History + Instagram = Us

Hello all,

Toby and I both have a healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) interest in history. He, being a history teacher, is all about certain events and time periods and is keenly interested in wartime eras...specifically the Civil War era and events. I, on the other hand, am an English major and my history interests are based on the books I've read and the time periods they came from (such as the Victoria and Edwardian eras...in British history of course).

Well, Toby has been watching a documentary on The Civil War by Ken Burns and has therefore been kind of obsessed with all things 1860s. Some of you may remember this obsession beginning this summer on our road trip to Delaware. So needless to say it has been months of researching Lincoln, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and the various jackets that they wore (because he LOVES jackets) and boy has it been entertaining. In light of all this, we embarked on a little instagram project: #civilwarportrait.

We basically posted photos of ourselves that we edited to look like old photographs and made up stories about who we were. They were not serious, just kind silly/funny. Whether others laughed or not, we were totally dying making this stuff up. Before anyone gets all bent out of shape, just know that we are not like "yay we loved the horrific war where many died and there were horrible things happeneing". No. We just like the time period and are fascinated by certain individuals. We are an interracial couple so let's not even go there with the race card.

Just had to say that, so you guys know what's up.

Anyways, here are out photos!

In January 1862, Colonel Theodore Manolis led the great charge up old Pike's
Hill, only to fin there was no one there to fight.
"Some said it was God's providence, others said it was just poor map navigation.
Either way, they took the hill and won the day."
--Colonel Theodore Manolis

As the war raged on in the winter of 1862, the wife of Colonel Theodore Manolis
kept the home fires burning and hope alive on the homefront.
"My Dearest Theodore,
although I hear the cannons and shudder at their power, I think to myself,
"well, this washing won't do itself," so I do it. And that gives me hope."
--from the letters of Brooke Manolis

Colonel Manolis and his wife along with his officers and staff of the 25th regiment took this photograph prior to the assault on Old Pike's Hill. All pictured survived.
"Although joined by war and not by blood, we were a family. But when we got to the top o' Old Pike's and realized
we were on the wrong hill, Old Manolis nearly had a mutiny on his hands...which of course was all pretend...in reality
we were happy to still be breathin' the Lord's good air for another day."
--PVT Gabrielle Basa, 25th  Regiment

Haha! And there you have it.

~B~