Hello everyone!
I know I haven't blogged in so long, but here's a story I wrote a while ago. It's about the Battle of Gettysburg. I've been doing a Civil War unit.
On July 3, 1863, the Battle of Gettysburg was drawing to a close. Twelve-year-old Becky watched as the Confederate army retreated, but her thoughts were not on the retreating army. They were on her friend, Nathan, who had been wounded in the fight the day before. Casting one last glance at the retreating army, she ran off to find him. When she did, she blurted out her complaints about the battle to him.
"I am just so mad about how that Yankee officer fired his gun at you. Not at anyone else. How do you forgive someone like that?" Becky turned and settled down in the warm grass. "Tell me, Nat." Nathan turned and looked at Becky.
"Well, Becky, the Bible says that we must forgive. It doesn't matter how mean people can get, we still must forgive." Becky looked thoughtful. She knew what Nathan was saying, but she still felt a little bad. Her thoughts were interrupted by Nathan."That was rude!"
"Who was rude? Why? Tell me!" Becky pleaded.
"That Union soldier over there said to General Lee, 'Hurrah for the Union!' That's what was rude." Sticking her head around the bush they were behind, Becky didn't see the reaction she expected from General Lee. He dismounted, walked over to the soldier, and said to him, "My son, I hope you soon will be well."
Becky stared at Nathan. "I don't-I mean, I can't-I just don't get it. How could he respond like that? It would be hard for me." Nathan thought for a minute, then reached into his bag. He pulled out his Bible and handed it to Becky.
"Here, take this. Now turn to Matthew 5:44." Becky found the passage and read, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you."
Nathan nodded. "Now John 15:12." Again, Becky turned to the verse and read, "This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you."
Now Nathan took the Bible and turned it to Matthew 6:14, which reads as: "For if you forgive men their trespasses, so your heavenly Father will also forgive you." He turned and looked at Becky.
"So now do you understand?" he asked. Becky nodded her head. "I get it now! We should forgive and love others, even when it's hard, because God loves us, and I guess sometimes we can be hard to love."
Nathan smiled. "Well, I should say you've got it!" he remarked. Becky smiled.
"And I'm glad. Now I feel better." Looking over at Nathan, she added, "Even if we've just lost a battle!"
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Today was such a wonderful day! I'm sorry I haven't blogged in a long time; we were very busy. Anyway, today I went to the Young Ladies' American Patriot Society, a society founded by three homeschooled girls. There were about 6 other girls there, and I was the oldest. We learned about the American Revolution today and it was FUN! We talked about different historical people and places. We even had three historical “guests”- Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington, and Betsy Ross. Other than that, we helped cook lunch-a beef pie, a spoon pudding (it was very eggy, being made from egg yolks!) and vegetables. For dessert, there were cookies, mini bite-sized berry muffins, and cottage cheese pie. We had some trouble making the cottage cheese pie-it overflowed while it was in the oven! But it all was good. We played pick-up-sticks and hopscotch. Then we made lanterns by punching holes in a tin can and putting a tea-light inside. We also did a dance. At the very end we performed it for the moms and dads. My father's work place is about a mile away so he brought me there and back. My brother and mother went to Dollar General and for pizza. Really, it was fun.
Anyway, for history, we've been doing a unit study on the Civil War. It's really fun. Even though I've not really decided whether I support the North or the South, (a hard decision to make!) I still aim to write a book on the Civil War. And Mama says that that may be a good idea; then I can present it from both points of view.
Goodnight!
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Here is Chapter 2 of my story Revolutionary War Adventures. Come back next week for Chapter 3!
The next morning, as Maria and Tom ate breakfast, Tom asked Maria if she would like to see his friends Dick and Molly Thimes.
“I certainly would!” said Maria. So, after helping to clean up after breakfast, Maria ran out to where Tom was saddling up the little ponies.
“They live a bit far away, and Father's got the carriage, so we can go on these little ponies.” Tom's pony was named Brownie, because it was totally brown, and Maria's was named Black Diamond, because it was creamy-white with a black diamond shape on its head.
Soon they were at Dick and Molly's house. Maria quickly made friends, and was thrilled to learn that Molly had been at the Boston Massacre.“Now that I think of it, it wasn't really a massacre at all-it was a drunken mob with no common sense at all taunting and teasing British soldiers who were just following orders and minding their own business. Would it have been called a massacre if the mob had killed some of the soldiers?” Molly asked Maria.
Maria shook her head and said, “Nope. And why is it that some so-called Patriots-usually the ones who are too rowdy and a disgrace to America-call the British soldiers lobsterbacks? Everyone knows that lobsters are green! Maybe they really have lost all their common sense!”
And Molly, Dick and Tom agreed too.
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Hello everyone! Sorry I haven't blogged for a week...lots of things were going on. I had a friend staying with us because her mother went to a conference in Birmingham. During her visit, I had a certain thought. Homeschoolers play with a lot of people not their own ages. Come to think of it, the only friend I have who is in my grade is my cousin! Well, there are others, but not those I particularly play with a lot. My friend who stayed with us is three years older than me. My little brother, who I play with all the time, is 5 years younger. Most of his friends are a lot older than him too. My mother said that often public school children (if she said kids we would remind her, “Kids are goats!”) in one family each have their own sets of friends. I didn't believe her at at first. My friends are all of different ages! I really love playing with other children of different ages. (Most of my online friends are older than me too!) Well, I'm really, really tired. So I'd better go to bed. Goodnight!
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Here is Chapter 1 of my story Revolutionary War Adventures. Come back next week for Chapter 2! Read Introduction first, if you haven't ready. Please let me think what you think! Thank you.
Maria did not want to go to Georgia. It was down South, and Maria would rather stay up North because she liked the snow. So her father suggested she go to Boston. Their friends the Martins lived in Boston.
It was March of 1776 when Maria stepped into a small lifeboat to go ashore. She wanted to row by herself, but if she did, there would be no one to row the boat back. When they reached land, she looked around. It was rather cold-there was still snow on the ground-but Maria didn't want to wear her red jacket in Boston, either. So she pulled her shawl out of her bag and put it on. When she came to the street, she walked up to a pretty white house with a brass plate that read MARTINS on it.
She knocked on the door, and Tom's mother opened it. “Oh, hello, Maria. Come on in!” Maria came in and Tom showed her to her room.
Looking around, she asked, “Mind if I change the curtains, Tom?”
Tom looked puzzled. “We've no others.”
Maria pulled some cloth from her bag. “Here are some.” The only thing left in Maria's bag, or so it seemed, was a small army jacket made of red wool. But when Tom pulled it out, he saw a rifle and powder horn underneath the jacket.
“Whose are those?” he asked Maria.
Maria smiled. They were not full-sized, so of course they were hers. When she told Tom so, he nodded and hung the jacket on the door. Then Maria pulled off her other bag and pulled out a few dresses in a trunk in the corner.
Tom picked up something that looked like a bayonet, then laughed. “It's wooden!”
Maria smiled. “My brother Samuel made that. It was really for my twin brother Derek, but he gave it to me before I came to America. It looks real.”
Tom nodded. “But why would you have a rifle in the first place?” he asked, puzzled.
“In Scotland, and probably here too, we have these.” Maria pulled out a wildcat skin and looked at Tom. “Derek saved my little cousin Edward from this wildcat.”
Just then, Mrs. Martin called Tom to brush his pony's coat. Maria watched him go, then set to putting up her blue curtains. The Martins ran a boardinghouse, so Maria hung the old curtains in another room. They looked fine. ۩
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Here are some presidential trivia that I found interesting. Answers are at the bottom!
Who was the first president to be born a U.S. citizen?
Who was the only president to have a child born in the White House?
Who was the first president born in a log cabin?
Who was the last president to be born in a log cabin?
Who was the first president to be born in a hospital?
Who was the only president to undergo a complete name change?
Who was the only former president to become a member of the House of Representatives?
Who was the only former president to become a U.S. Senator?
Who was the only former president to become chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court?
Which former president joined the Confederate government?
Who was the first president to reside in Washington, D.C.?
Who was the first president to visit the West Coast while in office?
Who was the first president to visit a foreign country while in office?
ANSWERS!
Martin van Buren
Grover Cleveland
Andrew Jackson
James Garfield
Jimmy Carter
Gerald Ford (born as Leslie Lynch King, Jr.)
John Quincy Adams
Andrew Johnson
William Howard Taft
John Tyler
John Adams
Rutherford B. Hayes
Theodore Roosevelt (visited Panama)
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
TODAY IN HISTORY
July 6, 1916
The most famous image of Uncle Sam appears on the cover of Leslie's Weekly.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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I was butted by a goat today! Well, we spent today-the Fourth of July-at my grandparents' house up on Green Mountain. My cousins live up there too but they also have some farmland out across the river. There are goats on Green Mountain and the one that butted me, Cotton, was one they brought home from their farm across the river. Cotton was not supposed to get out of her pen, so, when I called her, I supposed she was in her pen. But she didn't respond, so I went to see her. She was nibbling at an apple sapling outside of her pen! So I took her to the pen. Halfway there, she began kicking and bleating at me. She then put down her little horns and butted me. I was shocked! Dropping the goat, I ran inside the house. She first nibbled at the watermelon plants, then at the pine trees and the blackberry bushes. Goats eat everything! Well, my cousins then helped me put her in her pen.
We also had a parade. It was fun! My dog, Peppermint, was in it too. My little brother carried a flag and I played my violin. And I messed up only once! Without really having a bike race, we gave the ribbon to my cousin who would've won anyway. We had smoke bombs, smoke grenades, party poppers, parachute poppers, and sparklers in our firework collection. Actually, we haven't lit the sparklers yet. Well, we're going to watch the fireworks from our window, then light our own sparklers. Goodnight and happy Fourth of July!
TODAY IN HISTORY
July 4, 1776
John Hancock signs the Declaration of Independence, leading to America becoming independent.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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Today is the day before Independence Day! I am going to go to my grandparents' house, where my cousins and I will be having a picnic, parade, bike race and a fireworks show! Trouble is, we live inside the city limits, so no real fireworks. Today, we went to a fireworks store and got smoke bombs, sparklers, firework snakes (whatever they are!) and some other stuff. I also made a cookie-pizza with cookie dough, chocolate chips, marshmallows and caramel sauce! And we are having a candy-contest. And today I practiced for the bike race. I will also be playing “Yankee Doodle” on my violin for the parade. It will be lots of fun!
TODAY IN HISTORY
July 3rd, 1863
The Battle of Gettysburg ends with a Union victory.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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The Story of West Point by Red Reeder and Nardi Reeder Campion
My mother got this book for me at a library sale for 25 cents. It's worth every penny (and more)! It is a very interesting book with a collection of 20 stories set at West Point. Some of the stories are about Benedict Arnold (The Man who tried to Sell West Point), Robert E. Lee, (A Cadet from Virginia), and Dwight D. Eisenhower (A Cadet called Ike). It also has other less-known stories, like one about some tricks students have played (There's a Monkey in Barracks). It's a really old book, printed in 1956. It's published by Landmark Books. I really like it, and I hope you will too.
TODAY IN HISTORY
July 2, 1776
The Continental Congress votes for independence.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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Hello everyone! As you know, if you have read yesterday's blog entry, today is my father's birthday. I made him a cake last night. But my little brother is allergic to eggs, so I had to use egg substitute. But instead of putting 2 teaspoons of baking soda in the egg substitute, I put 2 tablespoons! The cake was all right; it just sank after I baked it. This afternoon, we cut it into two squares and frosted it. I iced a red heart and the words Happy Birthday Daddy on it. I gave it to him as a gift. It tasted good; just a wee bit salty. Here is a photo of it.
The cake I made for daddy
TODAY IN HISTORY
July 1, 1863
The Battle of Gettysburg, a major turning point in the Civil War, begins.
Taken from this website.
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Here is the start of my historical fiction story on the American Revolution, Revolutionary War Adventures. This part is the introduction; the real story will begin next week.
In this book, you will meet Maria, Tom, Dick, Molly, André, Fredrik and Alek. While this book is fictional, most of the things really happened. All the battles (with the exception of the 1782 taking of the fort) are real and actually happened. Before our story begins, it might be good to know some of the background.
Tom's family moved from Scotland to America in 1772.
Maria's family lived near Tom's family and they knew each other. When Maria's father went to America to help keep some order in Georgia, Maria went along to see America and Tom.
Dick and Molly lived in Boston and happened to be in front of the stamp office when the Boston Massacre took place.
André came from a rich French family and came to America with his parents to see relatives. He ended up staying longer than he expected!
Fredrik deserted the Hessian army and joined the Americans.
Alek came from Germany and met the other children at Trenton.
Well, that's all for the introduction. Visit again next week-as the story begins!
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We just got back from having dinner...in Tennessee! We went to La Fuente Mexican restaurant with some friends, where tonight was Trivia Night. It was a one-hour drive, but I love long drives. During such drives, I like to think about the books I am writing. Actually, it was the second time we went to Tennessee this month. We went to Nashville a few weeks earlier for a day trip. We went to see the Battle of Nashville Civil War site, the replica of the Parthenon, the Grand Opry Hotel and the Cascades. I had a great time. Today, we didn't win at the trivia game but we had a fun time! Well, most of the questions were movie trivia, and I really don't watch movies much. I prefer reading books. The book that I am writing now is a historical fiction book on the American Revolution. I plan to write a total of 4 books in the series-on the American Revolution, the Civil War, World War 1, and World War 2. Well, it's already 10:30. I think I'd best go to bed.
TODAY IN HISTORY
June 29th, 1995
In a post-Cold War show of international cooperation, the shuttle Atlantis docks at the Russian space station Mir.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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Here are some facts about the Revolutionary War that I have found interesting. You probably will, too!
One of the coldest battles of the war, Trenton, was fought in New Jersey. The hottest battle, Monmouth, was also fought in New Jersey.
Benjamin Franklin, one of the most famous patriots of all, had a son who was a Loyalist.
Benedict Arnold, who turned traitor in 1780, was George Washington's favorite general and a public hero. What helped him become a traitor was the fact that he married a Loyalist lady, Peggy Shippen.
Only one delegate signed the Declaration of Independence on July Fourth-John Hancock.
When Paul Revere rode out to warn the people on April 18, 1775, the actual alarm was “The regulars are coming.” To say that the British were coming would have made no sense because everyone was still considered British at the time.When the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the colonists became Americans.
Yorktown is often considered the final battle of the war. The true final battle (not counting the frontier skirmishes with the Indians) was between the British and French navies and was fought in India. The war was only officially declared “over” in 1783.
Charles Henry Lee, the American officer who retreated his army for no reason at Monmouth Court House, was the uncle of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.
TODAY IN HISTORY
June 28th,1778
In the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, the Continental Army battles the British to a draw.
Taken from The American Patriot's Almanac
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My name is Christy, and I am an 11-year-old girl living in Huntsville, Alabama. I enjoy reading and writing books. Some of the books I write by hand, and some I write on the computer. But what I enjoy most is writing on my manual typewriter. I got it for my eleventh birthday in December. My favorite books to write are historical fiction, but I like to write stories about rabbits as well. In my free time, I might read or write, or I might go outside to play. I love to hike on Green Mountain. It is in our backyard and I have discovered many things on it. What I want to discover most is something from the Civil War, but so far, I have only discovered things like rocks. My cousins live on Green Mountain too, and I love playing with them. We have seen lots of creatures in the woods, but what I like is seeing tracks on the trail where we hike. My goal for this blog is to share historical facts and stories with others.