: The press called her the “Wild Rose,” after Rose O’Neal Greenhow was imprisoned under charges of spying for the Confederate Government. Rose represents a large element of the population of Washington, DC, at the start of the Civil War. Many Washington City residents supported the South and did not welcome Abraham Lincoln as their new President.

John Wilkes Booth: Was a well known actor from a nationally celebrated American acting family. John Wilkes Booth, in his last "performance" onstage, was in his own eyes an avenging representative of southern independence. Booth truly believed that he was killing a tyrant. Although the greater percentage of people in the newly unified United States after the war believed Abraham Lincoln went to Heaven and Booth went to the infernal regions, there was a lesser percentage that truly believed and hoped that the opposite occurred. Booth's act arguably unified the Nation and immortalized Abraham Lincoln for generations to come.

Drummer Boy: Washington, DC was surrounded by tens of thousands of soldiers throughout the Civil War. Washington became the most heavily fortified city on the North American continent during this time. Although the Union Army was strictly composed of white soldiers from 1861-1862, African Americans officially began enlisting in the Union Army after Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation became law on January 1, 1863.

The African American soldier helped to win the war for the north. 178,975 African Americans enlisted to fight for the Union. 68,178 African Americans were killed in action or died as a result of disease while serving in the Union Army. Volunteers were as young as 12 years of age. The greater percentage of volunteers, over 50%, were former slaves from the deep south. Volunteers came from all walks of life. African American soldiers from the 55th Massachusetts Volunteers were made up of former farmers, laborers, waiters, cooks, teamsters, sailors, masons, hostlers, and shoemakers as well as many other professions. One African American recruit was told that he might have to give his life to serve in the army. He replied, "But my people will be free.".

Abraham Lincoln: Despite winning the electoral college in the 1860 Presidential Election, Abraham Lincoln beat a field of other candidates with a mere 39 percent of the popular vote. In 1864 his own party considered nominating another candidate for President. By 1865, he was beloved by almost every soldier in the Union Army. Honest Abe used every means available under his powers as President of the United States to preserve the Union. Then, when peace and the restoration of the Southern States to the Union was at hand, an assassin’s bullet ended his life, but made him a martyr to the cause.