I have recently written of two of the local militias that were formed in the unsettled days between the election and inauguration of President Lincoln. The story of Company C of the Union Regiment ended with the resignation of Captain Arnold and his replacement by George W. Miller. However, as I have continued to work […]
Michael Shiner is one of the more fascinating characters from the history of Capitol Hill. Born a slave in Maryland, he was brought to Washington and put to work at the Navy Yard. He managed to emancipate himself, and was a long-time resident of Capitol Hill. Most importantly, however, he wrote a diary that gives […]
As I work through the history of the Navy Yard neighborhood (or Navy Yard Hill, as we have learned to call it) a look into the area’s most infamous resident seemed in order, that of David Herold, Lincoln conspirator, and the man who was with John Wilkes Booth when the latter was killed. The question […]
I have been looking at the role of the Washington Navy Yard during the Civil War of late, and particularly at the days after Lincoln’s election but before his inauguration, when D.C.’s situation looked precarious at best. In this fraught time, militias sprang up across the city, and the Navy Yard was especially looked to […]
If you’re anything like me – and I truly hope you’re not – then you went through a phase in your life where your greatest joy was in blowing things up. Had I known at the time that there was such a job as ‘Pyrotechnist,’ I’m sure that I would’ve immediately asked ‘where do I […]