Monkey Is Up! means a person is getting angry

In consequence of the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States (bravo, hooray, O my brothers!), it is announced that South Carolina, in an ecstacy of slave-owner's rage, has ordered a solemn day of humiliation, on which all the slaves of the State are to be flogged, and all copies of the Scriptures burned. Moreover, she calls a Convention, and declares that she is going to separate from the Union, and be an independent State, and have representatives of her own at the Courts of Europe. We hear that her first demands on England are, that to show our sympathy in her hate of the President, Lincoln Cathedral be pulled down, the County of Lincoln be re-christened and called Breckenridge County, that all Lincoln and Bennett hats be immediately smashed in, that Lord Lincoln be transported, and that when Falstaff in the play speaks of "thieves in Lincoln green," he be ordered to say "President Lincoln's black thieves." Anything to please the lovely Carolina.


So says the editorial in December 160's Punch--a British publication.  The cartoon is by John Tennial.

Civil War Army Guys!

I notice he is only a 2-star general . . .

Stephen Douglas Flip Flops On His Deathbed

The astounding personage to the left is Stephen Douglas, erstwhile "Little Giant" and professional opponent of "A. Lincoln."  


I am reading a book called Year of Meteors, which begins with the last week of Douglas's life.  He wasn't even fifty, and he was dying the drunkard's death--cirrhosis of the liver. 


He had staggered to Springfield, which is the capital of Illinois, to address the state legislature and then to Chicago, where he spoke once, then went back to his hotel and died.


What was he saying that was so important that he did it with his last breath, almost literally?  He was trying to tell people that HE WAS WRONG!  Appeasement had never worked with the South, and he had been one of the appeasement kings.  


The situation had deteriorated so badly that war was here.  Sumter had been fired on.  


Douglas had lost his Presidential bid, and had, in fact, been part of the set of pawns manipulated by the fire-eaters to split the Democratic party and get a Republican elected.  That, in their eyes, justified secession even more.


In trying to help Lincoln rally the North to the inevitable, he had to admit that he had been wrong.  It was so important to him that he died in his attempt.


Today, he would be dismissed, accused of flip-flopping.

Meltdown on Aisle 7

Emerging Civil War asked for some less formal posts concerning some of the fun, interesting things historians do, especially go on trips and look at stuff.


I wrote a post about the Magical History Tour last February, and the emotion of seeing artifacts like the gun of James Jackson (right) which killed my colonel.  


Frankly, I thought it was sorta funny, and I was prepared for a rejection, but NO!  The post is up!  It is called "Meltdown on Aisle 7," and it is at emergingcivilwar.com--


So, go read it.  We all need the stats!

Elections Are Coming Up!

To the right is one of the election tickets from the 1860 Presidential Election.  You told the man at the polling place what party you were, and he handed you a ballot.  You marked the men you supported, then put it into a large glass fishbowl.  


It wasn't exactly a "secret ballot."  


Lincoln initially told the media he was not going to vote.  Then he answered the question, "How are you going to vote?" with the enigmatic words, "By ballot."


He walked with Elmer Ellsworth and George Nicolay down the street to the Court House to cast his ballot about 3:30 in the afternoon, when the crowds had died down a bit.  


Ever the Victorian, he carefully tore off the top of the ticket, thereby casting his vote for everyone except himself.


They then walked back to campaign headquarters in the Illinois State House, to wait for the official results.