CIVIL WAR DINNER PARTY

BY: B RA D

B RA N D ON LO U I S H YAT T

• Fredrick Douglas

• Henry Clay• Zach Taylor• Abraham

Lincoln• Robert E. Lee• Henry Fleming• George Pickett

• Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

• U.S. Grant• Steven

Douglas• Dr. Richard

Gatling

MY GUESTS:

July 4th Dinner PartyThe Luncheon will commence at 3:00p.m. and will be held on July 4, 1861 in front of the Washington Monument. Fireworks and traditional events will be held to celebrate our country’s birth. There will be a ball following the feast.Please come properly attired to fit the theme colors, which are Gray, Blue, and Red. Dress extravagantly, but appropriately.

MENUThe menu for our wonderful dinner party

consists of all American dishes. For an appetizer, we will be serving fried cheese sticks. Catering our party will be Whataburger, they will serve good, juicy burgers and will have nice, greasy French fries on the side. The desert choices for the afternoon is homemade vanilla ice cream or a homemade triple-chocolate cake. Our guests will have the choice of Coca-Cola, ice tea, water, or lemonade.

THEME

The theme of our spectacular Civil War dinner

party is going to be “Blue and Gray”. All the most

important people of the war will be there. Both Union and Confederate leaders will join us in a quiet, tasty dinner.

DÉCOR Our décor will consist of everything

being blue and gray so nobody has to worry about arguments about taking sides. Hopefully! There will be blue and gray dining sets, napkins, and eating utensils. Along with the dining needs, we will have blue and gray streamers and balloons hung all around the table. When lunch is finished and evening turns to night we will have a spectacular firework show to end our spectacular dinner party. The firework show will be filled with magnificent red, white, blue, and of course, gray. We hope you all like them!

SEATING CHART

Abraham Lincoln

Stephen Douglas

Fredrick DouglasRobert E. LeeUlysses S. Grant

Henry Fleming

Not Coming

Richard Gatling

Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson

BIOGRAPHIES

ABRAHAM LINCOLNA b r a h a m L i n c o l n w a s b o r n F e b r u a r y 1 2 , 1 8 0 9 , n e a r H o d g e n v i l l e , K e n t u c k y . I n h i s e a r l y l i f e h e t r i e d a l o t o f d i ff e r e n t t h i n g s t o d o . H e t r i e d a r a i l - s p l i t t e r , a fl a t b o a t m a n , a s t o r e k e e p e r , a p o s t m a s t e r , a n d a s u r v e y o r . A f t e r d o i n g a l l t h e s e j o b s , h e w a s s t i l l n o t s a t i s fi e d . I n 1 8 3 2 , h e e n l i s t e d a s a v o l u n t e e r a n d w a s e l e c t e d c a p t a i n o f h i s c o m p a n y . I n 1 8 3 6 , a f t e r t e a c h i n g h i m s e l f g r a m m a r a n d m a t h , h e b e g a n t o s t u d y l a w . I n 1 8 3 7 , h e m o v e d t o S p r i n g fi e l d , I l l i n o i s f o r b e t t e r o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o b e a l a w y e r . A f t e r y e a r s i n l a w , L i n c o l n b e c a m e W i l l i a m H . H e r n d o n ’ s , a n o t h e r l a w y e r , p a r t n e r . E v e n t u a l l y , w h e n A b r a h a m L i n c o l n g o t i n t o n a t i o n a l p o l i t i c s , h e w a s o n e o f t h e m o s t s u c c e s s f u l l a w y e r s i n I l l i n o i s .

I n 1 8 6 1 , A b r a h a m L i n c o l n b e c a m e t h e 1 6 t h p r e s i d e n t o f t h e u n i t e d s t a t e s o f A m e r i c a . L i n c o l n b e a t h i s d e m o c r a t o p p o n e n t S t e p h e n A . D o u g l a s . O n e o f t h e m a j o r t h i n g s h e d i d w a s t h e e m a n c i p a t i o n p r o c l a m a t i o n . T h e e m a n c i p a t i o n p r o c l a m a t i o n w a s a d o c u m e n t t h a t f r e e d a l l t h e s l a v e s i n t h e c o n f e d e r a c y . L i n c o l n w a s e l e c t e d f o r p r e s i d e n t a s e c o n d t i m e i n 1 8 6 4 a g a i n s t G e o r g e B . M c C l e l l a n d , a n d w o n t h a t e l e c t i o n a s w e l l . A s t h e w a r c a m e t o a n e n d , L i n c o l n w a s s i c k o f t h e fi g h t i n g , s o h e a s k e d t h e s o u t h e r n e r s t o l a y d o w n t h e i r w e a p o n s a n d j o i n i n t h e r e c o n s t r u c t i o n o f A m e r i c a .

S h o r t l y a f t e r h i s s e c o n d t e r m b e g a n , A b r a h a m L i n c o l n w a s a s s a s s i n a t e d o n g o o d F r i d a y , A p r i l 1 4 t h , 1 8 6 5 a t f o r d ’ s t h e a t r e b y j o h n W i l k e s b o o t h .

HENRY CLAY

Henry Clay, or as some people called him The Great Compromiser, was born in Hanover County, Virginia April 22, 1777. When Henry Clay turned 20, he quickly went to school to study law with George Wythe. After school, he moved to Lexington, Kentucky and became a successful lawyer. After he lived in Lexington for a couple of years, he married Lucretia Hart on April 11, 1799.

Later, Henry Clay became interested in Politics. He supported the emancipation of slaves and opposed the Alien and Sedition Acts. In 1803, he got elected to the Kentucky legislature. After four years in the Kentucky legislature he got elected as the speaker of the house. He got re-elected in 1809 for the speaker of the house, and in 1811 he got elected to the speaker in the U.S. House of Representatives. After becoming John Quincy Adams Secretary of State in 1824, Henry Clay went back to the Senate and became leader of the Republican Party, later known as the Whig party.

Henry Clay’s greatest achievement was the Compromise of 1850, which avoided an earlier civil war and reduced sectional conflict for four years. The Compromise of 1850 was where Henry Clay got his nickname, “The Great Compromiser.”

 

ROBERT E. LEE

Robert E. Lee was born at Stratford, Virginia on the 19th of January in 1807, he was the general of the Confederate States army, and was the youngest son of major-general Henry Lee. In 1838 he became captain and took part in the Mexican War, repeatedly winning distinctions for conduct and bravery. In 1852 he was appointed superintendent of West Point, and within three years he carried out many important changes in the academy. In 1855 he was appointed as lieutenant –colonel to second Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Sidney Johnston, where he served against the Indians at the Texas border, and in 1861 he was made colonel of the first U.S. Cavalry. Later on he had success in the seven day battle. Also having success in Antietam, Fredericksburg, and several other battles. He then died on October 12th, 1870.

ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT

Ulysses Simpson Grant was born at Point Pleasant Ohio, on April 27th, 1822. He went to West Point, and graduated in the middle of his class. He fought in the Mexican War under General Zachary Taylor, and by 1861 he had risen to the rank of brigadier general of volunteers, after the outbreak of the civil war. In February 1862 he took control of the Mississippi valley. Soon after being promoted to major general of volunteers. As major General fought at Shiloh, and took over Chattanooga. Robert E. Lee also took over Appomattox Court House after Robert E. Lee. Soon after Grant was elected President and served a full term then retired. He then found out that he had cancer in the throat then died in 1885.

STEPHEN DOUGLAS

Stephen Douglas, or as some called him The Little Giant, was born on April 23, 1813, in Brandon, Vermont. Then at age 20 he moved to Illinois, where he would later become a lawyer in Jacksonville. He would then later run as a Democrat to be an Illinois legislature. Then in 1836 he won the election. In 1841 through 1843 he was the Judge of the Supreme Court of Illinois. Then in 1843 he was elected to the US House of Representatives. After that he would be elected in 1847 through 1861 in to the US Senate. While being in the Senate he supported the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Then in 1860 Douglas would be nominated for US Presidency, which he would not win. After that he was offered services with President Lincoln to tour border states to arise enthusiasm for the Union Case. He would then die June 3, 1861 in Chicago, by typhoid fever.

FREDRICK DOUGLAS

Fredrick Douglas was born on February 1818, near the eastern shore of Maryland. He would then be separated from his mom at only a few weeks old. He then lived with his grandparents till his grandmother left him bye himself at his master’s plantation. Then at eight years of age he was sent to live in Baltimore as a houseboy, with his master Hugh and his wife Sophia Auld. Sophia would then later teach Fredrick the alphabet, until her husband forbid her to. After that Fredrick took it upon himself to keep learning more and more. In September of 1838 Fredrick would escape slavery. He then moved to New Bedford, Massachusetts, were he raised his family. He then started to attend as many abolitionist meetings as he could. Then in October of 1841 he attended an anti-slavery convention. He also published his own newspaper, called the North Star, which participated in the first women’s rights convention. After an extensive and proficient career, Fredrick Douglas died on February 20, 1895.

RICHARD JORDAN GATLING

 

Richard Jordan Gatling was born in Hertford County, North Carolina, on September 12, 1818. As a teenager, he helped his father invent two machines- one that sowed cotton, and one that thinned young cotton plants. In 1839, he invented a steamboat propeller, but someone else had already received a patent for a similar device. The same year he invented a seed sowing rice planter, which later was able to plant wheat seed, which increased yield from the hand sowing method in use at that time, making him rich. In the 1840’s, there was an outbreak of Smallpox that had hi interested in medicine so he joined the Ohio Medical College. Gatling graduated in 1850, but he lost interest in medicine and never began a practice. He spent the next few years improving upon previous inventions. He invented a steam driven plow in 1857, but it did not receive well. After the beginning of the Civil War, he started inventing firearms. Gatling thought the invention of an automatic weapon that could deliver a high rate of fire would reduce the number of soldiers required to maintain the battlefield, reducing the number of casualties. On November 4, 1862, he patented the Gatling Gun. The gun had six barrels that revolved around a central shaft. It used .58 caliber paper cartridges. By 1865 he modified the gun to shoot metal cartridges. The Union Army bought 100 of the guns, but they were used only in limited engagements. The gun underwent many changes, including electric motors to improve fire rate, until being declared obsolete by the U.S. Army in 1911. In 1870, Gatling moved to Hartford, Connecticut. In 1897 Gatling and his wife moved New York City to be near their daughter and her husband. Richard Gatling died on February 26, 1903.

 

ZACHARY TAYLOR

Zachary Taylor was the twelfth President of the United States of America- March 4, 1849, to July 9, 1850. He was born in Orange county, Virginia, on September 24, 1784. Zachary was appointed to take the place of his brother who had died on 1808. He was made a Captain in 1810, and was placed in command of Fort Harrison, which he defended from Indians, in 1812. In 1814 he was promoted to Major, but was put back to a Captaincy. He retired in 1815 to a farm near Louisville, and was reinstated as Major when engaged in military life on the northwestern frontier and in the South. In 1819, Zachary was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel. In 1832 he was commissioned a Colonel, and was participated in the Black Hawk War. He served in Florida from 1836 to 1840, was appointed to command of the 1st Department of the Army of the Southwest, and was promoted to Brevet Brigadier-General. He then moved to Baton Rouge. Zachary was sent with a military force into Texas to watch the movements of the Mexican Army. In May, 1846, he participated in two battles on Texas soil. He was then promoted to Major-General, and captured the stronghold of Monterey. In 1847, he lost many of his troops to a request for them by General Scott, and was ordered to act on the defensive. Zachary was confronted by Santa Anna and his army of 20,000, while Zachary only had about 5,000 men. He defeated and dispersed Santa Anna’s army at the battle of Buena Vista, on February 23, 1847. Taylor earned the nickname “Old Rough and Ready,” in relation to his personal appearance. He was nominated for President in 1848, and was elected and inaugurated March 5, 1849. On July 4, 1850, Taylor gets violent fever, and dies on the 9th.

GEORGE PICKETT

George Pickett was born in Virginia, Richmond, on January 28, 1825. He would then graduate from West Point in 1846. After graduating he fought in the Mexican War where he increased his ranks from lieutenant to captain. When the Mexican war was finished he served in Texas, Virginia, and Washington Territory all the way till 1861, where he resigned so could enter the Confederate army. He first began as a colonel, and then he boosted his ranks to a brigadier general. He served under Major General James Longstreet during the Seven Days’ Campaign, where he would get wounded. He then became a Major General on October 10, 1862. After that his years of being a general went down as a he lost most battles he fought in. Then later he would be relieved of his duties, only days before the final surrender at Appomattox.

 THOMAS “STONEWALL” JACKSON

Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born on January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, Virginia. He graduated (1846) 17th in his class at the West Point U.S. Military Academy, and was commissioned as a second Lieutenant. Jackson served in the Mexican War and won two brevets. While in Mexico, he became a devout Presbyterian. Jackson was recruited to teach at the Virginia Military Institute. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Jackson was commissioned as a Colonel of the Virginia forces, and sent to organize recruits. He was put in command of the 1st Brigade, and was then sent to join Beauregard at Manassas. At the first battle of Bull Run, Jackson and the 1st Brigade were dubbed “Stonewall”, for their efforts in repelling the enemy. That fall Jackson was promoted to Major General, and put in charge of the Valley forces. Jackson led a campaign in the western part of the state that began a feud with General William Loring. This feud made Jackson submit a resignation. In May of 1862, Jackson defeated Fremont’s advance, and later launched a campaign against several Union commanders in the area. He won several battles, and shortly after, he joined General Lee in the defense of Richmond, Virginia. He captured Manassas and defended it while Longstreet launched an attack and won the second Battle of Bull Run. Jackson was later given command of the 2nd Corps, after capturing Harpers Ferry. He was shot by his own troops, and had his left arm amputated eight days before he died, on May 10, 1863, from pneumonia.

REGRETS

HENRY CLAY REGRET

Dear Hosts,

I am so sorry, but Henry Clay will not be attending your dinner party. I am very sorry to tell you that Henry Clay has passed away. I wish you all the best of luck, and I hope you have a great time at your Civil War Dinner Party.

Sincerely,

Lucretia Hart Clay

ZACHARY TAYLOR REGRET

Dear Hosts,

I am sincerely sorry to inform you that among other problems that you may have encountered, my father, the late Zachary Taylor, will not be attending on account of his untimely death after catching fever during his presidency. We all hope the Dinner Party continues without fail to help recognize the heroes of this grave time.

STEPHEN DOUGLAS REGRET

Dear Hosts,

I sincerely regret the unfortunate circumstance that, Stephen Douglas, will not be able to attend your dinner party. He is unfortunately dead. We are sending our most sincere regrets and wish you the best of luck at your dinner party.

 

From,

The Douglas family

WHY WE INVITED THEM…

FREDRICK DOUGLAS

W e a r e i n v i t i n g F r e d r i c k D o u g l a s t o o u r d i n n e r p a r t y b e c a u s e o f h i s

g r e a t b r a v e r y o f s t i c k i n g u p f o r w h a t h e b e l i e v e s i n . A s g r e a t a b o l i t i o n i s t

h e h e l p e d m a n y A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s b y g o i n g t o a s m a n y a b o l i t i o n i s t

m e e t i n g s a s h e c o u l d a n d a t t e n d i n g a n t i - s l a v e r y c o n v e n t i o n s . H e a l s o

h e l p e d m a n y w o m e n b y p a r t i c i p a t i n g w i t h h i s o w n n e w s p a p e r, t h e n o r t h

s t a r, i n t h e fi r s t w o m e n ’ s r i g h t s c o n v e n t i o n . F r e d r i c k D o u g l a s a l s o l o v e d t o f u r t h e r h i s k n o w l e d g e f o r

t h e b e t t e r o f m a n k i n d . F r e d r i c k D o u g l a s w a s a n i n c r e d i b l e l e a d e r i n

w o m e n ’ s r i g h t s , a n u n b e l i e v a b l e a b o l i t i o n i s t f o r A f r i c a n A m e r i c a n s ,

a n d a m o r e t h a n w o r t h y c a n d i d a t e t o c o m e t o t h i s d i n n e r p a r t y .        

RICHARD GATLING

         We invited Richard Jordan Gatling because, Richard Gatling was a very successful opportunist who had revolutionized war as we know it by inventing a multi-barrel weapon that was capable of firing 200 rounds per minute. The Gatling gun had made all other aspects of War that had been relative obsolete. Now, no longer did it matter who had the most troops, but who had the most firepower, an amassed charge could be mowed down by a few Gatling guns manned by only by eight to ten men. Richard Gatling was a very influential figure in the development of war. That’s why we invited Richard Gatling.

ABRAHAM LINCOLNWe are inviting Abraham Lincoln

to our Civil War dinner party because of his presidency and to celebrate his newest achievement, the Emancipation Proclamation. President Abraham Lincoln was completely against slavery, so he decided to do something about it. Lincoln needed a way to end the problem, and the Emancipation Proclamation was born. The Emancipation Proclamation was a document that freed any slave in the Confederate States of America that did not return to Union control by January 1, 1863. However, the states did not return, so the Civil War still went on. Besides the Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln was a great president.

HENRY CLAY

We invited Henry Clay to our dinner party because of his major part in the United States government. Henry Clay has come up with a compromise to solve lots of the problems in the government. His biggest compromise was the Compromise of 1850, which avoided an earlier civil war and reduces sectional conflict for four years. Along with the Compromise of 1850, Henry Clay created the Missouri Compromise, which maintained the balance of the Senate by bringing in Maine as a free state, and Missouri as a slave state. Because of Clay’s effort to save this country, we decided to invite him to our party, even if he is not coming.

THOMAS “STONEWALL” JACKSON

The reason that we invited Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson is because after he graduated form West Point he was commissioned as second Lieutenant, and as Lieutenant he served in the Mexican War. By the outbreak of the Civil War Jackson was put in command of the 1st Brigade. He also fought in the battle of Bull Run after which he was promoted to major general. As general, Jackson defeated Fremont’s advance, and captured Manassas.

ULYSSES SIMPSON GRANT

We are inviting Grant to our dinner party because he was appointed General-in-chief by President Lincoln. As General-in-Chief Grant pinned down General Lee’s army. Grant also ended up becoming the 18 president of the United States, and served two terms. As president he helped establish The Civil Rights Act of 1875, and was the first leader in establishing the United States as an Industrial trader.

ROBERT E. LEE

The reason why we invited Robert E. Lee to our dinner party is because of his excellent leadership of the Confederate States of America in the Civil War. Even though they were outnumbered, Robert E. Lee and his army put up a good fight. As well as commanding the Confederate army, Robert E. Lee is a veteran of the Mexican War in 1838. Robert E. Lee is a war hero, and that is the main reason we are inviting him.

GEORGE PICKETT

We are inviting George Pickett because of his heroic figure and many battles that he has fought in. George Pickett began as a colonel in the Confederate army. He than quickly boosted his ranks to a brigadier general and then to a major general. He would fight in many wars in his long and heroic career. We are proud to say that we invited George Pickett to our dinner party.

ZACHARY TAYLOR

We invited Zachary Taylor to our dinner party because of his braveness in battle. He took down Santa Anna’s 20,000 men with only 5,000 troops. He also fought in the War of 1812 and was made Lieutenant-Colonel of the army. Along with a war hero, he was our twelfth president. Sadly, he got sick and died before he could finish his presidency, which is why he is not able to attend our party.

STEPHEN DOUGLAS

           We are inviting Stephen Douglas because of his great leadership and his experience in the government. Some of his accomplishments are; wining the election to become legislature, becoming Judge of the Supreme Court of Illinois, being elected to the US House of Representatives, being elected to the US Senate, and being nominated to run for election in the US Presidential Race. He will be remembered as a great and intelligent man.

CONVERSATION 1Host to everyone- Welcome… I hope everyone will enjoy themselves with all the flavorful dishes catered from Whataburger. The first course will be served as soon as everyone is present and settled. 

(All the guests take their seats and prepare for dinner) 

(The servants bring out the dishes and place them on the table) Lincoln to Grant- How is the war going Mr. Grant? One country can only take so much division, ours a little more than

others, but nonetheless only so much. Grant to Lincoln- The war is looking grim with both sides becoming increasingly violent towards one another. It is a sad

sight to see brothers kill brothers. Lee to Grant- It is indeed! And among other things, I believe that we have earned our freedom from that great ‘ol nation of yours. Lincoln to Lee- I don’t think so Mr. Lee, I still have hope that we will pull through this as a nation united. Gatling to anyone- And my gun invention should help after it’s perfected! Lee to Lincoln- Well to do that you will have to occupy the entire Confederacy, which we will defend with our lives! Lincoln to Lee- Your words are brutally honest, and that upsets me for that what I am known for, so I now claim your

land and use it as the national Union cemetery. Lee to Lincoln- Don’t you dare!!! 

(Lee rises from his chair, threateningly) F. Douglas to both-Calm down... Enjoy this great meal that our superior hosts have served us.

CONVERSATION 2Fleming to Grant- It is so nice to finally meet you sir. I have been fighting hard under your army for many days and nights.Grant to Fleming- Well, I am glad you are fighting valiantly, and that you are not fighting for him.Fleming to Grant- Who sir?Grant to Fleming- Robert E. Lee, of course.Lee to Grant- What was that Grant?Grant to Lee- Nothing.Fleming to Grant- Well I am glad I’m not fighting for those Confederates.(Fleming then goes to the restroom)Grant to Lee- Hey when are you going to start fighting Lee?(Grant chuckles)Lee to Grant- Shut up Grant, I have not yet begun to fight.(Lee than stands up ready to fight)Hosts to Lee- Sit back down and calm yourself.(Lee sits down)Lee to F. Douglas- Can you get me a drink.F.Douglas to Lee- Mr. Lee, I am not your servantLee to F. Douglas- My apologies Mr. Douglas, I forgot we are not in the South anymore.(F. Douglas rolls his eyes at Lee)Fleming to Guests- I am back, did I miss anything?Lee to Fleming- No Flemin’, now just sit down and eat your dang burger.(Fleming quickly sits down)Lincoln to Guests- Now that the excitement is over, let us all enjoy our delicious meals of greasy burgers and fries.(The guests continue to eat their meals in small talk)