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.
When Ohio became the 17th state 210 years ago, it did so without an official flag. The War of 1812 raged and still no flag. When the ‘49ers rushed to California, Ohio remained flagless. The Civil War battles of Bull Run, Gettysburg and Petersburg were fought, but Ohio was still without a banner. The 20th… continue
By James Breig Writing in a Boston publication in 1849, an anonymous person shared his “Notes of a Voyage in the Plymouth Rock.” The cruise from Boston to Liverpool, England, lasted 20 days, a span that provided the author with plenty of leisure time to observe life on the ocean. He remarked on story-telling among… continue
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