19 May 08 Wade Hampton
Wade Hampton III, born in 1818, was a Confederate cavalryman in the Civil War, rising to the rank of Lieutenant-General.
He had been active in politics before the war, and returned to it, an embittered man, afterwards. He became a leading fighter against Republican Reconstruction in the south, he went in to serve again in the Senate, and was also the US Railroad Commissioner for a time, having been appointed by President Grover Cleveland.
During World War Two a liberty ship was named for him – the SS Wade Hampton.
The monument to him in this photograph is situated in Marion Square, Charleston, SC
Tags: cavalryman, charleston sc, civil war, grover cleveland, liberty ship, lieutenant general, photograph, president grover cleveland, railroad commissioner, reconstruction, senate, ss, wade hampton, world war two
25 Jan 08 Death by Jury Demonstration
After the Civil War, controversial Ohio politician Clement Vallandigham,became a highly successful lawyer who rarely lost a case.
In 1871, he defended Thomas McGehan who was accused of shooting one Tom Myers during a barroom brawl. Vallandigham’s defense was that Myers had accidentally shot himself while drawing his pistol from a kneeling position.
To convince the jury, Vallandigham decided to demonstrate his theory. Unfortunately, he grabbed a loaded gun by mistake and ended up shooting himself!
By dying, Vallandigham succeeded in demonstrating the plausibility of the accidental shooting and got his client acquitted.
Tags: barroom brawl, civil war, clement vallandigham, lawyer, loaded gun, mistake, ohio politician, pistol, plausibility, tom myers
