A New Year's Day Retrospect of 1863

Watch television at the end of December or start of January and you are bound to come across a special program or two on the "year in review." Many of us like to look back at the previous twelve months and remember the people, places, and events that made the year unique. Perhaps we are motivated by nostalgia or even a deep-seated sense of history. But whatever the reason, twenty-first century Americans are not alone in reflecting on the past year as they ring in a new one.

"New Year's Day," Harper's Weekly, Jan. 2, 1864 (courtesy of sonofthesouth.net)

On January 1, 1864, the Washington Daily National Republican published "A Retrospect." The paper offered readers a review of Union military gains during 1863:

In taking a retrospect of the past year we find a record of the most brilliant successes yet achieved during the war. If we include Mufreesboro, which commenced by skirmishing on December 29, 1862, and lasted until January 4, 1863, we have among our principal victories Mufreesboro, Vicksburg, Morris Island, Gettysburg, Port Hudson, Chattanooga, Knoxville. History does not furnish a year's victories by the armies of any country in any war that will excel these.

[Braxton] Bragg was completely whipped at Mufreesboro after a week's hard fighting.

At Vicksburg General [Ulysses S.] Grant, by military manoeuvres that have no parallel, captured the rebel stronghold of the Mississippi Valley.

At Port Hudson, the last remaining post on the Mississippi, the navigation of the "Father of Waters" was opened entirely by General [Nathaniel P.] Banks.

At Morris Island General [Quincy] Gillmore astonished the world by his gunnery, captured forts the rebels deemed impregnable, put Charleston under fire, and converted the original city of the rebellion into a purgatory for traitors, where they must live in mortal fear until the town is finally wrapped in ashes.

At Gettysburg the rebels were brought to a stop in their contemplated raid, which was to destroy at one fell swoop Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington. The question of a Northern invasion was settled by this battle, and the future safety of the North secured.

At Chattanooga the invincibility of our armies when rightly handled was established, and the rebels cut off from their most fruitful source of supplies, East Tennessee, the fighting at Knoxville putting a clincher upon this part of the business, and deciding the fate of this most valuable region.

And then may look with satisfaction to the splendid advantages gained by General Banks in Texas; to the demonstrations made by our cavalry, showing that in this arm of the service the rebels no longer excel us.

If we turn to the operations of the navy we behold an equally pleasing record. The blockade has finally been made so nearly perfect that the rebels can no longer depend upon receiving supplies from foreign speculators, and our captures of rebel craft have been very heavy.

Our victories during the year have cost us dearly in the blood of our patriotic countrymen, but this has sanctified our cause and rendered more determined our people in the work of putting down the insurrection. Never will we yield our birthright to traitors, when so many of our kindred have died so nobly in defending it.

The paper closed the retrospect with an excerpt from "To-Day and To-Morrow" by English poet Gerald Massey:

High hopes that burned like stars sublime
 Go down the heaven of Freedom
And true hearts perish in the time
 We bitterliest need them
For never sit we down and say
 There's nothing left but sorrow
We walk the wilderness to-day
 The Promised Land to-morrow

Build up heroic lives, and all
 Be like a sheathen sabre
Ready to flash out at God's call, 
 O chivalry of labor 
Triumph and toil are twins: and aye,
 Joy s[uns] the cloud of sorrow
And 'tis the martyrdom of to-day
 Brings victory to-morrow (emphasis in original editorial).

The Daily National Republican's focus on the military successes of 1863 is not surprising. After all, when compared to a year ago and the disaster at Fredericksburg, the war was going much better for the Union, and people across the country had every reason to look back with pride. Echoing President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the newspaper called for a total defeat of the rebellion so that those who died preserving the Union had not died in vain. Within a few months, the pages of the Daily National Republican would carry news of Union advances and high casualties. The war would lead to even more death and destruction during 1864, but "victory to-morrow" would be within reach as the year drew to a close.

**

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year, and thanks for reading in 2013! This past year has been a busy one for the blog and my other Civil War-related pursuits, and 2014 promises to be even busier. The pipeline of posts keeps growing. I also have a couple of speaking engagements later this winter and plan to work with Fairfax County on developing a new Civil War Trails marker. And then there are the multitude of Sesquicentennial activities that will be attracting everyone's attention this year. As always, see you here, and hopefully see you on the battlefield!

Sources

Gerald Massey, The Poetical Works of Gerald Massey (1861); Washington Daily National Republican, Jan. 1, 1864;

Thanksgiving 1863 in Washington and Alexandria

President Lincoln issued a proclamation in October 1863 declaring the last Thursday of November as a national day of Thanksgiving. During the countdown to the holiday, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederate Army of Tennessee in a series of engagements before Chattanooga. News of the Union victories began to appear in newspapers prior to Thanksgiving Day, providing the country with even more reason to give thanks.

Last week, I discussed how the residents of Washington City and Alexandria prepared to mark the Thanksgiving holiday in November 1863. Now, on the eve of our own family celebrations, I'd like to take a look at Thanksgiving Day observances in the two cities.

People in Washington and Alexandria awoke to stunning autumn weather on Thanksgiving morning, November 26. As the Washington National Republican observed: "The day dawned bright and beautiful. The atmosphere was cool and bracing. Every heart, therefore, leaped high with joyous thrillings." (Nov. 27, 1863.) Similarly, the Alexandria Gazette reported on November 27 that "[y]esterday was one of the most delightful days -- as to weather-- we have had this fall."

The Washington Evening Star provided an overview of the holiday in the nation's capital:

Yesterday being Thanksgiving day, it was celebrated by a general suspension of business throughout the city, and in accordance with the recommendation of the authorities was very generally observed. Services of an appropriate character were held at all the churches, and all were well attended. Others celebrated the day by attendance upon one or the other of the place of amusement, all of which were open. The street cars were filled on every trip, mostly by those who took the occasion for a ride from the Navy Yard to Georgetown and intervening points. The day was indeed recognized as one justly set apart for thanksgiving and joy on account of the many victories which have recently crowned the Union arms; and when about 12 o'clock, the extra Star appeared, announcing further victories and new causes of gratulations, the public felt indeed that the day was one for the exchange of gratulations and the pouring out of devout thanksgiving. (Nov. 27, 1863.)

The Gazette was a little less verbose, but also took note of the observance of Thanksgiving in Alexandria:

Business in this place was suspended yesterday. In the Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Protestant, and Christ Church, religious services were held and addresses delivered, and collections taken up for the Federal prisoners confined in Richmond. (Nov. 27, 1863.)

The National Republican devoted considerable space to summarizing the Thanksgiving Day sermons around town. Most notably, at the Calvary Baptist Church, the Rev. T.R. Howlett "preached an eloquent and truly patriotic sermon." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.) He thanked God "for the glorious results of our many victories." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.)  The paper observed that "[o]n this point, the speaker dwelt at some length, referring to several of the most important battles, closing with the last, the glad intelligence of which so appropriately reached the ears of a grateful people this very day." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.) Howlett also reminded his congregation about the meaning of the war :

We should today thank God for the brightening prospects of freedom. The conflict in which we are now engaged is to settle forever the principles of the Declaration of Independence. From the womb of the storm, universal liberty is to be  born. (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.)

"Thanksgiving-Day," Harper's Weekly, Dec. 5, 1863, by Thomas Nast (courtesy of Gilder Lehrman Institute)

The patients in military hospitals throughout the capital also had an opportunity to partake in the Thanksgiving Day festivities. As the National Republican reported:

. . . suffice it to say that a merry time was enjoyed by all -- both patients and invited guests. There was a superfluity of turkeys, roast beef, plum pudding, and all the little etceteras which go to constitute a good sumptuous Thanksgiving dinner. In the afternoon the religious exercises were held by the chaplains, and in two or three a dance was held in the evening. We venture the assertion that the inmates of the hospitals of our city yesterday spent as happy a time as was possible for the surgeons-in-charge and the noble women of our city who act as nurses could possibly make them. (Nov. 27, 1863.)

At Emory Hospital east of the Capitol, "'Do they miss me at home' was on the lips of all." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.) The paper described some of the day's entertainment for the convalescing soldiers:

The band of the 15th New York discoursed the most exquisite music. "Yankee Doodle" and the "Star Spangled Banner" were rendered with a spirit we have seldom seen equalled. (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.) 

The patients even presented assistant surgeon W.H. Ensign with "a splendid silver service, a pitcher, two goblets, and salver, exquisitely and appropriately engraved." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 27, 1863.)

Across the Potomac in Alexandria, the hospitals were also filled with holiday cheer. According to the Gazette, "several of the U.S. Hospitals were decorated, and in all of them, the inmates were provided with repasts." (Nov. 27, 1863.)

As in the previous two years, Thanksgiving provided welcome relief from the everyday routine of civilian and military life in and around the nation's capital. Grant's victories made the holiday that much more meaningful and offered hope for the future. Alas, another Thanksgiving would come and go before the bloodletting would end and the U.S. flag would waive once again over the capital of a reunited country.

On a personal note, I'd like to wish readers Happy Thanksgiving! See you in December! Be forewarned, however, that due to the end of the year rush to make trade deals, things may slow a bit around here next month. Regardless, I have a few good posts in the works that I hope to share.

Sources
Alexandria Gazette, Nov. 27, 1863; Washington Evening Star, Nov. 27, 1863; Washington National Republican, Nov. 27, 1863

Preparing for Thanksgiving in Washington City and Alexandria, November 1863

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. Each year since starting the blog, I've taken a look at how the day was celebrated in and around the nation's capital at the time of the Civil War. As I wrote a few years ago, Thanksgiving was not yet a national holiday when the war began. Instead, individual states set aside a day in November to give thanks. Soldiers and civilians alike took the opportunity to observe the holiday with food, religious services, and numerous diversions.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of a key event in the history of Thanksgiving. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation designating the last Thursday in November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficient Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." (Alex. Gazette, Oct. 5, 1863.) This proclamation laid the groundwork for the national holiday that we know today. (The full text of proclamation is available here.)

The country enthusiastically embraced Lincoln's call. By mid-November, the Alexandria Gazette reported:

Large preparations are making at the North for "Thanksgiving Day," 26th of November. Raisons [sic], lemons and grapes, &c., are arriving, opportunely, in vessels from Malaga, &c. (Alex. Gazette, Nov. 13, 1863.)

Residents in Washington found the stores well-stocked for the upcoming holiday. The Perpetual Market on H Street advertised the "finest lot in Washington" of turkeys and other birds for "THANKSGIVING DINNERS." (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 24, 1863.) Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Provision Store on Pennsylvania Avenue offered for sale a "large lot of TURKIES, CHICKENS, DUCKS, and GAME of all kinds." (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 24 1863.) A.M. Bininger & Co., also on Pennsylvania Avenue, announced "FOR THE HOLIDAYS. . . THE MOST COMPLETE ASSORTMENT OF WINE AND LIQUORS TO BE FOUND IN THE METROPOLIS." (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863.)

A play on President Lincoln's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation from a merchant in Washington City, Washington Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863

Businesses adopted holiday operating hours in both Washington and Alexandria. The Gazette carried a notice informing readers that due to the "day of Thanksgiving and Prayer," the market in Alexandria would be closed on Thursday, November 26. Instead, the market would remain "open all day on the Wednesday preceding." (Alex. Gazette, Nov. 21, 1863.)  Similarly, the Center Market in Washington was scheduled to be open Wednesday afternoon, the 25th, rather than the next morning. (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863.) Gen. John Slough, the military governor of Alexandria, even issued a notice concerning proper commercial practices on Thanksgiving Day:

Thursday, the 26th inst., having been set apart by the proclamations of the President of the United States and the Governor of the State of Virginia as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God for his many blessings conferred on us as a people, so that the occasion may be properly observed, all citizens and soldiers in this command are notified that they will be expected, upon that day, to abstain from ordinary business pursuits except those unavoidably necessary. (Alex. Gazette, Nov. 24, 1863.)

No word on whether the provost marshal attempted to enforce Slough's notice, but whatever the case, today's big box retailers could learn a thing or two from our ancestors in 1863 about respecting the Thanksgiving holiday!

Family shopping for Thanksgiving Day turkey, c. 1860s (courtesy of PostersGuide)

The papers contained reminders of the religious nature of the holiday. Among the houses of worship in Washington, the E Street Baptist Church, the Unitarian Church, and the Wesley Chapel placed special notices about Thanksgiving Day services. (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863; Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 25, 1863.) The U.S. Christian Commission "made an appeal to the several pastors and congregations of the District to present the claims of the Commission on Thanksgiving Day, and take up a collection to aid them in their work." (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 25, 1863.)

Thanksgiving Day also provided ample opportunity for fun and entertainment. The Evening Star noted that the Smithsonian Museum would be open to the public on Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863.) Those who were more theatrically inclined had the option of attending one of the many performances around town. Ford's New Theatre on 10th Street was staging "TWO GRAND PERFORMANCES" of Po-Ca-Hon-Tas, or, Ye Gentle Savage on Thanksgiving Day. (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 25, 1863.) Meanwhile, "THE ENTIRE ITALIAN OPERA COMPANY OF IMPRESARIO GRAU" was performing at Grover's Theatre near Willard's Hotel (today's National Theater). (Wash. Natl. Rep., Nov. 25, 1863.) For the more adventurous and sports-minded, the Meridian Hill House uptown was hosting a "GRAND SHOOTING MATCH" with the prize of a 200-pound "live bear." (Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863.) Readers were reminded that "street cars stop near the house."(Wash. Evening Star, Nov. 25, 1863.)

Thousands of sick and wounded soldiers filled hospitals in Alexandria and Washington. They too would have a chance to celebrate the holiday. As the Gazette observed on November 25:

Preparations are in the making at all the U.S. hospitals in this place, for the observance of to-morrow as a day of thanksgiving. Dinners and refreshments are to be furnished at all of them, and supplies have been received therefor. (Alex. Gazette, Nov. 25, 1863.)

The pages of the local newspapers in November 1863 tell the story of two cities preoccupied with preparations for Thanksgiving Day. Far away in Tennessee, Gen. U.S. Grant stood ready to break the Confederate hold on Chattanooga. By Thanksgiving, the nation would be receiving the blessings of yet another victory in a year that had already witnessed Gettysburg and Vicksburg.

Sources

Alexandria Gazette, Oct. 5, Nov. 13, 21, 24, & 25; "Thanksgiving History," Plimouth Plantation (website); Washington Evening Star, Nov. 24 & 25, 1863; Washington National Republican, Nov. 25, 1863.