Category Archives: Generals

Ulysses S. Grant vs Robert E. Lee on Slavery

Posted on January 17, 2026 by Ron Franklin

Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant Meet On April 9, 1865, two men sat down together in the parlor of Wilmer McLean’s house at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia. The older of the two, impeccably dressed in his finest uniform, … Continue reading →

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Robert E. Lee vs Ulysses S. Grant: Unexpected Views on Slavery

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Ron Franklin

Lee vs. Grant on Slavery The year 1856 was significant for both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant in regard to their attitudes toward slavery. Within a few years, these men would both be generals-in-chief on opposing sides in … Continue reading →

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This Week In 1865: Confederate Diary posts for March 6-8, 1865

Posted on March 10, 2015 by Ron Franklin

As General Grant tightened his grip on Richmond, and Sherman was coming up from behind, residents of the city looked forward fearfully to its evacuation by General Lee’s army. Saturday, March 4, 1865 J. B. Jones John Beauchamp Jones (1810-1866) … Continue reading →

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This Week In 1865: Confederate Diary posts for March 4-5, 1865

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Ron Franklin

NOTE: General Jubal Early commanded the last Confederate force in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. On March 2, 1865, in an encounter at Waynesboro with cavalry units under Union General Philip H. Sheridan, Early’s army was defeated, routed, and for all practical … Continue reading →

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Slavery and the Golden Rule

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Ron Franklin

White Christians in the South who supported slavery (as most did) had a problem. They were assured from practically every pulpit throughout the cotton states that slavery was an institution sanctioned by God. After all, they were taught, Abraham owned … Continue reading →

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Pardoned For Being Black

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Ron Franklin

I was first introduced to Governor Richard Yates of Illinois as the man who gave Ulysses S. Grant his first command at the start of the Civil War. It was his appointment by Yates to be the Colonel of the … Continue reading →

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General Dorsey Pender: the Rebel, the Christian

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Ron Franklin

As I was reading Shelby Foote’s account of the battle of Gettysburg (Civil War, A Narrative, Vol. 2), I was struck by his description of the death of Confederate Major General Dorsey Pender. [T]here still was Pender, whose division was … Continue reading →

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Was Bragg the Confederate Meade?

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Ron Franklin

In posing the question of whether Braxton Bragg was the Confederate George Meade, I don’t mean to imply they were alike in general terms. Rather, I’m focusing on each man’s most celebrated battle in his Civil War career, and the … Continue reading →

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