Battle of Marston Moor - Today!

A quick reminder that the Battle of Marston Moor will be recreated at lunchtime. There will be a quick overview of the battle in Room 105 at 1.15 and then we will go out to the front field. Everyone is welcome.

Portrait: Abraham Lincoln's inauguration, March 1861

Abraham Lincoln had little time to celebrate his inauguration as President of the United States on March 4, 1861. Already since his election the prior November, his country had crumbled. Seven states had seceded to form the Confederate States of America and inaugurated Jefferson Davis their president. War seemed likely. Lincoln himself literally had to sneak into Washington to avoid assassination plots. Soldiers guarded his every move. His former law partner Billy Herndon described Lincoln that day as “filled with gloomy forebodings of the future.”

Still, thirty thousand well wishers crammed into Washington for the swearing in that day. After a damp and cold morning, the sun broke through by the time Lincoln reached Capitol Hill. His inaugural speech, which he read while standing beneath the unfinished Capitol Dome, would be among his finest, and both the ceremony and the ball that night went off without a hitch.

The drawing here, a full-page panorama from Harper’s Weekly, shows Lincoln and outgoing President James Buchanan riding together to the ceremony, just reaching the foot of Capitol Hill. Buchanan tips his hat to the crowd. Click on the image to see it full size. Notice the double row of soldiers with bayonets lining the route, the cavalrymen leading the carriage. One soldier on a horse just behind the carriage holds a spyglass toward the crowd. Not seen here are the sharpshooters stationed in nearby windows and on rooftops, the soldiers patrolling side streets, and the additional infantrymen marching behind — all in case of trouble.

The pomp and ceremony seem so normal in this image, and give little sign of the carnage to come. Within a few months, war would come and, before it was over, over 600,000 soldiers North and South would die and countless thousands more would be crippled or maimed for life. But on this day, the transfer of power went smoothly, crowds could still cheer, politicians could still wave their hats, and people could still be happy.

Lego Roundheads and Boye the Dog

Thanks to everyone for their help during Stuart Week. We've had historians and costumes, a debate a film and a battle! Tying up a few loose ends, Boye the dog wasn't really given the attention he deserved this afternoon. This giant hunting poodle was Prince Rupert's loyal accomplice across several battles, and people thought he had magical powers because of his ability to survive the fighting - he was even promoted to Sergeant-Major General! Sadly Boye's luck ran out during Marston Moor. He was tied up a safe distance from the battle but managed to escape and went looking for his master, but was killed whilst doing so, as depicted in the picture below. Prince Rupert's career after the battle is equally fascinating, and deserves its own blog post at a later date.


Meanwhile, some of you may have seen this picture of Thomas Fairfax depicted in Lego. To see further creations, including Charlemagne, Abraham Lincoln and Gandhi - click here (but sadly this doesn't work at school)

To Kill a King

"To Kill a King" was shown in Stuart Week and it was interesting to see a different take on the Civil War compared to the familiar scenes from "Cromwell". It focused on the increasingly strained relationship between Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, the principal Parliamentary generals, as well as giving plenty of time to Fairfax's relationship with his royalist-inclined wife, Lady Anne. Here is a review of the film, and here is some insight into the problems made making it - basicly they ran out of money twice!

We would like to repeat the "History Film Club" experience in the future. What other films would you like to see shown?

Marston Moor

The Battle of Marston Moor will take place on Friday lunchtime! This was the bloodiest battle of the war, where Prince Rupert's Royalist troops, having successfully relieved the Siege of York, tried to wipe out Cromwell and Fairfax's Parliamentary army. Did they succeed? What role did Prince Rupert's dog have in all of this? You'll have to come along to find out! (Or click here if you're a bit impatient)

PS: There will also be a brief Stuart Quiz so get revising!