Civil War Tidbit

Mark Twain spent two weeks in the Confederate Army as a second lieutenant. Later he would write "The Private History of a Campaign That Failed", based on his experiences.

We Are Celebrating Robert E. Lee's Birthday Today

Robert E. Lee was born January 19, 1807. We are celebrating his birthday today as we were off from school on the 19th.

We will be doing this lesson plan about the Battle of Antietam and this lesson plan about Lee and Grant at Appomattox courtesy of PBS.

We will also be working on the Civil War in Your Town project we have started.

We are currently reading

1. The Civil War A Narrative Fredericksburg to Meridian by Shelby Foote


2. The Faded Banners Memorable Writings of the Civil War Edited by Eric Solomon
   

And of course no birthday is complete without cake, we are going to make the Civil War Fruit Cake found at Cooks.com

Thursday Thirteen ~#14

13 things about April April is Confederate History Month. I wonder if Wal-mart will have a display in the aisle for Confederate History Month? The birthstone for April is the Diamond. April's flower is the Sweet Pea. "April showers bring May flowers" . April was the second month in an early Roman calendar, but became the fourth when the ancient Romans started using January as the first month. The Romans called the month Aprilis. It may come from a word meaning 'to open', or it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love. April Fools' Day, or All Fools' Day, is the first day of April. No one knows where the custom began, but some historians believe it started in France. They had a New Year's festival that was celebrated from March 25 to April 1, and they would then exchange gifts. But, later, King James IV changed the holiday to January 1 for New Years. The people that still celebrated it April 1 were called 'April fish' and sent mock presents. April Fools' Day may also be related to the ancient Roman spring festival Hilaria, which celebrates the resurrection of the god Attis. The Revolutionary War in America began on April 19, 1775, when British soldiers and American revolutionaries clashed in Massachusetts. William Shakespeare, the playwright, was born on April 23, 1564. The Vietnam War ended on April 30, 1975, when South Vietnam surrendered. Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox Court House on April 9. The Confederacy opened fire on Fort Sumter in the predawn of April 12. Over the next day, nearly 4,000 rounds were hurled toward the black silhouette of Fort Sumter. Thomas Jefferson was born April 13. Ulysses S. Grant was born April 27th. Get the Thursday Thirteen Code here

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee was born in Stratford, Westmoreland County, Virginia, Jan. 19, 1807.

Websites on Lee

• Virtual War Museum
  
• From Revolution to Reconstruction
  
• The Sons of the South
  
• Southern Leader
  
• Stratford Hall Plantation (lesson plans)
  
• The Apotheosis of Robert E. Lee (Apotheosis means glorification, usually to a divine level, coming from the Greek word apotheoun, "to deify".)
  
• The Robert E. Lee Papers
• Civil War Home

Parade Saturday to Honor General Robert E. Lee

The Sons of Confederate Veterans plan a parade at noon Saturday along Montgomery's Dexter Avenue to the Capitol. The parade will be followed by speakers in the Capitol auditorium and the appearance of a Lee impersonator, said Leonard Wilson, the group's Alabama commander.

The parade and program come one day after Lee's birthday of Jan. 19, 1807, but they are being held on Saturday to allow more attendance.

The Sons of Confederate Veterans normally observe Lee's birthday each year with a ceremony at the state Capitol, which served as the first Capitol of the Confederacy. But Wilson, who calls Lee "perhaps the greatest man in American history," said it was appropriate to do more for the 200th anniversary.