Creating a quick way across a river during wartime is a question that has plagued generals since the dawn of warfare. As early as 480 BC, clever engineers had come up with a quick solution: A bridge that was, in essence, a series of boats tied together. These pontoon bridges could be rigged up quickly, […]
The beginning of the Civil War brought all sorts of troubles to the Washington Navy Yard. On top of the need to ramp up the production of ordnance, there was the issue of saboteurs, the question as to how to secure the yard; not to mention, the logistics of putting up hundreds of troops and […]
This particular post is a rerun on a day that I hope most of you will be able to spend with your families – at home, no less, given the weather that is bearing down on Washington. However, today it is more accurate to speak of ‘lost’ than the last time I ran it; as […]
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 […]
So I’m going to write this pretending that everything will not be canceled and we are not all going to be hunkered down in jammies eating all the comfort food. Tonight or Snowmas Eve as I’m calling it, should proceed according to plans so perhaps you can squeeze in some fun while you are rampaging through […]