For those of you in the Greater Boston area I will be giving two talks next week. The first will be held on Wednesday evening at the Medford Historical Society & Museum, where I will be discussing the myth of the Black Confederate soldier. Some of you will be happy to hear that I decided to resurrect my book on the subject. I won’t go into the reasons why, but I have been working steadily on it and I can say with confidence that the manuscript will be completed by the end of the year, if not before. I’ve also been in communication with three publishers, who have expressed interest in the project.
On Thursday I travel to Brunswick, Maine to speak at the Joshua L. Chamberlain Civil War Roundtable. My talk there will focus on Union soldiers and their response to fighting alongside African Americans at the Crater. The talk is based on a forthcoming essay on the subject, which will be published in Cold Harbor to the Crater: The End of the Overland Campaign later this year. This collection of essays is edited by Gary Gallagher and Caroline Janney.
I am thrilled to be speaking at one of the more active roundtables in New England. I am also looking forward to exploring Chamberlain’s old stomping grounds, including Bowdoin College and his home, which is now a museum.
I do hope some of you can make it. If so, please introduce yourself. It’s always a thrill for me to meet readers.