The Key West Extension of the Florida East Coast Railroad was a demonstration of America's burgeoning confidence, technological ingenuity and "can do" spirit expressed in the creation of other marvels such as the Golden Gate Bridge, Hoover Dam and the Empire State Building.

Subtle yet persistent forces have shaped the manner in which the Revolutionary War has become an American cultural icon. Once again, we can consider the historical treatment of Washington and Lee... not Robert E. Lee this time, but his father: Henry “Light Horse Harry” Lee III. 

Are those who violently rise up against existing authority considered to be Rebels, or Revolutionaries? It’s a fair question, though the answer is often arrived at unfairly. Recall the old maxim “History is written by the winners”.

The end of the Civil War saw the country awash in weapons of all kinds. Over a million short and long arms had been imported and armories in the North and South were running at full capacity right up to Lee's surrender.

The Confederacy needed arms and ammunition from foreign suppliers on an ongoing basis to prosecute the war. That they were successful beyond all expectations is astonishing, even into the spring of 1865.

In 1861, an agent of the CSA contracted with a Philadelphia engraver to strike One Cent coins from copper-nickel alloy.

Just four Confederate Half Dollars were struck at the New Orleans mint in 1861; one was kept by Jefferson Davis as a good luck charm.