Civil War

This Week in the Civil War

00000174-b11b-ddc3-a1fc-bfdbb1a20000The Schreiner University Department of History is honoring the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War with a series of short vignettes focusing on events from 1861 through 1865. The Civil War was the most destructive conflict in American history, but it was also one of our most defining moments as a people and as a nation. Let us know what you think about "This Week in the Civil War." E-mail your comments to Dr. John Huddleston at jhuddles@schreiner.edu.Airs: Weekdays at 5:19 a.m., 8:19 a.m., 4:19 p.m. on KTXI and 4:49 a.m., 9:29 p.m. on KSTX.

This Week in the Civil War - #1095

Texas Public Radio | By Texas Public Radio

Published May 20, 2015 at 3:49 PM CDT

On Thursday, May 25. 1865, with the Grand Review finished in Washington, D.C., thousands of troops dispersed and hurried home to their loved ones. On the same day, Confederate forces evacuated Sabine Pass, Texas, while at Mobile, Alabama tragedy struck. As the result of simple carelessness on the part of workers handling wheelbarrows of live ammunition, an estimated twenty tons of captured Confederate power exploded in a warehouse being used as an arsenal. The blast “shook the foundations” of Mobile and set off numerous other explosions. With as many as three hundred citizens killed, boats along the harbor, warehouses, and other buildings were left in ruins. With the northern part of the city destroyed, property losses from the blast and resulting fires were estimated at five million dollars.