Podcast Episode 98: The St. Albans Raid

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St_Albans_Raiders.gif

Seemingly safe in northern New England, the residents of St. Albans, Vermont, were astonished in October 1864 when a group of Confederate soldiers appeared in their midst, terrorizing residents, robbing banks, and stealing horses. In this week’s episode of the Futility Closet podcast we’ll tell the story of the St. Albans raid, the northernmost land action of the Civil War.

We’ll also learn about Charles Darwin’s misadventures at the equator and puzzle over a groundskeeper’s strange method of tending grass.

Please consider becoming a patron of Futility Closet — on our Patreon page you can pledge any amount per episode, and all contributions are greatly appreciated. You can change or cancel your pledge at any time, and we’ve set up some rewards to help thank you for your support.

You can also make a one-time donation via the Donate button in the sidebar of the Futility Closet website.

Sources for our feature on the St. Albans raid:

Dennis K. Wilson, Justice Under Pressure: The Saint Albans Raid and Its Aftermath, 1992.

Robin W. Winks, The Civil War Years: Canada and the United States, 1998.

Stuart Lutz, “Terror in St. Albans,” Civil War Times Illustrated 40:3 (June 2001).

Rick Beard, “When the Rebels Invaded Vermont,” New York Times, Oct. 17, 2014.

“A Reminiscence of the St. Albans Raid,” Montreal Daily Witness, April 5, 1878.

“Confederate Raid on St. Albans, Vt.,” Pittsburgh Gazette Times, Oct 21, 1914.

“Leader of Raid on St. Albans, Vermont, Centre of Controversy at Champlain Celebration,” Boston Evening Transcript, May 9, 1912.

Edgar Andrew Collard, “Of Many Things …,” Montreal Gazette, March 28, 1969.

“English View of the St. Albans Raid Case,” Halifax Morning Chronicle, Jan. 24, 1865.

Listener mail:

Wikipedia, “Line-Crossing Ceremony” (accessed March 18, 2016).

R.D. Keynes, ed., Charles Darwin’s Beagle Diary, 2001.

Jacqueline Klimas, “Navy Leaders Try to Stamp Out Hazing, But Many Sailors Question the Rules,” Military Times, July 2, 2013.

Wikipedia, “Plimsoll Shoe” (accessed March 18, 2016).

This week’s lateral thinking puzzle is from Paul Sloane and Des MacHale’s 1998 book Ingenious Lateral Thinking Puzzles.

You can listen using the player above, download this episode directly, or subscribe on iTunes or via the RSS feed at http://feedpress.me/futilitycloset.

Many thanks to Doug Ross for the music in this episode.

If you have any questions or comments you can reach us at podcast@futilitycloset.com. Thanks for listening!