New McKinley Book

[TerryB]

Karl Rove has a book out on the 1896 Election, and he seems to have done a lot of research. I just watched him on C_SPAN and was impressed. I only know about McKinley's role in the Spanish-American war and the fact that he was assassinated. My avatar, Col. Pointer wrote him a note in 1898 urging that he be made a brigadier in the war at Wheeler's recommendation. The note was in Col. Pointer's files at NARA, along with some Civil War material that was all filed under the Spanish-American War. McKinley had a reputation for high integrity, and I found that very impressive. He won the 1896 election against William Jennings Bryan with 51 % of the vote.

So what did McKinley do in the Civil War?

 

[Aussie Billy Sherman]

Wasn't that the election with former rebel general Buckner as VP on the losing ticket? As for McKinley, there's a good seminar on YouTube from Gettysburg national park about the civil war careers of future presidents. It's goes into some detail about what they all did. Grant isn't included.

 

[photoman475]

McKinley enlisted with the 23rd Ohio Infantry in June 1861, and served until July 1865. He started as a private and ended the war as a brevet major. His commanding officer was Col. Rutherford Hayes. During the war he served as a company commander and on the staffs of Gen. Crook and Gen. Hancock. He was in several battles; Antietam, Opequon, Cedar Creek and Fisher's Hill being several of them, and chased Morgan's raiders in Ohio.

 

[TerryB]

Wasn't that the election with former rebel general Buckner as VP on the losing ticket? As for McKinley, there's a good seminar on YouTube from Gettysburg national park about the civil war careers of future presidents. It's goes into some detail about what they all did. Grant isn't included.

Buckner was VP candidate for a split-off faction of the Dems--those who were pro-gold standard. Bryan got the nomination by making his famous "cross of gold" speech at the Democratic Convention.