Don't forget Fredericksburg.

BQ78 said:

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Don't forget Fredericksburg.

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Of course Fredericksburg!

Lots of stuff was happening besides what took place in front of the stone wall. One of my favorite battlefields albeit not as pristine as others. However, one part that is pristine is the Confederate right wing. The part that didn't have a wall. If you ever have a chance , you need to go to the Slaughter Pen Farm. Several years ago I had the opportunity to walk the same area as the Federals under Meade assaulted and broke Stonewall Jackson's line on the Confederate right wing. The park service took over management of the farm from the Battlefield Trust and has removed all the modern structures. There is a stone pyramid in that location and can be seen from the park road.

Pelham's guns were out in the open shooting into the left flank of the assault all the while being the target of nearly every Federal gun on the Federal's left.

I'm 6+ hours late on this unfortunate anniversary.

On Dec 13, 1937, the Nanjing Massacre began as Japanese forces captured Nanjing, China, leading to the deaths of an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 civilians and prisoners of war over six weeks. #history #onthisday #TodayInHistory #Japan #China #massacre pic.twitter.com/ZQR8iT3Eu7

— Rare History Stories (@RareHistory_) December 13, 2024

As penance, here is a significant note from Dec 14th in history:

#Onthisday (12/14/1860) Robert E. Lee writes that he will not do wrong to support either section. He also mistakenly thinks the slave trade will be re-opened, which he opposes. Faux historians demand you pretend this doesn't exist so they can say Lee "fought for slavery."… https://t.co/nG4mBl1hwr

— Jefferson Davis (@Jeff_Davis1808) December 14, 2024

80 years ago, Glenn Miller was lost when his plane disappeared over the English Channel and my father-in-law lost his signed Betty Grable photograph as the Battle of the Bulge kicked off on that date and his unit was decimated.

(day early, I thought today was the 16th)

Lee fought to defend slavery. Restricting the transatlantic slave trade was popular in Virginia because one of the biggest sources of revenue in Virginia was selling slaves further South.

Wrong thread to debate that, but that's not what he put in the letter I posted a link to.

Regardless, we should all celebrate the 1st 10 amendments I think being ratified on this day in history. My favorites are the first two.

The 1st 10 amendments to the US constitution were ratified #OnThisDay Dec. 15, 1791 (US Bill of Rights) #BillOfRights #BillOfRightsDay #Constitution #Amendments pic.twitter.com/MyTVz6qV2F

— Dan Peel "Absent-Minded Historian"😃 (@dpeel10) December 15, 2024

And since we had the Eiffel Tower talk above, today is actually Gustave's B-day.

Born on December 15, 1832, Gustave Eiffel was the genius behind engineering marvels like the Eiffel Tower and his contribution to the Statue of Liberty.#GustaveEiffel #EiffelTower #Engineering #OnThisDay #France #USA #philately #statueofliberty pic.twitter.com/oeJyD7AEJ5

— Philately Hobby (@philatelyhobby) December 15, 2024

BQ78 said:

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indirectly yes, directly no. There are many instances where he lamented the evils of slavery. He did accept it as the natural condition of the black and white races after it had been introduced and could not be reversed easily. So white supremacist, yes but no different than Lincoln and most of his other contemporaries.

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He had no problem using slaves when he had them and held them as long as possible. So his complaints sound a lot like Jefferson: his actions didn't match his words and it sounds like he just parroted the polite line of discourse at the time. Lincoln was an actual abolitionist.

BQ78 said:

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Lincoln was not an abolitionist you know better than that. He opposed expansion of slavery more for political reasons than humanitarian ones. The EP was a war measure not a humanitarian one. He thought slavery was a moral evil, no different than Lee. Abolitionism did not drive him, otherwise he would have ended it sooner than 1865.

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There's no way you read Lincoln's correspondence and speeches prior to his presidency and come away not recognizing that he was an abolitionist. He was a moderate abolitionist, for sure. He was a politician in a slavery border state with proslavery sentiments on the border with Kentucky. He was not Garrison or even Seward. It was precisely because he saw slavery as a moral issue that he moved how he did to end it. He had to root his decisions in the existing law and ensure it would be accepted by Unionists who were not morally opposed to slavery. He was a consummate politician. He knew he couldn't just up end the economic and political system of the United States without more substantial support that just the often hated extreme abolitionists. You should read about his 1864 meeting with Frederick Douglass. He feared he was going to lose reelection and wanted to ensure the destruction of slavery in the South. His plan was to move as many slaves as possible out of the South before the new administration ended the war. There was no reason to do this if he didn't actually care about abolition.

Lee had no problems using the slaves provided to him. He made no attempt to stop his army from kidnapping free blacks in Maryland and Pennsylvania. He didn't stop students at Washington College from forming a Klan chapter. His writings talking about moral values and slavery were not written with any apparent genuine concern about the enslaved.

Was Nixon a communist when he opened trade with China?

Lincoln didn't end slavery, congress did. I've opened a new thread to continue this debate of Lincoln master politician , not abolitionist.

How is opening trade communist?

He benefited commies ergo he must be one

Now let's move to the other thread

On Dec. 16, with the onset of winter, the German army launched a counteroffensive that was intended to cut through the Allied forces in a manner that would turn the tide of the war in Hitler's favor. The battle that ensued is known historically as the Battle of the Bulge. The courage and fortitude of the American Soldier was tested against great adversity. Nevertheless, the quality of his response ultimately meant the victory of freedom over tyranny.

https://www.army.mil/botb/

http://www.december44.com/en/history_battle_of_the_bulgela_gleize.htm

I know we don't want to turn this into a movie fest but Rogue 1 was released Dec 16, 2016. An all time classic.

8 years ago today, we witnessed one of the greatest Star Wars scenes of all time.

Darth Vader's Hallway Scene | ROGUE ONE pic.twitter.com/jjovlRlwqm

— Star Wars Stuff (@starwarstufff) December 16, 2024

Anyway, happy Wright Brothers day:

Orville piloted the first flight, lasting 12 seconds and covering 120 feet. The brothers made 4 flights that day, with Wilbur's final flight reaching 852 feet in 59 seconds. These small steps laid the foundation for modern air travel.

— History of the day (@hist_of_the_day) December 17, 2024

On December 17, 1944, the deadliest mass execution of US soldiers during WWII occurred at the Baugnez crossroads, near Malmdy Belgium, in what became known as the Malmdy Massacre.

As Kampfgruppe Peiper continued to move west, 113 American prisoners were captured and gathered in a field near the crossroad. Unexpectedly, the Kampfgruppe Peiper opened machine-gun fire on the American prisoners, killing them where they stood. The SS troops even walked among the bodies shooting anyone who appeared alive. 84 American servicemen were killed in what became known as the Malmedy Massacre, but despite the efforts of the Germans, a number of POWs survived by playing dead and escaped to Malmedy, which was still in American hands. The bodies of those who died at the Baugnez crossroads lay in what was to become a no man's land until January 14, 1945.

1830 - Simon Bolivar passes away at the age of 47 in Gran Columbia. He accomplished a great deal in his 47 years and is likely one of the most influential people in South American history. He was the 1st President of Bolivia, the 4th of Peru, the 1st for Columbia(which for a time included Panama and Venezuela), and the dictator of a Second Republic of Venezuela. He both won and lost a large number of battles. He tried to set up a federation of Latin American republics modeled on the British constitution, though constantly moving from one country to another and fighting wars made implementation difficult.

It was December 19, 1944, one day before the Siege of Bastogne. Shortly after 10:30 am, 26-year-old Major William Desobry picked up his field telephone, called his combat commander, Colonel William Roberts, and asked if he could withdraw from the Belgian village of Noville. Desobry had been holding off the German 2nd Panzer Divisionsome 16,000 men with more than 120 tanks and assault gunsfor the last six hours with only 400 men and a handful of tanks and tank destroyers.

The Battle of the Bulge from the German perspective is sort of fascinating. YouTube recommended this one to me this weekend, haven't finished it. 60 percent of the German troops who made it back to the Siegfried line fortifications had lice infestations. One of their fears/propaganda was that if defeated, they would be re-educated to become 'Democrats' which is sort of…valid, decades on. The fear that the Americans would turn German prisoners over to the Soviets was however of course false, yet widely believed I guess.

Thomas Paine published 'The American Crisis' on Dec 19th, 1776.

Quote:

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On December 19, 1776, Thomas Paine publishes the essay "The American Crisis," a shot in the arm to Patriots during a particularly difficult stretch of the American Revolution. In it, he wrote: "These are the times that try men's souls; the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

When these phrases appeared in the pages of the Pennsylvania Journal for the first time, General George Washington's troops were encamped at McKonkey's Ferry on the Delaware River opposite Trenton, New Jersey. In August, they had suffered humiliating defeats and lost New York City to British troops. Between September and December, 11,000 American volunteers gave up the fight and returned to their families. General Washington could foresee the destiny of a rebellion without an army if the rest of his men returned home when their service contracts expired on December 31. He knew that without an upswing in morale and a significant victory, the American Revolution would come to a swift and humiliating end.

Thomas Paine was similarly astute. His Common Sense was the clarion call that began the revolution. As Washington's troops retreated from New York through New Jersey, Paine again rose to the challenge of literary warfare. With American Crisis, he delivered the words that would salvage the revolution.

Washington commanded that the freshly printed pamphlet be read aloud to his dispirited men; the rousing prose had its intended effect. Reciting Paine's impassioned words, the beleaguered troops mustered their remaining hopes for victory and crossed the icy Delaware River to defeat hung-over Hessians on Christmas night and on January 2, the British army's best general, Earl Cornwallis, at the Battle of Princeton. With victory in New Jersey, Washington won not only two battles, but also the love and thanks of man and woman.

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On December 19, 1944, Brigadier General Anthony McAuliffe, the acting commander of the 101st Airborne Division, arrived in Bastogne with his division and established his headquarters at the Sous-Lieutenant Heinz Barracks.

Map of the Bastogne defenses December 19, 1944

December 20, 1944

By this date, the 101st Airborne Division is completely encircled by the German XLVII Panzer Corps in Bastogne. Additionally, the US 10th and 19th Armored Divisions are also surrounded by the advancing German forces. British General Montgomery is in charge of the northern line of defense, while American General Bradley is responsible for the southern line.

Easy Company, 506 PIR, 101st Airborne have dug foxholes and now occupy the Bois Jacques woods:

Grant's first campaign against Vicksburg ended ignominiously today in 1862, as Earl Van Dorm destroyed his supply depot at Holly Springs and NB Forrest ripped up sections of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad that fed that depot.

Grant learned that he could not rely on fixed depots and he would cut loose from his supply base 4+ months later on the final Vicksburg Campaign.

nortex97 said:

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I know we don't want to turn this into a movie fest but Rogue 1 was released Dec 16, 2016. An all time classic.

8 years ago today, we witnessed one of the greatest Star Wars scenes of all time.

Darth Vader's Hallway Scene | ROGUE ONE pic.twitter.com/jjovlRlwqm

— Star Wars Stuff (@starwarstufff) December 16, 2024

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Recreated by Luke Skywaker in the Mandalorian ...

Luke Skywalker Entrance

The best movie made about the Battle of the Bulge:

Trailer:



Making of the Movie:

#OTD December 21, 1807:
John Newton, the former slave trader turned pastor and hymn writer, dies in London at age 82. Best known for his enduring hymn “Amazing Grace,” Newton’s life was a testimony to the transformative power of God’s grace.

Once deeply involved in the… pic.twitter.com/SjStwmD4me

— ☧ Today in Christian History (@HistoricalRook) December 21, 2024

On December 22, 1944, at about 11:30 in the morning, a group of four German soldiers, two officers, and two enlisted men, waving two white flags, approached the American lines using the Arlon Road from the direction of Remoifosse, south of Bastogne.

The Americans defending in that location were members of F Company of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. The Germans walked past a bazooka team in a foxhole at the Kessler farm.



"December 22nd, 1944
To the U.S.A. Commander of the encircled town of Bastogne.
The fortune of war is changing. This time the U.S.A.
forces in and near Bastogne have been encircled by strong
German armored units. More German armored units have crossed
the river Ourthe near Ortheuville, taken March,e and
reached St. Hubert by passing through Hompre-Sibret-Tillet.
Libramont is in German hands.
There is only one possibility to save the encircled
U.S.A. troops from total annihilation: that is the honorable
surrender of the encircled town. To think it over
a term of two hours will be granted beginning with the
presentation of this note.
If this proposal should be rejected one German
Artillery Corps and six heavy A.A. Battalions are ready
to annihilate the U.S.A. troops in and near Bastogne. The
order for firing will be given immediately after these two
hours' term.
All the serious civilian losses caused by this
artillery fire would not correspond with the well-known American humanity.
The German Commander."

The reply was typed up and centered on a full sheet of paper. It read:
"December 22, 1944
To the German Commander,
N U T S!
The American Commander"

December 23, 1944; clear skies allowed for a resupply mission over Bastogne.

https://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-pathfinders-resupply-101st-airborne-division-troops-in-bastogne-via-daring-parachute-drop/

40 C-47s of the 441st Troop Carrier Group loaded with the desperately needed cargo orbited over France waiting for a signal. They had taken off in the worst flying weather possible, operating solely on instruments through clouds that hugged the ground. But this was par for the course. They had flown in weather so bad that, according to one pilot, 'even the birds were walking.' The C-47s flew in 'V' formations by altitude separation right over the treetops. About 40 miles out from their target, the skies cleared. 'You could see for a hundred miles in all directions,' one pilot remembered. To the pilots' surprise, all the aircraft were in sight of each other. They flew over columns of northbound German tanks that scattered when they first heard the roar of the aircraft. Once they recognized the planes as transports, the Germans returned to their guns and fired at them.

Today in #history: Emperor Leo V is murdered in a church of the Great Palace of Constantinople by followers of Michael II. (820 CE). #OnThisDay

👑 The emperor's reign, after early military successes against the Bulgars, is remembered for beginning the second wave of iconoclasm… pic.twitter.com/fVLBrXJrhJ

— World History Encyclopedia (@whencyclopedia) December 25, 2024

Somewhat ironic/sad, though I don't know if at the time they celebrated Xmas on this date in Constantinople.

Because I like the photo, a repeat: NUTS!