Browse all Entries in the Civil War Reconstruction Time Period.
Ohio Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home
1870–1997 In 1869, the Grand Army of the Republic proposed the formation of and began to construct the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home to provide for children orphaned when their father died during the American Civil War. The State of Ohio assumed control of the institution in 1870 and eventually permitted children orphaned as a…
Oliver Otis Howard
November 8, 1830 – October 26, 1909 Major General Oliver O. Howard, a Medal of Honor recipient, commanded Union troops in both the Eastern and Western Theaters of the American Civil War and served as the only commissioner of the Freedmen's Bureau during Reconstruction. Oliver Otis Howard was born on November 30, 1830, at Leeds,…
Presidential Proclamation 148
December 1, 1865 On December 1, 1865, President Andrew Johnson issued Presidential Proclamation 148 revoking the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus in the U.S. except in specified states and territories. By the President of the United States of America. A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS, by the proclamation of the President of the United States, of…
Presidential Proclamation 153
April 2, 1866 On April 2, 1866, President Andrew Johnson issued Presidential Proclamation 153 declaring the the Civil War was over and that peace was restored in all areas of the U.S. except the Texas. By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Whereas by proclamations of the 15th and 19th of…
Presidential Proclamation 157
August 20, 1866 On August 20, 1866, U.S. President Andrew Johnson issued Presidential Proclamation 157 declaring that the Civil War was "at an end and that peace, order, tranquillity, and civil authority now exist in and throughout the whole of the United States of America." By the President of the United States of America A…
Reconstruction Acts
1867–1868 The Reconstruction Acts were four bills passed by the United States Congress between March 2, 1867 and March 11, 1868 that established criteria and procedures for former Confederate states, excluding Tennessee, to regain readmission to the Union. Even before the Union victory in the American Civil War was assured, battle lines were being drawn…
Richard Kidder Meade
July 21, 1829 – March 18, 1920 A lieutenant in the Union army and later a major in the Confederate army, Richard K. Meade was one of four graduates of the U.S. Military Academy who initially fought for the Union before switching sides during the American Civil War. Richard Kidder Meade was born on July…
Richard Stoddert Ewell
February 8, 1817 – January 25, 1872 Richard Stoddert Ewell was a prominent Confederate general during the American Civil War who has been tarnished by questions about his performance on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg. Richard Stoddert Ewell was born in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on February 8, 1817. Raised on his family's…
Richard Strother Taylor
January 27, 1826 – April 12, 1879 The son of United States President Zachary Taylor, Richard Taylor was a prominent Confederate general in the Eastern and Western theaters of the American Civil War Richard Taylor was born on January 27, 1826, near Louisville, Kentucky, on his family's plantation, "Springfield." He was the youngest child and…
Rienzi
1860-1878 During the American Civil War, Rienzi was Union General Philip Sheridan’s favorite horse. This steed’s exploits became immortalized in prose and also helped President Abraham Lincoln win reelection in 1864. In 1862, Union cavalry forces under the command of General Philip Sheridan, a native of Ohio, passed through the town of Rienzi, Mississippi. Members…