News Election 2021

PHOTOS: National Guard sleeping in Capitol is echo of Civil War⁣

To most Americans, the sight of armed National Guard troops sleeping in the Capitol Rotunda this past week was shocking and disturbing. ⁣
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But it also was an echo of the far-distant past — the Capitol was used as a bivouac for troops during the Civil War. ⁣
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Among them was the great-grandfather of AP National Writer Allen G. Breed, who wrote to his wife that he wished she could look in on him and his fellow troops, and see how comfortably they had settled into life in the Capitol.

Trump Impeachment

Hundreds of National Guard troops hold inside the Capitol Visitor's Center to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)Photo by: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Bivouac of the Dome

This illustration in the May 25, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment with some civilians, and mattresses on the floor in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington. To most Americans, the sight of armed National Guard troops sleeping in the Capitol Rotunda this past week was shocking and disturbing. But it also was an echo of the far-distant past — the Capitol was used as a bivouac for troops during the Civil War. (Harper's Weekly/Wilson's Creek National Battlefield via AP)Photo by: AP

Bivouac of the Dome

This family photo, made in June 1861, shows Dr. Bowman Bigelow Breed, right inside tent with pipe. Breed, who served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War, was a member of the 8th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, which was bivouacked in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in the early days of the war. (Courtesy of the Breed Family via AP)Photo by: AP

Bivouac of the Dome

This family photo, circa 1862, shows Dr. Bowman Bigelow Breed, who served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War. Breed was a member of the 8th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, which was bivouacked in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in the early days of the war. (Courtesy of the Breed Family via AP)Photo by: AP

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Photo by: Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Photo by: Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Photo by: Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

PHOTOS: National Guard sleeping in Capitol is echo of Civil War⁣

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Hundreds of National Guard troops hold inside the Capitol Visitor's Center to reinforce security at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021. The House of Representatives is pursuing an article of impeachment against President Donald Trump for his role in inciting an angry mob to storm the Capitol last week. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)J. Scott Applewhite/AP

This illustration in the May 25, 1861 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the Eighth Massachusetts Regiment with some civilians, and mattresses on the floor in the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington. To most Americans, the sight of armed National Guard troops sleeping in the Capitol Rotunda this past week was shocking and disturbing. But it also was an echo of the far-distant past — the Capitol was used as a bivouac for troops during the Civil War. (Harper's Weekly/Wilson's Creek National Battlefield via AP)AP

This family photo, made in June 1861, shows Dr. Bowman Bigelow Breed, right inside tent with pipe. Breed, who served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War, was a member of the 8th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, which was bivouacked in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in the early days of the war. (Courtesy of the Breed Family via AP)AP

This family photo, circa 1862, shows Dr. Bowman Bigelow Breed, who served as a surgeon in the Union Army during the Civil War. Breed was a member of the 8th Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, which was bivouacked in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in the early days of the war. (Courtesy of the Breed Family via AP)AP

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

More than 25,000 National Guard troops are arriving in Washington, D.C., ahead of expected protests and one of the most unusual presidential inaugurations in American history.Scripps National Political Editor Joe St. George

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