Description
Edmund Ruffin was a political activist advocating states’ rights, secession and slavery. He was a wealthy plantation owner and slaveholder who joined the Confederate Army as a soldier. In 1859 he attended the execution of John Brown by joining the Virginia Military Institute cadet corps. He was described as one of the Fire-Eaters, for his hatred of the North. He was also a renowned agronomist, who investigated using lime to raise the pH in soils and wrote extensively on the use of manures to improve yields of corn and wheat on soils that had been worn out by two centuries of tobacco monoculture. He is best known for having been one of the first to fire shots on Fort Sumter at the start of the war. In 1865, despondent at Lee’s surrender, Ruffin committed suicide.
This Edmund Ruffin mug is part of our Civil War series profiling participants in the War Between the States. Thousands of Confederate and Union soldiers fought in battles such as Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Cold Harbor and Petersburg. We honor their sacrifices by telling their stories.
The biographical History Mugs were created to teach and inspire individuals to learn about our diverse and interesting history. The biographies were researched and written by history enthusiast, Robert Compton. He colorized most of the historic photos and images used on the mugs, which were originally black and white or sepia tone. The images and biographies are imprinted on mugs at his studio in rural Vermont.
- Mugs are food and microwave safe.
- To preserve photographic quality we recommend hand washing.
- Mugs are usually shipped within 3-5 days.
