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.

Thoughts on Recent Conference

As promised, I have returned to offer some brief thoughts on the conference I attended with two colleagues two weeks ago. "Confederate Icons: History, Memory, and the Future of Our Past" was held at James Madison University and sponsored by the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation. First, let me say that the facilities at JMU were top notch in every way, and that everyone we encountered was friendly and helpful. Having attended all seven Virginia Sesquicentennial conferences, I believe this was on par with those larger events, and I made sure to tell the organizers that. I am going to post links to each of the presentations so you can watch them yourself if you choose, but here's a brief synopsis.

James I. "Bud" Robertson, Jr. was first up and I hate to say it, but I was terribly disappointed. While his presentation started out moderately enough, he quickly went off the rails and stayed there. His talk lost all professionalism in my mind when he used the oft-heard conservative jab at young liberals, "snowflakes." And that was only the beginning. One colleague pointed out that he cited no historiography past the 1950s, though he certainly knows better. His worship (and there's no other way to say it) of Robert E. Lee and attack on the Episcopal Church was over the top. Basically, he came off sounding like an angry old white guy. There is so much to break down about his presentation, but I'll spare it and you can watch it yourself if you choose. Link


Caroline Janney gave what maybe should have been the first lecture of the day, which put every other presentation into historical context. Her presentation outlined the activities of both Union and Confederate veterans in the years following the war, up to about World War I. This offered a gentle corrective to some of Robertson's thoughts by taking the issue further back in time than he bothered to do. Link


Christy Coleman was nearly the polar opposite of Robertson in her presentation, though she didn't go spinning wildly off into left field. She did have a few miscues/stumbles, but offered the real counterpoint to Robertson. She proved elusive during Q&A, not really answering the one question that was posed, to which everyone wanted to know the answer (regarding the committee recommendations on what to do with Richmond's Monument Avenue). She also invited some pointed criticism during Q&A that the moderators fairly quickly shut down. Link

John Coski came in right where I thought he would - straight down the middle. He was easily the most moderate of the speakers, though not conciliatory in any way. He laid out the facts in a straightforward and honest way, and his conclusions fell squarely where they should have. He was pushed a bit during Q&A, but not to the extent that Coleman had been. Link

Keven Walker wrapped up the day by giving the SVBF official position on the matter. Link

Overall, it was a very balanced conference, with all sides represented in some way. Unfortunately, the audience for this was probably not the audience that needs to hear such reasoned debate. The demographic was about what one would expect for such a conference, 99% white and over the age of 50. Those of us in our 40s felt like the young ones in the room, save for a few grad students. One colleague mentioned on numerous occasions that he was surprised to see armed law enforcement presence at the conference and wondered what message that sent. The officers were JMU campus police and there were two of them in the facility throughout the day. I didn't find this too unusual, surmising that the campus probably requires law enforcement to be present at most events held on campus. Maybe it was their appearance that he noticed. They didn't look like contract security guards (mall cops/rent-a-cops), but were regular, uniformed police, one of whom was wearing a vest. I chalked it up to campus policy, but maybe they were hedging against any kind of unrest. Suffice it to say, it was a very low-key and respectful crowd.

I will definitely keep up with the program offerings from SVBF in the future, as I was very impressed with this event. If they do something that interests you, I would highly recommend attending. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

The Bicentennial has Really Begun

I've been meaning to write a post summarizing the various War of 1812 Bicentennial activities I've taken part in since OpSail in Norfolk. Things have been hectic to say the least. Aside from many work-related projects, I've had lots of work to do surrounding my classes and some professional development, which I may get into later. I was talking with Mike Hill from the Office of Archives and History Research Branch earlier this week and was reminded that I really needed to write this post, so this one's for Mike.

On Friday, June 29 the NC Department of Cultural Resources War of 1812 Bicentennial Planning Committee hosted its Bicentennial kickoff symposium at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort. I had been very much looking forward to this symposium for a number of reasons. I knew it would give me a chance to see colleagues I don't often see like the aforementioned Mr. Hill, Josh Howard, LeRae Umfleet, Dr. David Brook, and others. I was also very interested in hearing a number of the speakers on the program, particularly Stephen Budiansky, author of the excellent book Perilous Fight. Mr. Budiansky did not disappoint; his keynote address was very good. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his presentation. Tommy Sheppard's discussion of American sailors impressed into the British navy was unique and interesting. Most folks know that impressment was one of the causes of the war, but to hear stories of the sailors who suffered that fate was a nice change of pace. Thus ended the morning session and I was off to lunch at the Royal James Cafe with Josh and Dr. Larry Babits. The conversation was stimulating and the fellowship enjoyable.

Gerald Thomas was the first speaker of the afternoon. He has authored numerous works on the history of Bertie County, NC including a recently published work on the county during the War of 1812. My feelings on this presentation are decidedly mixed. I didn't agree with some of his conclusions and though his research seems pretty thorough it just seemed like there were some holes that were left unfilled. Next was a panel discussion featuring Dr. Wade Dudley, Dr. Lindley Butler, and William Thiessen. Each gave a short presentation on a particular "niche" of the war. All three were great, and could have easily done a full-length presentation if not for the time constraints of the program. The symposium wrapped up with Dr. Larry Babits' presentation about doing living history on the USS Niagara. It was a real treat listening to one of the foremost maritime and military historians in the state talk about a craft that many of us strive to be as good at as he is.

All in all, this was an excellent symposium and the committee should be proud of their efforts. The attendance was, I think, better than expected with about 75 folks in attendance throughout the day. The unveiling of the museum's new War of 1812 exhibit was icing on the cake. Friday evening there was a harbor cruise and dinner; I did not take part in that activity and I'm not certain how many did.

The following day, a living history encampment was held on the Beaufort Historical Association grounds, just a block or two from the museum. Reenactors representing the NC Militia, British 4th Regt. of Foot, and the privateer Snap Dragon were on hand to interpret the war for visitors. Musket demonstrations were conducted throughout the day, but visitation was somewhat light due to excessive heat. Still, the reenactors all had a good time and were well taken care of by the BHA staff who provided lunch and other amenities. Toward the end of the afternoon a number of us trekked the two blocks to the Old Burying Ground and visited the graves of many notables, including the privateer captain Otway Burns. I would definitely consider the weekend a success and think it was a quite commendable way to kick off the War of 1812 Bicentennial in North Carolina!

War of 1812 Bicentennial Kicks Off in NC

This past weekend a group of dedicated War of 1812 reenactors gathered in Raleigh, NC on the grounds of the State Capitol and at the Mordecai Historic Park to reenact and commemorate the 200th anniversary of the United States' declaration of war against Great Britain in 1812. At the State Capitol the declaration was read and the Wake Volunteer Guards militia fired muskets and a cannon. Later that evening a ball was held at the Raleigh City Museum to cap off the day's activities. And with that, the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 officially began in North Carolina.

This weekend the NC Department of Cultural Resources War of 1812 Bicentennial Committee officially begins its commemoration of the little remembered and even less understood war that was pivotal in creating a sense of national pride and unity both here in the United States and in Canada. The Committee will kick off it's commemoration with a day-long symposium focusing on the naval war on Friday, June 29 at the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort. Saturday the commemoration will continue with a living history program on the grounds of the Beaufort Historical Association featuring US Regulars, militia, British forces, and sailors.

There are also activities taking place in the colonial capital of New Bern, at Tryon Palace. "The War America Forgot" will include character based tours of the site's Federal era house, the Stanly House, as well as children's activities in the North Carolina History Center. Also, on Sunday afternoon, yours truly will be giving a lecture called North Carolina War of 1812 Personalities featuring brief character sketches of five North Carolinians of the period.

All in all, both weekends included, I think North Carolina has done quite a good job getting the Bicentennial commemoration started. Another symposium and living history program will be held in October, along with many other living history programs, lectures, etc. in between. I hope that you will find time to attend one or more of these great events!

Moving Day for One of North Carolina's Largest Artifacts

After many years, stalled planning processes, negotiation, hand wringing, and construction the day finally arrived for the remains of the Confederate ironclad gunboat CSS Neuse to be moved to the soon-to-be-climate-controlled facility that is being built as the last resting place and museum for one of North Carolina's largest historic relics. Moving day was yesterday, June 23, 2012 and things got rolling very early. The movers had been on site all week, preparing the ship to be moved, separated into three sections as it was on the previous occasions of moving it. Each section was placed onto house moving dollies that once disconnected from the trucks that pulled them, could be operated via remote control in order to move each piece into place.



Staff members from the Division of Historic Sites arrived on site at 5:00 a.m. to prepare for the move. A few members of the press were on site to watch the trucks pull out onto West Vernon Avenue and begin the journey to Queen Street. Our Division Director, Keith Hardison was interviewed by the Civil War News prior to the commencement of the activities. A small group of spectators gathered to watch this beginning. It was amazing to see the movers get the three sections of ship out on the road, the smaller guys jumping around underneath each section making adjustments as the trucks were moving. I believe "situational awareness" was the word that was used to describe this process and they proved to be very adept at what they were doing. Photographers and videographers were in place to follow the ship on its entire journey. More press and many more interviews would follow when the ship arrived at the downtown location.



Once the three sections of ship (weighing in at 18 tons, 50 tons, and 39 tons) were all on Queen Street the entire block between Gordon and Caswell Streets was blocked off so the delicate work of getting the sections into the building could begin. There was a much larger crowd of onlookers at the downtown location and many stayed to watch the entire process. One of the best views was from the mezzanine inside the museum building. With great precision and attention to detail the movers got each section moved in, set up, and perfectly aligned below the "ghosting" structure that will be suspended over the hull depicting the outlines of the ship's upper half. The entire thing was done within about 5 hours. Now the construction must be completed and exhibits will have to be built and installed. The hope is to have the building open on a limited basis sometime before the end of the year and hopefully have a grand opening next summer. The work is far from finished, but the biggest piece of the puzzle is now in place.




Many people who have worked for many long years around the ship were present to witness the move, some retired and some still working. Unfortunately, Guy Smith, site manager for the past ten years who had overseen most of the process of getting the ship to this point, passed away just a month ago. As the last piece of the ship was moved into place I couldn't help but think of Guy and how I wish he could have been present. His family was present and I am happy that they will be able to see the final result of all the hard work he put into this project. It has been a tough month, with Guy's funeral being held just four weeks ago, but I think yesterday may have brought some closure for me, personally. Guy's legacy, and the legacy of many others who came before him, is going to live on in this new museum. It is definitely overdue for Eugene and Jann Brown (pictured below), Guy, and everyone else who has worked so hard to preserve this one-of-a-kind artifact.

Checking in After a Long Month

I was hoping to get the chance to blog all of the March events separately, but the time simply did not materialize. I've probably been spending way too much of what little free time I have on Facebook and not paying attention to other things (like this blog and huge backlog of magazines I've yet to peruse/read). At any rate, here I am to recap the past three weekends of being on the road.

March 9-11 found me in Newport News, VA with my friends Chris and Jim for the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads (you know, the famous battle between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia, nee Merrimack). We participated in the living history program at the Mariner's Museum and also presented a panel discussion on the topic of North Carolina-built ironclads as part of their Civil War Navy Conference. The weekend was really a lot of fun and we got to catch up with lots of old friends and make some new ones. It was really great to meet all of my fellow bloggers from the Civil War Navy Sesquicentennial Blog. It was a long weekend, but well worth the trip.

March 17-18 I found myself at Bentonville Battlefield for their 147th anniversary program. I served as gunner/interpreter for the artillery demonstrations both days and had the pleasure of working with the cannon crew from Fort Fisher.

March 21-22 I traveled with two friends to Lexington, VA and the beautiful campus of VMI for the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Signature Conference. The conference was good, but all of the ancillary activities made the trip even more enjoyable. Of course we visited the graves of Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee (and more importantly to me, John Mercer Brooke). We took in all the scenery around the campuses of VMI and Washington & Lee University. We even got to see the cadets practicing for a ceremony that was being held the following day; this rehearsal included the firing of four 105mm howitzers, which for me was really cool. As I mentioned previously, the conference was good. My favorite speakers were probably Carol Reardon, James I. Robertson, and Gary Gallagher. Mark Neely was pretty good as well.

Finally, March 23-24 I was with my messmates of the Carolina Living History Guild and our friends from the Fort Fisher cannon crew (aka Braddy's Battery) and Adams Battery artillery for the 150th anniversary of the occupation of Beaufort, NC. This program was co-sponsored by the NC Maritime Museum and the Beaufort Historical Association. We really had the prime real estate for this program, being set up for living history and for "camping" inside the Watercraft Center (boat building shop) of the Maritime Museum. The building is really a great facility and it provided both shelter from the two rain showers that rolled through as well as cool breezes off the water. We spent our evenings on the dock enjoying the scenery and a few cigars. The program was well-attended and we participated in a nighttime artillery demonstration at Fort Macon State Park designed to promote their 150th anniversary reenactment coming up next month. All in all, good times were had with good friends and that's what really matters.

After such a long and hectic few weeks, I have decided to stay home this weekend and not attend the War for Empire event at Fort Dobbs. I have attended this event for two years running and it is one of the best events in the state, but I am tired and need some down time. War for Empire will wait until next year when our schedule isn't nearly so busy. I have a couple of weeks to rest up and retool for another busy month in April. More on that later.....

Changing Focus

My streak of 18th century programs came to an end this weekend with the annual commemoration of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. Due to a number of issues, the reenactor turnout for the event was lower than usual, but that was OK. Sometimes bigger is not always better and I think we put on a quality program for the park.

Now I am rather abruptly switching gears and preparing for a string of Civil War programs. In the month of March, I will be presenting a paper at the Civil War Navy Symposium at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News, VA, as well as participating in that museum's living history program commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hampton Roads. I will also be taking part in the annual living history program at Bentonville Battlefield and the 150th anniversary of the occupation of Beaufort, NC being sponsored by the NC Maritime Museum. In the midst of all this, I will also be making a two-day road trip to Lexington, VA to attend the Virginia Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Signature Conference for 2012.

Two more Civil War events are on the horizon in April as well, including the largest 150th anniversary event that my group will take part in this year. The only thing that might steal my attention away from the Civil War over the next two months is the possibility of attending the annual War for Empire event at Fort Dobbs, a French & Indian War event. With everything else I have going on, I haven't decided whether or not I'll be able to make that trip this year. At any rate, things are shaping up to be very busy for the next few months. I'm preparing to buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Rowdiness and Revolution are Calling

February has turned out to be a busy month for me. Last weekend, my shipmates and I participated in a War of 1812 living history program at Tryon Palace in New Bern, NC along with the gents of the 10th US and Wake Volunteer Guards. As far as standard living histories go it was a really good program and we saw about 1000 visitors. Here's a photo taken of me at the program; I'm really getting the grumpy old sailor look down, I think.

The rest of this month will consist of general rowdiness and revolution. On February 18, I will be participating in a program at Brunswick Town-Fort Anderson State Historic Site that focuses on the Stamp Act Crisis. We will be doing an evening torchlight program where we reenact, through scripted vignettes, the protests that took place in the Cape Fear region.

On February 25-26 I will be joining other members of the Craven Regiment of militia for the annual anniversary of the Battle of Moores Creek Bridge. This program is in sort of a transition period right now due to some changes being made by the park staff, but we are looking forward to helping make this a better program in years to come. This year will be a big test of how things are going to shape up.

I might as well get used to this kind of schedule because March is even more hectic.

Trying to Get Into the Spirit

The holiday season is upon us, but today I am having a hard time getting into the spirit. I am doing things that I always do at this time of year, i.e. grading final exams, preparing for Christmas programs at historic sites, decorating the house, etc. However, no matter how much decorating I do, how many Christmas cards I write, or how much Christmas music I listen to, it is hard to get into the spirit of the season when the temps are in the mid-70s and I am wearing shorts. I guess its a good damn thing I don't live in Florida or some other such place. I'm sure all you folks up north who have already had a couple of snows this year are cussing me right now, but damn it, it isn't supposed to be 75 in December! At any rate, I think Mother Nature will take care of all this for me in rather short order as the temps are supposed to be a good 20 degrees cooler starting tomorrow.

This weekend's activities should also help get me in the spirit. We will be partaking in our annual tradition of Colonial Christmas at Historic Halifax. As always, we will be set up in the Tap Room at the historic site, with some form of holiday refreshments, tavern games, and of course the usual swivel gun and musket demonstrations throughout the day. Some of our members will march in the town's Christmas parade as well. We always have a ton of fun at this program and if you find yourself in or traveling through northeastern NC this Saturday, you should stop on by Historic Halifax. Its a short six mile drive off of I-95 and well worth the time.

Now, back to grading final exams, putting up a Christmas tree, and maybe getting some of those cards done!

Switching Gears

Or at least time periods. Three weekends of colonial events are finished and now I have to retool and gear up for the annual Confederate Navy weekend at the CSS Neuse State Historic Site and the Carolina Living History Guild annual business meeting. It appears that most of our members will be present this year and we certainly have lots to discuss, including a very busy schedule for 2012.

The Colonial Heritage Day at Brunswick Town went very well. Though the weather was cool and overcast at times, on Saturday afternoon the sun came out and it warmed up quite nicely. I enjoyed my day spent with the fine fellows of Capt. William Dry's Company of New Hanover County militia.

The men of Dry's Militia assembled for the manual exercise (yours truly closest to the camera)

The Celebrate NC program at the NC Museum of History was a great event! There were more artisans, craftsmen, historic sites, and entertainers than I've ever seen and the museum staff estimated 5000 visitors for the day. We saw plenty of those folks and had great conversations with a few of them, while representing Historic Halifax.

Yesterday's "Bath in the American Revolution" event went very well. Though I was only one of two militia men present, His Majesty's 64th Regt. of Foot had a very good turnout. Bath is a very small town that is off the beaten path, but they still managed to get 250-300 visitors out for the day. I talked to a lot of fine folks about militia service, both Loyalist and Patriot, in Revolutionary era North Carolina. The Brits did a fine job of drill and musket demonstrations, and musician Simon Spalding kept our ears perked up all day with his lively tunes.

All in all, its been a really fun three weeks.

Lots of Colonial Stuff on the Horizon

For the next three weeks I'll be immersed (at least part of the time) in colonial North Carolina history. Three events in three weekends should prove to be interesting and fun.

October 28-29, I will be at Brunswick Town-Fort Anderson State Historic Site assisting with their Colonial Heritage Days. Friday I'll be doing maritime interpretation for fourth grade students and Saturday will be open to the public. I will likely put aside the maritime interpretation and fall in with the militia company.

November 5, I will be representing Historic Halifax at the Celebrate NC program at the North Carolina Museum of History in Raleigh. Me and my messmate Chris Grimes will be discussing the recruitment of Continental Line and militia units at Halifax during the American Revolution. Even better, our display will be set up at the entrance of the museum's "Call to Arms" military history exhibit. And what's even better still, is that right outside the entrance to that exhibit is a mannequin dressed in the uniform of the 6th NC Continental Line, recruited at Halifax. Should be a great venue for a display!

November 12, I wrap up my three week whirlwind tour of colonial North Carolina at Historic Bath. I will be working with the Craven Regiment militia and His Majesty's 64th Regt. of Foot to present a living history program titled "Bath in the American Revolution." It should prove to be a great ending to this run of colonial/Revolutionary programs.

I'll try to be better about posting event reports and photos as we go, instead of waiting a month to get caught up. Stay tuned!

Two Road Trips Down

I have not been intentionally neglecting this blog for the past three weeks; I've simply been too busy to find enough time to post. A lot has happened since the reenactment of the 1802 duel between John Stanly and Richard Dobbs Spaight, the topic of my last post.

I was in Pennsylvania for the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. As most of you know, Flight 93 went down very near to where my father's family home is. I was not in PA specifically for the commemorations, but it was an interesting coincidence. I didn't go anywhere near the crash site memorial, but instead watched many of the proceedings on television with my grandmother. My mother and I were there for the annual Mountain Craft Days festival at the Somerset County Historical Center, which this year seemed to be greatly overshadowed by the 9/11 activities. It didn't help that it had rained there all week long and the grounds were nothing but mud and muck. I also got a chance to go fishing with my brother, as he and his girlfriend went up for a visit too. I caught two largemouth bass, the first being pretty nice (about 2.5 pounds and 14-15 inches long), so I was pretty pleased. My brother and I also got a chance to talk to a fellow who is working on restoring an old farm up in the mountains (we were fishing in his pond) which includes a house built in 1870. Not only is the farm a wonderful, peaceful, and beautiful place, but Jim is a really interesting guy who has a passion for making that place the best it can be. I may post some photos later.

After a quick turnaround, I was back on the road last weekend. I was in Richmond, VA on Friday and Saturday for the annual meeting of the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) where I was on the program as a session moderator. I put together a session titled "Aren't We Forgetting Something? The War of 1812 Bicentennial in the South." I had presenters from North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia; each one did a great job and the panel was better attended and more well-received than we ever expected. I sat in on some other very good panel sessions, got to catch up with folks I hadn't seen in a year or two, and met some new folks as well. It was one of the best conferences I've been to in a long time even though I was only there for part of it. Before leaving Saturday I had a chance to catch up with a friend from college who lives in Richmond. We hadn't seen each other in 15 or 16 years and it was real nice to catch up. And that leads us to........

Dueling on Labor Day

This afternoon I will be taking part in the annual reenactment of the duel between John Stanly and Richard Dobbs Spaight at Tryon Palace. I do not have a speaking part in this event, but will serve as one of the pistol loaders alongside my long time reenacting friend, Ken Sewell. It should prove to be interesting.

This event will begin a very hectic few weeks for me. On Thursday morning I am leaving to take my mother to Pennsylvania for the annual Mountain Craft Days event at the Somerset County Historical Center. For the past few years I have participated in this event as well, but I am taking this year off since I am still rehabbing my ankle and I'm not sure it would stand up too well for the entire weekend. Instead, I plan to visit friends, finally make that visit to Fort Necessity I've been wanting to make, and find a good bar at which to watch the Steelers game on Sunday.

The next weekend (Sept. 16-17) will find me in Richmond, attending the annual meeting of the American Association for State and Local History. There, I will be serving as moderator and presenter on a panel entitled "Aren't We Forgetting Something? The War of 1812 Bicentennial" which will take a look at three southern states' (TN, NC, and VA) efforts to commemorate the Bicentennial while being overshadowed by the much larger and more popular Civil War Sesquicentennial. I will also be attending a breakfast sponsored by the AASLH Military History Committee (of which I am a member) and Presidential Sites committee. The featured speaker will be from James Madison's Montpelier. Of course, I'll also be trying to catch up with a few old friends in the brief time I am in Richmond as well.

All in all, it looks like the next few weeks are going to be very busy, but in a generally good way. I'll report as I am able on all these activities.

Busy Week (and things aren't going to slow down)

A week ago yesterday the doctor told me to take the walking boot off and start wearing a regular shoe again. I have to say the first few hours of wearing a shoe, after three months of not wearing one, felt kind of weird. I still have to do some physical therapy, I still have some swelling and pain, but the doctor says I should be 100% within another month or so.

I tested things out right away, spending a weekend on the Battleship USS North Carolina in Wilmington. Our living history group did a Civil War living history there on Saturday and saw over 1,500 visitors come through. We also spent two nights aboard "The Showboat" which was really fun.

Fall semester classes at both colleges started this week, so I've been busy answering student emails, adding students who registered late, and doing all manner of administrative work that has to be done at the start of a semester. So far things seem to be going well and hopefully that will continue for the next three and a half months.

Things will really start picking up both at work and on the living history front over the next six weeks or so; be on the lookout for lots of posts from me in the next couple of months. Next weekend will kick it all off, as I'm headed to Cape Hatteras with the artillery crew from Fort Fisher to help commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Hatteras. We'll actually be doing artillery demonstrations on the ground of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, which should make for some really cool photo ops!

The Moment of Truth/Jumping Feet First Back Into the Fray

This post really has two parts and both will take place tomorrow. First, as many of you know, I have been dealing with a quite significant ankle injury for the past three months. Tomorrow morning I have a doctor's appointment and he will hopefully tell me that I no longer need the walking boot, and will recommend any further action that needs to be taken. The ankle is doing well, but its nowhere near 100% yet and won't be for some time. However, I think it has healed enough that I should be able to get out of the walking boot. This would be a very good thing because.....

Part Two: I will be heading to Wilmington tomorrow to take part in a Civil War living history program at the Battleship USS North Carolina. The program won't be much different than what we did last year. We will be highlighting the history of the 1824 ship of the line USS North Carolina and the Confederate ironclad CSS North Carolina. This year we will be allowed to bunk on board the ship, in the Marine Compartment. We'll have a smaller group than last year, but we are looking forward to it. I'm just hoping that I'll be climbing those ladders on the ship in a regular shoe and not a walking boot.

For the remainder of August and through the middle of October, my schedule will be almost non-stop so I'll have plenty to write about. Stay tuned!

VA Sesquicentennial Signature Conference - May 21

Virginia's Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission has already sponsored two Signature Conferences in Richmond (2009) and Norfolk (2010), both of which were excellent. This year, the conference was hosted in Blacksburg at Virginia Tech. Dr. James I. Robertson, one of the leading scholars in the field, was the conference host and it was his last official act prior to his retirement. That made this conference a little more special than the previous two. Dr. Robertson was presented with the annual award given by the Commission for lifetime achievement at the start of the conference and he presided over the event like a proud grandfather all day long, receiving a standing ovation from the crowd at the end.

This year's theme was Military Strategy and the list of speakers was impressive, as always. The opening session outlined military strategy at the onset of the war. Dennis Frye, Chief Historian at Harper's Ferry, gave an impassioned speech about the use of John Brown's raid on the arsenal as a rallying cry for the newly seceded Confederate states. Richard Sommers, Senior Historian at the Army Heritage and Education Center and US Army War College, discussed the military education system of the time and the general lack of preparedness and bloated seniority system of the US Army at the war's outbreak.

The next session focused on strategy in the eastern theater of the war. Sommers was once again at the podium to begin, discussing the failure of Union strategy in the first two plus years of the war. From there Dr. Gary Gallagher of the University of VA took over and discussed the mid-war period. Gallagher was as solid as ever in his presentation. The panel was concluded by Dr. Joseph Glatthaar of the University of NC talking about the Army of Northern Virginia and Confederate strategy, while wrapping up the end of the war. This panel was very good and certainly met expectations, if not exceeding them.

Lunch featured a performance of the Stonewall Brigade Band. I'm not a big fan of marching band music anymore these days so I took the opportunity to check out the rest of the coliseum, the book shop, and the rest of the exhibitors.

The first afternoon session focused on strategy in the western theater of the war. William C. Davis of Virginia Tech gave an excellent overview of both Union and Confederate strategy in the west early in the war. Dr. Richard McMurry discussed the horrible relationship between Confederate President Jefferson Davis and Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. He basically laid the failure of Confederate strategy in the west at the feet of Davis and his poor relationship with Johnston. The session was brought to a close by Dr. Steven Woodworth of TCU, discussing the western theater after the fall of Vicksburg. I was looking forward to hearing him speak, and though he was good, I was a bit disappointed. I'll give him a pass though, because he did agree to sign three books for me outside of the assigned book signing time. Thanks to him and the Virginia Tech conference organizer for allowing that to happen.

The final session focused on "forgotten elements" of the Civil War. John Bowen, a highly regarded veterinarian talked about the horses and mules that perished in the war effort. William C. Davis did an interesting presentation on weather, how it effected operations, and how often and in detail soldiers wrote about it. Finally, Dr. Robertson ended the day with a discussion of water and how important (and scarce) it was for both armies.

All in all, this was a very good conference. The staff at Virginia Tech was by far the friendliest of any of the three conferences so far. They went above, beyond, and well out of their way to make the conference easy for me (remember, I've got one leg in a cast and have to use either crutches or a knee walker to get around). They were very accommodating and helpful all around and I can't thank them enough! Next year's conference will be held March 22 (the day after my birthday) at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, the topic being Leadership and Generalship. I can't wait!

NC Civil War Sesquicentennial Symposium - May 20

I'm finally getting around to writing my reflections on the two Civil War symposiums that I attended last weekend. I'll start with the first of three programs being held in North Carolina throughout the commemoration, this one dealing with the topic of Memory, held at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh.

The keynote speaker for this conference was David Blight, and as you all know I am a big fan of his. I could listen to him talk all day long and he did not disappoint in Raleigh last Friday. His address was thought provoking, timely, and humorous.

I can only evaluate the speakers that I heard (sessions ran concurrently throughout the day), but generally I heard plenty of good remarks about all the sessions. Shannon SanCartier, soon to embark upon her Ph.D. work at Penn State gave an excellent historiographical presentation tracing the field of Civil War memory from the centennial in the 1960s to the present. Her presentation was very good and I felt she really separated herself from her co-panelist who clearly was nearing the end of his career. I won't say anything much about him except to say that I was not impressed.

John Coffey of the NC Museum of Art did an interesting presentation on the history of a marble bust of John C. Calhoun in the museum's collection. While his presentation was nice and quite humorous, he went way over his allotted time. Tom Vincent of the NC Office of Archives and History did an excellent presentation on his specialty, North Carolina Confederate soldier monuments. Chris Meekins of the NC Archives wrapped up this session with a discussion of the NC sarcophagus/monument at Appomattox and the controvery it stirred when it was originally placed and unveiled on the battlefield.

Historian and blogger Michael Hardy did an excellent presentation on Civil War monuments in western North Carolina. This is the first time I've had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Hardy in person and I really enjoyed his presentation. He was followed by Leonard Lanier, a doctoral candidate at LSU, who presented a talk about the opposing memories of eastern North Carolinian Gen. Bryan Grimes and the attempts to secure his legacy by his son and wife in the wake of his untimely murder after the war. I didn't stick around for the entire presentation, but what I heard sounded pretty good.

Finally, I got to hear one of my mentors speak at the end of the day. Dr. John Haley gave a presentation called "Risky Remembrances: African American Accounts of the Civil War and Reconstruction." Click the link to see this presentation on YouTube. Dr. Haley, though he went past his allotted time and was not at his best, was still very good. I really enjoyed hearing him speak again and remembered how great it was to sit in his classes at UNC-Wilmington.

As an aside, many of the presentations were videotaped and will be uploaded on YouTube. I really hope that David Blight's keynote address is available soon. Go to YouTube and look up the channel "ncculture" for more. All in all, I think this was a very successful effort for the North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, especially considering they had almost no budget to speak of. The next symposium will be on the topic of Freedom and will be held in 2013 at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem.

Civil War Sesquicentennial Begins Officially in NC

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of the Civil War Sesquicentennial in North Carolina, the anniversary of the state's secession from the Union in 1861. To get things started on a proper note, the NC Civil War 150 Committee is sponsoring thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif first of three symposiums to be held in the state over the next five years. Tomorrow's symposium focuses on Memory and will be held at the NC Museum of History in Raleigh. Click on the link for an excellent Washington Post article about the symposium and the commemoration.

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)