Tag Archives: Jeff Shaara

The Civil War “In4”

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Liam McGurl

The Civil War Trust is taking on a new unofficial role, “modern teacher,” with their In4 video series—putting a strong focus on explanatory videos rather than paper maps, textbooks and lectures. Discussing the war’s leaders, technology, and warfare—among other subjects—the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Internet, Websites & Blogs, Memory, Preservation | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Review: A Chain of Thunder by Jeff Shaara

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Chris Mackowski

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 , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Telling History vs. Making Art: Killer Angels, real and fictional

Posted on October 30, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

Part five in a series. In my last post, I began to discuss Michael Shaara’s aesthetic choices for constructing The Killer Angels as he did, and how he adopted a Lost Cause-interpretation of Robert E. Lee as a central choice … Continue reading →

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Telling History vs. Making Art: Gods & Jacksons

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

Part four in a series. One of my favorite places to work at FSNMP is the Stonewall Jackson Shrine, the small plantation office building where the Confederate general died. It’s a story I love so much that I wrote a … Continue reading →

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Telling History vs. Making Art: “a tension between Art and Science”

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

Part one in a series As a battlefield guide at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park (FSNMP), I frequently speak with folks who’ve come to the battlefields because they’ve read The Killer Angels, which in turn inspired them to come … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors, Memory, National Park Service | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Review: Jeff Shaara’s A Blaze of Glory

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

By the time I was two hundred pages into Jeff Shaara’s new novel—roughly halfway—I wondered how an author could write so much and say so little. It picked up, thankfully. I wouldn’t have known that, though, had I not forced … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Books & Authors | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

“Hey, General Burnside, why don’t we just wade across?”

Posted on September 16, 2011 by Chris Mackowski

Kris White’s excellent series on the bombardment and looting of Fredericksburg brings to mind one of the most enduring misunderstandings about the battle. The story goes like this: The Union army, trapped on the north side of the Rappahannock River, … Continue reading →

Posted in Battles, Books & Authors, Leadership--Federal, Memory, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 10 Comments