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Author Archives: Chris Mackowski
ECW Weekender: Totopotomoy Creek Battlefield at Rural Plains
The fight at Totopotomoy Creek in late May of 1864 marks the “boundary” in the Overland Campaign between the North Anna phase of the campaign and the Cold Harbor phase. During the three-day engagement, Federals lost just over one thousand … Continue reading
Cold Harbor Sunset
Sunset at the Cold Harbor Visitor Station Richmond National Battlefield: Cold Harbor Unit Friday, February 21, 2014
Writing Spotsy
Kris and I have been finishing up article for Civil War Times about Spotsylvania–specifically, the often-overlooked attack of May 18, 1864. The battle at the Bloody Angle on May 12, being as horrific as it was, tends to overshadow other … Continue reading
A Few Notes from Author Frank Varney
On Wednesday, I posted a review of Frank Varney’s General Grant and the Rewriting of History. While I don’t normally pass reviews along to authors, I did in this instance pass the review along to Frank and asked if there … Continue reading
Posted in Battles, Book Review, Books & Authors, Leadership--Federal, Personalities
Tagged Frank Varney, Henry Halleck, Overland Campaign
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Review: General Grant and the Rewriting of History
One of Ulysses S. Grant’s greatest strokes of genius was to title his book The Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant. The label “memoir” gave him tremendous latitude to present his story as he remembered it and wanted it told. … Continue reading
Smithsonian Civil War
How appropriate that a book about artifacts should be a beautiful artifact unto itself. Such is certainly the case with the Smithsonian Institution’s new Smithsonian Civil War: Inside the National Collection. This handsome new coffee table book contains 368 glossy … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review
Tagged Neil Kagan, Smithsonian, Smithsonian Institution book reviews
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Top 15 Posts of 2013—Number 4: Gettysburg Memories: Field Trip
I’m in third grade. Hershey Elementary School. We all pile onto a row of big yellow school buses that rumble down Route 322 to I-83 to Route 15, which goes southwest from Camp Hill to Gettysburg. This is my introduction … Continue reading
Posted in Battlefields & Historic Places, Memory
Tagged Gettysburg, gettysburg-memories, Top 15 Posts of 2013
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Top 15 Posts of 2013—Number 11: Gary Gallagher, ECW, and the Wild West of Civil War Blogging (part one)
I’ve had two experiences recently that have given me pause to consider the relationship between history and blogging—and, by extension, that’s given me the opportunity to reflect on our specific mission here at Emerging Civil War. The first was a … Continue reading
Top 15 Posts of 2013—Number 12: Making Sense of Chickamauga
I’ve heard the phrase “hot mess” before, but Chickamauga National Battlefield gave it a whole new meaning. The first time I visited, about seven years ago, temperatures soared into the upper nineties with a humidity of about 700%. Because few … Continue reading
Review: A Chain of Thunder by Jeff Shaara
I wanted to like Jeff Shaara’s latest Civil War novel, A Chain of Thunder: A Novel of the Siege of Vicksburg. Really, I did. It seems like I say that every time I pick one up. After all, I very … Continue reading
Posted in Book Review, Books & Authors
Tagged A Chain of Thunder, civilians, Jeff Shaara, Pemberton, Sherman, Siege of Vicksburg, Vicksburg
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