Back in July of 2000, I came across a Web Site that focused on the 6924th Intelligence Squadron at DaNang, and that was my unitfrom 1968 to 1969. Our unit had some of the most actionable intelligence during the war, and the project that I was involved in was considered an “Ultra Top Secret” project that not even the base commander could get into the area that we were working. For the first time in history, our Unit was providing real time intelligence back to a variety of consumers throughout the Southeast Asia Theater. My mission was the Intercept of the North Vietnames Air Defense Network of Hanoi and Haiphong. Everything that happened in that Air Defense Network, such as turning on of various types of Radar, Activation and Plotting of MiG's, Activation of SAM Sites, or Shoot Downs of American Aircraft were Plotted and Broadcast back to AAA Batteries, SAM Sites, and NVA Air Force Units. Our Intercept of that Morse Traffic was Critical in Fighting that Air War, and I was the Primary Intercept Operator from Oct of 1968 through September of 1969. It was one of the most mentally draining experiences that I have ever had in my life, as a Shoot Down with Grid Coordinates would only allow me the Opportunity to Stand up and yell at the Top of my Voice – “End of Track” or if MiG's were Launched – I yelled equally as loud – “Friendlies [MiG's]“. My analyst would be behind my back watching the traffic and reporting to the 7th Air Force the Traffic Indicators that they would follow at Da Nang and aboard an Air Force EC-121 hovering the Tonkin Gulf, where Operators Aboard were Reporting my Traffic Collection Immediately to our Pilots Flying North.

All of our troops were involved in some way in Unique Activities of Intelligence Gathering, Analysis, Reporting, and Maintainence of Radios and Electronics. Our's was one of the more unique operations of the time, and for a period of time, all the way until 1998 – we were not allowed to communicate about our experiences, although we all knew that we did something very special at the time. The Web brought us all together, and soon Reunions followed the abundance of Chatter and Web Blogging that Members painstakenly Painted their Experiences and their Involvement. The NSA / CIA have declassified much of the material, processes, and collection content. The Stories are now coming out, because all of those in the operation were working in a “Bubble” – they only knew what happened in their area, and the Web allowed the Troops to Synergize them and to Understand how their efforts played out in the grand scheme of things. Individuals can have a great depth of experiences and knowledge, but collectively when knowledgable individuals come together for a common cause – some great efforts can be realized.

Within a year or so, I started a Web Site for the 6910th Intelligence Unit from Darmstadt, Germany, and Today we have close to 1,400 members with large numbers of members visiting the site again and again and again. Some have signed on to the site over 5,000 times, and hundreds have visited over 2,500 times. We have some of the brightest Intelligence Analysts, Radio Operators, Linguists, and Maintence Personnel contribute some powerful history to the contributions of the American Intelligence efforts in Europe during the Cold War. From both sites, significant contributions by individuals have resulted in a variety of output material, ranging from Individual Stories, Books, Magazine Articles, and DVD and CD Presentations.

A year or so ago, the 3rd North Carolina Cavalry Site was started, and material not found in Libraries or other published resources have appeared from the collections of the descendents of the site, who treasure the memories of their ancestors. Like the Military Intelligence Sites, once the Sites reach a Quantum Mass of Members – Some Exciting Energy takes place, and Members begin to realize why they are there, and their contributions become significant. It's a rough slog at first, as you have to mine the web to attract those interested in your project, but for Regimental Histories and the Topic of this Thread – There are only about 20% to 25% complete, if that many according to some quick looks at the number of North Carolina Regiments and How Many Books have been Published. More Importantly taking on a Regimental History on an Individual Basis may leave out some very important content, where you may not have the opportunity to travel or visit some of the locations where good content would be available.

My feeling is that as the time frame crunches on the 150 year Sesquicentennial of the War Between the States, there will be many efforts to Push Web Involvement in Developing Regimental History, and for those Interested in launching a pursuit of this venture, the http://www.myfamily.com format can be one of the best aspects of developing a broad based collection effort involving others. The Thousands of Others that I have worked with on the My Family Format since 2000 is a Great Testimony.

Bobby

I have conducted a search for descendents across the Country, with many different sites being tagged with leads to bring those searching for their ancestor back to my Unit Project. Currently, I have over 100 descendents that have found my site, and I believe as we get well into the Sesquicentennial – the numbers of descendents could approach several hundred. They come from all over the Country, and I have found descendents from many of the Officers, and NCO's. Their Contributions range from Photos, Letters, Research, and Articles. As the Project is an Ongoing Project – What we may be able to accomplish five or ten years down the road, in my opinion could be significant to an understanding of the North Carolina Cavalry and a Perspective of the Cultural Perspective of the Men before the War – as they enlisted to serve with Cavalry.

The men had to have some means of providing forage and feed for their own horses and care for them, and if they lost a mount – they had to replace their own mounts. The collection of letters adds tremendously to a feeling of the requirements of the soldiers to provide their own financial requirements to fight in the war, and letters from individuals like Henry Machen Patrick (his tombstone beside my ancestor's) about his feelings of the war and why they were fighting gives you some of the understandings of why they fought.

Some examples of my project of the study of the 3rd North Carolina Cavalry (41st NCT) with 10 Companies formed primarily from Eastern North Carolina. The officers were from the elite upper class of Wilmington, N.C. and the Privates and Sgts. were from the farms and villages of rural counties. One of the Companies, The “Scotland Neck Mounted Riflemen” formed a Company of Mounted Cavalry before the War started. There's an abundance of Community Material that requires an Understanding of Where these Men Came from and What Happened to them when they returned.

On the Web Site, I have an abundant amount of “After the War” research of the Men who served with the Unit, and I look for how they contributed to their Communities after the war and how they came back to communities like Washington, North Carolina – Which had been almost burned to the ground, when Federal Troops withdrew after the Capture of Plymouth. Many Incidents during the war and what happened to the Men of North Carolina Cavalry Such as – One Member Hanged as a Deserter at Kingston, Some of the 3rd in POW Camps Signed Allegiance and became “Galvanized Yankee's” to fight Indians in the West. From those Troopers that Became Mayors of Wilmington, a Founder of Duke University, a Congressman, a President of a Woman's College – Their Histories Provide the After War Analysis that these Men Moved on to a Life of Community Contribution. One of the Members, Julian Shakespeare Carr, a Co-Founder of Duke University, also became the 1922-1923 Commander of Confederate Veterans.

The Web Based Approach has Descendents coming back again and again to the site, and some contributing in way's such as detailed Excel Sheets, and Others Individual Research. We will Find More Descendents, and We Will Build a History of the Unit that Speaks to their Courage in the Saddle, and their Contribution to their Community. I will start out this Spring and Travel the Counties of Eastern North Carolina where these Regiments were Formed and Mine the Communities for Descendents with more letters, more photos, and more History of the Communities from where these Men came from.

You Can See More In Detail At This Link of the 3rd North Carolina Cavalry:

http://www.myfamily.com/group/nc3rdcavalry

TAR HEELS Forever….The Project Has Not Ended, It has Just Begun.

Bobby Edwards

It's strange. I can enter it, but I don't see the comment and the please wait doesn't stop circling until I navigate away and come back. I'm trying this by linking through Yahoo

It was in response to your comments on the Mingus book. I've been getting this strange warning message saying that the settings on my browser is not letting me log in (although it doesn't tell me WHAT setting on my browser is an issue) but I seem to be able to log in. It threw me a bit earleir.

The relationship between slaveholding and non-slaveholding whites was a fluid and complex one. The slaveholding caste wasn't a hereditary one and could be entered and left depending on financial circumstances. One of the driving forces of the ultimately unsuccessful drive by some to have the law changed to permit the legal African slave trade to resume was that slave prices were getting so high as to put them out of reach of all but the already very prosperous. The concern was that, if the hope of non-slave owning whites and/or their children ever entering the slaveowner ranks was destroyed, it would lead to the end of the basis for white unity as described in the “Mudsill” portion of Sen. Hammond's King Cotton speech.

All of the historians mentioned above are doing solid work in this area. I would also add Mark Dunkelman, who authored a book on a New York regiment. What I really like about Mark's book is that he tracks the unit through the postwar years. That's not always an easy thing to do given the available evidence.