Remembering Eric Wittenberg

The Civil War community lost a big personality over the weekend, and ECW lost a close friend and member of our organization: Eric Wittenberg. Eric died on Saturday at the age of 64 following a battle with cancer.

We’ve asked several members of the ECW community to share their remembrances of Eric.

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Kris White, ECW co-founder:

“I haven’t eaten Domino’s Pizza since I was in college,” groused Eric Wittenberg at the First Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium. The line still makes many of us old time ECW members laugh—an inside joke that’s gone on to live in infamy.

Eric was the event’s first ever keynote speaker, and it was the days of old, when, ECW’s entire budget was financed by the “Bank of Kris White.” The site was a few years old at this point. We’d established a tiny speakers bureau, had a small, but growing series of books, and Chris Mackowski and I felt that the next logical step was to move forward by holding an in-person event. The only problem was that ECW was not yet an official business, and most of its members were struggling professionals with little disposable income. After many beers and cigars, it was decided to take the leap into an in-person event. Because I was the financier, my only caveat (mostly at the direction of my wife), was that the event couldn’t lose a ton of money. Luckily, I had event and business experience, and Chris’s wife Jenny operated Stevenson Ridge, the host facility of the event…and she cut us a sweetheart deal. Frankly, the financial side didn’t scare us. We feared that the ECW brand and line up wasn’t strong enough to draw in a crowd. Then in stepped Eric Wittenberg.

On August 22, 2011, Eric shouted out ECW on his own blog, “Rantings of a Civil War Historian.” A post on our blog by Dan Davis titled “Some General Thoughts on Major General George A. Custer” caught Eric’s attention and he commented “Kudos for a great idea. I hope that this blog is as good as it aspires to be. If the Custer post is any indication, you’re off to a great start. I will put up a link and a brief post from my blog tonight. Good luck with it, and keep up the good work.” What started with a brief post, evolved into a mentor and friendship that lasted until August 2, 2025, when Eric passed away.

Eric was a giant in the field, and he’d taken the time to not only read Dan’s post, but to comment and to share it on his blog. It was a huge morale boost in the early days of Emerging Civil War. At that time, few non-ECW historians took our idea seriously. Some fellow historians made snide comments about our idea or looked at us with a side eye. Emerging Civil War was created as a safe harbor to learn how to be a historian and to help one another grow personally and professionally. The negative reactions by some, validated the reasoning behind the site, and fueled our passion to prove the detractors wrong.

Yet, Eric was not one of those detractors. He consistently reached out to us with compliments, advice, and a guiding hand that we desperately needed in those early years. Eric always asked us what can I do for you, not what can ECW do for me.

By 2013, we’d forged a friendship with Eric. Looking back on my emails for that time (Mackowski jokes that I never delete an email), we discussed everything from sports to the Emerging Civil War Book Series, to the possibility of an in-person event. On December 27, 2013, I offered Eric the keynote spot at our first symposium. Eric responded in 10 minutes, graciously accepting. He’d encouraged us to hold an event for months, and to keep expanding the brand. (Click here to see the full line up from this blast from ECW’s past.)

With Eric’s encouragement and name recognition, coupled with some great friends and partners, we sold out our first event in a matter of weeks. The event looked completely different back then as we were not quite ready for primetime. Stuck in a basement, a nice basement, sitting for hours on some of the most uncomfortable chairs—chairs that were so bad that they made it onto almost every exit survey—we started something that is truly special to the members of ECW, and an event that is far larger than we could ever have imagined. That draws in some of the top historians in the field. Historians who may not have noticed the little blog that could without Eric’s help. (Click here to watch Eric’s talk.)

It was in the hours following Eric’s talk that it dawned on him how mom and pop ECW truly was at that time. He asked where we were going to dinner, and named an under-expensive place in Fredericksburg. Eric was used to the Chambersburg and Middleburg conferences with budgets akin to the NFL vs ours. Eric, his wife Susan, and Dave Powell made their way to the only restaurant open in Spotsylvania…Domino’s Pizza. He was none too pleased. He told us in the moment that “I haven’t eaten at Dominio’s Pizza since I was in college.” There were some other choice words mixed in there, and it was the first time we’d ever experienced that side of Eric. Honestly, we had to fight back laughter. After the event and we tallied all of the financials, ECW was in the black. We made a whopping $12.00. When I told this to Eric, he laughed at his meal and reaction to the pizza in that moment, and admitted that he’d forgotten about the financials after experiencing such a wonderful event. (Click here to read his take on the First Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge.)

Eric and Susan joined us for our second annual symposium. Two of my favorite Eric memories from that event were:

1. When he thought it would be a great idea to go shopping at the Potomac Mills Mall an hour north of Stevenson Ridge, on a Friday, in the summer, in Northern Virginia, and then take I-95 to arrive at the Stevenson Ridge for his session. Eric arrived annoyed and frazzled and grumbled that we should have warned him about the traffic. Which we did. Because of that incident we have an important traffic reminder on the symposium page.  Regardless of the traffic, you would never have known he was frazzled when he stepped in front of the podium.
2. Eric and Susan arrived in a Volkswagen Bettle. We dubbed it the clown car for Civil War books. That car contained Eric and Susan, their luggage, groceries, items from their shopping trip to Potomac Mills, a collapsable dolly, and 12 cases of books! The site left such an indelible impact on Mackowski that his car is now filled at all time to the brim with books and a collapsable dolly.

I have many, many fond memories of Eric and Susan. Internally, we helped us to form our business plan, joined the Emerging Civil War board of directors, and helped to vet new blog pieces as a member of our submissions committee. He co-authored a book for the Emerging Civil War Series with Dan Davis called Out Flew the Sabres: The Battle of Brandy Station, June 9, 1863. Dan was so excited about the project. It was Dan’s early ECW post that caught Eric’s attention, and Eric was one of Dan’s heroes in the field. In a way, ECW had come full circle. Eric and Dan asked me to write the foreword to that book, which remains one of my favorite books from the series. He collaborated with other ECW authors on a variety of, helping to lift them and the brand up. I was touched when he asked me to edit one of his Gettysburg books for him.

Eric and I were similar in many ways. We both have a gruff exterior, but want what is best for our friends, family, and colleagues. We could be stubborn to a fault. But our love of history, battlefield preservation, and sports drew us closer as friends. Dining with Susan and Eric before a Columbus Blue Jackets and Pittsburgh Penguins game was better than the game itself. From complaining about the Phillies and Eagles (on his side) to fantasy football in the old ECW league, I’ll never forget the great times we had. Nor will I forget his counsel during some of the toughest times at ECW and in my career.

Outside of Chris Mackowski and Ted Savas, nobody has done more for Emerging Civil War than Eric Wittenberg. Eric and Ted saw something in us when others did not. In the spirit of ECW, their rising tide lifted all ships. I could go on and on about Eric. An unwavering friend. An irreplaceable mentor. A true despiser of Domino’s Pizza.

Dan Davis:

Eric is the authority on Civil War cavalry actions. His work will stand the test of time. I have happy memories of taking his books with me to the field and following the driving and walking tours, especially those related to the Gettysburg Campaign. I also fondly remember hashing out details of Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign in the dining room of the Riddick House at Stevenson Ridge. But that might be Eric’s lasting legacy. He was always there to lend an ear, give feedback, support and serve as a mentor. Maybe that will be his lasting legacy and a lesson for all of us. Whether in the history community or in life, be there to help out when called.

Rest easy, Eric. We now stand on your shoulders.

Kevin Donovan:

Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to meet Eric, but had a chance to get a brief glimpse into his character some years ago. I had just finished his book, We Ride A Whirlwind: Sherman and Johnston at Bennett Place, a wonderful story about the complicated surrender of the Army of Tennessee. Knowing Eric was a lawyer, I emailed him at his law firm, with praise and I think a question. This was Eric’s 20th book, written while he was a practicing attorney. Despite his obviously packed schedule, Eric warmly responded. We chatted about his work, and laughed over the fact that so many lawyers seemed interested in writing about the Civil War. It was a brief exchange, but the very fact that Eric took time out to indulge a fellow Civil War buff made an impression on me. I had hoped to meet him in the future, and am sorry that this will never happen.

Jon-Erik Gilot:

Eric was my ‘oldest’ Civil War friend. As a teenager in the mid-1990s I spent many happy hours in the old Web America Civil War chat room. This was back when you had to continually refresh your web browser to load new comments. There was a great community of seasoned historians who frequented the chatroom, and Eric (under the handle Buford, of course) took me under his wing. We first met at the 135th Antietam reenactment in 1997, and for many years thereafter at the annual Ohio Civil War Show. He always took an interest in my work, and later asked me to be an early reader for several of his projects.

In the summer of 2023 I asked Eric if he’d consider speaking at my annual symposium at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, PA. I couldn’t imagine holding a symposium on Civil War cavalry raids without having Eric in the lineup, and he graciously agreed to a program on John Morgan’s Ohio Raid. When he fell ill later that fall, I asked if he might like for me to find a replacement. He wouldn’t hear of it, insisting that the symposium was something for him to work towards, and something to look forward to. Selfishly, I also knew that having Eric Wittenberg’s name attached to the lineup would ensure a full house. Sure enough, we sold every seat and had to turn others away.

When it came time for the symposium in April 2024, Eric asked if he’d be allowed to deliver his program seated, admitting that he tired easily. As he approached the podium, he announced to the crowd that he was a cancer survivor, and was greeted with thunderous applause. After taking Morgan to task, he held his usual court – shaking hands, signing books, and answering questions on any number of Civil War topics. Before leaving, he asked if I might like to coauthor a book with him on the battle of Buffington Island. Not the whole raid, he assured…just the battle. I told him we’d tackle it as soon as he was feeling better.

That was Eric’s last public appearance. Where it was clear that his body was failing, his mind and his wit were as strong as ever. While we did not get to work on that Buffington Island study, I did have the great honor to work with Ted Savas and the wonderful staff at Savas Beatie to finish Eric’s final book on the Johnson-Gilmor Raid. I’m so glad he was able to see it in print. In happier times Eric occasionally teased his future or forthcoming studies on social media and his blog. He had many books left to write, and I hope that someone will take the mantle and see some of those projects completed. I always reminded Eric that his books occupy a prominent place in my library, and while he’s no longer with us, I can go into my bookshelves and visit him anytime I like.

Chris Kolakowski:

Where to begin? He was a storyteller and preservationist of the first order. Eric made enormous contributions to Civil War battle studies, especially as it comes to cavalry operations in the East. His books broke considerable ground, and will long be standard works on their subjects. In addition to telling stories, Eric heavily supported preservation efforts at his battlefields and others – with results apparent to even casual observers.

Eric approached his subjects with humility, wanting to have a deep understanding and the very best sources and perspectives for his projects. This was true of every book, but especially when he went West for his subjects. The discussions we had about Tullahoma were outstanding, as he probed the campaign in preparation for his great book (co-authored with Dave Powell). He accepted my feedback on a draft of that book with grace and appreciation, as he did on similar books about Sherman’s operations.

Personally, Eric’s partnership with Susan was a thing to behold. There’s a definite reason she got the accolades she did in his books. They were some of the first to meet my (then-girlfriend, now wife) Alice, and attended my wedding in September 2019.

In short, Eric was a friend and colleague who I had unlimited respect for. He will be greatly missed.

See you on Fiddler’s Green, Eric.

Chris Mackowski, ECW Editor-in-Chief

Federal cavalry, sure—a lot will be said about Eric Wittenberg’s love of the cavalry. But I like to think of him as the dude in his recliner with a lap full of golden retrievers. Eric always got a lot of joy from his dogs and they from him. Even during Zoom meeting, sometimes they would crawl up onto his lap, even with his laptop there. The dogs were not afraid to Zoom bomb.

Eric was a big personality with wide-ranging interests and strong opinions. He’s the only person that disliked Phil Sheridan worse than I do, which of course made us kindred spirits. Eric didn’t suffer fools, and I can only imagine how he would have cut down the big-talk bluster of Little Phil if they had ever gotten into an argument. Eric did not like “What ifs,” but I treasure the thought of that one.

When ECW got up and going, Eric took us seriously at a time when other “names” in the business didn’t. Perhaps because he had a blog of his own, “Rantings of a Civil War Historian,” he understood digital technology’s potential for making history accessible. Some of those same names in the business who nay-sayed us resented him for that, I suspect, but Civil War audiences everywhere are far better off for it. Eric believed history should be available, accessible, and understandable to all of us.

He wrote about topics that interest him under the correct assumption that readers would find those topics interesting too. Fueled by acute ADHD, his curiosity jumped from topic to topic—as any perusal of his authored books demonstrates—but he always came back to the cavalry.

The other constant in his life was his wife, Susan. He knew by the end of their first date that she was the woman he would marry. While he didn’t ask her quite on the spot, it didn’t take long, and once it happened, the glue held and held forever. That example might be one of the best lessons they, together, offer to the rest of us.

Terry Rensel:

I first met Eric when I interviewed for the Executive Director position with the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) in April 2019. I was at the CVBT office, and he was on Skype. He was very aggressive in his questioning of me, wondering why this guy from the world of public broadcasting, and living in Alaska was interested in the job. Apparently, he was satisfied by my answers, as he had no more questions for me, and I eventually was hired. Once I began working for CVBT, Eric was very supportive during board meetings, as well as in direct correspondence, and always ready to help with what he could from Columbus.

I only met him once in person, and that was at the 2021 Savas Meetup in Gettysburg. I ran up there for a couple of hours with Chris Mackowski. We both had books for Eric to sign. We met him on the field, as he was getting ready to lead a tour. He was gracious with his time as we visited for a few minutes.

He was passionate about history, and preservation, and will be missed.

Joesph Ricci:

Like many of us in the Civil War history community, I am saddened by the loss of the remarkable historian Eric Wittenberg. I want to speak for those of us who, though we never met the man, admired his brilliance and dedication to the field from afar. Others can speak of their friendship and shared experiences, but I would like to write something on behalf of those of us who only knew him as the author of our latest favorite book.

His writing was a welcome change of pace from more traditional studies of military minutiae. For a moment, each page came alive with vibrancy and texture but not at the expense of historical accuracy. His rigorous research made his work trustworthy and formed the bedrock for the next generation of emerging historians to build upon. My shelves are lined with his books. He made cavalry actions interesting and moreover he brought the dead to life with each word.

Now, each time we turn the well-worn pages of The Devil’s to Pay, or One Continuous Fight (my personal favorite), he lives within the binding, among those he spent his life writing about.

Surely, the angels played “Boots and Saddles” as Eric Wittenberg formed into line and left us.

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Please keep his wife, Susan, in your thoughts. If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe effort, you can do so here.

If you have your own remembrances of Eric, please feel free to share them in the comments section below.