(*Jesters is not a typo!) First it was in Wisconsin earlier this year where students wanted to tear down Abraham Lincoln’s statue citing that he was a symbol of “white supremacy.” Now in Portland they are tearing down Lincoln statues. Presentism in its pure ignorant form. It got even worse when a so-called opponent of the students who wanted to erase our history, UW-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank, voiced concerns about…

After 12 years since the original hardcover publication McFarland has decided to release a paperback edition as it as sold well. This is very exciting. This volume details the Civil War experiences of the 11th Wisconsin Volunteers as they traveled more than 9000 miles in the service of their country. The book looks at the attitude prevalent in Wisconsin at the start of the war and discusses the background of…

The Civil War era as a topic for Hollywood films has resulted in at best mixed results. Recent films like Lincoln and Glory were enjoyable and their presentation of history admirable. Remember, they are movies and will not ever be historically accurate enough for people. The Free State of Jones is based mostly on a book by Victoria E. Bynum. The movie tells the true story of Newton Knight who…

There is a map (held by the Library of Congress) that surfaced online recently that depicts Washington, D.C., and in particular the White House. It was noted that at one time, within sight of the White House there were 50 saloons and 108 ‘bawdy-houses’ (brothels) in the infamous Murder Bay neighborhood. It is taken from a newspaper clipping from the 1890s and can be found at Slate. According to the…

Finally received my copies of the February 2014 North Carolina Genealogical Society Journal which published my article “The Confederate Attack on Washington, N.C.” In it I explore the nature of urban combat as the sacking of Washington, N.C. was one of the earliest known examples of fighting that involved citizens within a city who not only were victims, but took an active role in the engagement in some instances. The…

According to news reports: “A newly deciphered 1,800-year-old letter from an Egyptian solider serving in a Roman legion in Europe to his family back home shows striking similarities to what some soldiers may be feeling here and now. Grant Adamson, a student at Rice University took up the task in 2011 when he was assigned the papyrus to work on during a summer institute hosted at Brigham Young University (BYU)….

‘The Gettysburg Story’ film dramatically tells the history of the greatest battle fought in the Western Hemisphere. Narrated by Stephen Lang (Avatar, Gettysburg) and directed by Jake Boritt, the stories of characters who experience the battle come alive through dynamic, innovative imagery that captures the historic battleground as you have never seen it before. Indeed, had a chance over the weekend to watch Jake Boritt’s stunning portrayal of that pivotal…

There’s a new Civil War movie in post-production (meaning its already filmed) that reminds me of Cold Mountain based on its storyline, it’s called, The Keeping Room. It’s by first time writer Julia Hart. The movie stars Sam Worthington who I really liked in Avatar! Here’s the synopsis from the Internet Movie Database: Three Southern women – two sisters and one African American slave – left without men in the…

Nope! But our Government and leaders are! If you can make it out, it reads; “Because of the federal government shutdown, all national parks are closed and National Park Service webpages are not operating. For more information, go to www.doi.gov.”