Smalls was born a slave in South Carolina. During the American Civil War, he freed himself, his crewmate, and their families by commandeering a Confederate transport ship, the CSS Planter, an armed Confederate military transport, by dressing as the captain. He then sailed toward the Union lines, waving a white sheet as a flag. His example and persuasion are what helped convince President Abraham Lincoln to accept African-American soldiers into the Union Army.
After the war, Smalls went on to serve in the United States House of Representatives, representing his state, South Carolina.
The Civil War Avenger
Edward P. Doherty was an Irish-Canadian-American Civil War officer who formed and led the detachment of soldiers that tracked, captured, and killed John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's assassin, just two days after they received the order.
Doherty was living in New York when the war broke out enlisted in a 90-day militia unit and was assigned to be Private to Company A of the 71st New York Volunteers. He was later captured by the Confederates during the First Battle of Bull Run- the first major land battle of the Civil War. While a prisoner, he managed to escape.
Execution Day
The execution of Lincoln's assassination and conspirators took place on July 7, 1865. The four condemned conspirators, David Herold, Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt, and George Atzerodt, were given the death sentence. After the Lincoln assassination, several hundred people were arrested, but most were soon released due to lack of concrete evidence. The government eventually charged eight people with conspiracy. The defendants were allowed to have attorneys and witnesses, but they were not permitted to testify themselves.
The execution of Mary Surratt, the first woman ever to get the death sentence in the United States, had been a particular focus of criticism received after the hanging took place.
The Alton Military Prison
Built in 1833, the notorious Alton prison was the first state penitentiary in Illinois; it later closed in 1857. In 1862, during the Civil War, the prison was reopened to house the growing population of Confederate prisoners of war. Thousands of Union men died of starvation and disease there.
This federal prisoner was nearly starved to death in Alton, also known as Camp Sumter. The picture was taken when the prisoner was released, around 1865.
The Lord of War
Admiral John Adolphus Bernard Dahlgren, also known as the 'father of American naval ordnance,' was a United States Navy officer who led the Union Navy's ordnance department during the Civil War. He designed several different kinds of arms and cannons that were credited as part of the reason for the Union's victory.
Dahlgren designed a smoothbore howitzer that was capable of adapting to many sizes of craft and shore installations. He later introduced a cast-iron muzzle-loading cannon with increased range and accuracy, which became known as the Dahlgren gun. It eventually became the Navy's standard armament.