28th in a seriesIn 1859 Charles Darwin published “The Origin of Species” and in 1860 the American Civil War began. These two events had a profound effect on the life and mind of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935). An ardent Abolitionist deeply committed to the Union, he immediately enlisted, securing a commission in the Union Army, and was in combat almost constantly for the next four years, except for the times he spent recovering from his wounds, for he was gravely wounded three times. The experience o … (read more)
