Shiloh NMP

In the summer of 1997 I meet Harry Brown in Corinth, Mississippi, for a few days of exploring the Shiloh NMP. I remember the trip fondly. We were both well into our careers and enjoyed the break of a few days of R&R from our families and responsibilities. We were able to study the field in depth, in detail, and at our leisure.
I remember long talks about life, family, and history with one of the neatest people I know. Harry's friendship is a blessing.
That trip stands out in my mind because it was the fourth time I'd been at the battlefield. I was there before in '67, '87, and'93. I'd read up a bit on the battle so it really enhanced my perspective. Reading about the battle greatly heightens one's understanding of the place, time, and circumstances of the battle.
On another note, it was the first time that I really talked about my father's death with someone who had been through that ordeal, although H. had lost his dad at an early age. Dad had died the previous fall. We'd lunch at the park and in the evening have a couple of brews. Harry is an insightful history buff which added to the pleasant experience.
I'll cherish this trip always.

'94 CW Trip

My first CW trip that was in depth and totally historic was in 1994. I went on a 18 day journey with Danny Pyle. We went to Fort Donaldson first. We documented this trip with a long, long video accompanied by much commentary and readings from primary sources. Tedious now that I look back on it, but with unbounded passion. We then met Harry and Karen Brown in Hagerstown and spent several days at the Antietam NMP. Totally cool and enthralling. I was in another world. It was so much fun being there with my friends who were just as enthusiastic about the CW. We then headed to Gettysburg. We were there during the anniversary and what a crowd. We were, once again, completely overwhelmed. I guess I ought to speak only for myself here. I was in heaven. The trip is well documented on videos, photos, and diaries. After GNMP Dan and I went to the Fredericksburg area to visit the four battlefields in that area. Supreme bliss. We then went to Virginia Beach and stayed with Gary Durham for a few days to play golf and relax. When I got home Dan and I commented on all the coincidences on the trip. Throughout the trip Ken Burn's PBS CW show was on TV. Also, we saw numerous CW specials on local PBS channels. We found many things that were connected (my Ft. Donaldson connections and Dan and Harry's connections with their shared ancestors who were in the same regiments and on and on and on it went). It was, indeed, at trip of a lifetime. My parents were so interested in all my videos and photos, and I called them throughout the trip. Very special.

Visiting CW Battlefields

Thoughts on visiting CW battlefields. My first trip to a CW battlefield was in 1967. I was 10 years old and visited Shiloh NMP in Tennessee. I remember the trip well. We visited my mom's side of the family in Corinth, Mississippi. I remember that the battlefield with all the cannons and monuments was impressive. I remember the line of cannons at the Hornet's nest. I remember seeing the mass grave sites on the field where many Confederates were buried together. My parents took some pictures so the trip is documented; I have some of the photos. I can remember a somber atmosphere there. I saw "lights" I think. Mystical. I felt either the bad karma of the place or I had indigestion. Who knows. All I know was that I loved the history of the place. I had good history teachers in school. I loved watching shows about WWII growing up. Not the gore, just the human aspect of history. I majored in history in college. Terri and I traveled to Corinth in 1987 to visit family and the battlefield on a trip we took to Charleston, SC. In that 20 years my love of history bloomed into a full time passion. In the 20 years since then, I've visited many more CW sites...and still see "lights" every time.

CW Library

I love my civil war library. I have 3 bookshelves with 5 shelves each. It's not Gallager's but it is my investment of my lifetime of reading cw literature. I enjoy reading in the same room with them. They give me pleasure just being in their presence. I like to sometimes just sit and contemplate them. I'll stare at them and think about what I was doing when I read an individual text or novel. I love my "picture" books, too. I have several "feet" of them. I like to sometimes take one down and peruse it leisurely.
I like to buy civil war books. I believe that you can't have too many books that you have not read on your bookshelves. So, obviously, I have not read all of them. I like to go to Half Price books and see what I can find there. Sometimes I can find a gem. Quite often I've been able to obtain a series book(s). They are a lot cheaper that way! I have several tomes that I've invested quite a bit of money.
In fact, right now I'm waiting on a book order. It's a long story. I hope to receive a reference series that I ordered on the Tennessee Veterans from Amazon. We'll see. It's supposed to come on October 3-10. I ordered it in July and have had trouble with the order. The order is for $230 US but now costs $1180 US to order. I don't think I'll get it. Or it will be incomplete (the series if 5 books...I bet I only get one of them). Something to look forward to, anyway.

General Lee's Army

My current read is "General Lee's Army" by J.T. Glatthaar. It is well written and keeps your attention. I am only one third of the way through it so I will withhold any judgments beyond my first impressions. In it, the author contends that the ANV was as poorly prepared as their adversary in the beginning months of the war. All the chivalry, honor, and superiority of the southern troops vanished once the real fighting began. The soldiers of the ANV were as brave and cowardly as any army of any time period. No more, no less. They got feed up with the savagery after their first real combat experiences. Those first battles destroyed any preconceived notions of bravery. The book details how General Lee came to be the commanding general. It took a good while for this to occur. I'm just now finishing the 2nd battle of Manassas. It's difficult to find the time to read due to my school obligations. Adjustments are being made on many levels, haha.

Frassanito

I have traveled to the east on 4 occasions. Each trip has had a plethora of Frassantito pictures. Since I've met him and told him we copied his work and he was honored by our devotion to his work, to say the least, it was ok. The '94 trip was a trip. Dan and I met Harry and Karen in Antietam. Harry totally enjoyed doing the Fransannito's. On the next trip, in '96, Dan and I focused almost exclusively on Frans. My next trip was in '05 and Jim and Randy totally got into Franssanito's. Finally, in '07 we got to actually meet Mr. Frassanito. That was a experience of a lifetime. How many get to meet their favorite author. Wow. Totally cool. We took a picture and I look completely star-struck...that's because I was! Dan and I spent several evenings visiting with him as we were in Gettysburg for 13 days. As this journal is a first draft experience I won't try to rewrite or clarify. It's just a stream of consciousness kind of thing. I don't have a lot of time to devote to this right now. I'll try to do an entry every so often, just to keep in practice. I write a journal at school that I mainly write about my day and to motivate me to do my best on that particular day. I write when I ask my students to write. I don't have them write daily but usually a week won't go by without an entry or two. I also try to write in a journal at home. I mainly write about what I'm reading that is not CW related.

Lincoln at Gettysburg

One of my favorite books in my civil war library is Gary Will's "Lincoln at Gettysburg". I have read this Pulitzer prize winning book multiple times. I have it on audio so I listen to it almost every year at least once. I like Will's analysis of Lincoln's style, rhetorical devices, and historical background that Lincoln uses in his dedicatory remarks at the Gettysburg cemetery. It is fascinating to see Lincoln's incorporation of the transcendental philosophies of the day as well as the funerary devices he employs. The Speech is incredible in its grammatical structure and with the rhetorical elements meshed all into just 280 odd words. As I am exhausted from my teaching endeavors, I will write more on this on another day.

Military CW Campaign Books

I can remember the first serious military campaign book I read. It was Ed Ferguson's Chancellorsville book. It read like a novel. You could hear the cannons and smell the smoke, it was that good. Then I read an exciting book on Antietam, "Gleam of Bayonets" (this blog will not allow me to underline titles...the English teacher in me is cringing...). Those books showed me that I could be mesmerized by fascinating accounts of the battlefields I've visited. As time went by, I found Cottington's "Gettysburg Campaign" an especially fun read. I thought it was SO detailed. A 700 or so page book on ONE battle! Then I found Phanz. He had a 700+ page book on ONE DAY of the battle. And he's written 3 books! Wow, I was hooked.

A CW Student

I've always been a civil war fan. It was not until college, however, that I became an avid reader or student of the war. Before then, I had read many books by Bruce Catton and some civil war fiction. Right before I graduated from ACU I picked up a book titled "Gettysburg: A Journey in Time" by William Franssanito, and it forever changed my perspective. I knew that I wanted to go to this place I'd heard about all my life. I wanted to stand where these pictures were taken. After that book I started a more in depth study of the war. I started reading books that were a bit more expansive and selective than the Catton books. Bruce Catton is one of the premier writers of the civil war, don't get me wrong. I just wanted to read about some of the campaigns individually. In 1994, twelve years after I'd read "Journey" I took my own journey to Gettysburg with my best friend. We had the time of our lives. After that, I started reading in earnest. Phanz, Ferguson, Gallager, Sears, Stewart, and of course, Wm. Frassanito. My journey to wonder, amazement, and endless curiosity began. I have not stopped since.

Reading CW Literature

My civil war library consists of several hundred titles. Since the early 80's I've been buying and reading civil war literature. I found an endless mystery and amazement over this time period. I especially can't seem to get enough of the Gettysburg story. I am obviously not the only person who is interested...how cool.
My main interest is reading. There are not enough hours in the day to read everything I want! Even during the summer, when I'm not working, I still can't get enough time to read. I try to read 52 books a year. I haven't met my goal the last couple of years, but I continue to read as much as I can. Now that school has started I will be even more limited with my time to read. Ugh. Oh well, some people have to work for a living.
I plan to go to Gettysburg in June '09. It will be my 5th trip. I'm looking forward to it already!