History lessons is a grouping of historical stories and tidbits. The topics range from the American Civil War through interesting items from around the world. Please use the comments area to ask questions and make suggestions for future topics.
Have you ever listened to a flag? For more than two centuries, Americans have seen them. Whether large and flying smartly in the wind from a mast on the U.S.S. Constitution…or medium-sized and carried proudly by soldiers during the Battle of Gettysburg…or small and waved enthusiastically by families at a Fourth of July parade this… continue
By James Breig The continuing 150th anniversary of the four-year Civil War provides an opportunity to focus on regimental flags – and what happened to them. They were carried by troops into battle to mark where their unit was located, to see where they were moving and to provide a rallying point. In a touching… continue
By James Breig From its opening days in 1861 through the Battle of Gettysburg to Appomattox, the Civil War spawned songs about flags that were intoned on both sides of the fray. Northerners sang “The Battle Cry of Freedom” with its rousing chorus of “Rally ‘Round the Flag, Boys,” while Southerners gave out with “The… continue
One of the earliest accounts of the fall of the Alamo, the famous battle in the drive for Texas independence from Mexico, appeared in The Louisiana Advertiser. It ran about three weeks after the March 6, 1836, assault that captured the former mission and killed – among scores of others – Davy Crockett and Jim… continue
By James Breig On April 28, 1788 – 225 years ago – Maryland became the seventh united state. It came into the union with a unique history that would evolve into a cluttered flag. Charles I of Great Britain granted Maryland’s charter in 1632 and assigned it to Lord Baltimore (Cecilius Calvert). The king’s command… continue