A Change in My Reading Habits

In March, as the quarantine was beginning I posted a photo of a group of books I intended to read while working from home:

I managed to read all of those except the Living History Anthology. At the same time, I was also working on a number of writing projects for "Civil War Navy, The Magazine." By the time I returned to working in the office around mid-May, I realized that I was really burned out on reading history books (or at least the typical sorts of things I usually read). I set out a plan to broaden my horizons by reading things that wouldn't normally be in my reading pile, including some different types of history books. On the one hand, I was still reading history, but a different style. I finished this book by the late Tony Horwitz:

I hadn't read anything by him since Confederates in the Attic and that was 20 years ago. I found Spying on the South to be very engaging and entertaining, spurring me to pick up a copy of Olmstead's book (though I haven't read it yet). In the same vein (sort of) I read two books by Colin Woodard:

American Nations has been on my shelf for years and I started reading it at one point, but never got too far. It is a wonderful book that looks at the founding of the various regions of the United States in a unique way. I am actually thinking of using this in my American History survey course. Union was a recent selection of the History Book Club and it did not disappoint. A unique history of the country from the Federal period to the 1920s, told through the lens of four or five people. I learned a lot of things I did not know and it was a different approach to writing history than what I normally read. I am getting ready to start another by Woodard, American Character:

This summer's racial upheaval spurred me to read some things outside of my normal wheelhouse, which is probably long overdue:

Having read about Baldwin in David Blight's American Oracle I decided to pick up The Fire Next Time and I knew that I had long overlooked Coates' Between the World and Me. Both books have been enlightening and should be read by many more folks out there who are having a difficult time understanding the current climate. 

So all of this seems pretty much history related, right? Not to worry, friends; I did stray farther afield than that. To start with, I read Scott Stokely's autobiography Growing Up Disc Golf. For those who don't know, Stokely was widely hailed as the second best disc golfer of his generation, behind 12-time world champ Ken Climo. Stokely was the bad boy of the sport, who never did things the conventional way. Its a different sort of read in that Stokely writes as if he's narrating or telling a story. At times its very stream of conscience, but its entertaining and you can learn a lot about the early days of the sport.

 I also picked up the memoir of Black Crowes drummer Steve Gorman, Hard to Handle. The Black Crowes have long been one of my favorite bands and this book did not disappoint, although it has changed my opinion of some members of the band.

In another departure, I read Into the Wild. Though I own the soundtrack to the movie because I'm a fan of Eddie Vedder, I had not seen the movie, nor read the book. I knew the very basic story, but the book was a gripping account that I would recommend to anyone. I do plan to try find the movie somewhere and watch it now.

I am even diving into some fiction. Upon the recommendation of one of my favorite musicians, BJ Barham, I decided to give the work of David Joy a try and randomly selected this one start. Joy is a North Carolina author, based in the mountains, where his books are set. I'm looking forward to getting started on this:

What's next, you may ask. Aside from the aforementioned Woodard book, I have two in the pile to follow David Joy. One is a continuance of my reading from Baldwin and Coates, while the other is another non-fiction human interest sort of thing. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Finished a Few Books (Two are "Must Have")

I've been plowing through a lot of reading lately, trying to finish some things up. The stack on my desk keeps getting taller, but I have made some progress. I was recently asked to review two books for the Nautical Research Journal, a publication I review books for quite frequently (a dozen reviews over the past decade or so). Along with getting through those two, I finished one I've been working on for a few months now.

R. Thomas Campbell's latest, Confederate Ironclads at War was the first review. If you know Civil War naval history, you know Campbell. He's published no fewer than 20 books and who knows how many articles over the past quarter century. The problem is, he has started recycling a lot of material (and considering that some of his earlier works are out of print that isn't entirely problematic). I'll share the review when it is published, but suffice it to say this book is good, and if you are really interested in Confederate ironclads and don't already own a lot of Campbell's previous works, you may want to pick it up.

The second review was Our Little Monitor by Anna Gibson Holloway and Jonathan White. Again, I won't spoil the review, but folks, do yourself a favor and get this book! It should have a place on every Civil War bookshelf in America, even if you don't really care much about the naval war. I think it should be THE standard work on the topic for a long time to come.

Finally, I was able to finish Hampton Newsome's The Fight for the Old North State and oh my, what a terrific book! There is nothing to dislike about this book. It is the most comprehensive thing written on North Carolina during the first half of 1864. Well-researched, well-written, balanced, and well-illustrated, if this book doesn't win some awards, people simply aren't paying attention. The Conclusion alone is the best summary of the topic one could hope to read. It includes the most detailed coverage of the Battle of Plymouth that you will find anywhere. Newsome's understanding of what was going on in North Carolina during this time is second to none and I encourage ANYONE interested in the Civil War, or even simply North Carolina history, to read this book. It will ultimately give you a better understanding of the time.

With these three finished, I turn to the stack on my desk and continue on.

The Crazy Mad Rush is Over......And Also, What Am I?

The crazy mad rush that started in mid-February has finally come to a close and I have a little bit of time to catch my breath.

I just finished reviewing Philip Gerard's The Last Battleground: The Civil War Comes to North Carolina for H-CivWar and the review will hopefully be posted sometime this week. Follow H-CivWar on Twitter and you'll see it when it drops. Without spoiling the review, I'll say that you'll view this book depending upon how you approach it. I'll share the review on my social media (Twitter and Facebook) when it is published and you can read it for yourself.

This past weekend I participated in the annual "Fight for the Backcountry" program at Alamance Battleground State Historic Site near Burlington, NC. This is always a great event and there are always lots of folks I enjoy spending time with. They have an active Friends organization that, together with the site staff, is working to make this site even better. It's just an all-around good time when we do programs there.

Someone asked me a question at the Alamance event that, while I answered quickly, gave me pause to consider all weekend and even into this week. The question was "Are you a reenactor? Do you consider yourself to be a reenactor?" On the surface, it seems like an easy Yes/No question to answer, and in some ways it is, but in other ways it is much more complicated. My quick answer was "No, I do not consider myself a reenactor," and that is true, but again there's nuance to this that most folks who don't do this kind of thing wouldn't understand. They would think that anyone who goes to historic places, dresses in historic clothing, and does historic stuff is a reenactor. But there are so many levels to this for those of us who are either a) engaged in the hobby, b) work in the history field, or c) both, that it isn't always so cut-and-dried. Let me clarify further.....

If I did not work in this field, it is doubtful that I would be engaged in these types of activities. While I was a Junior Historian with our local historical society in Pennsylvania when I was a kid (we dressed in pseudo-historic clothing and gave house tours and did historic crafts) it wasn't until my first ever NC Historic Sites job as a seasonal interpreter at Fort Fisher that I ever even thought about participating in "reenacting." I became a first-person interpreter a few years later at Tryon Palace and that's when I started to get more serious about it because I was doing it every day. Finally, when I got my first full-time sites job at the CSS Neuse, I started "reenacting" more seriously. I put the word "reenacting" in quotation marks and I'll explain why next.

To me (and others) there is a big difference between "reenacting" and living history/costumed interpretation, but that's a whole other blog post. The bottom line is, I do what I do to help educate the public and hopefully teach them something about whatever part of the past I'm working in at the given moment. I do not do what I do to get some kind of "period rush" or for my own personal experience of what it was like "back then" or any kind of personal gratification. I feel safe in saying that most of the fine fellows in my group feel the same way. Over the past 20 years I've done a lot of things in this hobby. I've camped out in the coldest, hottest, and wettest conditions imaginable. I've visited some spectacular places and taken part in some really great programs. I've been emotionally moved on a few occasions. I've always tried to do things as correctly and properly as possible, but have never obsessed over every minute detail as some folks do (though I appreciate those who do and applaud them for their dedication). But in the end, I still say I am not a reenactor. I am an educator, I am an interpreter, I am a costumed interpreter, I am a demonstrator. I am many things, but in the end it all goes back to the public and what I am teaching or imparting to them.

If I left the world of historic sites/museums tomorrow would I still engage in this hobby? Probably, but selectively. I have many friends in the hobby, some of whom I consider as family. They are like brothers, sisters, cousins to me and I would still want to spend time with them. However, unlike 10-15 years ago when "reenacting" was the only hobby I really had, I now have other hobbies that interest me equally, if not more. As with anything else in life, you keep doing it until it isn't fun or rewarding anymore, then you have to decide whether or not to give it up. I'm nowhere near ready to give it up, but I also know that I am not a "reenactor" by some accounts, and I'm good with that.

Catching My Breath

The month of April was a complete blur. In the first two weeks of the month I was on the road 9 out of 10 days, driving over 1,600 miles in that time. It all started with the Two Weeks of Fury bus tour sponsored by Bentonville Battlefield, a three-day tour that explored the 1865 Carolina Campaign. I played chauffeur for Eric Wittenberg and drove the chase vehicle behind the bus all weekend. Much fun was had with some good history buddies, particularly Chris Meekins, Wade Sokolosky, Colby Stevens, Derrick Brown, Amanda Brantley, and Chad Jefferds. The highlight for me was touring the Monroe's Crossroads battlefield, which is aboard Fort Bragg and not generally accessible to the public.


Next up was North Carolina's Independence Day, better known as Halifax Day, April 12. After doing musket demonstrations for school groups on Friday, we settled in for living history and a small skirmish reenactment on Saturday. The program was titled The Road to Yorktown and highlighted the forces of Cornwallis and Tarleton as they moved through North Carolina toward Virginia, coming through Halifax along the way. Good times were had once again and even the bad weather didn't dampen our spirits.


I managed to work in a couple of concerts at the end of the month with my good buddy Jim McKee, which was a much needed respite from the craziness of this month. After seeing Umphrey's McGee and Widespread Panic at the Trondossa Music and Arts Festival in Charleston, SC we made stops on our return trip in McClellanville and Georgetown to check out the SC Maritime Museum, the Gullah Museum, and some old churches. Then it was back to Wilmington to see Gov't Mule. Both shows were great and the side trip for history stuff was fun as well.


As I move into May, I am working on a book review for H-CivWar on Philip Gerard's The Last Battleground: The Civil War Comes to North Carolina.


I will also be involved with a number of programs, including the annual meeting and symposium of the NC Military Historical Society, of which I am Treasurer, and the annual Fight for the Backcountry event at Alamance Battleground. As usual, there will be some concerts and disc golf events scattered in as well. It might not be as busy as April, but it will be plenty busy enough.

Things Are Picking Up

This time of year always seems to be very busy and it is no different this year. March-May are, as usual, going to be very hectic and it starts this weekend.

Bentonville Battlefield - "A Fighting Chance for Life"
I will be participating in this program Saturday and Sunday. During the day, our group will be portraying Federal artillery and crewing the site's 3-inch ordnance rifle. But the real meat of this program is the Saturday evening portion which will recreate field hospital scenes in and around the Harper House. This program has been revamped from previous iterations and will be much more serious, thought-provoking, and graphic this time. It will not be for the faint of heart and guests are being warned ahead of time about the physical and psychological nature of what is being portrayed. The site staff has put some really solid research behind this and I'm looking forward to how it comes off. My group will be portraying surgeons and hospital stewards for this portion of the program.

The first weekend of April sees me yet again at Bentonville to participate in their three-day tour of the Carolina's Campaign, titled "Two Weeks of Fury." Guest speakers/tour leaders include Craig Symonds, John Marszalek, Eric Wittenberg, and Wade Sokolosky. I'll be serving as chauffeur for at least some of them for the weekend. Should be fun.

Writing - I just finished and sent to the editor the article I co-authored on the US Navy's role in the Battle of New Bern. I'm very happy with the way it turned out and can't wait to see it in print sometime late this year (hopefully). It will be my third feature length article for Civil War Navy Magazine. I am considering expanding upon this article to write about the US Navy's role in the Burnside Expedition, possibly for submission to Military Collector & Historian, but I'll have to see what time allows.

Reading - If you look at the What I'm Currently Reading sidebar on the blog you'll see that I've inserted Hampton Newsome's just released book at the top of the list. If the first chapter is any indication, this is going to be a great book and should be the standard on the topic for a long time to come.

Otherwise, I will be giving a few presentations to various groups, participating in two 18th century living history programs at Historic Halifax and Alamance Battleground, and working on another book review.

Of course, there are four disc golf tournaments and numerous concerts sprinkled in among all of this as well. It's enough to keep me hopping, for sure.

What I'm Currently Reading

I came across a review on another blog today of the book I'm currently reading. I'm stepping out of my usual area of interest to read Eric Hobsbawm's Age of Revolution. I purchased all four books in Hobsbawm's series (Revolution, Capital, Empire, and Extremes) while I was in college and grad school, back when I was seriously thinking about focusing on 20th century European history (a very fleeting moment, for sure). However, I've always thought that one day I'd return to the series and read all four books. I started reading Age of Revolution last month and have been reading a chapter here, a chapter there as time allows. Seeing this review this morning was very interesting and sort of spurs me to speed things up a bit and get moving on this book and the series.

If you haven't checked out the blog, The Junto, you really should do so, especially if you are interested in early American history. It is most definitely an academic blog, but there's a whole lot to like about the stuff they are posting. It's well worth monitoring for little nuggets like today's book review.

And Speaking of Books......

Thanks to Andrew Wagenhoffer over at Civil War Books and Authors for posting an informative review of a new book dealing with Civil War naval history. While this book obviously has it's limitations, it sounds like a worthwhile read for folks who are truly interested in the subject matter.

Public Service Announcement

I normally don't post things like this, but I'm making an exception here since it is Civil War related and a number of my friends and colleagues are going to be there, including Michael Hardy and Judkin Browning. See announcement below:

High Country Festival of the Book’s Civil War Symposium - August 3, 2012 from 9:00 - 4:00 Blowing Rock, NC at the Meadowbrook Inn. Featuring Douglas Southall Freeman award-winning author Rod Gragg and Patrick Schroeder, Historian of Appomattox Court House National Battlefield and noted author/publisher. Additional speakers include authors Patricia Garber, Dr. Judkin Browning and Dr. Andrew Slap. On Saturday we have a Civil War panel discussion as part of our larger book festival with authors, Michael Hardy, Johnny Pearson, Rod Gragg, and Patrick Schroeder.



The Symposium is part of the High Country Festival of the Book. The cost for the Symposium is $50 and includes lunch and invitation to the evening opening ceremony with NC Poet Laureate, Fred Chappell (a portion of the entry fee is tax deductible). The events on Saturday are free and opened to the general public for more information on the Book Festival and Symposium tickets: www.highcountryfestivalofthebook.com

Companion Volumes Finished

Upon receiving my pre-ordered copy of Brooks Simpson's new book The Civil War in the East: Struggle, Stalemate, and Victory I decided to read it and it's companion volume Decision in the Heartland: The Civil War in the West by Steven Woodworth. I have just finished reading both and I am very impressed with them. I think it was definitely a good idea to read them back-to-back.

Each author makes a case for their respective theater being the deciding theater of the war, and both make convincing arguments. Both authors take very definite stands on various issues of debate in Civil War historiography. For instance, though many folks will argue that the Civil War was won (or lost) in the western theater, Simpson very adeptly argues that the East was for political/public reasons the primary theater and that the war was won in that theater. He is also very critical in his evaluation of almost every Union military officer not named Grant, and reserves a special disdain for McClellan. Woodworth is very clearly not a fan of Joseph E. Johnston, but is also very aware of the flaws of Jefferson Davis and all of the Confederate generals in the West. If anything, he gives Braxton Bragg more credit than most historians, while realizing his limitations. Like Simpson, he is also critical of the Union command save for Grant, Sherman, and a few other lesser generals.

Taken together, these two books are very good, brief overviews of each theater. Neither is longer than 140 pages, making them easy to finish in a rather short period of time. Each provides a solid view of the war without getting bogged down in details about each major battle or campaign. These books would be a good starting point for anyone wanting a quick and dirty explanation of the war.

Couldn't Finish a Book

Last time I updated the What I'm Currently Reading section, I was working on T.H. Breen's American Insurgents, American Patriots (see previous post). I'm sad to admit that I couldn't finish it. I don't know if I just couldn't get into the material, or if it was Breen's writing style, or what, but I just had to put it down. This was particularly discouraging because I got more than a third of the way through it before I quit. The book received a lot of favorable reviews, but I guess it just couldn't stand up to the previous two books I had read (David Goldfield's America Aflame and Stephen Budiansky's Perilous Fight)

After putting down Breen's book, I decided to read a short work by Gordon Wood, The American Revolution: A History. Though it is only 166 pages, this book is an excellent, basic history of the Revolution. If you are looking for an in-depth study this certainly isn't it, but it is a well-written overview that highlights the causes of the war and the development of republicanism in America. There's very little military history here, aside from the one chapter that deals specifically with the conduct of the war. This book can be purchased from Amazon for well under $10 which would make it a perfect book for an undergraduate class on the time period. If I were able to select my own books for my classes I would seriously consider having my students read this as a supplement to their textbook. I am almost finished with it and getting through this book has made me feel better about not finishing American Insurgents, American Patriots.

Book Updates

If you have looked at the "What I'm Currently Reading" sidebar you'll see that I listed Robert Ramsey's Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier, 1747-1762. I can say that I honestly did not read this cover to cover. The first half of the book or more is great if you are doing genealogical research, but other than the chapter introductions I found little of use. However, the last few chapters that deal with the society, economy, etc. are very good and worth a read.

I have now switched gears and started reading T.H. Breen's American Insurgents, American Patriots: The Revolution of the People. I haven't really gotten far enough into this one to have anything meaningful to say yet so stay tuned!

A Few Thoughts on "Perilous Fight"

Earlier this week, I finished reading Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War With Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815. Without going into a lot of detail, here are a few random thoughts about the book.

For the most part, it is a quick and easy read. There were one or two spots that moved kind of slowly, but that was the exception. Budiansky does a pretty good job fleshing out the relationships among the various "characters" in the story (i.e. high ranking naval officers and politicians, mainly on the American side, but on the British as well). He gives the reader a lot of background information to start with, almost too much in my opinion, as the book seems a bit slow to get started. However, once you get past the first chapter or two the book really takes off. If there's one problem I had with this book it is that the author sometimes takes on a sarcastic tone, which in my opinion is a little less than professional. I appreciate humor and wit in a book, but I think in some instances (mainly early in the book) Budiansky goes a bit overboard with it. Otherwise, I think its a fine book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the War of 1812 or the history of the US Navy.

Final Thoughts on "America Aflame"

I have finally finished David Goldfield's critically acclaimed new book America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation. Be prepared to spend some time on this book if you read it because the text runs over 500 pages, but it is a fairly quick read and won't feel like a 500 page book. The book is very nearly equally divided into three parts. The first third of the book deals with the causes of the war beginning in the 1840s. Goldfield covers all of the issues and crises, all the while using them to support his interpretation of events. Without going into great detail I will mention that Goldfield's basic interpretation relates everything to evangelical Christianity and explains how all the events leading up to the war and during the war itself were influenced by the religious climate of the time period, and how that religious climate changed during the war until American religion was a totally different thing by the end of the conflict. In all instances, his interpretation is well supported and argued.

The second third of the book deals with the war itself, but don't expect any in-depth analysis of battles. Military history is definitely not Goldfield's interest and that may be the weakest part of the book. However, that really isn't a weakness necessarily because his focus in not specifically on the battles; rather he uses the battles to illustrate certain points that he wants to emphasize. Without going into a lot of strict military history he manages to navigate through the war very well.

The final third of the book focuses on Reconstruction and the Gilded Age. This is an area of history that I have always had very little interest in, but Goldfield really makes most of this interesting, even to me. He concludes the book at the 1876 national centennial. He expertly summarizes all the phases of Reconstruction and gives an excellent overview of how America changed between 1865 and 1876. Of the 22 chapters in the book there were only three that I found a bit difficult to get through and two of those were in this last third of the book.

In the end, I think this is an excellent book that should be widely read. It really puts the Civil War era in a different light than most of us are used to looking at it. I don't think everyone is going to agree with all of Goldfield's points, and some probably won't like his overall interpretation, but I think it will give anyone cause to think about things a little differently than they might have otherwise. It is extremely well-written and easy to read. Goldfield's writing is really at its best in this book. Whether you like his interpretation or not, I highly recommend this book.

Update: At the Halfway Point (Almost)

As I mentioned in an earlier post I am currently reading David Goldfield's latest book, America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation. By the end of this Memorial Day weekend I will be halfway through the book. The writing throughout so far has been superb, except for one chapter (don't remember which one) that I felt got a bit bogged down. Though this book as a whole certainly is not meant to be used as a textbook for a high school or undergraduate class, I really feel that chapters 8 and 9 could easily be used in an undergraduate class. These two chapters very succinctly sum up the secession crisis after Lincoln's election and end after the First Battle of Manassas. Goldfield does not dwell too much on the military aspects of the war (and I never thought that he would) but includes enough to get where he wants to go. His main focus is on the socio-religious and political realms, which he covers very well. At the near halfway point, I am really enjoying this book.

My Love/Hate (but mostly love) Relationship with David Goldfield

And with a title like that, I'm sure you're thinking the pain meds have finally put me under. Not so, and you'll understand the title as I get further into this post. I have just begun reading Dr. David Goldfield's latest book, America Aflame: How the Civil War Created a Nation (for Amazon link see the "What I'm Reading" sidebar on the right). I've read the Introduction and the first two chapters so far and I am impressed. Goldfield's writing is as impressive as I've come to expect.

My "relationship" with Goldfield goes back to graduate school when I was studying modern Southern history. I read a number of his books, most importantly Cotton Fields and Skyscrapers. I knew of Goldfield and his work prior to actually reading any of it because my friend Jeff had received his MA in history at UNC-Charlotte where Goldfield teaches. Goldfield took on the image of the "rock star" historian to me (as did many others who I won't mention here).

Needless to say, I was giddy when I found out that he would be moderating the panel that I would presenting on at the UNCC Graduate History Forum in the spring of 1999. I had presented at that forum the previous year and all had gone fairly well. As luck would have it in 1999 however, I was nearing the completion of my MA thesis and was nearly burned out. Because of this my paper was not nearly as good as the one I had presented the year before, though I didn't realize that at the time. I was not prepared to present either and ended up exceeding my time limit and being cut off. In his comments, Goldfield absolutely destroyed me (and the other speaker on the panel as well). As far as I know, the other speaker on that panel still holds a grudge against Goldfield, but with hindsight I've let go of that bad experience. I realize now that the paper I presented was not good and my presentation was probably even worse. Goldfield has remained a rock star in my mind, and his new book is proving to live up to that reputation, at least for now.
A photo of me and Dr. Goldfield at the 1999 UNC-Charlotte Graduate History Forum (which I had totally forgotten about until I wrote this post)

240th Anniversary, Battle of Alamance

I received a report from the field today from my friends who are attending the 240th Battle of Alamance event this weekend. I certainly wish I could be there with them, as it sounds like they are having a good time. The big festivities this wehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifekend included the unveiling of new exhibits at the site and the release of a new book by Elon University professor Carole Troxler entitled Farming Dissenters: The Regulator Movement in Piedmont North Carolina. I'll post more about this event later, and I can't wait to get a copy of the new book, which one of the gang will be bringing back from the event for me.

Just in Time for the Bicentennial.......

.....Rene Chartrand has just reissued in new form this book, A Most Warlike Appearance: Uniforms, Flags, and Equipment of the US Forces in the War of 1812. This is very exciting news for all of you War of 1812 enthusiasts out there. This will definitely go on my wish list!

New Book by Dougherty

If you've noticed my current reading list on the right hand side of the page you'll see a book called Strangling the Confederacy by Kevin Dougherty. I didn't even know about this book until I stumbled upon it on the History Book Club web page. I was surprised to find that there was a new book dealing with the Civil War navies of which I was unaware. I'm usually pretty good about keeping up with the current scholarship. At any rate, I ordered the book from HBC and when I finished Stoker's excellent work I started reading Dougherty's book. I have to admit that I am more than a bit disappointed. I read the first few chapters (all of which are very brief) and decided it wasn't worth finishing. Don't get me wrong; there is plenty of very good information in the book. I found no grave factual errors in the little bit that I read, and all the information presented was fine. The problem is there's nothing new. The entire book is rehashed information from other secondary sources or well-known published primary sources. What kills me is that rather than basing his analysis on any primary sources, the author quotes other historians' works. In the brief amount that I read there were numerous quotes from Shelby Foote and Ivan Musicant. I've read works by both of these authors, so I really don't need Dougherty to rehash what they wrote. I suppose this book would be really good for someone who knows little or nothing about the Union Navy in the Civil War or combined operations (which is really what this book is about). It would provide them with the most basic of information and enough interpretation to get them started. For my purposes, it will only be slightly useful as a reference work.

Another New Blog on the Roll

Drew Wagenhoffer has started a companion blog to his already popular Civil War Books and Authors. It is called Upcoming American Civil War Books and it will highlight forthcoming titles. It's on the blogroll so check it out!

Updates

OK, I know I've been real slack on the blog here lately, but there honestly hasn't been a whole lot happening. As I mentioned before, our living history group basically took the month of July off and the first half of the month wasn't terribly busy at work. So there's just not been a lot to write about. I've used the month to catch up with old friends, take care of stuff around the house, and generally relax. Summer session classes are winding down, so I'll soon be turning in grades as well. However, here are a few notes to update all you loyal readers.

First, I would recommend everyone go read Drew Wagenhoffer's recent book review at Civil War Books and Authors on a book about the Mississippi River ironclad USS Carondelet. His review is very good. I also reviewed this book for the Nautical Research Journal. I generally agree with Drew's assessment, but I had a couple of criticisms as well. Overall it's a great book so go read Drew's review and pick up a copy if you are so inclined.

On the work front, most everyone in our office participated in some way in last week's Summer Teacher Institute sponsored by the NC Dept. of Cultural Resources. My boss was involved with the whole week's activities, while I simply attended the field trip day to Bentonville Battlefield and helped with an artillery demonstration. With the teacher institute over, we are turning our attention to our site staff and organizing a one-day workshop for historic interpreters which will be held this coming Thursday in Raleigh. We'll be talking about a lot of different topics from program planning to dealing with difficult subject matter to the new historic interpreter certification program we are beginning to develop. Should be very informative for them and for us.

Finally, I'll be doing a little side project on Monday to make a little extra cash. A documentary is being made about Fort Holmes, one of the defensive works in the Cape Fear located on Smith Island (now Bald Head Island). Me and a few other guys are going over to the island, which is now a private residential island, to do a Civil War photo shoot. We're taking every piece of Civil War clothing we have and will pose for photos at various locations and in various uniforms. We're getting paid pretty well to do it, so I think it will be worth it whether it's fun or not.

That's about all I have for now. Our next living history program isn't until August 14 so we still have a few weeks off. I'll update as warranted.