Patrick Teegarden

In reflecting on the greatest Civil War battles prior to Grant’s Overland Campaign of 1864/65, as well as upon public opinion in both the North and the South during that period, it’s truly bewildering that the Union didn’t “throw in the towel.” It takes nothing away from the courage and determination of the southern white people who constituted the Confederacy to say that they had the much less daunting task of the two warring sides.

I’m in search of a bright line answer here: Was there an actual date which we can consider the turning point of the Civil War?

Two years ago, in April 2011, America kicked off its so-called Sesquicentennial recollection of the American Civil War, which technically began on April 12, 1861, with the Confederate artillery attack on the Fort Sumter, a federal island fortress in the Charleston, SC harbor. While writing a number of columns for The Colorado Statesman in recognition of this 150th anniversary of that period of U.S. history, I’ve subscribed to the obvious acknowledgement that 1863 was a singularly important year in our history — consider just the following list, which is by no means complete:

Instead of a column this week, I wanted to share a quote I recently came across, penned by our greatest President at a relatively young age (30).

Whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, right-wing, left-wing, or somewhere in between, you have no doubt heard an example of overly provocative political speech or writing which not only was in opposition to your own point of view, but was also overblown and dramatic.

January (1st) marks the 150th Anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, by America’s greatest President, Abraham Lincoln. Make no mistake, and ignore criticism to the contrary — this one act by Lincoln (combined with winning the Civil War, of course) had more to do with the elimination of America’s Original Sin of Slavery than any other in history, including passage of the 13th Amendment.

Last week, my friend and colleague, Doug Young, wrote a brilliant review of the recently released Stephen Spielberg film, Lincoln. As follow up, I have three enthusiastic recommendations: First, go see the movie. Second, take 5-10 minutes to read the actual texts of Abraham Lincoln’s two greatest speeches, the Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863) and his Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1865). Third, with both the movie and Lincoln’s poetic prose fresh in your mind, read or re-read Mr. Young’s review in the November 23 edition of The Colorado Statesman.

This weekend, the much-anticipated movie, Lincoln, will be debut across the country to much fanfare and pre-release hype. In preparation for what will likely be another Stephen Spielberg masterpiece, starring, among others, Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field, it seems appropriate to reflect upon a few of the complexities and ambiguities of our 16th and still greatest President.

Last week was Elvis Week. The Beatles may have had “Eight Days a Week,” but Elvis got 9! That’s right — Aug. 10 through Aug. 18 was Elvis Week, and the primary celebrations occurred in Memphis, Tennessee, at Graceland, and throughout the Memphis metropolitan area.

My goal for this column is to interest a few folks who, like me, have previously ignored the compelling adventure that comprises the history of the Kansas Territory.

“Bleeding Kansas” evokes an attention-grabbing mental image, to be sure! So how is it that every time this aspect of our national history has been presented to me, my eyes have glazed over and I’ve drifted off in search of more interesting topics?

In the coming months, I look forward to writing in more detail about 1862, including tragedies (like Antietam and Fredericksburg) and triumphs (like the Emancipation Proclamation) which are part of this year’s Sesquicentennial remembrance, as well as other core antebellum and post-bellum issues.

For this week, however, since so many readers of The Colorado Statesman are about to emerge from the “fog” of the legislative session for 2012, I though it might be helpful to provide a very brief situational report on the American Civil War as it stood 150 years ago this week, in 1862.

Well folks, ‘tis the season for Presidential-year Political Conventions!

Ah yes — more political games and trickery! Smoke filled rooms, counterfeit admission tickets, well-heeled East Coast financiers trying to strong arm western voters, organized and paid shouters and cheerleaders, rumor-mongering, threats of party defections, promises of cabinet posts and other patronage in exchange for support, the raising of absurd sums of money for political action, etc, etc.