Today in History for Feb. 27, 2018

Grave of Robert Lee Page.

Feb. 27, 1776 – During the American Revolutionary War, 1,000 Patriots troops under the command of Richard Caswell defeated 1,600 British Loyalist militia at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina, the first American victory in the first organized campaign of the Revolutionary War.

Feb. 27, 1782 – During the American Revolutionary War, the House of Commons of Great Britain voted against further war in America.

Feb. 27, 1807 – Poet and author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine. His most famous works include “Ballads and Other Poems” (1841), “Evangeline” (1847), “The Song of Hiawatha” (1855) and “The Courtship of Miles Standish” (1858).

Feb. 27, 1827 - The first Mardi Gras in New Orleans took place with a group of masked and costumed students dancing through the streets.

Feb. 27, 1829 – William Barrett Travis passed his law exam at Claiborne, Ala., allowing him to practice the profession of attorney at law. Seven years later, he would be the commander of the ill-fated Alamo, with only a few days left to live.

Feb. 27, 1834 – Portland, Maine native William Coombs, also known as “The Brokenhearted Stranger,” died at Claiborne, Ala. He was buried in the Old Cemetery at Claiborne. (Some sources say he died in 1838.)

Feb. 27, 1836 - Work continued on the batteries and entrenchments ringing the Alamo, and Santa Anna sent foraging parties to nearby ranches to look for supplies.  

Feb. 27, 1860 – Abraham Lincoln made an anti-slavery speech at the Cooper Union in the city of New York that was largely responsible for his election to the Presidency. About 1,500 people were in attendance and The New York Times reprinted the speech in its entirety.

Feb. 27, 1860 – Just moments before his speech at the Cooper Union, Abraham Lincoln posed for the first of several portraits by noted Civil War-era photographer Mathew Brady. Days later, the photograph was published on the cover of Harper's Bazaar with the caption, “Hon. Abram [sic] Lincoln, of Illinois, Republican Candidate for President.”

Feb. 27, 1862 – The Confederate Congress gave President Jefferson Davis the authority to suspend the right (or privilege) of habeas corpus. The right (or privilege) of habeas corpus was enshrined in the Constitution of the Confederate States of America as well as the one in Washington from which it came. Based on much older common law, it required that persons only be arrested on the basis of a warrant issued by a judge, specifying what law had been broken. Davis, actually, used this authority much less than Lincoln eventually would.

Feb. 27, 1863 – Confederate Naval Captain Raphael Semmes, the captain of the CSS Alabama, captured the merchant vessel Washington with a cannonball which, Semmes wrote, “wet the people on her poop [deck], by the spray of a shot...” The ship, undamaged, was released on a bond.

Feb. 27, 1863 – During the Civil War, a Federal operation was conducted out from Fort Pillow, Tenn., and a skirmish was fought in the vicinity of Bloomington, Tenn., on the Hatchie River. A two-day Federal reconnaissance from Centreville to Falmouth, Va. began.

Feb. 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, the first Northern prisoners arrived at the Confederate prison at Andersonville, Georgia (Camp Sumter). Nearly a quarter of all inmates died in captivity during the war. Henry Wirz, the commandant of the 16-acre prison, was executed in the aftermath of the Civil War for the brutality and the mistreatment committed under his command.

Feb. 27, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Pinos Altos in the Arizona Territory; at Madison and Sharon, Miss.; near Dalton, Ga.; near Poplar Bluff, Mo.; and in the Sequatchie Valley, Tenn. The Confederate salt works on Goose Creek, near St. Mark’s, Fla. were destroyed.

Feb. 27, 1865 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Spring Place, Ga.; in the vicinity of Sturgeon, Mo.; and at Mount Elon and Cloud’s House, S.C.

Feb. 27, 1865 – During the Civil War, what would prove to be the final Federal operation in the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia began. Spring was not quite yet come to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, but Phil Sheridan’s men were stirring anyway. Ten thousand cavalrymen, under command of Wesley Merritt, departed on this day from Winchester, heading south. All that the Confederacy had left to oppose them were two weak brigades, headed by Jubal Early. Merritt’s orders were to wreck the Virginia Central Railroad, and do what damage he could to the James River Canal.

Feb. 27, 1886 – U.S. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black was born in Ashland, Ala.

Feb. 27, 1890 - A 100-round boxing match was fought in San Francisco, and declared to be a draw after 6-1/2 hours.

Feb. 27, 1894 – The Pine Belt News newspaper in Brewton, Ala. was established.

Feb. 27, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that Marcus Sowell left during the previous week for Jasper, Ala., where he planned to begin reading law in the office of his brother, Col. T.L. Sowell.

Feb. 27, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from its correspondent from Manistee, that there would be preaching at Pleasant Hill church on the first Sabbath in every month, and also the Saturday before. “We are proud to have our noble brother Lambert to serve us, after having such a devoted minister as brother S.P. Lindsey. Brother L. is one of our oldest and best Ministers. We are glad to know that the Sabbath school at Pleasant Hill continues in the afternoon. The teachers, Misses Wills and Moore, are working earnestly.”

Feb. 27, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that J.J. Simpson had the misfortune to lose his gin and grist mill at Repton by fire one day during the previous week. The fire was accidental, and he had no insurance.

Feb. 27, 1896 – The Monroe Journal reported that the unexpected death of Miss Ada Thames, who was buried at McConnico Cemetery on Feb. 27, had “cast a halo of gloom over all her friends and relatives “at Perdue Hill.

Feb. 27, 1902 – Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, Calif. His most famous works include “Tortilla Flat” (1935), “Of Mice and Men” (1937) and “The Grapes of Wrath” (1939).

Feb. 27, 1908 - Major League Baseball adopted a sacrifice fly rule for the first time. It was repealed, reinstated and then changed several times before being permanently accepted in 1954.

Feb. 27, 1912 - The New York Yankees announced that they would be wearing pinstripes on their uniforms.

Feb. 27, 1915 - “The Valley of Fear” by Arthur Conan Doyle was published in novel form.

Feb. 27, 1916 - After completing their conquest of Serbia and Montenegro, the Austro-Hungarian army turned its attentions toward Albania, occupying the coastal city of Durazzo on the Adriatic Sea.

Feb. 27, 1917 - John Connally, the governor of Texas who was shot during the John F. Kennedy assassination, was born in Floresville, Texas.

Feb. 27, 1919 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Sam Johnson of Flomaton, Ala. “died from disease.”

Feb. 27, 1919 – During World War I, Army Pvt. Henry Crenshaw of Greenville, Ala. “died from disease.”

Feb. 27, 1922 – Former Confederate soldier James Hampton Simpson passed away at the age of 77. Born on Dec. 18, 1844, he enlisted in Monroeville as a private in Co. F of the 36th Alabama Regiment on April 10, 1862. He surrendered at Greensboro, N.C. on April 26, 1865. After the war, he worked as a farmer, storekeeper and grist mill operator. He is buried in the Mexia Cemetery.

Feb. 27, 1928 - A movie version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “All Balled Up” was released.

Feb. 27, 1930 – The Monroe Journal reported, under the headline “COURT HOUSE SQUARE IS GREATLY IMPROVED,” that the “improvement of the court house square by the additional shrubbery set out is so noticeable that we are again referring to it. Perhaps no single improvement has changed the appearance of things in town so much, and the visitor is bound to be favorably impressed.”

Feb. 27, 1930 – The Monroe Journal reported, under the headline “NEW WATER SYSTEM FOR MONROEVILLE,” that “the work of installing the new water system for Monroeville is proceeding at a very gratifying rate. The large mains around the square are being laid rapidly, and work of erecting the new stand pipe is well along toward completion.”

Feb. 27, 1930 - The Alabama Military Institute Band was scheduled to give a concert at the Frisco City High School auditorium at 10:45 a.m. Thursday.

Feb. 27-28, 1931 – The first district basketball tournament was held in Evergreen, Ala. and included 10 teams. “Fob” James of Enterprise was the official referee.

Feb. 27, 1933 – Germany's parliament building in Berlin, the Reichstag, was set on fire; Marinus van der Lubbe, a young Dutch Communist claimed responsibility. The Nazis used the fire to solidify their power and eliminate the communists as political rivals.

Feb. 27, 1933 – Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver Raymond Berry was born in Corpus Christi, Texas. He went on to play for Southern Methodist and the Baltimore Colts and served as the head coach of the New England Patriots for five seasons. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1973.

Feb. 27, 1936 - Alabama author Helen Keller was interviewed on the radio program “The Fleischmann's Yeast Hour.”

Feb. 27, 1948 - Alabama author Trudier Harris was born in Mantua, Ala.

Feb. 27, 1950 - William Kendall “W.K.” Horton, age 86, died at a Montgomery hospital on this Monday night following an extended illness. Horton was a pioneer citizen and lifelong resident of Conecuh County. He was born and reared on a farm 10 miles from Evergreen on the Brooklyn Highway and lived there until a few years before 1950 when he moved to Evergreen. He owned a large farm and thousands of acres of timber land and engaged in farming, timbering and mercantile business. He also owned considerable business and residence property in Evergreen. He was president of the Bank of Evergreen, director of All States Life Insurance Co., Montgomery, stockholder in Andala Co., Andalusia, and had many and varied interests elsewhere. Funeral services were held from New Bethel Baptist Church on Wed., March 1, at 11 a.m., conducted by Rev. Sam Granade, pastor of the Evergreen Baptist Church. Interment was in the family lot in Horton Cemetery.

Feb. 27, 1951 - The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, limiting U.S. Presidents to two terms.

Feb. 27, 1953 - The South Alabama Conference Boys Tournament was scheduled to be played in the Conecuh County Training School gymnasium in Evergreen. Top players on CCTS’s boys team included Floyd Watts and Leonard Goldsmith.

Feb. 27, 1954 – According to J.H. Tranum, Chairman of the Conecuh County Board of Directors, this was the final day that bounties would be paid on foxes trapped in the county. Reports from various parts of the county together with information given to the Board by the County Health Department indicated that the rabies epidemic had subsided. Tranum said that through Sat., Feb. 20, bounties had been paid on about 30 foxes.

Feb. 27, 1962 - South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem survived another coup attempt when Republic of Vietnam Air Force pilots Lieutenants Pham Phu Quoc and Nguyen Van Cu try to kill him and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu by bombing and strafing the presidential palace.

Feb. 27, 1963 - Mickey Mantle signed a contact worth $100,000 with the New York Yankees.

Feb. 27, 1965 - Robert Lee Page, age 72, died at the home of Mike O’Brien in Baker, La. on this Saturday. Page was born in Evergreen on March 4, 1892. He was employed by the L&N Railroad Co. as train dispatcher and telegrapher for a number of years, working at local stations from Montgomery to Mobile, including about seven years at Georgiana. He later became associated with the Illinois Central Railroad as train dispatcher and after 41 years service, he retired as chief train dispatcher in 1958 with a total of more than 53 years service with two railroads.

Feb. 27, 1965 - The U.S. State Department released a 14,000-word report entitled “Aggression from the North–The Record of North Vietnam’s Campaign to Conquer South Vietnam.”

Feb. 27, 1969 - Communist forces shelled 30 military installations and nine towns in South Vietnam, in what becomes known as the “Post-Tet Offensive.”

Feb. 27, 1973 - Dick Allen of the Chicago White Sox signed a contract worth $250,000 a year for three years.

Feb. 27, 1975 – The Monroe Journal reported that the Monroe Academy varsity basketball team, led by Coach Melvin Middleton, won the District 3 basketball tournament of the Alabama Private School Athletic Association by upsetting the two teams thought most likely to win. The team beat Escambia Academy, then upset Wilcox Academy and Fort Dale Academy. Members of the team were Greg Petty, Chuck Lambert, Ricky Eddins, Sam Bowden, Hudson Lazenby, David Steele, Bryant Hooks, Harold King, John Winters, Ricky Robinson and Keith Pugh.

Feb. 27, 1976 – NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez was born in Torrance, Calif. He would go on to play for Cal, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons.

Feb. 27, 1978 – Liberty Chapel Church near Greenville, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Feb. 27, 1978 – The W.O. Carter Log House near Andalusia, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

Feb. 27, 1987 - The NCAA cancelled Southern Methodist University’s entire 1987 football schedule for gross violations of NCAA rules on athletic corruption.

Feb. 27, 1991 – During the Gulf War, U.S. President George H. W. Bush announced on U.S. television that "Kuwait is liberated. Iraq's army is defeated. I am pleased to announce that at midnight tonight, exactly 100 hours since ground operations began and six weeks since the start of Operation Desert Storm, all United States and coalition forces will suspend offensive combat operations."

Feb. 27, 1995 - Dr. Stanley Barnes was one of the featured speakers at a Black History Month program at Evergreen Junior High School on this Monday. Dr. Douglas Littles, Dean of Students at Reid State Technical College, was the other featured speaker.

Feb. 27-March 3, 2001 – Weather observer Harry Ellis reported 8.76 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala. over this five day period. Total rainfall for the month of February 2001 was 3.18 inches.

Feb. 27, 2002 - The Houston Astros announced that they had struck a deal with Enron to buy back the naming rights of their ballpark for $2.1 million. The ballpark would be called "Astros Field" until a new sponsor came along.

Feb. 27, 2003 - Emmitt Smith became a free agent for the first time when the Dallas Cowboys released him.

Feb. 27, 2011 – National Baseball Hall of Fame center fielder Duke Snider died at the age of 84 in Escondido, Calif. During his career, he played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Mets and the San Francisco Giants. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1980.