Unholy Sabbath

Unholy Sabbath: The Battle of South Mountain in History and Memory, September 14, 1862 by Brian Matthew Jordan Savas Beatie, 2012. Pp. XI, 388. ISBN 978-1-61121-088-0. Hardcover $32.95. On September 14, 1862, the Union Army of the Potomac defeated the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the mountain passes of South Mountain. The importance of this […]

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Boyhood

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Brandy Station…Fleetwood Hill

Our friend, Eric Wittenberg, is making a concerted effort on his blog to save 50 acres of the Brandy Station Battlefield. For those of you that may not be too familiar with the battlefield, we have posted a short story, authored by Clark “Bud” Hall, which appeared in the Culpeper Star-Exponent. After you have taken the time […]

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Drawing the War, Part 6: Paul Philippoteaux

Part six in a series. The original inspiration for this series of articles was a piece Chris Mackowski wrote earlier for ECW about his daughter and a picture by nineteenth century artist Paul Philippoteaux. The article made me think, again, about how important images are when one is trying to piece together the past. Seeing pictures of […]

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American Oracle and the dangers of political fanaticism

Reading David Blight’s American Oracle this weekend, I’ve noticed a subtle, cautionary note that keeps playing itself as an occasional undertone. It reminds me again why the study of history has something to tell us about current events—and also that no one ever seems to listen to those warnings. Blight’s book examines the Civil War writings of […]

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I Thought the Civil War Was Our National Pastime!

I see great things in baseball. It’s our game, the American game. It has the snap, go, fling, of the American atmosphere – belongs as much to our institutions, fits into them as significantly, as our constitutions, laws: is just as important in the sum total of our historic life. It is the place where […]

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Review: The Maps of Antietam by Bradley Gottfried

Pardon the crass comparison, but Bradley Gottfried’s new book should be called The Crack of Antietam, not The Maps of Antietam. It’s that addictive. Every time I’ve picked up Gottfried’s magnificent cartographical study, it seems like hours have evaporated. The Maps of Antietam makes it easy to lose track of the world.

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Drawing the War, Part 5: Thomas Nast

Part five in a series. Uncle Sam? Santa Claus? Lady Columbia? The Republican Elephant? The Democratic Donkey? All of these images of America have the same source, Thomas Nast, cartoonist extraordinaire (and functional illiterate) for Harper’s Weekly. Born into a family of German immigrants, Nast lived in New York City. His mother enrolled him in […]

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Grand Bahama Island and the Civil War

I recently visited Freeport, Bahamas. It was quaint and quiet and filled with tourist hotels, casinos, and, of course, beautiful beaches. When I returned home, I became curious what role if any Freeport, Bahamas played in the American Civil War. After looking up the history of Freeport, I discovered that the island during the mid-1800s […]

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