Zinger from Old Abe

President Lincoln opined at times about General McClellan's lack of aggressiveness.

He remarked,"General McClellan is an admirable engineer but he seems to have a talent for operating a stationary engine."
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A Makeshift Military

The military-industrial complex had not yet made its appearance.

Today in 1861, President Lincoln visited the Seventh New York Regiment. He found them in the chamber for the House of Representatives in the unfinished Capitol Building.

You know that the situation is desperate and the military unprepared when a president greets his troops in a congressional building. This is why we need a standing army and a strong military. Emergencies will occur.
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The New Recruits

Civil War soldiers had a charming name for new recruits. They called them "palefaces."
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Civil War Joke-A Poor Opinion

A sergeat took a dim view of one of the new recruits.

When a private complained of the pain from a wooden splinter set deep in his finger, Sergeant Patrick O'Toole told him,"You should know better than to scratch your head."

Source: A Collection of Military Humor, edited by James Myers
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Washington Gossip

Loose tongues ran legion in Civil War Washington. When one of them asked him about where he thought the army would strike next, Secretary of State Seward replied,"Madam, if I did not know, I would be happy to tell you."

Source: A Treasury of Military Humor, edited by James Myers
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Civil War Joke-A Zinger from Honest Abe

After relieving General McClellan with Fighting Joe Hooker, Lincoln received a message from Hooker stating,"Headquarters in the saddle."

Lincoln promptly informed his Cabinet,"General Hooker's headquarters are where his hindquarters ought to be."
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Civil War Joke-A Civil War Newborn

Like any war, the Civil War gave rise to new terms.

A child born to a Civil War soldier was called a brown-spit baby. This newborn was considered tough as a mule. Unlike today's children, brown-spit babies received a steady diet of chewing tobacco.

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The End of the Beginning

Today in 1862, the Battle of Shiloh began. This was the first battle with masses of casualties like those that characterized the battles that followed it. After this one, both sides realized that they faced a long and bloody conflict.

After the Allies had driven the Axis out of North Africa in 1943, Churchill said,"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. It is perhaps the end of the beginning." In a grim way, Shiloh served as the end of the beginning for North and South.
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Mind vs. Mind

Today in 1862, Confederate General John Magruder brilliantly stalled for time. Facing an enemy army of twice his size, he marched his troops around in a number of directions to make McClellan think he had a large army at his disposal. Due to his clever maneuvers, Magruder induced McClellan to waste time on a siege of Yorktown, Va rather than an attack. In so doing, he bought time for Joseph Johnston's reinforcements to arrive and stand fast against the Union forces.

Magruder's maneuver showed that war is not only about men and material. It is mind versus mind.

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