Christmas Traditions with origins in the Civil War era

These days we read so many articles detailing the origins of various Christmas traditions - the placement of a ornamental tree inside the home, egg nog and other culinary delights, and the Christian adoption of the season to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Many would be surprised to know, however, that a number of seasonal traditions actually have their origins in the Civil War era.

During this tumultuous time of brother against brother, the holidays were still celebrated (mainly in the South) with the hope of a swift conclusion to the conflicts that divided our nation for many years. It is said, too, that the states were split on the issue of celebrating the holiday as much as they were on subjects that led to the war in the first place. Being that the nation was young, this generation grew from a Puritan time where celebrating Christmas was considered sinful, due to the roots of many traditions being steeped in paganism that the early Christians sought to suppress. It wasn't until the early nineteenth century when US states finally legalized the holiday - the first three being Alabama, Lousiana, and Arkansas.

These days, we might catch a glimpse of traditions we observe now in the Christmas scenes in Gone With the Wind and other movies depicting the time. They, however, only tell part of a story. Here follows just a short list of Christmas mainstays and traditions that evolved from this time in history.

Santa Claus

While the legend of Santa Claus has its roots in a much earlier time - reaching as far as the origins of Christianity itself - it is the modern depiction of this jolliest of elves that saw its creation in the mid-nineteenth century with Thomas Nast. Nast, a widely-known cartoonist of the day (arguably credited with being the father of the modern-day political cartoon), created the visage of Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly around 1863. The billowing white beard, nose like a cherry, and wide-girthed figure bearing a sack full of toys soon became synonymous with the secular aspects of the holiday. These days, contemporary depictions of St. Nick do not stray from Nast's original vision.

Christmas Carols

Did you know that many of the songs we sing during this joyous occasion had originally been written during the darkest time of our nation's history? Indeed, one could argue that some Christmas carols are actually the forerunners of the modern day protest song, as some carols penned in this time were actually thinly veiled commentary on the war. "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," written by minister Edmund Sears, touches upon the desire for peace during this time, while Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" contains strong anti-war sentiment. Of course, one likely doesn't sense this because the more blatant verses of Longfellow's poem are omitted in the traditional carol we sing today. By contrast, Phillips Brooks' "O Little Town of Bethelem" touches on the hope for peace in the aftermath of conflict.

Care Packages

While the troops were out to war, it was not uncommon for a soldier to receive gifts while at battle. Barrels of food and drink, warm clothing, and trinkets from home were especially prized and brought a modicum of cheer to an otherwise dismal situation. One could easily liken these gestures to traditions we hold today in sending care packages to our men and women overseas.

From the songs we sing to the icons we identify, one would be surprised to know how the Civil War influenced our contemporary observance of the Christmas season.

Kathryn Lively is The Write SEO [http://www.thewriteseo.com], providing freelance content and marketing assistance for websites like GoStaffordVA.com, the official site of Stafford County tourism, preserving Civil War history for visitors. She works for CINIVA Systems, Virginia Web Design.

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First Manassas - The Civil War's First major Land Battle

On July 16, 1861, General Irvin McDowell's Federal army, 35,000 strong, marched proudly out of Washington, heading for a confrontation with the Confederate army at Manassas, Virginia, a key railroad junction. The talk had all been confident that the Federals would defeat the South easily. After all, the Philippi Races had shown the Confederates to be untrained and weak.

No one wanted to hear the naysayers, those who cautioned that the Northern army, too, was untrained and unready. The prospect of preparing for a long war was rejected, and those who, perhaps, knew better were shunted to the back of the cheering throngs. Even President Abraham Lincoln had commented, "You are green, it is true, but they are green also; you are both green alike."

The summer sun shone down hot on that July day, and a holiday mood was in the sultry air. Behind the ranks of troops, the citizens of the city decided to drive out to the country in their buggies and watch the exciting battle that was about to take place.

McDowell's troops only covered twenty miles in two days due to the heat, the long baggage trains lumbering along behind, the inexperience of the soldiers, and the ungainly size of the army. On the afternoon of July 18, the army approached a little river called Bull Run. On the opposite side, General Pierre Beauregard waited with his 22,000 Southern troops, entrenched along an eight mile long line. Beauregard had known the Federals were coming, and he knew something the Federal command did not know: not far away, in the Shenandoah Valley, General Joseph Johnston and his 9,000 soldiers were on the march to Manassas.

The Federal officers then made their fatal mistake-they delayed their attack in order to rest their troops. By the time their troops were in position, it was too late. Joe Johnston's regiments had arrived by the Manassas Gap Railroad. When McDowell made his attack on July 21, he was now facing 31,000 grim Confederate soldiers.

The sound of Northern guns, pounding the Confederate positions, began while it was still dark. The battle had begun in earnest, and at first it seemed as if the Federals would easily take the day. The Southern army was being pushed from one position to another.

One brigade, from Virginia, as indicated by the regimental flag, stood firm behind an officer sitting still on a tall black horse. Another Southern officer pointed with his sword, crying, "There is Jackson, standing like a stone wall! Rally behind the Virginians!" His men turned again to the battle. Brigadier General Thomas Jackson's own brigade, later known as the "Stonewall Brigade," was in the center of the fighting. Jackson's men were giving voice to loud, ululating howls that would become known as the rebel yell.

The battle continued into the afternoon, as both armies struggled to control Henry House Hill. A unit of Southern soldiers approached the Northern batteries. They wore blue uniforms, and the artillery troops thought them to be Northerners. The Southerners captured the batteries. The guns fell silent, giving the Confederates the opportunity to charge. In addition, new, fresh Southern soldiers arrived from the trains, and the Northern attack collapsed.

General McDowell gave the order to withdraw, but the greenness of his army was now exposed. They moved, however, without panic until they crossed Bull Run and crashed headlong into the Washington spectators. Carriages blocked the road and bridges, and troops and civilians tangled with each other. Soldiers threw down their arms and struggled to get through the mess.

The Northerners expected the Confederates to chase them down. The Rebels, however, were exhausted and scattered as well. Their officers were unable to form a charge against the retreating Yankees, and the battle wound down. There would be no more fighting for days to come as both sides licked their wounds.

In Washington, as well as the rest of the North, the population was stunned. Their proud army, which had so recently paraded through the city streets, had been soundly defeated. The victory celebration-already planned-would not be needed. The quick victory that would have decided the war did not occur. Citizens and government alike took a sober assessment of the future and realized that the war was going to be long, hard, and bloody. The casualties on the Northern side were 2,896 men, killed, wounded, and missing; numbers that seemed high-at the time.

Although the South had lost 1,982, their view of this first major battle of the war was completely different. They had defeated an army of superior size and proved that one Rebel could beat ten Yankees. Although the military knew that the war would not be easily won, Southern citizens went to bed on the night they heard the reports convinced that the war would be over soon. Like the citizens of Washington the day before the battle, they could not have been more mistaken.

First Manassas (or Bull Run) was the first major battle of the Civil War. It was apparent after this battle that the war would be long and costly. The 150th anniversary of this important event took place on July 21-24, 2011.

Donna Gruber Adair is a former teacher of high school English and creative writing, with a degree in history. Her short stories and poetry have won awards. Her new book, An American Odyssey, is available at Amazon.com in soft cover or for Kindle or at http://www.createspace.com/3618194.

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Alton Civil War Prison

Positioned near the intersection of William and Broadway can be found the remnants of the Alton's dark fleeting moment of glory. All that remains of Alton's previous Civil War penal complex is a small state marker and a few leftover bricks derive from the cellblocks of Illinois first Penitentiary.

No prison is a pleasurable location to take a vacation to even if that holiday is escaping from a war zone. As the Civil War waged on, this Union prison acquired a ghastly and lingering reputation as the death center for thousands of Confederate army soldiers taken as prisoner by the opposing Union forces. Their prison conditions were deplorable as the cells were nothing short of breeding grounds for anguish, disease and malnourishment. The pent up resentment felt by the conflicting forces produced unheard of acts of cruelty among the guards and the prisoners. This prison from its moment of activation endowed a series of horror accounts from those who came home afterwards.

Alton prison was a construction project like no other. It embodied the states first penitentiary and opened its doors to receive prisoners in 1833. The men who were incarcerated there would be forced to labor during the daylight in the local quarries while they were housed in their prison cells as nighttime approached. This unique structure was the only Penitentiary in America at the time was in existence for twenty seven years before finally closing its doors only to be revived into another life.

The first building of the penitentiary was concluded in 1833 and held 24 cells, however as further prisoners were incarcerated funds become available for expansion with additional cells. As of 1846 there were 96 cells added with more scheduled to follow. At the time of its closing the prison had grown to 256 cells. The actual size of its cells has been determined to be 4 feet wide and a little over 7 feet long. Most reports seem to indicate that there were three men in each of the cells. Even though the quantity of cells had been significantly augmented the prison was still extremely overcrowded and consisted of acutely unsanitary conditions. As the year 1841 was ushered in, Dorothea Dix's reform movement centered upon prisons as they targeted Alton for its unhealthy environment. Her group exposed a grim and horrific picture of rats and vermin while the prison population was continually plagued by various diseases. Although she proposed closing the facility in 1847, it remained open until 1860 when it was finally abandoned.

During the initial years of the Civil War the prison had been transformed into a military post. This demonstrates to be a beneficial advantage for the Army since it was located along the Missouri border making it accessible by river. The original military garrison to be stationed at the former prison consisted of several companies from the 13th U.S. Regulars who were at the time under the command of none other then General William T. Sherman with local troops commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sydney Burbank, a West Point graduate with seasoned infantryman experience. In December of 1861 an assignment was given to Lieutenant-Colonel James B. McPherson to scrutinize and provide his recommendations for the possible use of the facilities as a military detention center. The proposed numbers of prisoners were estimated at 1,750 with a final cost of the planned improvements amounting to $2,415. In February of 1862, the first prisoners arrived and the complex was placed under the authority of the 13th U.S. Infantry division with Burbank as the commanding officer. There were several Army units assigned to Alton upon the departure of the 13th Infantry. They were followed by the 77th Ohio Infantry, then the 37th Iowa Infantry, the 10th Kansas Infantry and finally the 144th Illinois Infantry. Of interest is the fact that the Illinois 144th was composed entirely of Alton area citizens.

The prison was constructed as a fortress style and made entirely of stone. The walls attained a height of 30 feet which were just about escape proof. Since the prisoners were maintained in solitary confinement in most prisons those in Alton had limited access to the prison yard where the latrines and drinking water was located. As a consequence of this limited freedom the public viewed the prison as extremely humanitarian for its time. Unfortunately for the prisoners, shortly after they had been relocated to Alton the water supply was found to be highly contaminated.

During the subsequent three years there were in excess of 12,000 Confederate soldiers incarcerated within the prison walls. Being a military detention center it still had a diverse populace with the majority of the prisoners naturally being Confederate soldiers. Common citizens were not above being detained within the confines as well. Several women have been listed for crimes relating to treasonable actions while it is known that two of them eventually dying while incarcerated in the prison. Other crimes which would initiate imprisonment are spying, making anti-Union comments, saboteurs, southern sympathizers or those aiding escaped Confederate soldiers. A third group of prisoners held at the penitentiary were the bushwhackers or Civil War guerrillas who were imprisoned by the Union government for acts such as bridge burning or vandalizing railroads.

The conditions found in the prison were exceptionally harsh and oppressive with the death rate at an above average level. Punishments were dealt out ruthlessly for any infraction and these penalties could range from a brutal beating to outward flogging. Being inmates were undernourished and disease ridden, the high temperatures of summer and the bitter cold of winter took a heavy toil on the lives of the prisoners at Alton prison.

It was not unusual for outbreaks of serious consequences to occur. Pneumonia, dysentery, smallpox and rubella were continually taking its share of the prisoners, while scurvy, fever and malnutrition plagued the prisoners on a continual basis. The inmates suffered greatly from a lack of clean clothing, edible food, fresh water and proper medical care. It was the dreaded smallpox which averaged 6 to 10 deaths daily resulting in prisoners being sent to the quarantine hospital on a Mississippi River island once known as Sunflower Island and later changed to Smallpox Island. The island is now hidden underwater but previously one can find the graves of 300 Union officers and their prisoners who died of smallpox infections.

The death toll for Alton Prison is estimated at 1500 to 2200 Confederate soldiers. The nearby Confederate Soldiers Cemetery in Alton was never properly tended to and as a result most of the graves are unidentifiable.

On July 7th of 1865 the prison closed its doors as the last of its inmates were released. The building was eventually torn down and the land reclaimed as a city park. Stones from the buildings within the prison walls ended up in structures located around the Alton area.

Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish
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Arlington Attractions - Robert E. Lee Memorial House

Arlington County is a part of the Virginia state and is located directly across the Potomac River in the proximity of Washington D.C.They are connected to each other with several highway and railroad bridges and also one tunnel beneath the river.

Arlington is a meeting place for history and fun.The history of this city is closely linked with that of Washington.It was part of the original Federal City designed by Pierre L'Enfant.It is many a time said that Arlington is either the "Biggest Small Town" or the "Smallest Big City", which ever way you perceive it to be.

The neighborhoods are fondly called the Urban Villages and include a mix of high-rise structures and the turn of the century homes.There are also high-end shopping malls and exclusive boutiques, best places to enjoy fine dining and lots of fun places to visit and cherish.

Arlington has 11 Metro shops and pedestrian friendly neighborhoods which makes cars a distant option.Visitors can access any place in Arlington with the minimum of hassle and saving up on time.

There are plenty of hotels and motels in the city which provide the best amenities and a world class service.Most of these lodging options are located near the major city attractions.

There are plenty of places worth visiting in Arlington.Some of these exude a historical solace while others showcase the more modern events in the country.Some of the most prominent attractions in Arlington include The Arlington National Cemetery, The Robert E.Lee Memorial, Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima), The Air Force Memorial, and the most famous The Pentagon (US Department of the State).

The Robert E.Lee Memorial: Arlington House was built by George Washington Parke Custis and his slaves between 1802 and 1818.It was later converted into a National Memorial and named after its last resident General Robert E.Lee whose wife Mary Custis had inherited it from her great grandfather George Washington.The Lees raised seven of their children in this home.Over the years it has served many purposes from being a home to the Head Quarters of the Union Soldiers.It was meant to be a monument dedicated to George Washington and also housed the community for the emancipated slaves.The area surrounding the house is now part of the National Cemetery.

The memorial is furnished as it was when the Lee family resided here.
Arlington National Cemetery: This is one of the most significant landmarks of the Arlington County.The cemetery is a shrine dedicated to the thousands of men and women who have given up their lives for the country since the Civil Wars.It is within walking distance of the Arlington Cemetery Metro Station.

The cemetery is spread over an area of over 612 acres and is the resting place for more than 200,000 veterans and their dependents of every bloody conflict that the US has faced till date.The site also has the eternal Flame at the gravesite of John F.Kennedy and his wife.

The Pentagon: This is the Headquarters of the Department of Defense of the United States and is considered to be a virtual powerhouse of activities.It is one of the largest office buildings in the world.The premises are a virtual city with 23,000 employees, both services and civilian, engaged in formulating plans and techniques for the security and defense of the country.

The Pentagon was built in the era of the World War II.This feat was actually achieved within a short span of 16 months and the formal completion was over by January 15, 1943.
Given such historical attractions in the city, Arlington is bound to be one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the country.

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REAP Your Own Happiness

One of my favorite expressions is that "you reap what you sow". While I often hear it used negatively by someone who expects some "chickens to come home to roost" I prefer to think of it as something positive. How comforting to think that all our hard work and toil will be rewarded with a crop of something good? How wonderful to think that putting love and care into some project or person will indeed be rewarded.

Of course, while most Americans give lip service to the notion of our right to pursue happiness all too many people do not really believe it applies to them. Many people simply believe they don't deserve happiness. And even those few who do believe it seem to accept unhappiness as simple bad luck.

Every person does indeed deserve happiness and what is more happiness is contagious. The more happy people there are around then even more people will find happiness. We owe it ourselves to work on our own happiness and we owe it to society as well. Our own happiness will help others and inspire others to find happiness. If we are unhappy then we are likely making others unhappy as well (even if unintentionally) and it is extremely unlikely we are doing much to contribute to the happiness of others.

So how do you become a happy person? You simply REAP your own happiness. But how? Take these four simple steps:

Step one -- Ready Yourself For Happiness

You can accomplish this step by first determining that you want to be happy. Part of being happy is wanting to be happy. Once you have committed yourself to the course of finding happiness for yourself then you must rid yourself of the notion that happiness is luck or based on possessions or persons. No thing and no one can make you happy. Happiness comes from within yourself.

Step two -- Envision Yourself As Happy

Every day when you first wake up and at various points during the day spend some time envisioning yourself as a happy person. Picture yourself laughing, smiling, relaxing. Imagine yourself as happy. The more you can fix this image of yourself as happy in your mind then the easier it will be for you to truly become happy.

Step three -- Assume You Will Be Happy

Many people tend to assume that they will spend much of their lives either unhappy or at least not really happy. However we have all seen those people who do seem to be genuinely happy with their lives. They smile frequently, laugh often, and seem to be in good humor most of the time. Yet this is not because they are richer or more successful. Sometimes these people were just born with the good fortune to have an optimistic outlook that life has not yet knocked out of them, but often these people have simply chosen that they will be happy and they recognize that there is always something about their lives that makes them happy. You know this is true of yourself as well. Concentrate on the areas of your life that give you happiness whenever you feel unhappiness seeping in and no matter what assume that you will be, you can be, a happy person.

Step four -- Pursue Your Happiness

Happiness is rarely a wonderful accident of fate. Happiness is rarely found by accident. While you may find happiness in unexpected places you must first open yourself to the possibility of happiness and prepare yourself to accept it when you find it. Some people are so miserable that they step right around happiness when they encounter. Don't let this happen to you. What is more, don't simply sit at home waiting for happiness to come knocking on your door. Go out and live life. Think about what currently makes you happy and spend time in those activities and think about what might make you happy and spend time experimenting. The more time you spend actively living your life then the more likely that you will also lead a happy life.

Remember, you deserve a happy life and you can lead a happy life, but in the end you reap what you sow. If you are sowing happiness in your life then you will reap happiness as well.

Deanna Mascle shares more inspirational writings in her blog Words Of Inspiration at http://WordsOfInspirationOnline.info

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Happy First

What is it that we are so afraid of? Why won't we let go?

A shark cannot rest, it cannot stop swimming or it will die, it will drown.

Humanity seems to be acting in the same manner. It is though we are running for our lives. We are being chased and if we stop we will die.

There is an urgency to get somewhere, anywhere, and we do not know what to look for or where, but it is always out there, somewhere.

Unknowingly we have left the place that we are looking for. From the inner peace that we experienced so long ago as children and as the person we once were. We seem to have lost our way and are running just for the sake of running. It is as though we are in a cattle stampede. One starts running and we are following blindly.

What happened to the peace, the serenity and joy of just being, what happened to our innocence? Somewhere along the way we believe that we have lost it, and that we cannot have it again. Someone told us to run and we haven't stopped.

The industrial revolution has pushed us forward in a frenzy to acquire things, the latest is always best, always desirable and it is the carrot that moves us beyond our means, away from what we really desire.

It has taken us away from our natural ability to be at peace, to be happy and content. 'Things,' have promised us happiness, but we do not feel happy when we have them. There is always a promise of happiness but never delivery. Things may be symbols of our happiness but they do not bring the promise with them, because there is another thing dancing in the shadows, calling to us, beckoning, luring us from one thing to another.

We are so far gone that we now believe that we cannot be happy unless we have a thing. We have forgotten how to be happy naturally without being stimulated. We have been told that we cannot go backwards; we cannot go back to the way it was before because we would not have our things.

This is one of the greatest lies that have been passed on from one generation to another. Happiness is where you find it we are told, and this is absolute true if we understand that we can find happiness anywhere if we are happy first. The thought of being happy brings happiness into our lives. Happiness comes from within and is not put upon us by things.

Unhappiness is created from the thought that we need something to be happy and this unhappiness comes from the very things that we are depending on to bring us happiness.

If illness, accidents, sorrow, suffering, lack and loneliness comes from an error in thought, then only the thought has to be changed in order to achieve the happiness, and once our basic needs are met, there is only room for happiness. When thoughts turn towards wants then they turn away from comforting human emotion, natural love, joy, pleasure, contentment and belonging. The simpler life is the closest we get to true happiness, because we become focused on it, it is what we think about and all thought becomes manifested in our experience.

"I can't go back, I won't, I worked too hard to get where I am and what I have; I won't live in a cave.

If all we really want is to be happy, why would we not live in a cave and live simply if it brings us back to happy. If we are heading in a direction that leads away from happiness, why do we keep going there? Is it that we are happy to be unhappy or that happiness does not really exist except in our thoughts? Is it that we believe that happiness does not last, so why pursue it? What is it that we do with the butterfly once we catch it? Is the happiness found in catching the butterfly or letting it go once we have been there, or is it both? Can we experience happiness without experiencing all its opposites? Is the joy of letting go a precept in experiencing happiness once we have found it? Must we turn away from happiness so that we may find it later? If we are happy and remain that way, will we forget what it means to be happy?

All of our experiences are this way, they are cyclical, and we cannot know what we have or experience it until we no longer have it. We must move away from it so that we can come back to it. So if living our complicated lives is not bringing the happiness that we choose, is it because we forgot what it is or are we now ready to return to it?

Is it that we are running from something or is it that we are now running towards it? The trip will stop when we know that we already have what we desire, we simply need to choose it. Happiness, joy, fulfillment, belonging are things that we do not have to look for. They are what we are naturally and we simply have moved our thoughts away from them.

Our things, our toys are symbols, but they are not symbols of happiness, they are symbols of trying to be happy. They are symbols that we have moved away from what we already have, what we know. In trying to make our lives easier so that we have "time," to be happy and enjoy our lives we have created less time to be happy. Happy is scheduled for events and things and then we are too tired. To numb our loss of the sense of happiness we drug ourselves so that we don't have to feel anything.

The truth is and always has been that we can be happy without "things," or doing anything. The sacrifice is that we have to give up on the notion that we need anything and we must be prepared to give up things that do not demonstrate our happiness. Happiness comes as quickly as thinking about it. Be happy first then go out and do things that represent happy to you. Happiness comes in the silent moments between events, when there is nothing left to do, when we have given up on finding it, and when we have done everything else. When we have given up on the notion that we have to find it, it finds us.

I don't know anyone that is happy all the time or even most of the time. I think happiness must be dessert. We have to go through the main course to find it. If dessert was the main course we would still move away from it once we had finished or had enough of it.

I believe that we can be happy all the time, but not experience it. As we get involved in doing the happy things we forget that we are happy until it enters our mind that we are happy. Too much happiness or dessert becomes irritating and mundane, like sex, you got to move away from it in order to appreciate it and be grateful for the times that you are experiencing it.

An emotion that comes from happiness is contentment, which is not as intense. But even contentment as happiness must be recycled. Life without extremes is none life. Life moves in waves and begins on the edge of all our emotions. Once you hand gets used to being in warm water, it is no longer appreciated as warm until you pull it out.

Once we let go of the thought that we will not longer experience happiness, then we will have time to focus on simply experiencing this emotion and it will be drawn into our lives. We won't have to do things to find it. Stop running, move away from the crowd, simplify your life become aware of your environment, learn to appreciate what is already around you and happiness will enter your thoughts always. Find the beauty in the simple rock, a blade of grass, or the people around you. You have created them, they are your wonders, and you brought them to you as opportunities to experience happiness.

Roy E. Klienwachter is a resident of British Columbia, Canada. A student of NLP, an ordained minister, New Age Light Worker and Teacher. Roy has written and published seven ebooks on New Age wisdom and a new book coming out in late 2005 in paper form. Roy's books are thought provoking and designed to empower you to take responsibility for your life and what you create. His books and articles are written in the simplicity and eloquence of Zen wisdom.

You may not always agree with what he has to say. You will always come away with a new perspective and your thinking will never be the same. Roy's style is honest and comes straight from the heart without all the metaphorical mumble jumble and BS. For More articles visit our new Article directory at http://www.klienwachter.com/spiritadp/

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