July 4 terror plot thwarted in Cleveland

FBI officials announced yesterday that they prevented a terror attack planned for July 4 in Cleveland. Demetrius Pitts, also known as Abdur Raheem Rahfeeq, was arrested Sunday morning by the joint terrorism task force.

An FBI undercover agent began meeting with Pitts after he went on social media to express hatred of the US and allegiance to al Qaeda. The agent developed a relationship with the would-be terrorist, who told him of his plans to plant a bomb at a Fourth of July parade.

In other news, Trooper Nicholas Clark was among the responders to a 911 call early Monday morning in Erwin, New York. He was shot and killed. Trooper Clark was twenty-nine years old and is survived by his parents and a brother.

The unnamed FBI agent and Trooper Clark are just two of many Americans willing to risk their lives for their fellow Americans.

Why the Battle of Gettysburg was fought

The Battle of Gettysburg ended on July 3, 1863. It is typically considered the most important engagement of the American Civil War. Why did this critical battle begin when and where it did?

The History News Network answers our question: it was because of a shoe.

The “Brogan” was the standard issue soldiers’ shoe during the war. It was made of two pieces of leather stitched together to a wooden sole with four eyelets and a cowhide lace. It was typically made straight last, meaning that the left and right shoes were identical.

As uncomfortable as these shoes were, they were essential to a soldier’s survival. A soldier with shoes had a significant advantage over his barefoot enemy. And the weather and outdoor conditions on which soldiers marched and fought made footwear essential.

On June 30, 1863, responding to rumors of a Brogan-filled warehouse in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Confederate Major General Henry Heth ordered Brigadier General James Johnston Pettigrew to “take his brigade to Gettysburg, search the town for army supplies (shoes especially), and return the same…