The Poignant Tale Behind a Celebrated Civil War Sketch

 HistoryNet  

"By January 27, however, the 21-year-old Jackson, with bayonetted rifle, his greatcoat tightly gathered at the waist, was able to stand still long enough for special artist Edwin Forbes to capture him on paper. The artist clearly shows that Jackson placed his weight on his right foot. '                                  

"Odds are there isn’t a Civil War buff living who hasn’t seen a copy of this remarkable pencil sketch (above) by special artist Edwin Forbes, which Forbes labeled as “William J. Jackson, Sergt. Maj. 12th N.Y. Vol.—Sketched at Stoneman’s Switch, near Fredricksburg [sic], Va. Jan. 27th, 1863.” The young noncom has gazed back at us across the years from countless publications and exhibits. Rendered with camera-like honesty, it is arguably among the best drawings of a common soldier done during the Civil War. Writing about his work in general, Forbes assured viewers, “fidelity to fact is… the first thing to be aimed at.”

"In fact, once Forbes completed his drawing of Jackson, the sketch went virtually unseen for more than 80 years. The drawing was among several hundred illustrations Forbes made while covering the Army of the Potomac for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper from the spring of 1862 to the fall of 1864. Approximately 150 of Forbes’ wartime sketches were engraved and printed in the illustrated newspaper during that period, although his drawing of Jackson was not among them.

"After the war, Forbes retained most of his original illustrations. Many he reworked into more polished drawings; some into oil paintings. He fashioned scores of them into award-winning etchings. Many appeared in his books, Life Studies of the Great Army (1876) and Thirty Years After: An Artist’s Story of the Great War (1890). Again, the poignant sketch of the beardless sergeant major from the 12th New York Infantry was not included.

"Following Forbes’ death in March 1895, his wife, Ida, maintained his portfolio of original artwork, where the Jackson sketch was catalogued, “Study of an Infantry Soldier — The Sergeant Major.” She eventually sold the entire collection for $25,000 to financier J.P. Morgan in January 1901. Eighteen years later, on the heels of World War I, Morgan’s estate donated the collection to the Library of Congress, its current home. The sketch of William Jackson remained out of the public eye for another quarter-century until it resurfaced during World War II, thanks to the efforts of a U.S. Army private." . . .More here...

Israel’s Moment of Decision on Hamas; How can Israel finish the war without Hamas executing the remaining hostages?

 The American Spectator    

Israel is closer than ever to achieving lasting peace — if it can reconcile the profound dilemma of prioritizing hostages or defeating its enemies. The two objectives may not be mutually exclusive; winning the war could provide the hostages their best chance for survival.

 Queers For Palestine Protester Gets A "Reality Check" After Finding Out Hamas is Evil

                         Below: NOW can you see what is meant by "Useful Idiots"?

Surprise Attack and Israel’s Dilemma

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal surprise attack on Israel, killing over 1,200 through rape, torture, kidnappings, and child executions shocking the world with its barbarity. This assault immediately presented Israel with an impossible moral dilemma of having to choose between eradicating Hamas to secure its future or negotiating for the return of hostages, thereby allowing Hamas to survive. Israel must decimate Hamas and cleanse Gaza for whatever post-war structure emerges, or prioritize hostage recovery at the cost of national security.

"Hostages as Currency  

"Hamas has strategically leveraged hostage-taking, fully aware of Israel’s deep commitment to individual lives — even at a national cost. The 2011 Gilad Shalit exchange, which freed over a thousand Palestinian prisoners for a single Israeli soldier, was initially hailed as a great success. However, it set a dangerous precedent, emboldening Hamas to repeat the strategy. In a tragic irony, one of those freed in 2011 was Yahya Sinwar — the Hamas leader who orchestrated the October 7 massacre.

"Purgatory, Israel Style

"Seventeen months into this war, Israel stands at a crossroads. After significant battlefield successes against Hamas and the broader Iranian axis, Israel now possesses the military capability, moral justification, and unparalleled American support needed to decisively eliminate Hamas, significantly weaken Iran — likely with American assistance — and reshape the Middle East.

"Yet, the fundamental dilemma persists: How can Israel finish the war without Hamas executing the remaining hostages? Initially, on October 8, 2023, most Israelis agreed that coexisting with an entity sworn to their destruction was no longer an option. However, by July 2024, public sentiment had shifted. A Research poll revealed that 72 percent of Israelis prioritized a hostage deal over eliminating Hamas. Ceasefires aimed at rescuing hostages have repeatedly allowed Hamas to regroup, rearm, and amplify anti-Israel propaganda — especially on American college campuses." . . .

"Israel Is Hard on Itself. The World Is Harder

"Adding to Israel’s internal struggle over war priorities are external pressures, including a deeply entrenched anti-Israel legacy media bias. Less than 24 hours after the October 7 attacks, mainstream outlets began their usual moral equivalence — or outright blame — against Israel.

"For example, the BBC faced accusations of violating editorial guidelines 1,553 times in its coverage of the war, associating Israel with genocide 14 times more than Hamas. CBS went as far as to instruct journalists not to refer to Jerusalem as an Israeli city, effectively erasing Israel’s capital from the map.

What Snow White could have been; The moral to the story matters more than the DEI hiring

 Don Surber; Substack  

"But when the studio is run by people you believe boys need tampons, you get such nonsense. Don’t be looksist or whatever they call it now." 

"When my mother took me to see Snow White, everyone fell in love with Snow White. I immediately fell for the wicked Queen. —Woody Allen in Annie Hall, 1977"

"It is not kosher to begin a newsletter quoting Woody Allen because he married his daughter or something like that. OK, it was his crazy girlfriend’s daughter but he was always creepy and that was his entire schtick as a comedian. Annie Hall was his best comedy. It should have been his last comedy because he had reached the age where creepy no longer is funny but criminal.

"As readers know, this was the weekend Disney finally dropped its mega-costly bomb, Disney’s Snow White. It was a remake of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the film that turned a small cartoon shop into a movie studio which eventually evolved into the world’s largest media corporation.

"Relish the results, dear readers.

"Chris Agar reported, “Snow White’s Disappointing Box Office Opening Could Match Dumbo.”

"Did they have a donkey play Dumbo?

"Alison Willmore reported, “I Don’t Know Why, But Snow White Is Totally About Lefty Infighting.”

"You would think that would attract conservatives.

"IMDB reported, “A princess joins forces with seven dwarfs to liberate her kingdom from her cruel stepmother the evil Queen.” (The character’s name is just the Queen.)

"So now the storyline is an inheritance battle between a surviving child and a second wife. You might call it a battle of wills.

"The original film is a classic because Walt Disney was the Elon Musk of fairy tales. Walt surrounded himself with masters of animation and music. Someday My Prince Will Come, Whistle While You Work and I’m Wishing are songs seldom heard on the radio but are always in our hearts. 

All we need is Joe, Joe is all we need?

 Silvio Canto, Jr., American Thinker    

"Memo to Mr. Biden:  A big reason for the condition that the party is in is because of your policies."

Image: AT via Magic Studio

"Does President Trump understand how lucky he is with respect to his enemies? He probably does, which is why he keeps making traps and they jump in with gusto.

"We learned that Governor Tim Walz (Kamala's VP) sort of admitted that he made a you know what out of himself with his Tesla comments. He was "joking" or something like that. I guess that someone told him that the teachers' pension plan has money in the now "evil" Tesla. Remember when something similar happened to Hillary Clinton years ago? She was bashing fossil fuel companies until someone passed her a note that public sector employees have their retirement plans in those same companies.

"Trump is lucky -- what else can I say?

"Well, a breeze of good luck came over President Trump when we learned that former President Biden wants to make a comeback. Yes, Joe wants back, or so we hear:" . . .

The Trump Administration Goes to War against Bureaucratic Tyranny

I firmly fear the Deep State is capable of murder, supported by members of Congress and useful idiots in the streets and on campus. They chant the term "unelected" about Elon Musk yet it is the unelected who willingly support those who burn and destroy in the name of "resistance" TD

 The Trump Administration Goes to War against Bureaucratic Tyranny 

. . ." The unelected bureaucracy does not reflect the wishes of the American people; it is the polar opposite of representative government.  No matter how many propagandists defend Big Government as “our Democracy,” the ever-growing Leviathan is thoroughly authoritarian in disposition." . . . 

Rich Terrell

. . ."In front of huge crowds, Trump called out agencies and bureaucrats by name and promised to rein in their out-of-control harassment of the American people.  The administrative state, having long exercised the constitutionally delegated powers of the Executive Branch while thumbing its nose at the elected president, correctly worried that Trump would reclaim legitimate Executive authorities that it had illegitimately usurped decades ago." . . .

. . ."In Ryun’s documentary, Congressman Roy pulls no punches against the administrative state while laying well-deserved blame at the feet of lawmakers.  In lauding Elon Musk’s work to expose and eliminate government waste, fraud, and abuse, Roy says the American people have to hold Congress accountable.  “Because you’ve been searching for the enemy, and the enemy is right in front of you.  It is us.  It is Congress.  We’re the ones that continue to fund the very things” that enable the Deep State.  “We’re begging you to save us because we’re that bad.”  That’s a rather direct plea from a sitting congressman for the American people to rise up and demand an end to America’s unconstitutional bureaucracy.  In calling for the “slashing and burning” of Leviathan, Roy argues that DOGE shouldn’t stand for the Department of Government Efficiency but rather the Department of Government Elimination.  That’s a theme throughout Ryun’s documentary." . . .

Trump Chaos Or The Gales Of Creative Destruction?   . . . "Creative destruction is the right way to look at what Trump is doing from the White House.

"He is upsetting the Potomac country club that begets cushy jobs and power to insiders. He’s rooting out the entrenched, unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy that ran Washington according to its whims and has squeezed Americans’ economic and personal liberties. Joe Biden’s replacement is disrupting the rule-making apparatus, where a single regulator costs our economy the equivalent of 138 private-sector jobs per year.

"People who refuse to think beyond the status quo cannot conceive of life without a powerful federal bureaucracy. Half of the country is enamored by and in love with government, and seems willing to fight, in the streets, if necessary, to ensure that it is an ever-growing machine that fronts for the Democratic Party.

"The Democrats and the media cry for the federal workers who are losing jobs due to Trump’s “chaos” (and who, when gone, will be more productive economic cogs in the private sector). But never did they care at all when Barack Obama’s “multiple regulations led to tens of thousands of job losses.”" . . .

. . ."Half the country needs to be educated about the harms of a running-wild bureaucracy. The paradigm that favors political society over civil society must be shifted. None of this will be painless or smooth. But it has to be done and now we finally have a president who is not shying away from the work."  Issues & Insights

How much did Joe know?

Silvio Canto, Jr.  

"As Mr. Penn points out, President Biden left his party in “ruins.”  Mr. Penn is hoping for a Bill Clinton in the party’s future.  Let’s see what happens, but I’d love to know who was calling the shots, or managing the “autopen.”  I fear that someone was the puppet master, and I’d like to know who it was."

Uncle Paul's Parodies.

"The autopen story and all of the talk about Biden’s cognitive decline raises a question.  How much did President Biden know?  Did he understand just how far to the left he was being pushed?  I am not trying to make excuses for Mr. Biden, but this leftist tilt was not what I thought would happen.  Maybe I’m alone, but I actually did think that President Biden would be more centrist and stay away from extremes.

"I am thinking about all of this because of an article by Mark Penn and just how far left the Biden presidency went.  This is what he wrote:

Back in the late 90s, Democrats stood for a balanced budget, expanded health care benefits, tough immigration policies, and smaller government. Bill Clinton declared “the era of big government is over.” Boy was he wrong.

Step by step, Democrats drifted from these policies that produced near 75% approval ratings for Clinton. Tax and spend came back in the Obama years as tax rates went up and Obamacare kicked in, and he moved decisively to the left in the last two years of his presidency. 

The groundwork for DEI was laid with the attacks on the police and calling out other institutions as racist. Climate change moved up to the top of the agenda as pipelines were shut down and regulations were issued to slow energy producers and the idea took root that climate change, not ISIS, was the biggest “existential” threat we faced. 

The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and the election of Donald Trump pushed Democrats further to the left on cultural and economic issues as the chief goal of the party was to lay down resistance to Trump and everything he stood for. The point was to rip it all down and prevent him from shifting away from the Obama policies. . . . 

More here...

The Terrorists Among Us

Issues & Insights  

"Have you heard any prominent Democrats coming out and condemning the violence, as many Republicans did after the Jan. 6 riots?"

"Whenever the far left in the U.S. loses an argument — called an election — it suddenly decides it’s time to take to the streets and get violent. Now is just such a time, as America experiences a new spasm of home-grown anti-Trump, anti-Musk terrorism. It shouldn’t be tolerated.

"Whether it’s taking pot shots at the president, violently demonstrating in support of murderous terrorists, “swatting” people they don’t like, or destroying cars made by a person they now despise, our country once again finds extremists threatening us and our liberty.

"And, no surprise, it’s nearly all from the far left side of the political spectrum, organized by supposedly “nonviolent” groups, quietly supported by the Democratic Party, and excused by the ultra-biased Big Media.

"President Donald Trump’s reelection seems to have brought out even more extremist violence, which had already surged. A report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies recently found “domestic terrorist attacks and plots against government targets motivated by partisan political beliefs in the past five years is nearly triple the number of such incidents in the previous 25 years combined.”

"So, yes, it’s very real.

"As noted, we’re in the midst of a domestic terrorism outbreak right now, after a spate of what at first appeared to be lone-wolf crimes against Tesla owners and dealers, who only a year ago were the darlings of the so-called progressive movement.

"But that was before Tesla chief executive Elon Musk joined Trump’s administration.

"Today, Tesla dealerships and electric vehicles are being torched, bombed with Molotov cocktails, or vandalized and damaged beyond repair by people angry that Musk is helping to reduce government waste.

"Imagine that: People committing terrorist acts to keep others from cutting government waste.

"As if there’s any doubt, Attorney General Pam Biondi has declared the attacks against Tesla “domestic terrorism.” And she’s right." . . .

Ward Clark; RedState  

"And Bernie - the aforementioned daffy old Bolshevik from Vermont - remember when he used to run his yap about millionaires? Nowadays, he yaps about billionaires because now he's a millionaire himself, with three houses to boot." 

"Sometimes you just have to shake your head.

"The MSNBC show "The Weekend," on Saturday, in their infinite wisdom (yes, I'm being facetious), decided to provide the Democratic Party with some valuable advice as to what they ought to do next, in order to start winning elections. While they did get one thing right, the balance of their advice was pretty ludicrous.

On Saturday's edition of MSNBC's The Weekend, the panel had few ideas on what theme Democrats should run on.

But there was consensus on one thing: "Fighting Oligarchy," the name of the national tour by Bernie Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez, ain't it.

Co-host Michael Steele: "The 'oligarchy tour,' I think, kind of misses middle America. Folks  sitting at the local pub aren't using the term oligarchy."

This brings a pithy observation to mind, one that begins with the word "No" and ends with the word, "Sherlock." But here's where things went off the rails.

But what should the message be? Daniels delivered the grim news:

"The problem now, though, is that Democrats don't have an alternative. You have to be able to say, OK, this is what we can offer you that Republicans can't. And that's what they have yet to do." . . .

Elon Musk Announces Legal Action Against Jamaal Bowman for Falsely Calling Him a ‘Nazi’

 RTM  

"In the midst of this political turmoil, Musk has continued to advocate for free speech and entrepreneurial freedom. He’s long been an advocate for open dialogue and transparency in business, making the accusations against him even more damaging to his image as a business leader."

"Elon Musk announced he will be suing former Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) for defamation after Bowman falsely labeled the Tesla and SpaceX CEO a “Nazi” during a CNN appearance.

"Bowman was discussing left-wing activism at Republican town halls on CNN’s “NewsNight.” During the segment, Bowman attempted to rally against Republican lawmakers, despite the fact that polls show Trump’s approval remains high while the Democratic Party’s approval has sharply declined.

"Bowman, who lost his seat in a primary challenge last year, criticized Musk for his business practices and made slanderous claims. He called Musk “incompetent,” a “thief,” and even a “Nazi.” This accusation came after Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, faced controversy over employee firings and legal battles related to layoffs." . . .

Jamaal Bowman just called Elon Musk an "incompetent thief" and "Nazi" on CNN.
A lawsuit waiting to happen. pic.twitter.com/4ucENS8KT4

— Thomas Hern (@ThomasMHern) March 21, 2025

 

Chuck Schumer Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: ‘We Did Put 235 Progressive Judges – on the Bench and They Are Ruling Against Trump Time After Time After Time’

 The Gateway Pundit  

“Progressive judges” That doesn’t mean “judges who follow the law” It means progressive activists wearing black robes"

"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer admitted on PBS this week that Democrats intentionally stacked the courts with 235 “progressive judges” in order to stop President Donald Trump “time after time after time.”

"Since President Trump triumphantly returned to the White House on January 20, 2025, his administration has faced an all-out legal assault — not from Congress or the will of the American people — but from a weaponized judicial branch hijacked by radical leftists

"In just under two months, President Trump has been hit with 132 legal challenges, with only two resolved.

"And now, Chuck Schumer has admitted it all on national television.  

"Appearing on PBS NewsHour, the far-left New York Democrat couldn’t resist gloating about the left’s scheme." . . .

"When host Geoff Bennett asked if the nation is facing a “constitutional crisis,” Schumer didn’t hesitate to spill the beans." . . .

VDH: The Lengths Democrats Are Willing to Go to Stop Trump 

. . ."And I want to give it a fair hearing right now. So, I wrote down 10 things that I think are thematic of the Democratic agenda that offers an alternative to President Donald Trump.

"The first is that Donald Trump must be considered, as Chris Matthews just said, a Mussolini-like figure. He must be opposed in every aspect. He must be demonized. Everything he does is evil.' And Elon Musk: 

You cannot talk about his Tesla revolution that pretty much saved the idea of an electric vehicle. You cannot talk about the successes of SpaceX. You cannot talk about saving social media by opening it up and getting the government out, i.e., the FBI colluding with the old Twitter. You cannot talk about giving free internet service to Ukraine.

He’s evil. And everything he does must be opposed. And we must continue that to the point where he is depersonalized. . . .

Who’s Paying the Tesla Attack Terror Bills?

 Vice President Vance asks the right question. 

"But this time around the question must be asked: Who is footing the bill for these attacks on Teslas? And the threats on Musk? There is an answer. Americans deserve that answer — and also prosecution not just of the actual terrorists themselves but the Sugar Daddies who are financing their violence." 

From those people who love Hamas

"Whatever else is going on with the violent assaults on Tesla dealerships or individual cars, Vice President Vance has put his finger on one very correct question.

"Newsmax headline: “Vance: ‘Terrorism Is Not Cheap,’ Hunt Tesla Terror Check Writer.”

"The story reports:

Vice President J.D. Vance said “terrorism is not cheap” as he speculated that the continuing vandalism of Tesla automobiles is being coordinated.

He said Thursday during an interview on “The Vince Show” that the focus should be on “the guy at the top writing the checks,” not on the “foot soldiers” trashing the cars.

“My guess is that if we do get to the bottom of this, we’re going to find out that there are some very crazy, very deranged, but very wealthy left-wing people who are funding this stuff,” he said.

"Bingo.

"Whatever else is going on with these Leftists torching Teslas, one thing is certain: Someone is paying the bill for those collecting the materials used to destroy these cars — explosives don’t come cheap. (RELATED: ‘Broken Windows’ and the Terrorism of Small Things)

"So the question, which, one suspects, FBI Director Kash Patel and his deputy Dan Bongino are already all over, is simple. Who is footing the bill for this terror? One doesn’t have to be an expert in explosives to know that they cost money. One has to get them by paying for them. There is no way around that.

"What explosives were used? Where were they obtained? Was the U.S. mail involved in transporting them from the source who had them to the player(s) who used them?

":It would seem in this day and age that there is little rocket science involved in getting the answers to those questions — and for that matter any questions that flow out from those.

"In fact, as this was being written, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt took to the podium to say the violence was “despicable and unacceptable.” Indeed it is.

"Minutes later the Washington Examiner posted this headline on Attorney General Pam Bondi: “Bondi charges three people over Tesla vandalism.”

"The Examiner story reports:

"Attorney General Pam Bondi charged three people over the vandalism of Tesla properties.

“The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended,” Bondi said in a statement. “Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars.”

…One defendant was arrested for throwing eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership; a second was arrested in Colorado after trying to light Tesla vehicles on fire; and a third was arrested in South Carolina after lighting Tesla charging stations on fire." . . .

                                              Internet do your thing.

                                             Let’s make this dude famous. pic.twitter.com/BIsygjWPGT

                          — Tesla Owners Silicon Valley (@teslaownersSV) March 21, 2025

VIDEO UPDATE: Rich Liberals Are Fueling Tesla Attacks in Coordinated Anti-Musk Campaign    "Tesla has become the new battleground in a culture war as escalating acts of vandalism target its vehicles and properties across the U.S. Conservative voices, including JD Vance and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, are calling the attacks “domestic terrorism,” suggesting coordination and funding from left-wing billionaires like George Soros through platforms like ActBlue. These incidents—ranging from arson to gunfire—mirror the lawlessness seen during the George Floyd riots and highlight the hypocrisy of progressive activists once enamored with electric vehicles. Now, because Tesla CEO Elon Musk refuses to toe the progressive line, the same radical groups that once championed his cause are turning on him. This disturbing trend not only threatens private property and public safety, but also exposes the dangerous extremes of ideological activism. It's another example of how progressive chaos undermines law and order, traditional values, and fiscal conservatism."

New Report: Hamas, Iran, and Hezbollah Plotted for Years to Destroy Israel on October 7

1. The American Spectator   
   

   "Khamenei did not signal that Hamas was going anywhere, saying, “Hamas is alive and will stay alive.”

"And we will behead babies...whole families!"

"Hamas had been methodically planning for the destruction of Israel following the aftermath of Israel’s counterterrorist offensive Operation Guardian of the Walls in May 2021, according to a new report issued by the Israeli think tank The Mair Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center.

"While Hamas had always ideologically supported the destruction of Israel, the new report asserts that this objective was fast-tracked operationally following May 2021, and was assisted by Iran and Hezbollah. And perhaps most prominent in these plans was the mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, Yahya al-Sinwar.

"Among other things, the report provided the following sequence of events, much of which was gathered by Israeli intelligence:

"A letter dated June 2021 was sent to Iran’s Quds Force Commander Esmail Qaani from al-Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, and his deputy Marwan Issa arguing that their mission was to achieve “the great victory and the removal of the cancer” and “the elimination of the entity and its removal from our land and holy places.” The authors of the letter argued that “we will never close our eyes, rest or remain silent until we achieve this sacred goal,” and even asked Qaani to supply them with $500 million for two years.

"On the same day in June 2021, al-Sinwar, Deif, and Issan addressed a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, that stated: “This imagined entity is weaker than people think. With the help of Allah, with your assistance, and with the support of our nation, we are capable of uprooting it and removing it, in the near future, with Allah’s help. We trust in Allah that we are close to fulfilling this divine promise from which there is no escape…”

"In July 2021, Sinwar sent a letter to Saeed Izadi, head of the Palestine branch of Iran’s Quds Force, where he claimed that “resistance forces” were close to “a tremendous strategic victory that will have strategic consequences and impact on the future of the region, the Islamic nation, and the entire world.”

"In September 2021, Sinwar convened a conference in Gaza with senior Hamas figures titled “The Promise of the End of Days — Palestine After Liberation” where he discussed the future governance of a “State of Palestine” following “liberation” from Israel.