Category Archives: History

HONOLULU (KHON2) 211 years.That is how long one story has been hidden from Hawaiis history.

Over two centuries later, the story of an African American slave turned advisor to the King was revealed this week with a commemorative plaque at Washington Middle School.

Anthony D. Allen, a slave from New York, landed on the shores of Hawaii in 1810 after working on a ship following his escape from slavery.

Allen befriended King Kamehameha I after being at sea for nearly a decade and became his close advisor.

He built a close enough relationship with the King to be gifted a plot of land that is where Washington Middle School on South King Street is located today.

This site that were standing on right now was only a strip of land and the ocean was beyond these streets right here, says Deloris Guttman, director and historian at the Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum.

There were no houses, no nothing.And he had his farm.Actually, he had the first resort in Hawaii with 10 grass huts and a hotel and a bar and a bowling alley, Guttman said.

Signage has been installed at Washington Middle School to indicate the location as a National Underground Railroad Network site.

This project is a result of a collaboration between Washington Middle School, Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum and the National Park Service.

The National Underground Railroad Network for Freedom is an organization that basically is telling the stories of more of the expanded aspects of the Underground Railroad because there were so many different ways that slaves would use to try to escape the injustice and brutality of what the slavery was, says David Kilton, chief of interpretation at the National Park Service.

Fast forward to the 1920s and this property was sold to the State Department of Education.

This history holds relevance to the students who still attend school there every day.

We feel that our students have a better chance in moving forward when they learn about the circumstances that Anthony Allen came from and others, that they needed to overcome in order to be successful, says Michael Harano, principal of Washington Middle School.

And in these days, our students here in particular, come from some of those dire circumstances.

History shares that no one needs to remain in challenging circumstances if they are willing to work their way out of it.

To find out more about the Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum, click here.

To find out more about Anthony Allen and the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, click here.

Link:

Hidden piece of Hawaii history revealed at Washington Middle School - KHON2

ANN ARBOR, MI - If you mention the Big House, any University of Michigan fan worth their maize and blue will know youre talking about their huge football stadium. But less than a century ago, that spot south of Ann Arbor was known as the Miller familys farm. It boasted barns, strawberry patches and a (troublesome) underground spring - not the artificial turf and block M that can be found on the site today.

Join MLives award-winning video team for a cool look back at The Big House - its history, its construction and all the upgrades and expansions it has seen throughout the years. And was there really some big piece of construction equipment left buried beneath the stadium after it was stuck in quicksand-like conditions during the build job? Tune in to find out.

For more on the history of the Big House, check out this timeline of the stadium. It spans the pre-construction era to some of the most recent improvements.

One tidbit we particularly enjoyed was the legend of Biff and Bennie:

In 1927, the year Michigan Stadium opened, the Detroit Zoo acquired 10 wolverines from Alaska. During that season, then-Michigan football coach and athletic director Fielding Yost worked out a deal with the zoo to have two of the wolverines transported to the stadium on football Saturdays.

The two wolverines, nicknamed Biff and Bennie, were paraded around Michigan Stadium in cages. That practice ended after a short time, however. As the story goes, Biff and Bennie grew larger and more ferocious, making it dangerous for them to be moved around near the public.

For more info on this seasons Wolverine sports, check out what our reporters are covering here.

The rest is here:

The cool history behind the University of Michigans Big House - MLive.com

CLEVELAND A Cleveland hidden gem is back after a two-month-long journey across Lake Erie to Erie, Pennsylvania where it underwent restoration work. News 5 took a deep dive into the USS Cod submarine, which sank more than 12 enemy ships, to get a further sense of how lucky Cleveland is to have it.

Related: 100 Hidden Gems of Cleveland

"It was like seeing your submarine for the first time. Seeing the Cod in dry dock was absolutely incredible, said Evan Cerne-Iannone, USS Cod Curator about her return to the shores of Lake Erie.

Cerne-Iannone said changes are constantly being made to the World War II-era submarine to increase visitors experience.

Jeff Barnhill | News 5 Cleveland.

We are a hidden gem because the USS Cod is the only American World War II submarine that still maintains its World War II configuration, said Cerne-Iannone about the submarine which was featured on our 100 hidden gems of Cleveland.

Aside from docking in Cleveland, the submarine has a deep local connection. Its five diesel generators were built on the citys West Side by General Motors.

If you want to get a slice of what it was like to board an American submarine during World War II, a visit to the USS Cod is a must.

It's important for us to keep Cod exactly the way she was in 1945 because I think that's really what attracts people. The immersive experience, said Paul Farace, USS Skipper.

A tangible piece of World War II history docked in Clevelands North Coast Harbor serves as a reminder to all Americans.

So our greatest mission is to remind Americans that their freedom isn't free. So coming aboard hopefully will take you back to that time and you'll begin to appreciate what Americans, Farace said.

This CLE hidden gem is a tangible piece of WWII history

RELATED: USS Cod is preparing to make return journey from Erie to Cleveland this weekend

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.

The rest is here:

Patriotic pride and a tangible piece of WWII history, the USS Cod is a Cleveland hidden gem - News 5 Cleveland

One thing overzealous fans have in common? They think theyre a part of the team.

Ive been watching a Vice documentary series over the last week called Dark Side of Football. It takes a look at scandals, wrongdoings, cheating and crimes throughout the NFLs history. The sixth and final episode is entitled FANatics and aired back in June.

If youre going to do an episode on the dark side of football fandom, it makes a whole lot of sense to chronicle Eagles fans. Vice specifically reports on how the teams rivalry with the Cowboys affects the collective psyche and actions of Eagles fans.

As it begins, former Eagles All-Pro returner Darren Sproles says, Eagles fans... theyre probably the craziest to me.

Hes not wrong!

Other pundits and players involved in the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry chime in.

Former All-Pro tight end Chad Lewis reflects on going to the first practice of his Eagles career, arriving at training camp and being greeted by loads of Eagles fans hammering home the requirement of beating Dallas twice per year.

I think Philadelphia fans earn a bad rap, Lewis says. They want you to know if you come into Philadelphia, were going to drive you out of this stadium.

Thats a tough one, Chad!

Yes, the documentary does mention snowballs, from Santa Claus to the time the Cowboys players got pelted with them. Still, Vice dives into the sociological aspects of Eagles fans behavior, going beyond dumb hot takes and anti-Philly bias. One social psychologist ultimately compares football to a religion, touching upon fans long-held rituals and the tradition of it happening once per week on Sundays.

Its not some character assassination upon Eagles fans. Its a glimpse into the franchises long history with the Cowboys and what makes us Eagles fans tick.

They just care so much that if you dont play well or things go bad, they get so angry, former Eagles punter Sean Landeta says. Its like a family member. They hate you as much as they love you.

One aspect, however, that wasnt given proper context was the Eagles Week 7 win over the Cowboys in 1987. NFL players went on strike that season. Many Cowboys stars crossed the picket line, blowing out the Eagles back in Week 5 while the Eagles team was filled with scab replacement players.

When the strike ended, then Eagles coach Buddy Ryan didnt forget Dallas and their head coach, Tom Landry, running up the score while the Eagles were undermanned.

The Eagles, in turn, gave the Cowboys some payback. Running a fake kneel down near the end of regulation, quarterback Randall Cunningham launched a pass towards the end zone, drawing a defensive pass interference call. Keith Byars plowed in from one yard out to give the Birds the 37-20 win.

Tom Landry would never do that to anybody. a Cowboys player said.

Thats a blatant lie, as it had happened just two weeks prior.

Some Cowboys players are on the doc throwing tantrums about the Eagles showing up a legendary coach.

Calm the hell down!

If you want more info on the Eagles and Cowboys that season, I cannot recommend enough this video from SB Nations Jon Bois: Randall Cunningham Seizes the Means of Production.

If you got a normal job, if youre a normal working schlub, you go to work 9-to-5, you have the opportunity to affect the performance of a multimillion-dollar professional athlete, Fox Sports Radios Ben Maller says. That is the ultimate prize for a certain percentage of fans.

I feel that in my heart of hearts.

Vice goes on to shed light on the Bounty Bowls, Michael Irvins final NFL game, Judge Seamus McCafferys court in Veterans Stadium and more things that have given Eagles fans the reputation that they have.

When the episode gets closer to its end, the documentary depicts the joy Eagles fans had when the team won Super Bowl LII and the cathartic emotional impact it had. I can sure agree given the impact its had on me.

The whole city of Philadelphia was there, Sproles says of the way Eagles fans celebrated through the streets.

It meant a lot to us. As the first group to bring it to Philly, well go in the history books for that.

Thats all we wanted in the end: for our batshit wild obsession to give back as much as we gave to it.

If you want to watch the episode, heres the link to it on Vices website. You need to sign in with your cable provider to watch. Personally, I just said Vice On Demand into the Xfinity voice remote and found it that way.

Its worth a watch for sure!

Read the original:

Vice documentary details the history of the Eagles-Cowboys rivalry - Bleeding Green Nation

Nine pitches, nine strikes. Thats all it took for Boston Red Sox lefty Chris Sale to breeze through the third inning against the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

The immaculate inning in which a pitcher strikes out the side in order using only nine pitches is among the rarest of baseball achievements. It might not be quite as economical as escaping an inning with the minimum of three pitches but the pure dominance of overwhelming the opposing lineup with a barrage of strikes is a sight to behold.

Of the nine strikes in the inning, five of them were swings-and-misses, including the third strike to all three batters. Sale sent Nick Gordon and Andrelton Simmons down swinging with his four-seam fastball, then got Rob Refsnyder to chase a slider to finish off the inning.

The immaculate inning was the third of Sales career, tying him with Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax for the major league record.

The last three immaculate innings by a Red Sox pitcher all belong to Sale. The previous two instances both occurred during the 2019 season, on May 8 in Baltimore and on June 5 in Kansas City. The record-tying performance last night is the only immaculate inning that Sale has produced at home.

Prior to Sale, the last immaculate inning by a Red Sox pitcher at Fenway Park was from Pedro Martinez on May 18, 2002 against the Seattle Mariners. Pedro started that game with an immaculate first inning on his way to recording nine strikeouts over eight innings of one-run ball to earn the win, improving his record at the time to 6-0.

Sale also notched a win to cap his night, giving him three wins in as many starts since returning from a two-year absence due to Tommy John surgery. He tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing two earned runs on two hits and two walks while striking out eight.

The lefty is still building up his workload with the Red Sox limiting him to under 90 pitches in all three starts. He made it one out further last night than he had in his previous two starts when he was pulled after five innings.

Aside from the cautious pitch counts, Sale hasnt missed a beat despite a long layoff while recovering from surgery. Hes 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings this season.

The only thing holding Sale back from reclaiming the mantle of staff ace is the limited workload but hes making steady progress. He also showed an uptick in velocity in hist last start with four of his fastballs hitting 98+ mph against the Twins, per Baseball Savant.

Red Sox fans waited a long time to see Sale on the mound again and he hasnt disappointed. With the surgery far behind him, a healthy Sale is ready to establish himself as one of the leagues best pitchers once again. Not every frame can be as efficient as his immaculate inning but Sale is always a threat to mow down any opposing lineup.

Continued here:

Red Sox ace Chris Sale makes history with immaculate inning - BoSox Injection

By Kel HahnUniversity of Kentucky

TheUniversity of KentuckySolar Car Teamaccomplished a feat never achieved in its 22-year history they won a national solar car competition.

Photos provided

The University of Kentucky Solar Car Team is an independent, student-led organization formed in 1999 that designs, builds, and races solar electric vehicles. Undergraduate and graduate students of any majors and skill levels come together to gain hands-on experience with mechanical, electrical, and computer science design; racing strategy and logistics; and business marketing/fundraising. Every summer, collegiate solar electric vehicle teams across the country gather for a track race, the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP) and every other year for a road race, the American Solar Challenge (ASC).

This year, team members arrived in Topeka, Kansas, on July 27, with Gato del Sol VI, the teams sixth custom made solar electric vehicle which has been operational since 2018. The team was the first through the three-day technical scrutineering, a rigorous evaluation to ensure all built aspects of the car satisfy strict regulatory requirements. After finishing scrutineering first, they started first on the track and completed the most laps at Heartland Motorsport Park over three days to win the Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP).

FSGP is as much a test of our driving ability as it is our ability to design and build a reliable car and fix difficult engineering problems on the fly, said Donovin Lewis, a Ph.D. student in electrical engineering. The technical and hands-on experience gained through engineering education at the University of Kentucky prepared us for quickly and effectively responding to crises and get us back on the track. Our own grit and dedication alongside years of passed-down knowledge and continuous development enabled the success we had out on the track.

The team finished with 250 laps or 625 miles of driving completed and was the only team to not incur a penalty during the three-day competition, finishing 11 laps ahead of MIT who took second place.

Mike Johnson, professor and chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, said, The Solar Car Team was absolutely incredible this year, and I am really proud of what they accomplished. This shows what engineers can do when they work together across the boundaries of their individual disciplines to design and carry-out solutions to real-world problems. I cant wait to see what will come next.

The closest the UK Solar Car Team had come to winning a competition prior was over 10 years ago in 2009, when it took second in FSGP with Gato del Sol III.

Ecstatic over its accomplishment, the team had little time to celebrate. Two days later, they would begin the American Solar Challenge (ASC), a 970-mile road competition spanning from Independence, Missouri, to Las Vegas, New Mexico. In the past six attempts, the UK Solar Car Team had only finished ASC twice with a ninth-place finish in 2010 serving as their highest place.

When it came to the road race, we were entering uncharted waters, Lewis said. Our most experienced team member, who has been on the team for nine years, had only experienced six hours of an ASC prior before battery issues took us out of that race. Entering ASC, the goal was simply to finish under our cars own power for the first time in our teams history.

Over the five-day event, Gato del Sol VI displayed a strong showing. It spent 33 hours on the road, had no critical issues, and the team never had to load it on the trailer, running on its own power for the entirety of the race. In the end, UK placed second among the seven competing teams in their category with 965.2 miles driven, making a new mark for their best finish at ASC.

UK also picked up the Most Improved Award for having developed Gato VI, a car which failed to pass scrutineering in 2018, into a car that was now able to be driven into firstplace in FSGP.

We still have so much to look forward to, especially this year, said returning team member Sheldon Salins. We will have another ASC this summer, with a road distance nearly double what we just completed. So, we are going to perfect Gato del Sol VI into the best vehicle it can be. Even more exciting, this fall marks the beginning of the construction of our next-generation car, Gato del Sol VII, which will be an even stronger competitor on the track and on the road.Additional information about UK Solar Car can be foundhere.

Read the original:

For first time in team's history, the University of Kentucky's Solar Car Team wins national competition - User-generated content

Founded in 1921, the Chinese Communist Party has ruled the country since the Communist takeover in 1949, moving between harder and softer forms of authoritarianism. Today, in many ways, Chinese people live in the harshest climate since Maos death, as President Xi Jinping has cracked down on dissent, forced more than a million Uyghur people and other Muslim minorities into concentration camps in western China, and stripped Hong Kong of its autonomy. In a new book, From Rebel to Ruler: One Hundred Years of the Chinese Communist Party, Tony Saich, a professor of international affairs at Harvards Kennedy School of Government and a longtime China scholar, considers these developments in light of the history of the C.C.P. How, Saich wonders, did it transition from a revolutionary party to a ruling party, and what has allowed it to reach its current state under Xi?

I recently spoke by phone with Saich, who is also the director of the Kennedy Schools Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed the C.C.P.s complicated relationship to Marxism, why Xi Jinping embarked on a more authoritarian path for his country, and what the U.S.-China relationship may look like going forward.

You ask in the book, What holds the party together? and continue, A former secretary of Mao Zedong once told me that a communist party needs only two departments: organization and propaganda. Can you explain why that is and why those two departments have been so crucial to the success of the C.C.P.?

I think one of the strengths of the Communist Party when it has been functioning well is that its been a strong, unified, and coherent organization. That is certainly what Xi Jinping sees as a core element to drive forward his agenda and his policies, and that plays out through a number of ways. One, of course, is his control over key appointments and making sure those in important leadership positions are faithful to the current leadership. It is also underpinned by the coherent narrative that holds the Party and what are now ninety million Party members together, so that, in public at least, they can all tell the same story. That is run through its propaganda apparatus and through a whole network of Party schools, publications, and television programs which puts forward the Communist Party and all that is good about China and portrays different aspects of its history. Of course, the one thing that that person left off is the coercive apparatus. If you fall outside the realms of permissible, there is a strong coercive apparatus that will come down on you harshly.

What made you want to focus specifically on the C.C.P. in this book?

The Party is always there, but you cant always see it. And yet, citizens always know that there is a limit to what they can do that is bound by whatever the Party is deciding at a particular time. It is obviously the core institution in China at a political level. Even though there are a number of other political parties, theyre irrelevant in any genuine sense. So if you want to understand China, you need to understand the Party and its relationships with different aspects of society and the system.

And then looking at a trajectory of one hundred years, what in a way has been constant, and what has changed over that period of time? The first thing to know is that from its very founding, the leaders or the participants of that first Party Congress wanted to create a global order that would be more favorable to Chinas interest. Now, at that time, of course, it was being part of a global proletarian revolutiontheyll get rid of the rapacious landlords, kick out the capitalists, and get rid of the foreigners. In the nineteen-sixties, under Mao, it was promoting, again, proletarian revolution, supporting Maoist parties that were seeking to overthrow the state. Today, I think the same agenda is there, to shake the global ordernot necessarily overthrow it anymore but to shape it to benefit better Chinas interests.

Then the second thing to understand is ambivalence about the role of the private sector in the economy. Whereas the founders of the Party wanted to get rid of it entirely, the Partys been forced to embrace it in one way or another. The last thing, and this goes back to adaptability and flexibility, is that the Party has been successful by allowing localities to adapt central directives, to apply them in a way to their own particular circumstances.

In the book you call that micropolitics.

Yes, and I think thats what has been one of the key saving graces. And where the Party has been unsuccessful has been where ideological dictates have driven activities throughout the system, mostly before 1949 but also in obvious cases, such as the Great Leap Forward in the Cultural Revolution. We often have this sense that because its a communist party, because its a Leninist party, whatever Beijing says must go. The reality on the ground is much more complex than that. One of the classic phrases is The mountains are high and the emperor is far away. Another phrase that local officials often use is They have their policies and we have our countermeasures. And a lot of people, ordinary people and officials both, even in Beijing and Shanghai, I thinkonce the new regulation comes in, often their first reaction is O.K., how do we get around this?

Is the central party O.K. with this because they think its good? Or do they just know theres not too much they can do about it, and so they accept it?

Part of it is the latter. That they know they cant exert complete control over it, but different leaders have taken different approaches to this question. I think under Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin, there was a sort of tacit acknowledgement that there had to be those escape valves and ways in which localities could take central directives and bend them to their own interests, as long as certain core things were not confronted directly. The C.C.P. makes it clear that there are certain key policies that you have to abide by. But I think its different under Xi Jinping. I think when he took power, in 2012, he looked around and thought it looked a mess. Corruption was growing in China. Society seemed to be pursuing its own interestslocal government seemed to be pursuing their own interests. And I think Xi and those around him thought that the only way to keep this train on the tracks was to reassert their centralized control and strengthen and boost and fortify and discipline the Party to push his policies forward.

You used the phrase Leninist in this conversation, and you use it in the book, too. My understanding is that youre using it not to talk about doctrinaire Marxism but the idea of a centralized decision-making apparatus. Is that correct?

Yes, thats correct. Im not talking about it as an ideological construct. Its an organizational structure, and some people use the phrase market Leninism to describe what you see in China today. I think thats an interesting description, because it means that there has to be a strong organized hierarchy at the core dictating policy and the political process. So even though much of Marxism is gone in terms of daily life and daily practice, the idea of the Leninist party has remained to the present day.

You write in the book, and here maybe youre using Leninism slightly differently, As belief in Marxism-Leninism declines as a source of its legitimacy, the CCP loses its power to explain development by relying on its supernatural ability to divine current and future trends. Instead, better-informed citizens begin to judge performance on more earthly criteria. Two key areas are managing the environment and the economy. So you are saying that Marxism really did matter to the Party for a long time and its loss means something.

Read more:

Reconsidering the History of the Chinese Communist Party - The New Yorker

It's a story they might recall in side-by-side rocking chairs 60 years from now. No matter the twists and turns ahead of them, there won't be many nights like Wednesday night for Amanda Chidester and Anissa Urtez, who were engaged to be married last fall.

With chants of "Chiddy Chiddy Bang Bang" drowning out the cicadas in Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium and with U.S. softball players pressing to get their bats going at the Tokyo Olympics, Chidester knocked a two-out single to right on a 1-2 pitch to score Haylie McCleney in the fifth inning of Team USA's 1-0 win over Canada.

It was all starter Monica Abbott would need. She pitched a complete-game one-hitter and struck out nine.

"Monica gave our offense confidence throughout the game by keeping Canada off the board," Chidester said. "She gave us a little bit more time to get our bats going."

Hours later, Urtez one-upped her fiance. The former standout at the University of Utah hit the first home run in Mexico softball history -- off none other than Japanese legend Yukiko Ueno.

And if that weren't enough, Urtez chased Ueno with an RBI single in the seventh that tied the game 2-2 and sent it into extra innings. Japan, however, would go on to score in the eighth to improve to 2-0.

"I can't wait for this beautiful journey together," Urtez wrote on Instagram in November when announcing her engagement to Chidester.

The journey continues Saturday (1:30 a.m. ET), when their paths will cross at Yokohama Baseball Stadium. Chidester and Urtez will be on opposite sides when Team USA (2-0) takes on Mexico (0-2) as round-robin play continues.

Read more:

Olympic softball -- Team USA's RBI and Mexico's first home run in history -- from one power couple! - ESPN

CHARLESTON The following events happened on these dates in West Virginia history. To read more, go to e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia at http://www.wvencyclopedia.org.

July 25, 1864: A colony of eight Catholic nuns set out from Washington, D.C., and Frederick, Maryland, for Parkersburg. The sisters, who created a monastery there and named it DeSales Heights, ran a boarding school for young women for 75 years.

July 26, 1942: Camp Washington-Carver was dedicated and opened to the public. The camp, located at Clifftop, Fayette County, was the first 4-H camp for African-Americans in the country. The camps great chestnut lodge is the largest log structure in West Virginia.

July 27, 1896: Clark Kessinger was born near Charleston. He was among the most prolific and influential fiddlers of the 20th century, and one of West Virginias most important traditional musicians.

July 27, 1909: Coach Dyke Raese was born in Davis. He directed West Virginia University to its first major sports national championship, winning the 1942 National Invitation Tournament in basketball.

July 28, 1915: Frankie Yankovic was born in Davis, Tucker County. Yankovic did more to popularize polka music than any other performer.

July 29, 1873: Malcolm Malachi Mack Day was born. As sheriff of McDowell County, he claimed that God had called him to enforce Prohibition, even arresting an uncle and his own son.

July 29-31, 1915: Camp Good Luck, believed to be the worlds first 4-H club encampment, was held at Elkwater in southern Randolph County.

July 29, 1918: Novelist Mary Lee Settle was born in Charleston. Her literary reputation rests on the Beulah Quintet, a sequence of five historical novels spanning four centuries.

July 30, 1973: The Frederick Hotel in downtown Huntington closed to transient trade. After it was built in 1905, it was touted as the most elegant hotel between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

July 31, 1932: Actor Theodore Crawford Ted Cassidy was born in Pittsburgh but was raised in Philippi. He was best known for his role as Lurch on The Addams Family.

e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council. For more information, contact the West Virginia Humanities Council, 1310 Kanawha Blvd. E., Charleston, WV 25301; (304) 346-8500; or visit e-WV at http://www.wvencyclopedia.org.

Link:

This week in history | | journal-news.net - Martinsburg Journal

Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Archives & History:

On July 14, 2021, Timothy B. Smith presented "Notes on the Siege of Vicksburg" as part of the History Is Lunch series.

Smith is the author of the new book The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23July 4, 1863. That work draws on such primary documents as Union and Confederate official reports, soldiers diaries and letters, and newspaper accounts to produce a narrative of the operations including combat experiences of the soldiers in the trenches. The siege was unlike anything Grants Army of the Tennessee had attempted to that point; the strategy and tactics were complex, the engineers work brilliant, the day-to-day participation grueling, said Smith. I wanted to show the effect on all involved, from townspeople to the soldiers manning the fortifications.

The Siege of Vicksburg portrays a high-stakes moment in the course of the Civil War because both sides understood that the fate of the Mississippi River, the trans-Mississippi region, and perhaps the Confederacy itself were at stake. Smiths detailed command-level analysis extends from army to corps, brigades, and regiments and offers fresh insights on where each side held an advantage.

One key advantage was that the Federals had vast confidence in their commander while the Confederates showed no such assurance, whether it was Pemberton inside Vicksburg or Johnston outside, said Smith.

Retired Vicksburg National Military Park historian Terrence J. Winschel said Smiths talented pen details the siege with intimacy and clarity, and he chronicles the complex operations through the personal experiences of the men in blue and gray in a manner that is sure to captivate the reader. His work is smooth, comprehensive, insightful, and written with a passion that makes it a delight to read.

Timothy B. Smith is a veteran of the National Park Service and currently teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. He earned his PhD from Mississippi State University in 2001 and is the author, editor, or co-editor of nineteen books, including The Union Assaults at Vicksburg: Grant Attacks Pemberton, May 1722, 1863; Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg; and Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation.

History Is Lunch is sponsored by the John and Lucy Shackelford Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation for Mississippi. The weekly lecture series of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History explores different aspects of the state's past. The hour-long programs are held in the Craig H. Neilsen Auditorium of the Museum of Mississippi History and Mississippi Civil Rights Museum building at 222 North Street in Jackson.

View original post here:

History Is Lunch: Timothy B. Smith, "Notes on the Siege of Vicksburg" - Scott County Times