Browse all Entries in the Antebellum Time Period.
Jefferson Finis Davis
June 3, 1808 – December 6, 1889 A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Mexican-American War veteran, U.S. Congressman, Senator, and Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis served as the first and only President of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was born on June 3, 1808, in Christian County, Kentucky (now part of Todd…
John Alexander Logan
February 9, 1826 – December 26, 1886 Often referred to as "Black Jack" by his men, Major General John A. Logan rose from a volunteer with the Illinois Infantry in 1861, to command the Union Army of the Tennessee by the end of the American Civil War. John Alexander Logan was born February 6, 1826,…
John Armor Bingham
January 21, 1815 – March 19, 1900 An influential congressman from Ohio during the American Civil War and Reconstruction eras, John Bingham drafted the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. John Armor Bingham was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania, on January 21, 1815. He was the son of Hugh Bingham and…
John Brough
September 17, 1811–August 29, 1865 Born on September 17, 1811, in Marietta, Ohio, John Brough had a difficult childhood. His father died when Brough was only eleven years of age. Born on September 17, 1811, in Marietta, Ohio, John Brough had a difficult childhood. His father died when Brough was only eleven years of age.…
John Brown
May 9, 1800 – December 2, 1859 John Brown was an ardent abolitionist whose raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry in October 1859 intensified the sectional dispute over slavery in the United States and hastened the nation toward civil war. Early Life John Brown was born on May 9, 1800 in Torrington, a…
John Brown Raiders Monument
1860 Ohio’s American Civil War soldiers and civilians sought to commemorate the troopers’ devotion to and service with the United States by constructing monuments and other memorials. During the American Civil War, Ohio provided the federal government with 260 regiments of men, including infantry, artillery, and cavalry units. Ohioans also served in several other regiments…
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
October 16, 1859 – October 18, 1859 On October 16, 1859, militant abolitionist John Brown led an ill-fated assault on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, that intensified the sectional dispute over slavery and hastened the nation toward civil war. Early on Sunday, October 16, 1859 ardent abolitionist John Brown assembled his small army…
John Buchanan Floyd
June 1, 1806 – August 26, 1863 A political appointee with little military experience prior to the American Civil War, Brigadier-General John B. Floyd is most remembered for abandoning Fort Donelson in 1861 to avoid being captured by Federal soldiers. John Buchanan Floyd was born on his family's plantation Montgomery County, near Blacksburg, Virginia, on…
John Buford, Jr.
March 4, 1826 – December 16, 1863 A prominent Union cavalry officer, Major General John Buford is credited with choosing the ground upon which the Battle of Gettysburg was fought in July 1863. John Buford, Jr. was born on March 4, 1826, near Versailles in Woodford County, Kentucky. He was the first of three sons…
John Cabell Breckinridge
January 16, 1821 – May 17, 1875 U.S. Vice-president John C. Breckinridge was an American political leader who represented Kentucky in the U.S. House and Senate before serving as a general officer in the Confederate Army and as the fifth, and final, Confederate Secretary of War. John Cabell Breckinridge was born on January 16, 1821,…