We here at Civil War Memory are pleased to learn that this site is still one of the top 5 military history blogs. In fact, according to a survey by Brett Holman of Airminded, we are number 2 positioned just behind Mark Grimsley’s Blog Them Out Of the Stone Age. The results shouldn’t be taken too seriously as the rankings are based on Technorati’s ranking (remember the lower the number the better); in addition, Holman utilizes the categories as determined by HNN’s extensive history blogroll.
While I am pleased with the results of the poll I’m not so sure that I consider this site to be a military history blog. I don’t talk much about military history in the traditional sense and most of my posts reference topics in popular culture, memory, and race. Of course, I am very interested in the military aspects of the war and have spent a great deal of time reading up on the subject. I believe it to be a significant sign of progress that over the past few decades one can be considered a Civil War historian without necessarily focusing on military affairs. The journal Civil War History has it about right in terms of the time frame and topics that articles address.
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Given that you’re virtually certain to overtake my blog, I’m all in favor of the suggestion that yours is not really a military history blog.
I too sometimes ask myself whether my blog is a military history one, for much the same reasons (and when I do stray into more traditional military history subjects, it often doesn’t come out of my own research, but from my dilletantish inclinations). But I’m all for broad interpretations of the term “military history”: if war didn’t have such huge effects on the world outside the battlefield, it wouldn’t be nearly so interesting or so worth studying!
Hi Mark, — Don’t worry. Long after my blog has left you in the dust your site will continue to have a special place in my heart. Hope all is well with you and I am looking forward to our panel at next year’s SHA in New Orleans.
Speaking of the SHA, are we on for beers in Richmond? Many, many, lovely, foamy–beers?