#americancivilwar — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #americancivilwar, aggregated by home.social.
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“I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.”
—Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, vol. 2 (1886), 603
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“I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.”
—Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, vol. 2 (1886), 603
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“I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.”
—Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, vol. 2 (1886), 603
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“I felt like anything rather than rejoicing at the downfall of a foe who had fought so long and valiantly, and had suffered so much for a cause, though that cause was, I believe, one of the worst for which a people ever fought, and one for which there was the least excuse.”
—Ulysses S. Grant, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant, vol. 2 (1886), 603
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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comprom...
The #CompromiseOf1850 was a package of five separate bills passed by the United States Congress in September 1850 that temporarily defused tensions between slave and #FreeStates during the years leading up to the #AmericanCivilWar.
Compromise of 1850 - Wikipedia -
Bread Riots and the Limits of Patience
The American Civil War: Civic Life Series (Part 8 of 18)
By Cliff Potts, CSO, and Editor-in-Chief of WPS News
Baybay City, Leyte, Philippines
August 18, 2026Patience did not fail all at once. It thinned.
For months, civilians endured shortages, inflation, and broken promises with quiet endurance. They adjusted meals, borrowed, bartered, and waited. Appeals were made to merchants and officials. Petitions were written. Sermons urged restraint. The assumption lingered that suffering, if borne long enough, would be acknowledged and relieved.
When that assumption collapsed, crowds formed.
When Need Becomes Public
Bread riots were not spontaneous explosions of lawlessness. They were the visible endpoint of prolonged restraint. In cities like Richmond, Mobile, and Atlanta, women—often responsible for feeding families with dwindling resources—gathered to demand affordable food.
These were not ideological movements. They were practical ones. People wanted bread. They wanted prices lowered or supplies released. When requests were ignored, they took what they needed.
The riots were loud because silence had failed.
Why Women Led
Women were at the center of many bread riots not because they were more volatile, but because hunger had made them accountable. When children went unfed, the burden fell squarely on those managing households. Moral arguments gave way to arithmetic.
Contemporary accounts describe crowds armed not with weapons, but with determination. Threats were direct. Demands were specific. Violence, where it occurred, was targeted at storehouses and merchants, not symbolic institutions.
This was not rebellion. It was desperation made collective.
Authority Under Strain
Local authorities faced a dilemma. Suppress the crowds and risk legitimizing the charge that the state protected property over people. Concede to demands and undermine already fragile control over markets.
Responses varied. Some officials ordered supplies distributed. Others called out militias. Still others attempted a mix of force and relief. None of these responses addressed the structural causes of scarcity.
The riots exposed a painful truth: governance that cannot feed its civilians loses moral authority quickly.
The Breaking Point of Deference
Bread riots marked a shift in how civilians related to power. Deference, long sustained by habit and fear, eroded under material pressure. People who had endured quietly now acted openly.
This shift mattered beyond food. Once crowds learned that collective action could extract concessions—or at least force acknowledgment—the relationship between civilians and authorities changed permanently.
Patience, once broken, does not easily reset.
Community Reactions
Reactions to the riots were mixed. Some neighbors condemned the actions as disorderly. Others quietly approved, even benefited. Many felt both at once. Moral certainty fractured alongside civic trust.
What united these responses was recognition: the old rules were no longer working. Something fundamental had changed.
After the Riots
The riots did not end hunger. They did not restore stable markets. But they did redefine acceptable behavior under stress. Actions once unthinkable became thinkable. Boundaries shifted.
Long after the crowds dispersed, the memory remained. People remembered who stood with them, who opposed them, and who hid behind authority.
Looking Back
Bread riots during the Civil War were not signs of moral collapse. They were signs of a moral system pushed beyond capacity. When patience is exhausted and survival is at stake, restraint gives way to action.
This is the eighth truth of civic breakdown: endurance has limits. When institutions fail to respond, people stop waiting.
The riots were not the beginning of chaos.
They were the moment patience ran out.McPherson, J. M. (1988). Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press.
Faust, D. G. (2008). This republic of suffering: Death and the American Civil War. Alfred A. Knopf.
McCurry, S. (2010). Confederate reckoning: Power and politics in the Civil War South. Harvard University Press.
Rable, G. C. (2010). Damn Yankees! Demonization and defiance in the Confederate South. Louisiana State University Press.
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Civil War diaries and letters. Manuscript Division. https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-war
Library of Congress. (n.d.). Chronicling America: Historic American newspapers. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov
#AmericanCivilWar #breadRiots #civicBreakdown #civilianProtest #homeFrontUnrest #legitimacyCrisis #publicOrder #socialHistory #wartimeScarcity -
Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.
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Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.
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Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.
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Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.
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Popular Science featured the Civil War Tails diorama museum; we just visited them while in Gettysburg in July. Amazing battle dioramas with tiny cat soldiers, detailed terrain, including the 11-foot long Little Round Top diorama. A must for #AmericanCivilWar #history buffs and #cat lovers.
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"Mary Don't You Weep" (alternately titled "O Mary Don't You Weep", "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't You Mourn", or variations thereof) is a #Spiritual that originates from before the #AmericanCivilWar. As such, scholars sometimes refer to it as a "slave song", "a label that describes their origins among the enslaved", and it contains "coded messages of hope and resistance". It is considered "one of the most important Negro spirituals".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S18SYKGOSTc -
"Mary Don't You Weep" (alternately titled "O Mary Don't You Weep", "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't You Mourn", or variations thereof) is a #Spiritual that originates from before the #AmericanCivilWar. As such, scholars sometimes refer to it as a "slave song", "a label that describes their origins among the enslaved", and it contains "coded messages of hope and resistance". It is considered "one of the most important Negro spirituals".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S18SYKGOSTc -
"Mary Don't You Weep" (alternately titled "O Mary Don't You Weep", "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't You Mourn", or variations thereof) is a #Spiritual that originates from before the #AmericanCivilWar. As such, scholars sometimes refer to it as a "slave song", "a label that describes their origins among the enslaved", and it contains "coded messages of hope and resistance". It is considered "one of the most important Negro spirituals".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S18SYKGOSTc -
"Mary Don't You Weep" (alternately titled "O Mary Don't You Weep", "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't You Mourn", or variations thereof) is a #Spiritual that originates from before the #AmericanCivilWar. As such, scholars sometimes refer to it as a "slave song", "a label that describes their origins among the enslaved", and it contains "coded messages of hope and resistance". It is considered "one of the most important Negro spirituals".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S18SYKGOSTc -
"Mary Don't You Weep" (alternately titled "O Mary Don't You Weep", "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep, Don't You Mourn", or variations thereof) is a #Spiritual that originates from before the #AmericanCivilWar. As such, scholars sometimes refer to it as a "slave song", "a label that describes their origins among the enslaved", and it contains "coded messages of hope and resistance". It is considered "one of the most important Negro spirituals".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S18SYKGOSTc -
Confederates In The Attic
Just read this wonderful witty + still relevant 1998 non-fiction book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz which examines The South's ongoing fascination with the Civil War. I couldn't help but feel like it was written with one eye on the future almost 30 years ago ...
#tonyhorwitz #nonfiction #books #mybookshelf #myreadinglist #bookworld #confederatesintheattic #americancivilwar #thecivilwar
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Confederates In The Attic
Just read this wonderful witty + still relevant 1998 non-fiction book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz which examines The South's ongoing fascination with the Civil War. I couldn't help but feel like it was written with one eye on the future almost 30 years ago ...
#tonyhorwitz #nonfiction #books #mybookshelf #myreadinglist #bookworld #confederatesintheattic #americancivilwar #thecivilwar
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Confederates In The Attic
Just read this wonderful witty + still relevant 1998 non-fiction book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz which examines The South's ongoing fascination with the Civil War. I couldn't help but feel like it was written with one eye on the future almost 30 years ago ...
#tonyhorwitz #nonfiction #books #mybookshelf #myreadinglist #bookworld #confederatesintheattic #americancivilwar #thecivilwar
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Confederates In The Attic
Just read this wonderful witty + still relevant 1998 non-fiction book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz which examines The South's ongoing fascination with the Civil War. I couldn't help but feel like it was written with one eye on the future almost 30 years ago ...
#tonyhorwitz #nonfiction #books #mybookshelf #myreadinglist #bookworld #confederatesintheattic #americancivilwar #thecivilwar
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Confederates In The Attic
Just read this wonderful witty + still relevant 1998 non-fiction book written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Tony Horwitz which examines The South's ongoing fascination with the Civil War. I couldn't help but feel like it was written with one eye on the future almost 30 years ago ...
#tonyhorwitz #nonfiction #books #mybookshelf #myreadinglist #bookworld #confederatesintheattic #americancivilwar #thecivilwar
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A Card-Based Wargame about the little-known story of the Free and Independent State of Scott during the American Civil War. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #flyingPigGames #americanCivilWar
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/crowdfund-quest/crowdfund-quest-rebels-against-rebellion?utm_source=mastodon -
A Card-Based Wargame about the little-known story of the Free and Independent State of Scott during the American Civil War. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #flyingPigGames #americanCivilWar
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/crowdfund-quest/crowdfund-quest-rebels-against-rebellion?utm_source=mastodon -
A Card-Based Wargame about the little-known story of the Free and Independent State of Scott during the American Civil War. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #flyingPigGames #americanCivilWar
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/crowdfund-quest/crowdfund-quest-rebels-against-rebellion?utm_source=mastodon -
A Card-Based Wargame about the little-known story of the Free and Independent State of Scott during the American Civil War. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #flyingPigGames #americanCivilWar
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/crowdfund-quest/crowdfund-quest-rebels-against-rebellion?utm_source=mastodon -
The Life and Legacy of Confederate Guerrilla Leader 'Bloody Bill' Anderson
📰 Original title: Famous Posthumous Photos of “Bloody Bill” Anderson After Being Killed by Union Solders, 1864
🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/the-life-and-legacy-of-confederate-guerrilla-leader-bloody-bill-anderson.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world
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The Life and Legacy of Confederate Guerrilla Leader 'Bloody Bill' Anderson
📰 Original title: Famous Posthumous Photos of “Bloody Bill” Anderson After Being Killed by Union Solders, 1864
🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/the-life-and-legacy-of-confederate-guerrilla-leader-bloody-bill-anderson.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world
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The Life and Legacy of Confederate Guerrilla Leader 'Bloody Bill' Anderson
📰 Original title: Famous Posthumous Photos of “Bloody Bill” Anderson After Being Killed by Union Solders, 1864
🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Users: It's clickbait ⚠️View full AI summary https://en.killbait.com/the-life-and-legacy-of-confederate-guerrilla-leader-bloody-bill-anderson.html?utm_source=mastodon_world&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=killbait.mastodon_world
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Albert Cashier
Cashier (1843 – 1915) was Irish-born Jennie Hodgers - an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was one of at least 250 women who enlisted as men to fight. However, Cashier had adopted the identity of a man before enlisting, + maintained it until death. He enlisted in 1862 for a 3 year term + was described as a 5'3" soldier, 29 years old with blue eyes + auburn hair, weighing 110 lbs. Cashier fought in over 40 battles until he was honorably discharged on 1865
After the war, continuing to live as a man, Cashier worked was a church janitor, cemetery worker, + street lamplighter. Living as a man allowed him to vote in elections + to claim a veteran's pension
In 1911, Cashier was hit by a car, resulting in a broken leg. A physician discovered his birth sex in the hospital, but did not disclose the information. No longer able to work, Cashier was moved to a Soldiers & Sailors home. He lived there until a deterioration of mind began to take place + he was moved to a Hospital for the Insane. Attendants at the hospital discovered his birth sex + forced him to wear women's clothes.
Albert Cashier died in 1915 + was buried in uniform with full military honors.
#albertcashier #civilwar #civilwarhistory #soldiers #history #americancivilwar
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Albert Cashier
Cashier (1843 – 1915) was Irish-born Jennie Hodgers - an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was one of at least 250 women who enlisted as men to fight. However, Cashier had adopted the identity of a man before enlisting, + maintained it until death. He enlisted in 1862 for a 3 year term + was described as a 5'3" soldier, 29 years old with blue eyes + auburn hair, weighing 110 lbs. Cashier fought in over 40 battles until he was honorably discharged on 1865
After the war, continuing to live as a man, Cashier worked was a church janitor, cemetery worker, + street lamplighter. Living as a man allowed him to vote in elections + to claim a veteran's pension
In 1911, Cashier was hit by a car, resulting in a broken leg. A physician discovered his birth sex in the hospital, but did not disclose the information. No longer able to work, Cashier was moved to a Soldiers & Sailors home. He lived there until a deterioration of mind began to take place + he was moved to a Hospital for the Insane. Attendants at the hospital discovered his birth sex + forced him to wear women's clothes.
Albert Cashier died in 1915 + was buried in uniform with full military honors.
#albertcashier #civilwar #civilwarhistory #soldiers #history #americancivilwar
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Albert Cashier
Cashier (1843 – 1915) was Irish-born Jennie Hodgers - an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was one of at least 250 women who enlisted as men to fight. However, Cashier had adopted the identity of a man before enlisting, + maintained it until death. He enlisted in 1862 for a 3 year term + was described as a 5'3" soldier, 29 years old with blue eyes + auburn hair, weighing 110 lbs. Cashier fought in over 40 battles until he was honorably discharged on 1865
After the war, continuing to live as a man, Cashier worked was a church janitor, cemetery worker, + street lamplighter. Living as a man allowed him to vote in elections + to claim a veteran's pension
In 1911, Cashier was hit by a car, resulting in a broken leg. A physician discovered his birth sex in the hospital, but did not disclose the information. No longer able to work, Cashier was moved to a Soldiers & Sailors home. He lived there until a deterioration of mind began to take place + he was moved to a Hospital for the Insane. Attendants at the hospital discovered his birth sex + forced him to wear women's clothes.
Albert Cashier died in 1915 + was buried in uniform with full military honors.
#albertcashier #civilwar #civilwarhistory #soldiers #history #americancivilwar
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Albert Cashier
Cashier (1843 – 1915) was Irish-born Jennie Hodgers - an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was one of at least 250 women who enlisted as men to fight. However, Cashier had adopted the identity of a man before enlisting, + maintained it until death. He enlisted in 1862 for a 3 year term + was described as a 5'3" soldier, 29 years old with blue eyes + auburn hair, weighing 110 lbs. Cashier fought in over 40 battles until he was honorably discharged on 1865
After the war, continuing to live as a man, Cashier worked was a church janitor, cemetery worker, + street lamplighter. Living as a man allowed him to vote in elections + to claim a veteran's pension
In 1911, Cashier was hit by a car, resulting in a broken leg. A physician discovered his birth sex in the hospital, but did not disclose the information. No longer able to work, Cashier was moved to a Soldiers & Sailors home. He lived there until a deterioration of mind began to take place + he was moved to a Hospital for the Insane. Attendants at the hospital discovered his birth sex + forced him to wear women's clothes.
Albert Cashier died in 1915 + was buried in uniform with full military honors.
#albertcashier #civilwar #civilwarhistory #soldiers #history #americancivilwar
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Albert Cashier
Cashier (1843 – 1915) was Irish-born Jennie Hodgers - an American soldier who served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Cashier was one of at least 250 women who enlisted as men to fight. However, Cashier had adopted the identity of a man before enlisting, + maintained it until death. He enlisted in 1862 for a 3 year term + was described as a 5'3" soldier, 29 years old with blue eyes + auburn hair, weighing 110 lbs. Cashier fought in over 40 battles until he was honorably discharged on 1865
After the war, continuing to live as a man, Cashier worked was a church janitor, cemetery worker, + street lamplighter. Living as a man allowed him to vote in elections + to claim a veteran's pension
In 1911, Cashier was hit by a car, resulting in a broken leg. A physician discovered his birth sex in the hospital, but did not disclose the information. No longer able to work, Cashier was moved to a Soldiers & Sailors home. He lived there until a deterioration of mind began to take place + he was moved to a Hospital for the Insane. Attendants at the hospital discovered his birth sex + forced him to wear women's clothes.
Albert Cashier died in 1915 + was buried in uniform with full military honors.
#albertcashier #civilwar #civilwarhistory #soldiers #history #americancivilwar
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A 2-player hex and counter wargame focused on the war in the east from 1861 to 1865. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #worthingtonPublishing #americanCivilWar #wargames
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/rpg-pdf-spotlight/crowdfund-quest-lees-war-the-war-in-virginia-1861-1865?utm_source=mastodon -
A 2-player hex and counter wargame focused on the war in the east from 1861 to 1865. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #worthingtonPublishing #americanCivilWar #wargames
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/rpg-pdf-spotlight/crowdfund-quest-lees-war-the-war-in-virginia-1861-1865?utm_source=mastodon -
A 2-player hex and counter wargame focused on the war in the east from 1861 to 1865. #crowdfundQuest #crowdfunding #kickstarter #worthingtonPublishing #americanCivilWar #wargames
https://www.tabletopsentinel.com/columns/rpg-pdf-spotlight/crowdfund-quest-lees-war-the-war-in-virginia-1861-1865?utm_source=mastodon