Tag Archives: Robert Olmstead

Reading and Re-Reading Some Civil War Fiction

Posted on January 19, 2020 by Chris Mackowski

I recently reviewed Ralph Peters’ newest Civil War novel, Darkness at Chancellorsville, for Civil War Monitor (you can read that review here). It was an enjoyable read by an author with a gift for capturing the essence of a character … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Books & Authors, Civil War in Pop Culture, Engaging the Civil War Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Telling History vs. Making Art: Fictions and Histories

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

Final part of a series “[H]istory and historical fiction,” says historian Paul Ashdown, “are alternate ways of telling stories about the past.”[1] In that context, Ulysses S. Grant spoke more truth than he realized when he said “Wars produce many … Continue reading →

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

A beautiful, despairing journey with a coal-black horse

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Chris Mackowski

There’s a kind of myth-making happening in Robert Olmstead’s novel Coal Black Horse. Published in 2007, I had the chance this past week to journey with the horse once more, and it was a trip well worth taking. Set in … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Authors | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments