Much has been made of the comparison between the new Duchess of Cambridge's wedding dress and Princess Grace of Monaco's wedding dress, but many failed to comment on the inspiration this royal bride drew from the Victorian period. Although the Duchess was a rather modern bride in many ways, such as leaving her reception in an Aston Martin rather than a carriage, she paid close attention to traditional detail that hearkened back to brides of ages past.

Beginning with her Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen gown, the Duchess was quite involved with the design. It was constructed using the same methods that were used in the nineteenth century. The floral lace appliqués were made using the Carrickmacross lace-making technique that originated in Ireland in the 1820s. Additionally, the cut and shape of the gown was constructed much like the classic Victorian hourglass figure. The narrow waist would have looked Victorian in itself but the designer added the extra detail of padding around the Duchess' hips. Along with the heavy pleating around the waist, designed to resemble an opening flower, the basic engineering of the gown was not unlike that of the mid-to-late Victorian period. The floral lace appliqués used on her dress were roses, thistle, daffodils and shamrocks. Roses are the national symbol of England. Thistle is the national symbol of Scotland. Daffodils are the national symbol of Wales as well as being a symbol of new beginnings. Shamrocks are the national symbol of Ireland.

For the flowers, the Duchess did not simply choose things that she found pretty. Everything used to decorate Westminster Abbey and the flowers carried by the bride and bridesmaids were carefully chosen for their meanings as well as their ability to sustain beyond the wedding day. The language of the flowers is a lost art form that I was very glad to see the Duchess observe in her wedding.

In her bridal bouquet, the Duchess carried Lilies-of-the-Valley, Hyacinth, Sweet William, and Myrtle. Traditionally, the Lily-of-the-Valley symbolizes sweetness and renewed happiness. Hyacinth symbolizes constancy. Sweet William, aside from the nod to her future husband, symbolizes gallantry, finesse and perfection. Perhaps the most special addition to the bridal bouquet was Myrtle, which symbolizes love, mirth and joy. Every royal bride since Queen Victoria has had a sprig of Myrtle in her bouquet. The Myrtle comes from a tree which grew from a cutting of Queen Victoria's own bridal bouquet Myrtle. Since then, each royal bride has included a sprig from the original plant in her bouquet, and they then plant their sprigs in Queen Victoria's garden as well. In fact, the tradition is that the bridesmaids plant the sprigs in the garden. Supposedly, if it doesn't root and grow, the bridesmaid who planted it will be an old maid. Luckily for them, myrtle roots very easily.

The language of the flowers continued in the elaborate eight-tiered wedding cake. It was a traditional English fruitcake with about 900 handmade sugar-paste flowers and the new monogram W with a C. The Duchess reportedly did not want a towering thin cake as royals have used in the past, nor did she want anything horribly overdone, reflecting her sensitivity to the state of the international economy. Each flower was chosen carefully by the Duchess for its meaning and her desire that the flowers tell a story throughout the wedding. This is very Victorian in attitude and her foremothers would have considered their flowers in a similar way. She chose seventeen different flowers and sent a list to the baker, who felt unsure about how to put so many flowers on one cake.

The flowers on the royal wedding cake:

Rose (white) - national symbol of England
Daffodil - national symbol of Wales, new beginnings
Shamrock - national symbol of Ireland
Thistle - national symbol of Scotland
Acorns, oak leaf - strength, endurance
Myrtle - love
Ivy - wedded love, marriage
Lily of the valley - sweetness, humility
Rose (bridal) - happiness, love
Sweet William - grant me one smile
Honeysuckle - the bond of love
Apple blossom - preference, good fortune
White heather - protection, wishes will come true
Jasmine (white) - amiability
Daisy - innocence, beauty, simplicity
Orange blossom - marriage, eternal love, fruitfulness
Lavender - ardent attachment, devotion, success, and luck

As someone who feels quite at ease with the Victorian period, the new Duchess of Cambridge's nods to very old tradition were quite heartwarming to witness.

In light of Kate Middleton becoming Princess Catherine on Friday, I thought I would post this video that shows royal bridal gowns through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Queen Victoria's wedding dress is heavily featured in this video. Look at these gorgeous gowns.

On this day in 1861, Robert E. Lee resigned his position with the United States Army in order to defend his home state of Virginia in the Confederate Army.

From Wikipedia:

Lee privately ridiculed the Confederacy in letters in early 1861, denouncing secession as "revolution" and a betrayal of the efforts of the founders. Writing to his son William Fitzhugh, Lee stated, "I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union." While he was not opposed in principle to secession Lee wanted all peaceful ways of resolving the differences between North and South—such as the Crittenden Compromise—to be tried first, and was one of the few to foresee a long and difficult war.

The commanding general of the Union Army, Winfield Scott, told Lincoln he wanted Lee for a top command. Lee accepted a promotion to colonel on March 28. He had earlier been asked by one of his lieutenants if he intended to fight for the Confederacy or the Union, to which Lee replied, "I shall never bear arms against the Union, but it may be necessary for me to carry a musket in the defense of my native state, Virginia, in which case I shall not prove recreant to my duty." Meanwhile, Lee ignored an offer of command from the CSA. After Lincoln's call for troops to put down the rebellion, it was obvious that Virginia would quickly secede. Lee turned down an April 18 offer by presidential aide Francis P. Blair to command the defense of Washington D.C. as a major general as he feared that the job might require him to invade the South. When Lee asked Scott if he could stay home and not participate in the war, the general replied "I have no place in my army for equivocal men."

Lee resigned from the Army on April 20, and took up command of the Virginia state forces on April 23. While historians have usually called his decision inevitable ("the answer he was born to make", wrote one; another called it a "no-brainer") given the ties to family and state, recent research shows that the choice was a difficult one that Lee made alone, without pressure from friends or family. His daughter Mary Custis was the only one among those close to Lee who favored secession, and wife Mary Anna especially favored the Union, so his decision astounded them. While Lee's immediate family followed him to the Confederacy others, such as cousins and fellow officers Samuel Phillips and John Fitzgerald, remained loyal to the Union, as did 40% of all Virginian officers.

On this day in 1861, President Lincoln formally ordered a blockade on all Southern ports. The war strategy had been planned as a three-pronged approach. The army would strike in the east, and through the western breadbasket of the Confederacy, and the naval blockade would strangle the South into submission. With the blockade in place, trade could not take place with outside nations, nor could the Confederacy be supplied by outside nations. The South depended on imported goods for survival, as well as exporting cotton. The blockade became known as the Anaconda Plan in the way that it resembled a snake on the map strangling the life out of the South. Almost immediately, blockade runners began profiting from the South's desperate need for goods because smaller cargo ships could slip by largely undetected.

Here is Lincoln's order.

Whereas an insurrection against the Government of the United States has broken out in the States of South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, and the laws of the United States for the collection of the revenue cannot be effectually executed therein comformably to that provision of the Constitution which requires duties to be uniform throughout the United States:

And whereas a combination of persons engaged in such insurrection, have threatened to grant pretended letters of marque to authorize the bearers thereof to commit assaults on the lives, vessels, and property of good citizens of the country lawfully engaged in commerce on the high seas, and in waters of the United States: And whereas an Executive Proclamation has been already issued, requiring the persons engaged in these disorderly proceedings to desist therefrom, calling out a militia force for the purpose of repressing the same, and convening Congress in extraordinary session, to deliberate and determine thereon:

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, with a view to the same purposes before mentioned, and to the protection of the public peace, and the lives and property of quiet and orderly citizens pursuing their lawful occupations, until Congress shall have assembled and deliberated on the said unlawful proceedings, or until the same shall ceased, have further deemed it advisable to set on foot a blockade of the ports within the States aforesaid, in pursuance of the laws of the United States, and of the law of Nations, in such case provided. For this purpose a competent force will be posted so as to prevent entrance and exit of vessels from the ports aforesaid. If, therefore, with a view to violate such blockade, a vessel shall approach, or shall attempt to leave either of the said ports, she will be duly warned by the Commander of one of the blockading vessels, who will endorse on her register the fact and date of such warning, and if the same vessel shall again attempt to enter or leave the blockaded port, she will be captured and sent to the nearest convenient port, for such proceedings against her and her cargo as prize, as may be deemed advisable.

And I hereby proclaim and declare that if any person, under the pretended authority of the said States, or under any other pretense, shall molest a vessel of the United States, or the persons or cargo on board of her, such person will be held amenable to the laws of the United States for the prevention and punishment of piracy.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this nineteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, and of the Independence of the United States the eighty-fifth.

One of the most common issues with women trying to accurately enter the reenacting world is the lack of proper hair. Let's face it, our foremothers were rockin' runway hair long before there was a runway. Hair that long simply isn't practical in this modern age in which we don't have servants to maintain our coif. So, unfortunately, period correct portrayals often suffer in this area for women today.

Some reenactor sutler companies sell rather sorry looking hair pieces to try and add ready-made buns, length or sausage curls, but they can be spotted from a mile away. They remind tourists that they are looking at make believe rather than feeling immersed in the reenactment or living history. Throughout history, hair has been considered "a woman's crowning glory" which is why they kept it so long. In my opinion, if a reenactress wishes to put her best portrayal out there, she needs to consider all aspects of the nineteenth century woman, not just which dress looks the prettiest. You can have the best, most accurate dress out there, but if you're walking around in a little bob or some other overly sculpted hairstyle, you will always remind tourists that you're just acting. I believe the best portrayals make the tourist believe you fell out of the 1860s. They are more apt to pay attention to what you can teach them.

Today my friend in London was raving about her new hair extensions. I never wanted to try hair extensions before because I don't like the idea of a hair dresser sewing fake hair to my existing hair or using glue or attaching with tracks on my scalp. It all sounded like torture. She posted the how-to video and I watched it in awe at how easy it is and how real it looks. My mind immediately went to reenacting and how these extensions could be used to give ladies instant long hair for their event that can be curled or straight because it is all real hair. If you reenact a lot, it might be worth investing in these extensions. I believe they will greatly improve the quality of your portrayal. They run between $90 and $120, which sounds a bit pricey, but going to the salon to have it done costs a lot more. Some women spend hundreds of dollars on extensions. I believe this is an option worth considering. I'm definitely going to save up my money.

Watch the how-to video.

On this day 150 years ago, Fort Sumter fell into Confederate hands. The Civil War began, ushering in four years of blood, fire, death, separation and anguish for all American people. More people were killed in those four years than all other American wars combined to date.

The scale of devastation could not be comprehended by the modern mind. Typically, I use 9/11 as a way to compare. A few thousand people were killed that day and the devastation is still felt today. It was not uncommon for casualties to be in the thousands or tens of thousand in battle after battle. The devastation was relentless and never let up for the entire war. Taking the feelings one experienced in the months surrounding 9/11 and stretching that out into blow after blow for years offers an idea of what this country endured in the Civil War.

It is the individual stories, however, that brings it home for people today. Perhaps the most compelling, famous and gut-wrenching letter of the war was written by Sullivan Ballou. I thought about posting the text of the letter here but it wouldn't have the same affect as hearing it read out loud. Please listen to this man's emotional words and think about what your own ancestors endured in the war.

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a Freemason. Not only that but the very man who tried to block his commission as lieutenant colonel in the 20th Maine ended up being the one to "sponsor" his entrance into the order!

In July of 1862, when Chamberlain wrote to Maine's Governor Washburn asking for a position in the army, he said: "But, I fear, this war, so costly of blood and treasure, will not cease until the men of the North are willing to leave good positions, and sacrifice the dearest personal interests, to rescue our country from desolation, and defend the national existence against treachery at home and jealousy abroad."

Governor Washburn was a family friend of the Chamberlains, having known both Lawrence's father and grandfather, and he began asking questions about the young professor. Josiah Drummond was the Attorney General at the time and was decidedly against Lawrence being appointed to any position in the army. He wrote to Governor Washburn and said, in part: "Have you appointed Chamberlain Col. Of the 20th? His old classmates etc. here say you have been deceived: that C. is nothing at all: that is the universal expression of those who knew him."

Nevertheless, the governor offered Chamberlain the commission of colonel of the 20th Maine, which Chamberlain declined, saying that he thought he needed to be in a lesser position in order to learn the ways of the army. And so, he was commissioned as lieutenant colonel of the 20th Maine, second-in-command, serving under Colonel Adelbert Ames. As Chamberlain prepared to leave for war, he joined the wave of Maine men applying to become Masons.

During the Civil War years, many Maine men who found themselves on the verge of entering military service were applying in haste for the degrees of Masonry. It is quite probable that they felt it would be helpful to be members of this great Order during their participation in the conflict. The historical records of United Lodge No. 8 in Brunswick reveal that Chamberlain was numbered among this group. We do not know for certain what his primary motivation was to join this great fraternity, but it would seem likely that he had received favorable reports about this ancient institution from colleagues on the Bowdoin faculty who were Masons. The principles of Freemasonry were certainly consistent with the moral principles that guided his life.

Because of the pressure being pla ced on lodges to waive the usual waiting period of a month, and the Grand Lodge of Maine's concern that hurry-up work might result in a weakening of the Order at its foundation level, it was decreed that dispensations must be secured and a fee of five dollars charged for a waiver. At a special communication of United Lodge No. 8, held on the evening of August 27, 1862, the secretary presented a dispensation from Grand Master Josiah H. Drumond, to allow Chamberlain to take his Masonic degrees in less than the prescribed time. This, in itself, was somewhat unusual, for dispensations were usually handled by the District Deputy Grand Master. A ballot was taken and Chamberlain was accepted for the Entered Apprentice Degree. While he was being notified of his acceptance and in the process of being brought to the lodge to take the degree, another ballot was taken and it was voted to confer upon him the Fellowcraft Degree. Thus, on that very same night, he was initiated as an Entered Apprentice and passed to the degree of Fellowcraft. At 8:00 a.m. the very next morning, the lodge reconvened and he was raised to the sublime degree of Master Mason. On September 12, 1862, he was proposed as a member, and on October 7, 1862, a ballot was taken and he was officially elected a member of United Lodge.

Within a matter of days, he and the 20th Maine Regiment were off to Washington, arriving there on Sunday, September 7, 1862. *

As a granddaughter and great-granddaughter many times over of many Freemasons, I feel that Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was a great example of what it meant to be part of the great fraternity.

* "General and Brother Joshua L. Chamberlain: A Mason Who Had the Soul of a Lion and the Heart of a Woman," by Charles W. Plummer, in The Maine Mason, volume 19, number 1, Spring 1991, pages 8-11.

** Thanks to Tom Desjardin for helping me collect the information for this blog.

We are coming up on the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. I thought I would introduce my 150th Series, which is a series of blog posts that will describe events paralleled with the appropriate anniversaries. Sometimes the blog posts will be about Fanny and Lawrence. Sometimes they will not. They will, however, show you the war through the eyes of the people who lived it, not just dry statistics and military maneuvers.

On the left, there is a contemporary painting by Dale Gallon depicting Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain standing behind his seated wife, Fanny. There is a hint of anxiety in her pose as she fidgets with her wedding ring and holds a handkerchief. Lieutenant Colonel Chamberlain stands tall, as if expecting the war to be the greatest period of his life. This is an entirely accurate representation, in my opinion, of the state of the Chamberlain marriage as the newly commissioned Lieutenant Colonel Chamberlain was preparing to leave civilian life for combat and command.

But we're jumping ahead. He was not commissioned until the summer of 1862 even though President Lincoln's call for volunteers went out in the spring of 1861.

So why did Chamberlain wait so long to volunteer?

In April of 1861, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was 32-years-old, turning 33 in September. He had been married to Fanny since 1855 and he had been working as a professor at Bowdoin College since 1856. They had four children in those six years together, although a son died as the result of premature birth in 1857 and a daughter died of scarlet fever in 1860, having not even reached her first birthday. Needless to say, the Chamberlain family was quite young and utterly dependent on him for survival, despite Fanny's premarital offers to continue teaching music to supplement his weak college income. The joy of beginning their family from 1855 - 1861 was quite dampened by the deaths of two children, several of Fanny's relatives, and the tragic death of Lawrence's younger brother, Horace, later on December 7, 1861. So while the young Chamberlain family grew, a dark cloud hung over them at the beginning of the Civil War.

Chamberlain felt the pull to enlist but resisted due to pressure from his family and Bowdoin. His father felt that the rebellion in the South had nothing to do with their life in Maine and began the war from a decidedly antiwar standpoint. His wife had long endured their separations throughout their nearly decade-long relationship and had no interest in sending a husband off to war while she raised their small children alone. As for Bowdoin College, some of the upperclassmen enlisted immediately upon Lincoln's call for 75,000 volunteers and the college itself organized companies like the Bowdoin Guard and the Bowdoin Zuaves. The college fought Chamberlain on his enlistment and dangled a career promotion that he wanted in order to try and keep him in Maine.

And so, as Chamberlain watched the news reports come in of the shots fired at Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861, he remained safely ensconced at home in Brunswick, Maine. He watched 1861 progress from afar, drift into 1862, and he awaited his opportunity to defend his country. In doing so, he knew it would strain his marriage, upset his family, and possibly cost him his job, but he could not ignore his conscience as long as his students were fighting and dying in the field. Eventually, he would get his way....