Tag: American Civil War

CSA Aeronaut - Captain John Randolph Bran!

CSA: Confederate Aeronautical Ballon Corps – Peninsula Campaign [1862]! (10.1.2025)

For safety reasons, the Confederates decided to transport their balloon via the water when not in operation (to protect it from enemy fire). The silk balloon was loaded onto the armed (CSA) tug “Teaser” – to transport it from the Richmond Gas Works up to the front-lines along the James River. This system, however, eventually led to the demise of the Gazelle. The Teaser, loaded with the Gazelle, ran into Union Naval Forces patrolling the James River, and was fired upon and captured by the US Marines carried aboard the USS Maratanza. The Confederate balloon was given to the Union expert – Thaddeus Lowe – who cut it up into scraps to give as souvenirs. Some of these pieces are still in existence. The Union lost the Peninsula Campaign due to a lack of reliable military intelligence. The Confederate Aeronautical Balloon Corps was abolished on the 4th July, 1862 – following the retreat of Union Forces out of the South.

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Southern Men Arise!

How Great Britain Assisted the Formation of the Confederate Post Office [1861-1863]! (8.1.2025)

The internationally-known London, England printing firm of “Thomas De La Rue & Co.”, prepared plates and stamps for the CSA until a Southern firm was found to take over the work. That firm, Archer & Daly, began producing stamps in 1863. The US blockade of as many Confederate ports as possible often meant that British ships carrying supplies from London, the UK, or the British Empire to the Confederacy – were often intercepted via acts of piracy on the high seas by the US Navy – with the goods confiscated and/or destroyed. The US government was continuously irritated by the continuous (undeclared) British support for the Confederacy – which for at least two-years extended into the realms of Post Office support! Of course, many of the best weapons the Confederate Army possessed were supplied by the UK. The Postmaster General of the Confederate Post Office Department (POD) – John Reagan (whilst traveling with President Jefferson Davis) – was arrested on the 8th May 1865, and imprisoned at Fort Warren in Boston Harbor. Reagan was pardoned and released from prison almost two years later. Jefferson Davis “refused” a Pardon (on the grounds that he had done nothing wrong) – and was subsequently released anyway.

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P. G. T. Beauregard - Creole

Brigadier General P. G. T. Beauregard: How a “Mixed-Race” Confederate General Defeated the North! (14.11.2024)

Indeed, many of his aunts and uncles were White people who had inter-married with Black, Mexican, and Native American partners. Indeed, whilst serving in the US Army prior to the war – P. G. T. Beauregard – his advancement was blighted by the fact that the US Military Authorities purposely discriminated against him on the grounds that he was “Not Trustworthy” – as he was the product of a family that deliberately “Race-Mixed”. This judgement kept him out of West Point as a Teacher (he had trained there in his youth – but was not permitted to pursue a substantive career in that institute) – until he was mistakenly posted as an “Instructor” at this College of Officer-Training in the US during 1861 (just prior to the breakout of hostilities). His appointment lasted just one-day until the mistake was realised by a Union pen-pusher. P. G. T. Beauregard was immediately removed on the grounds that the US does not allow any but “pure-raced” individuals exercising direct influence over the developing generations of US Military Officers. Indeed, the US Authorities applied this judgement by continuously referring to P. G. T. Beauregard as a “Creole” – implying that he was psychologically and physically “inferior” due to “race-mixing”.

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Private Thomas J Higgins - Union Flag-Bearer - Vicksburg (1863)

Email: Vicksburg – The Bravery of Private Thomas J Higgins (1831-1917) – Union Flag-Bearer! (22.10.2024)

This immense fire-power (in a confined space) made a killing field of the redoubt. Those Union attackers that managed to survive the attack across open-ground had to climb a 18-foot breastwork (including trench) before even getting to grips with the defenders – who simply stuck the muskets out of fire-holes and opened-fire at point-blank range! On top of this, Confederate “Grenadiers” lobbed cannon-balls with five-second fuses into the mass of attacking enemy troops. Needless to say, bravery has its limit, and many Union soldiers broke-off the attack and retreated back to their lines – usually minus copious numbers of their friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Confederate casualties were minimal.

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Cuba: Why is Guantanamo Bay Still Occupied by the United States? (27.6.2023) 

In 1861, the American Civil War broke out. The war ended with the victory of the North. The victory of the North led to the rapid development of capitalism in the United States, and the United States gradually replaced Britain and France as the world’s manufacturing power, gradually preparing the country for external expansion. A wealthy and confident United States, with an expanding population and an abundance of natural resources – was ready for the development of a World Hegemony! (The Chinese language text talks of the US as a maturing bird spreading its growing and developing wings – which are full of power – and preparing to ‘fly’ to expand its territory).

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