In this video that I do commentary, I will discuss the importance of the rivers and rails that led into the confederacy as shown by this production called, Rivers and Rails: Daggers of the Civil War. I would also like to clarify that I mentioned that Fort Defiance was only in Cairo, Il, but there is in fact a confederate Fort Defiance around Clarksville, Tn.
The original video link is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMNTmot8WAY&t=842s
Paducah was an important factor for the Civil War. In this video describing the Battle of Shiloh, I will show how taking Paducah by General Grant created a Gateway into the Confederacy that eventually led to the battle. This is my commentary on the Battle of Shiloh using a video from the American Battlefield Trust. The Battle of Shiloh occurred on April 6-7, 1862.
Further research on the Battle of Shiloh by Historian John Cashon:
The History of Shiloh – Part 1: The Union Camps from 3:00 a.m. to noon
Here is an interesting piece of Paducah history. The pdf linked in the address below is called the Estate of Dr. J. M. Best, deceased, vs. the United States. It was a brief to the U.S. Senate regarding the claim for destroyed property of Paducahan Dr. Best that was ordered to be burned by Union Colonel Stephen G. Hicks because of its close proximity to Fort Anderson in Paducah on March 26th, 1864. A day after the Battle of Paducah.
Click the link or picture below to read or to download the PDF for your own records:
Estate of Dr. J.M. Best, deceased, vs. The United State
A common story told in the Paducah area is that William Clark, of the Lewis and Clark fame, named Paducah for a Chickasaw chieftain called Chief Paduke, but this is incorrect. Clark was actually referring to a tribe he learned about during his travels exploring the west.
In a letter to his son on April 27, 1827, Clark wrote:
“I expect to go to the mouth of the Tennessee River, and be absent about two weeks. I have laid out a town there and intend to sell some lots in it, the name is Paducah, one of the largest Indian nations known in this country, and now almost forgotten.”
There are many arguments proclaiming the ‘evils’ of big government, and it always seems to come back to the same arguments made by the Federalists and the Anti-federalists during the days of our founders, concerning the differences between a strong central government and a weak central government.
It is taken as gospel that our government should be small, and it is argued that it was always meant to be this way, but from what has been said about the dangers of our large government, it appears that some are advocating for a return of the Articles of Confederation, with its weak central powers, instead of the federal government that we have today.
Continue reading “Shays’ Rebellion and the Articles of Confederation”
For research on my upcoming book, A Divided Cause, I am posting this video to describe the attack on Fort Sumter. Major Robert Anderson, from Kentucky, was put in charge of the Charleston Harbor defenses. Fort Anderson in Paducah, Kentucky was named after him. Paducah lit lanterns and hung them from their gates to show support for the Confederate army.
Reflecting on History with John Cashon 