Book review: Grant, savior of the Union

Civil War and scholar Russell Bonds reviews H.W. Brands' "The Man Who Saved the Union," a sweeping look at Ulysses S. Grant and 19th century America. Writes Bonds: "Mr. Brands drives home one point on which detractors and admirers can agree: Time and again, Grant accomplished what he set his mind to." • Review

Yosemite as a soothing place to heal?

You might not connect Yosemite National Park to the Civil War. But Frederick Law Olmsted, co-creator of Central Park, certainly did. Eyewitness to the horrific destruction wrought by the war when he served as general secretary of the United States Sanitary Commission, a Red Cross-like operation for the North, Olmsted despaired as the nation became, in his words, a "republic of suffering." In 1864, when he was briefly relocated to California, Olmsted envisioned the Yosemite Valley as a convalescent, even redemptive, site of national healing. • Column

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/09/27/2561980/william-deverell-yosemite-was.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/09/27/2561980/william-deverell-yosemite-was.html#storylink=cpy

Learn more about the use of bugle calls

 

On Saturday, Petersburg National Battlefield in Virginia welcomes William Stallings, who will demonstrate the role of bugle calls. Formal presentations begin at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Eastern Front Unit Visitor Center. • Article

Soldier's grave to be rededicated

The grave of a Minnesota Civil War soldier that became overgrown will be rededicated during a formal ceremony Saturday. Pvt. Edmund Sampare, who died on Sept. 17, 1862, during the Battle of Antietam, was a member of the Second Regiment, U.S. Sharpshooters, which saw action until nearly the end of the conflict. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in St. Paul, and his gravestone laid flat in 1940 to protect it from further erosion. The stone became overgrown, but was found by a member of the Minnesota Historical Society. • Article

Battle flags: 'Red, White and Battered'

A flag used by the 9th Volunteer Infantry and eight other banners from New York's battle flags collection are part of the newest installment of an exhibit commemorating the Civil War's sesquicentennial. Officials on Wednesday open the new exhibit, titled "1862: Red, White and Battered." • Article