I think all of you are well aware that I greatly appreciate the time you take out of your day to comment on my posts. In many cases you spend a significant amount of time to insure that your comments are clear and to the point. By far my favorite comments are those that challenge [...]
Battlefield Interpretation
I can’t say that I am surprised by the decision to give Walmart permission to build a store just off of the Wilderness battlefield along Rt. 3 in Orange County. As I’ve said before, this is a preservation battle that was lost a long time ago. It was a decision to be made by the [...]
The latest post by Ta-Nehisis Coates beautifully captures the frustrations that many African Americans experience when visiting America’s Civil War battlefields and specifically those places where African Americans participated. A recent visit to the Petersburg battlefields, including the Crater, by Coates and his children highlights the continued challenges facing museums, the National Park Service, and [...]
“If Grant had a drinking problem, the answer to your question could be that he was willing to sacrifice thousands of more men due to the fact his judgment was impaired by alcohol.” – Richard Williams [scroll down for comment] Thousands of more men compared to what exactly? Compared to someone who is best remembered [...]
Luckily the rain held off long enough for an enjoyable tour of the Five Forks battlefield with historians Keith Bohannon and Peter Carmichael. We concentrated mainly in the area along White Oak Road and managed to locate and follow Pickett’s refuse line on his left flank. The terrain is difficult to interpret given the height [...]
I‘ve never been to the Five Forks battlefield. Luckily for me, today I am spending the day with two historians who know the battlefield well. See you on Wednesday with a report and photographs. Let’s hope it’s not a total washout. View Larger Map
McFarland Publishers is set to release John F. Schmutz’s The Battle of the Crater: A Complete History in May. At that price it better be a complete history of the battle plus the rest of human history. I’ve never heard of Schmutz before. Apparently he is a corporate attorney and Civil War enthusiast who lives [...]
So, then why is Robert E. Lee in attendance at the reenactment of the 1865 skirmish in Aiken, South Carolina between Brig. Gen. Hugh Kilpatrick and Maj. Gen. Joe Wheeler? Of course, I don’t want to make too big a deal given that Lee is what sells tickets. However, can someone tell me why Lee, [...]
