A blog by James D. Best

Book Review: Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War by Thomas B. Allen & Rodger MacBride

Mr. Lincoln’s High-Tech War: How the North Used theTelegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons,and More to Win the Civil War Thomas B. Allen & Rodger MacBride Long title and a bit of a misnomer because this book also deals with the use of technology by the Confederate States of America. Granted, the Confederacy was limited by its scarce industrial capability, but it focused what it had on its navy, including the first ironclad in combat and the first submarine. Both were effective when let out of the barn, but neither lasted much beyond their first engagement. That’s the way it goes with military innovation; failures often precede a workable design. Most people view the American Civil War as a series of bloody battles fought with muskets and cannons. It all looks so backward from a modern perspective. In truth, the American Civil War changed warfare dramatically through technological advances. Before the Civil War, Napoleon de...

Mail-In Ballots Anyone?

During the American Civil War, soldiers were allowed to vote by mail. This was the first instance of mail-in ballots in the nation's history. At the time, of course, only men had the right to vote. In the 1862 mid-year elections, many soldiers were given leave to return home to vote. It was detrimental to the war effort, so in 1864 the Union tried a new concept: mail-in ballots. Lincoln felt this was important to his reelection because a higher proportion of Republicans enlisted. On September 27, 1864, Ulysses S. Grant wrote to the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton: The exercise of the right of suffrage by the officers and soldiers of armies is a novel thing. A very large proportion of legal voters of the United States are now either under arms in the field, or in hospitals, or otherwise engaged in the military service of the United States … they are American citizens, having still their homes and social and political ties binding them to the States and districts from which they come...

Short Story: Another Time, Another Place

A gush of air ruffled my hair. Was that a bullet whistling past my head? Where am I? What the heck is happening? My eardrums throbbed with piercing pops and massive explosions. The stench of rotten eggs and burning charcoal seared my nostrils. Soldiers yelled orders, screamed in pain, or shouted insults at the opposition. Beyond clear-cut fields, I saw countless flashes made dim by smoke and distance. I wondered what the flashes represented until I heard sharp thuds and saw wood splintering. They were gunshots coming toward me at a frantic pace. The entire encounter was unreal. Standing on a sturdy parapet eight feet above the ground, I overlooked a raging gun battle. The relentless noise dazed me. To my left and right, soldiers returned fire, and deafening blasts of cannon fire made it nearly impossible to think clearly. I should have felt a desperate urge to escape, yet I sensed no such need. I was not afraid. Something told me that I was not a participant in this drama. As I glanced...

Book Review: The Truth of the War Conspiracy of 1861 by H W Johnstone

The Truth of the War Conspiracy of 1861 A Reassessment of Why the American Civil War Began by H W Johnstone This booklet was published in 1921 by a Civil War veteran. The author’s intent is to advocate for The Lost Cause and expose the “truth.” I’ve read several modern-day defenses of The Lost Cause, but I wanted to get the perspective of someone closer in time to the conflict. A participant was even better, although Johnstone served for only an unexplained eight months. Unfortunately, time and participation provided few novel insights. I shouldn't have been surprised because years earlier, Jefferson Davis had articulated the dogma of The Lost Cause in his two histories of the Confederate States of America. Johnstone argues that a duplicitous President Lincoln started the war by reinforcing Forts Sumter and Pickens, the last Union military presence in the seceded states. First, the duplicitous part. In his inaugural, Lincoln said, “The power confided to me will be used to...

Constitutional Chat: Abraham Lincoln at Cooper Union

Constituting America Watch a "Constitutional Chat" video about Lincoln's Cooper Union Address. I was honored to be a guest for this "chat." What was so great about his speech at the Cooper Union? It was earth-moving because it was highly unusual. It was a call for his party to stand on principle—God’s principles, the Founders’ principles, and the founding principle of the Republican Party—the abolition of slavery. Read the essay at Constituting America.

Abraham Lincoln: The Enigmatic President

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