Civil War

On December 4, 1867, Oliver Hudson Kelley established the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry. The Grange organized America’s farmers into a powerful political and economic group that lobbied for “Granger Laws.”

On December 2, 1863, the Statue of Freedom was placed atop the US Capitol to a 35-gun salute. The ceremony was held in the midst of the Civil War – President Lincoln had insisted the Capitol be completed as a symbol of American unity.

On October 12, 1870, Confederate General Robert E. Lee died in Lexington, Virginia. Lee had a distinguished 32-year career with the US military before joining the Confederacy in the Civil War. After the war, he stood as a symbol of reconciliation.

On October 10, 1858, the first shipment of overland mail arrived in San Francisco. It completed its journey in 23 days, a vast improvement over previous services.

American historian Francis Parkman was born on September 16, 1823, in Boston, Massachusetts. His books have often been praised as both useful historical texts and enjoyable literature.

On August 28, 1862, Union and Confederate forces met a second time at Bull Run (also known as Manassas Junction) in a bloody three-day battle.

Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend, Ohio, on August 20, 1833. America’s 23rd president, he was also a Civil War veteran and lawyer.

On August 17, 1861, the first of several Civil War-era stamps was used for the first time. New stamps were prepared to prevent the South from profiting off the sale of US stamps.

On August 5, 1864, Admiral David Farragut led a successful naval attack that led to a Union victory at Mobile Bay, Alabama. Though the important city of Mobile remained part of the Confederacy, Mobile Bay was in Union hands and closed to blockade-runners.