Teri Thackston

Thanksgiving Day 1865

In December of 1865, the United States was involved in recovery from its civil war. President Andrew Johnson proclaimed that on the first Thursday of that month—December 7—Americans should observe a day of national thanksgiving to God for the blessings of peace and unity.

However, many folks throughout the newly reunited country felt far from thankful—in the past few brutal years, they had lost loved ones and property they could never recover. Injuries sustained in battle were often catastrophic, affecting the wounded and their families for the rest of their lives. There were constant reminders everywhere one turned—especially in the South—of bitter and painful losses. Recovery promised to be a difficult road to follow.

But most people realized that there were also causes of gratitude to Almighty God that were beyond counting, and so they drew close to family and friends to observe December 7 as a day of thanksgiving. In my latest book, The Prosecution of Lt. Tabor Chandler, I have tried to give some flavor of that period in a small coastal Texas town as its citizens struggle to recover.

Here is the proclamation issued by President Andrew Johnson in 1865:

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Whereas it has pleased Almighty God during the year which is now coming to an end to relieve our beloved country from the fearful scourge of civil war and to permit us to secure the blessings of peace, unity, and harmony, with a great enlargement of civil liberty; and

Whereas our Heavenly Father has also during the year graciously averted from us the calamities of foreign war, pestilence, and famine, while our granaries are full of the fruits of an abundant season; and

Whereas righteousness exalteth a nation, while sin is a reproach to any people:

Now, therefore, be it known that I, Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, do hereby recommend to the people thereof that they do set apart and observe the first Thursday of December next as a day of national thanksgiving to the Creator of the Universe for these great deliverances and blessings.

And I do further recommend that on that occasion the whole people make confession of our national sins against His infinite goodness, and with one heart and one mind implore the divine guidance in the ways of national virtue and holiness.

In testimony 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 28th day of October, A.D. 1865, and of the Independence of the United States of America the ninetieth.

ANDREW JOHNSON.

By the President:

WILLIAM H SEWARD,

Secretary of State.

 

Weather as a Character

in Western Romance

As a survivor of several Houston-area floods, summer heat and occasional ice storms, I know that weather affects our actions and our moods. From whether or not we travel--and where--to how we dress, weather impacts us every day.

I always try to work the weather into in my stories, using it to affect characters and plots...usually in negative ways. After all, negativity usually equals conflict, and conflict usually equals a ripping good story.

When choosing a time-period for western romance novels, I always research the actual weather conditions at particular places and times in history . Was the weather rainy, blistering hot or mildly chilly? Traffic is impacted today, but imagine what it would have been like in the late 1800s. Mucky roads would bog down stagecoaches. Droughts would make a cattle drive miserable. Cold winter winds would slow down the most intrepid of travelers.

I decided to set The Prosecution of Lt. Tabor Chandler in late 1865, a few months after the end of the Civil War, and following the timeline of previous books in the series. In that time, my characters would still be seeking answers to the effects of the war on their psyche. Unusual winter storms would intensify their moods, as well as influence their dress and ability to conduct a stagecoach business. It would also throw them together for shelter. Here are a few examples.

What happens when your specific time-period, place and weather don't work out? Author privilege comes into play. You fudge the time a bit. Tabor's story is again an example. I couldn't find information on Texas coastal weather in 1865, but 1864 had a cold fall and winter. I made an assumption that the next year would be similar. If my assumption is wrong...well, it's just a story, after all.

Not taking advantage of the weather can be a lost opportunity to establish mood in characters as well as in the overall story.

 

September 3, 1895

On this day in 1895, the last surviving signer of the Texas Declaration of Independence, died less than two weeks before his ninety-first birthday. William Carrol Crawford was a native of North Carolina. He moved to Texas in 1835, settling in Shelby County. He and Sydney O. Penington represented Shelby County at the Convention of 1836 which took place in Washington-on-the-Brazos. There, they participated in writing the Texas Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the Republic of Texas. Although all the signers are long gone, they documented in writing the spirit of independence that has continued in Texans to this day. One has only to look at the way Texans responded to the tragedy of Hurricane Harvey over this past ten days or so to see that the spirit of our early colonies is still alive and strong. May it continue as “…we fearlessly and confidently commit the issue to the decision of the Supreme arbiter of the destinies of nations.”

August 20, 1886

I’ve been fascinated by the story of Indianola, Texas for years. At one time, it was the second busiest port in Texas—after Galveston—with deep-water piers and as many as five thousand residents. But two nineteenth-century hurricanes made it obvious that it was a town that wasn’t meant to be. On this day in 1886, the town, which was located on Matagorda Bay in Calhoun County, was wiped out by the second hurricane and fire. All that remains is an old cistern and a quiet beach, along with a few written memories by former residents to inspire the imagination.



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