Wark Castle and its Artillery Defences in the Reign of Henry VIII

Abstract

An examination of documents relating to Wark Castle suggests that it may have played a significant part in the evolution of gunport design in the early years of Henry VIII’s reign. The article ends with comparative diagrams of English and continental gunports predating 1539.     

The Supreme Court Argument that Saved the Union: Richard Henry Dana, Jr., and the Prize Cases

On January 1, 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, claiming constitutional authority to do so “as a fit and necessary war measure.” The epic struggle between North and South had been raging for nearly two years. There were over a million soldiers under arms. At Antietam there had been more than 20,000 casualties in the bloodiest single day of battle in American history. ¹ But was it, in point of law, a war?