Never did I think that when we started studying the Civil War last spring did I imagine we'd still be unionizing and confederatizing this winter. But alas, it's a big ol' war, with studios filled with fabulous prizes. And besides, Lincoln was DA MAN. So the Civil War is worth spending a little time on.
Seeing as we're nowhere near the great battlefields out east, the kids have asked what role Oregon played in the war. Well, after a little sleuthing around, I discovered that one of the men who captured The Evil Assassinator John Wilkes Booth is buried just ten minutes from our house. Huh! Who knew? So we took a little field trip one afternoon to see Emory Parady's grave, which is inscribed as follows:
Member Co. H, 16th NY Cavalry
One of the 26 enlisted men who captured John Wilkes Booth,
the assassin of President Lincoln.
the assassin of President Lincoln.
As we were leaving, I told the kids they were fortunate to pop into a cemetery *just like that* to see a little piece of history. They wholeheartedly agreed, or maybe they were just glad to be out in the fresh, cold air. We finished our living history lesson with a stop by the bakery for a box of glazed donuts. Just what Emory Parady would have wanted.
