Hoofbeats and Cold Steel

Updated and expanded "Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions" by Eric Wittenberg now available

2011-11-15T12:30:00.003-05:00

Probably a number of folks know that I cut my Civil War teeth on the cavalry back when I was very young, and the subject of cavalry during the Gettysburg Campaign in particular. Back in 1998 during one of my Gettysburg visits, I spotted a new book on the shelves of one of the local bookstores - "Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions" by some dude named Wittenberg. I eagerly snapped it up and was excited to see that it contained the first detailed narratives at that time of the cavalry fights at South Cavalry Field and Fairfield. I had long studied those actions and agreed that they were indeed "forgotten" by most historians. Very deservedly, the book won the coveted Bachelder-Coddington award for the best new work on the Gettysburg battle.

The following year, I was a participant in an online Civil War internet chat room, which were really starting to ramp up in those days. One guy I started to chat with went by the chat name "Buford." With my interest in the cavalry, and having long studied the life and service of Union general John Buford, we started "chatting" on a regular basis. When we identified ourselves to the other, I discovered this "Buford" was that Wittenberg dude whose book I so thoroughly enjoyed. About that time, I began to create my old "BufordsBoys" website from primary source material I'd been gathering over the years, and Eric was a great contributor to it. Eric and I soon met in Gettysburg (where else?), we began giving tours together and sharing documentary resources, and after a few years we determined to begin writing some books together about the subjects we love. That began a researching and writing partnership that last until this day.

Back to Eric's first book. The original 1998 version, published then by Gettysburg's Thomas Publications, can be a bugger to find nowadays. It's been out of print for some time, and it was very popular when released. Its subject matter really filled a void in the scholarship, because hardly anyone else had paid much attention to, or wrote detailed narratives of, any of the dozens of cavalry actions that took place during the campaign. I know that those who have a copy of the original version, like myself, truly treasure the book and consider themselves lucky to have a copy.

Happily, publisher Savas Beatie has now worked with Eric to bring out this newly-revised, expanded and completely updated issue of the book. Eric and I have both gathered a wealth of new primary material on the cavalry actions, and he worked all of those into this new book as well as that which I was able to provide to him. Readers will find completely re-worked narratives of Wesley Merritt's and Judson Kilpatrick's battles at South Cavalry Field and the 6th US Cavalry's devastating fight at Fairfield, all on July 3. There are brand-new tours of the all these actions too, with new photographs. One of the aspects I loved about the original version of the book was Gettysburg ranger John Heiser's classic maps. Those are reproduced wonderfully in this new version, and includes a new one by John, too - he graciously snuck out of map retirement to produce it.

There is also an appendix section now, which includes a monograph written by Eric and I together. It deals with, to make a long story short, a silly, undocumented and historically inaccurate "alternate" theory about where Brig. Gen. Elon Farnsworth's Charge took place on the afternoon of July 3. All of the veterans and witnesses place it on what is known and South Cavalry Field, but a few years ago a Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide proposed in print her theory that it actually took place about a half mile south of the battlefield. Such a theory never would have gained any traction had it not been for the fact that her writings were poorly vetted (or not vetted at all) and subsequently published in a couple of national magazines. No serious Gettysburg student gave her silliness any credibility, but once something is in print it's impossible to pull back. Thankfully, this inaccurate theory has pretty much died down, but because students and scholars will still encounter her original writings on the subject, we felt it was important to include our documented rebuttal to the theory. You'll be able to read it in its entirety in this new version of Eric's book and we hope that it will lay the subject to rest, as well as help students and scholars who may end up getting temporarily fooled by the theory until they see the actual documentation and evidence.

So, whether you already have the original version of this book or not, you'll absolutely enjoy Eric's updated and expanded version of his award-winning book. And if you were never able to get a copy of the first version, now is your chance to see why it was so lauded as a wonderful and much-needed detailed narrative of cavalry actions during the Gettysburg battle that so often get overlooked. For the full story of the battle, this book is indispensible and will become a treasured tome in either a brand-new way for you (if you don't have the original), or happily all over again.

"The Rashness of That Hour" wins Robertson Prize

2011-10-31T14:48:00.005-04:00

Deepest congratulations to my friend Rob Wynstra - his book "The Rashness of That Hour: Politics, Gettysburg, and the Downfall of Confederate Brigadier General Alfred Iverson" (Savas Beatie, 2010) has won the Dr. James I. Robertson Literary Prize for Confederate History Award!

Back in 2009, Rob approached me with his manuscript and asked me if I had any ideas about who might be interested in publishing it. I knew of Rob's work (I had seen an earlier version of the manuscript a number of years back when a publishing company I co-owned considered it) and his newest version was deeply researched, wonderfully written and broke a lot of new ground. Therefore, I thought of my publisher Ted Savas immediately. I contacted Ted and put the two of them in touch, and now it's simply terrific to see Rob's book receive the accolades it richly deserves.

Alfred Iverson is one of those infinitely interesting characters not only of Gettysburg, but the war and in American history itself. You'll enjoy Rob's discussion of Iverson's performance throughout the war, particularly at Gettysburg, and the details of his antebellum and post-war life. Typical to Savas Beatie books, Rob draws upon a wealth of newly-discovered and previously unused sources.

Congratulations Rob! Everyone interested in Gettysburg, Confederate units, the war, and history in general should acquire a copy of this book. Rob is currently working on a book about Robert Rodes' Division in the Gettysburg Campaign, to be published by Savas, and I eagerly anticipate that one as well.

UPDATE: Rob just informed me that the book has also won the prestigious Bachelder-Coddington Award, given each year to the best non-fiction work on Gettysburg... congrats again, Rob, and now I'm really jealous!

Guest Blogger: William Fuzia visits grave of Alfred Pleasonton

2011-09-09T11:22:00.018-04:00

I'm honored to have a post here by good friend and guest blogger William R. Fuzia, who portrays Federal Cavalry officer Alfred Pleasonton. William recently visited the final resting place of Pleasonton and his family in Congressional Cemetery near Washington DC. I've been to the grave once years ago, and asked William to take some new photos for me, which he graciously did. The first one shows him at Alfred's government headstone, the only (and simple) marker at the general's grave. William wrote the following for this post:

"Pictures of the humble gravesite of Major General Alfred Pleasonton in the family plot at Congressional Cemetery, Washington D.C. General Pleasonton served as a career Dragoon and cavalryman from 1844 to 1868. He is best known for his command of the Army of the Potomac Cavalry Corps from 1863-64 and was instrumental in bringing the Union Cavalry to age. May he rest in eternal peace. Thank you for your faithful service, general."

And thank you, William, for providing these updated pictures!

Video Trailer for The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook

2011-09-02T15:34:00.002-04:00

Our publisher, Savas Beatie, has had a really nice video trailer produced for the new book by me and Steve Stanley - The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook. They did a beautiful and very professional job with the video. As always, if anyone would like a personally inscribed copy of this or any of my books, please visit my website here.

"To Appomattox" blog

2011-08-26T14:18:00.002-04:00

My good friends Greg Caggiano and Steven Hancock - also great friends of the To Appomattox production - have just started a blog about the series. It's a great way to stay updated on current news, announcements, casting information, and even contests! Please check it out. Great work, guys.

Interview by Greg Caggiano

2011-08-14T20:30:00.004-04:00

Sportswriter, historian and friend Greg Caggiano interviewed me today via email for his blog From New York to San Franciso. He asked terrific questions, ranging from my participation in the "To Appomattox" television miniseries, to the newest book, and even my favorite Civil War movies and generals. It was great fun. Please give it a look, and thank you Greg for letting me yap a little about my passions!

My updated website

2011-08-11T14:51:00.003-04:00

Over the past few days, I've been having my personal website re-vamped and updated. It was originally done with Microsoft Front Page (I don't think I even have that software anymore) and hadn't been updated in a couple years. Just a few pages are currently onsite, and the rest will be up soon. Folks will also be able to order personalized and signed copies of my books directly from the site.

If anyone has any suggestions for anything they'd like to see on the website, please drop me a line. Thank you!

"The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook" now available

2011-08-05T14:42:00.002-04:00

The new book by myself and Steve Stanley - The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook - is now available. Signed copies are available from our publisher Savas Beatie, and of course it is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and most bookstores including all stores in Gettysburg.

Featuring the wonderful maps and complete design by Steve Stanley, we hope you will find the book to be a useful overview of the entire Gettysburg Campaign. The centerpiece of the book is a photo narrative of the complete campaign beginning with the battle of Brandy Station (June 9, 1863) through the crossing of the Army of Northern Virginia over the Potomac River on July 14. We have a section of Gettysburg quotes, trivia, personalities, weather during the battle, Medal of Honor awardees, and the most complete and accurate Order of Battle ever compiled. There is also a section on Visiting Gettysburg, suggested reading and websites, and much more.

We hope you consider buying a copy, and if you have it and enjoy it, please post a review of the book on the Amazon and Barnes and Noble pages. Thank you!

"The Complete Gettysburg Guide" now available as an e-book

2011-07-14T11:44:00.003-04:00

The Complete Gettysburg Guide is now available as an e-book for Amazon Kindle. Co-author Steven Stanley has been working very hard the past few months with our publisher, Savas Beatie LLC and our distributor, Casemate to make the e-book just right. Since the book is in full color with Steve's wonderful maps and graphics, the e-book needed a great deal more design work than a simple black-and-white book. We had to make sure that the layout was correct and user-friendly, and Steve and crew did an amazing job. So if you've been waiting to be able to have The Guide on your reading device, please check out the Amazon page.

UPDATE: Many have asked me when the book will be available on the Barnes&Noble Nook - I am told that the formatting will be done no later than the week of July 25, so it should be available very soon!

History Channel's "Gettysburg" - I have survived

2011-05-31T21:49:00.004-04:00

Last night (Monday) I was driving late home from Gettysburg, and arrived home about 1am. Consequently, I wasn't able to watch the new "Gettysburg" show on History until this evening from my DVR. Like many of you, I've been fascinated by the comments I've seen about it on social media such as Facebook, blogs, and especially on History's Facebook page. Nearly without exception, the show has been roundly panned by everyone who has seen it.
First, I think it's fair to state something that others have said amidst the specific criticisms of the show: I still prepared to watch it with a sense of anticipation and hope. Being a three-time production consultant myself, and currently advising on the upcoming To Appomattox series, I'm keenly aware of the need for good Civil War and historical programming to keep interest in our Nation's past alive. All of us - the casually interested to the most informed scholars - desperately yearn for good historical programming and anxiously await the announcement of anything new. When History's Memorial Day showing of "Gettysburg" was announced, all with the expected production qualities of the Scott Brothers, I and many felt that perhaps something great was on the horizon.
My critique of the show follows below. First I will state my criticisms (which run the gamut of the historical narration to details such as uniforms, equipment and terrain) followed by what I perceived as good about the show. And there is a lot of good despite my comments below. I've placed time markers in front of each comment to mark the point in the show to which I'm referring. I know that others have picked up on many things that I don't mention here, and I admittedly let some things off.
So here goes:

Opening: Despite the fact that the armies did not meet by accident at Gettysburg, it is described as starting as a minor skirmish purely by accident.
1 min: The battle began along Knoxlyn Ridge 4 miles to the west of Gettysburg, but is said to have begun 1 mile west of Gettysburg (presumably at McPherson Ridge). By the time McPherson Ridge is the site of the main fighting, the battle had already gone on for about 2 hours along the 3 miles to the west. John Buford is never mentioned in the show, nor the fact that Federal cavalry began the battle with Harry Heth's division. The 'crossed rifles' emblem is seen on most Union headgear, an emblem not used by any in the Army until 1875, 10 years after the war was over.
8 min: Historian Garry Adelman states that the battle started purely by accident.
10 min: Ewell is said to have replaced Jackson upon Stonewall's death. Actually, Jackson's Corps was broken into two corps - one commanded by Ewell, the other by A.P. Hill (who is never mentioned in the show). Ewell is said to be Robert E. Lee's second-in-command. That was actually James Longstreet (which is mentioned only a couple times in passing during the show).
11 min: After the repulse from west and north of town, the Union soldiers are said to have retreated from Gettysburg. Actually, they retreat to and through the town, in which there is more fighting, before forming on the heights to the east and south of town. It is also stated the the Federals "have nowhere to go." It is implied that they are directionless with no one leading. You can probably guess that Winfield Hancock is likewise never mentioned in the show.
16 min: By 4:30, it is said the battle has gone on for 10 hours. Actually by 4:30, it has gone on for a little over 8 1/2 hours.
21 min: Confederates, surgeons etc. are seen carrying those cheap, inaccurate wooden lanterns that are sold to tourists and unsuspecting reenactors.
24 min: Union soldiers are seen digging what appear to be 6 foot-deep trenches on Cemetery Hill. Nothing of the kind took place.
27 min: In an attached commercial spot, Gettysburg citizen John Burns is said that while he fought with the Union Army, he "acted as a sharpshooter."
30 min: Federals, seen digging those 6 foot-deep trenches now on Culp's Hill, are said to be armed with a "new weapon" - the shovel. They are long-handled shovels. Troops on Culp's Hill actually constructed breastworks. Trenches you dig; breastworks you build. On Culp's Hill, Union troops actually piled logs, rocks and earth under the direction of George Green (gee, never mentioned in the show) into breastworks.
31 min: Ewell is said to have received orders at 9pm (sigh) to take both Cemetery Hill and Culp's Hill (sigh and sigh). At least they mentioned the "if practical" disclaimer.
32 min: Adelman states that had the Rebs taken Culp's Hill, the Union Army would have had no choice but to "leave" the field. The battle would have been fought somewhere else. I'll leave this one open for the obvious debate.
33 min: The hollow base and grooves on the minie ball are said to give it stability in flight. With all the nice graphics showing the ammunition, wounds, and operation of artillery, it would have been more complete and accurate to say that actually the hollow base would expand at ignition, expanding the lead into the rifling grooves in the gun barrel, imparting spin to the bullet - hence the spiraling flight to make it straighter and longer. The hollow base in and of itself doesn't just give the bullet stability, which the graphic implied.
36 min: It is shown that by midnight on July 1, Meade had put the Federal line into its well-known "fish hook" formation from Little Round Top to Culp's Hill. In reality, Meade arrived on the battlefield that night sometime after midnight, and throughout the night and early morning got the line into a shorter formation that had not yet reached to Little Round Top.
38 min: It is described that in order for their bodies to be identified in case of death, soldiers would sew their names into their uniforms. "Dog tags" it is said, had not yet been invented. As to the latter, it was already actually pretty common for soldiers to purchase a commercially-made disc with their name, unit, hometown, etc. imprinted on it, which they carried on their person or wore around their neck. As to the former, soldiers also indeed sewed little tags on their clothing with their names - however, some genius on the production took it to mean that soldiers actually used thread and sewed their names - the actual letters of their names in thread - on their hats and such. Several soldiers in the scene are shown sewing those big names in thick white thread on their kepis, i.e. "J O H N S M I T H" etc. in big letters on their hats. In my 30 years of studying the Civil War I have never once seen that.
43 min: Barksdale, who is throughout the July 2 portion basically portrayed as carrying Longstreet's Assault all by himself, appears with jet-black hair and strange side whiskers. Barksdale actually had nearly shoulder-length snow white hair. This Barksdale, however, bears a striking resemblance to an older and fatter Judson Kilpatrick. That, or a reject from a Planet of the Apes fan convention.
44 min: It is stated that the Federal position cannot be scouted because "Lee's cavalry is missing." I think we all know the answer to this one. Cavalry, which is never portrayed at the battle in this show (although nearly 20,000 horsemen of both sides are present and fight several pitched battles at Gettysburg) is blamed for Longstreet's countermarch of July 2. Lee's cavalry commander, Jeb Stuart, actually only took just over half the cavalry with him on his ride. Lee still have several thousand cavalry with him at Gettysburg. And, it is said that Lee's cavalry is, on July 1, "12 miles to the south raiding supplies." Stuart and his riders are actually about 24 miles to the northeast, heading for Carlisle PA. And they're doing much more than raiding for supplies - I could of course go on for hours - but you get the idea. The show is happy to say several times that "Lee is blind on the battlefield."
45 min: It is stated that in order to issue orders to the front, Meade uses a "new innovation" - wig-wagging of flags. Apparently, that sure eliminates the need to use couriers I guess. And, the wig-wagging is based on "Morris Code." No, that's not a typo. Morris Code. I replayed the part several times to make sure the narrator actually said that. He did. It is stated that Meade had to use the flags because he was 3 miles away from the front during the battle. I guess he spent the battle at one of those cool diners nears the Maryland border I like to frequent on my visits to Gettysburg.
48 min: It is stated that Daniel Sickles, commander of the Union III Corps, was "recently acquitted of murder." The trial was three years prior to the battle. But it does sound more intriguing their way.
50 min: Barksdale, it is said, "sees that Sickles' mistake (in moving his men too far forward) has left the Union line vulnerable." There are many interesting comments throughout the show which show the evident prescience of so many commanders. Wait, an even better one is coming.
52 min: The "Rebel Yell" scene. I'm not sure where to begin. It's stated that each Confederate regiment "had its own distinctive version of the Rebel Yell." No, actually it was rather universal among the Confederate armies in the East and West. It was a distinctive "ki-i" yell that would curdle your blood. Several of the "Rebel Yells" shown in the show, however, sound more like soundtracks of Arab women hollering about the price of fruit going up in the town market. Lots of people have commented about this segment, and to say it's completely, utterly, and absolutely ridiculous is being kind.
58 min: It is Barksdale's Brigade alone that overwhelms Sickles' entire corps. This thread runs throughout the show - since only a few are highlighted on either side, the grand enormity of the battle is brought down to a much smaller scale. Anyone with little knowledge of Gettysburg watching this show would get no idea of the grandness of the scale of the actual battle.
60 min: It is stated that a Rebel cannon shot "severed" Sickles' leg. Actually, it crushed the lower bones of his leg, and it was amputated later.
62 min: Solid artillery shot is shown exploding when it hits the ground - as it is throughout the show. The graphic showing how artillery operates is actually pretty good - but the footage is almost entirely wrong. I've seen the comments of several artillery experts about this show, and let's just say it ain't complimentary...
63 min: A Union infantryman is seen aiming and shooting a Sharps carbine. Possible, yes, but so highly unlikely that it's out of place.
65 min: Rebs are seen shooting enemy that are wounded and lying on the ground. Sure, this happened of course, but it was necessary here? And what is the point?
75 min: "Medicine was in its infancy." Patently untrue, as the medical experts will tell you. Because the only thing talked about during the show is amputation, it's implied that surgeons new little else.
81 min: It is said that Pickett's Division is the "only fresh troops" that Lee has on July 3. Okay, tell that to Mahone, or.... well, sigh. Because the only Reb prisoners that Meade hasn't interviewed are Pickett's, it is said that "Meade suspects that Pickett will lead" any possible attack on July 3. Remember when I warned you that a better example of prescience was coming?
98 min: "100 Union cannon" are arrayed against Pickett's Charge. The artillerists who commanded the other 50 cannon in addition to those 100 must feel pretty left out right now.
100 min: Talking head Sean Rich (of "Pawn Stars" fame) shows up here. Oh, this guy is good. He tells everyone that it was very common to see artillerists' faces starting to bleed as they fired their guns. You see, Sean says, the percussion of the guns would cause the artillerists' internal organs to be ripped apart. My, that sounds uncomfortable. And if that didn't kill them, Sean proceeds to explain, their ear drums would explode and blood would start running out of their ears. So if artillerists all over a battlefield suddenly internally combusted into a bloody, gooey mess without explanation, I guess we now have our answer. Thanks, Sean. I need to work that little factoid into a future book somehow...
101 min: Apparently, as portrayed here, artillery crews stacked their cannon balls into neat little pyramids on the tops of black powder barrels beside their guns. Well, okay, I guess that would eliminate the need to bend over and pick them up off the ground, where those limber guys would just lay them willy-nilly.
102 min: Joseph Davis, who pretty much commands Pickett's Charge by himself, got his cowboy hat from one of those tourist shops in Gettysburg. Probably went shopping with Barksdale.
103 min: As shown throughout the production, cannon projectiles are simply rolled into the cannon barrels. No need to ram them in - just pick up a ball, and roll it down into the barrel. You know it hits the back of the barrel when you hear a distinctive "klunk." Simple.
112 min: I never knew that the fence along the Emmitsburg Road was held together with 10-inch lag bolts. They apparently save all that wasted effort cutting holes in posts for rail fences like on other battlefields.

General criticisms: These are legion. But suffice it to say that besides the historical narrative inaccuracies, the set locations in South Africa just don't pass for Gettysburg. The town looked more like it was a set from a 1950's B-Movie western. The terrain was horrible (since when was Gettysburg forested with vast amounts of pine and even the occasional sandy desert here and there?). And there was absolutely no mention of the cavalry fighting, nor many important commanders - Buford, any Federal infantry corps commander other than Sickles, A.P. Hill, or even Chamberlain (thought many admit that was refreshing). Officers all rode heavy draft horses (maybe that's all that's available in South Africa), and much of the equipment was non-historical. And because so much of the production was on so small a scale, and even narrated in that vein, no one would get the idea that Gettysburg was actually the enormous conflict that it was and ranged over so much territory.

Okay, so that's the Bad and the Ugly, how about the Good? I'm not ashamed to say I was captivated by the actual production value - the dramatics, the woundings, etc. - as was my wife during the few minutes she watched. I thought most of the acting was actually superior and engrossing. The fellow who portrayed Amos Humiston (that's Amos, not Lewis as he was once called) nearly brought me to tears. The only unsettling portrayal, I thought, was Joseph Davis - during Pickett's Charge he seemed to be a Christ-like figure, standing in the midst of evil mayhem. Perhaps that wasn't all that unintentional. Many of the woundings made me wince - I could almost feel them and they seemed quite real (more real had they not shown the smoke coming from the squibs and the Hollywood-esque big spurts of blood coming from many of them).

So my general impression? For accuracy, an F. Teaching the historiography of the battle? If there's an F-, this gets it. But History is trying. This is an exciting week for us Civil War nuts, with promising Civil War themed American Pickers (with my good buddy Erik Dorr and his Gettysburg Museum of History) and Pawn Stars (another of my favorite shows). The Sesquicentennial is a good time to be an American Civil War nerd.

And if this show gets people interested, then that's fabulous. It's up to those of us who know better to help people learn the truth. Maybe this will spur more interest in reenacting, and even help living historians to affirm their correct impressions. And if it brings more related programming, then I'm all for it - but let's hope that future shows are made under the close direction of folks who are recognized specialists in their field. The commentators on this show were not able to view the rest of the production, hence they can't be held responsible for how lousy it turned out to be. Hopefully it doesn't reflect on them, as it shouldn't. They all know better, and they wouldn't have allowed all of the inaccuracy to have been both filmed and narrated had they had the ability to direct it.

Kudos to History for keeping interest alive. Yes, general public understanding of the Battle of Gettysburg has just been set back a few decades, but that's happened before. It leaves the door open for all of us to right the wrongs - to discuss it, debate it, write about it, and read about it. And even to film it all over - better is coming, I assure you. Patience.

"Peter Seaborg Award" Honorable Mention for The Complete Gettysburg Guide

2011-05-24T11:02:00.003-04:00

Co-author Steve Stanley and I were notified today by Dr. Mark Snell, Director of the George Tyler Center for the Study of the Civil War at Shepherd University, that The Complete Gettysburg Guide received Honorable Mention for the 2010 Peter Seaborg Award. We are quite humbled and grateful for this honor, received among 35 nominees for 2010. Information about past winners, and information about the award itself, can be found here.

Thank you to Dr. Snell and the award staff for this very nice honor!

Scott brothers' "Gettysburg" on History channel, May 30

2011-05-19T12:27:00.013-04:00

Yep, there's been a good deal of banter about the premier of a 2-hour docudrama called "Gettysburg," produced by Ridley and Tony Scott, on History channel this Memorial Day, May 30. Known for their well-deserved successes on the big screen, the Scotts appear to have brought their talents and skills to bear on the July 1863 battle to kick off History's commitment to programming for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War.

Lots of talk about the production indeed. I, like many, are eagerly anticipating the show. For one, it's good to see History actually get back to programming about... uh... history. History other than Ancient Aliens that is. I'm aware that shows like Swamp People and Ice Road Truckers have been immensely popular, but don't such programs belong on a separate channel? For the past several years I have been but one of a legion of voices, seemingly crying from the proverbial desert, that History get back to what it always did best - present programs about events that actually took place beyond five minutes ago.

For another, having "big" names such as the Scotts producing such a show seems to guarantee that it will have high production qualities. Such qualities are already evident in the two (that I am aware of thus far) trailer teasers that have been released on the internet and the channel itself. You can see lots of CGI, lots of artillery going off in the soldiers' faces, and captivating camera work. The budget for this production had to be considerable.

There is a lot of other talk about the show going around, however. The trailers have been quickly scrutinized for the accuracy of the uniform, equipment and scenery portrayals - in such productions dealing with anything about the Civil War, it's inevitable that amateur and professional historians will look closely to see if any egregious historical inaccuracies are evident.
And boy, there are actually quite a few seen in just the couple minutes' worth of the trailers.

In the trailer that can be seen on History's page here, a number of historical whoopsies show up. In the first few seconds, the Union soldier seen marching in column, then getting hit with a blast of artillery, is carrying his musket at shoulder-arms - but with the hammer at full cock. Not good. Dangerous and not regulation by any means.

A moment after that scene, a Union soldier is prominently featured wearing what appears to be a Hardee-style hat. On the front of his hat is pinned a brass insignia. Is it the familiar bugle? Nope. Perhaps the "US" insignia? Wrong again. Maybe his unit designation? Nuh-uh. On the hat can be seen the crossed rifles insignia. Not bad, if you ignore the well-known fact that the Army didn't begin using that particular insignia until 1875, ten full years after the end of the Civil War. During the Civil War, such an insignia hadn't even been imagined yet.

Another scene that just about everyone has been mentioning is the scene in which a Confederate soldier is seen climbing over a post-and-rail fence (perhaps the Emmitsburg Road fence during Pickett's Charge?) carrying the iconic Rebel battle flag. It's flapping in the humid breeze in all of its rectangular-shaped glory. So what's wrong with that, you say. Nothing, except for the fact that just about everyone who is well-versed in Gettysburg fact knows that the rectangular version of the flag was not carried or used by the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg. The square version, yes ("the" battle flag). The rectangular version is the Second Confederate Navy Jack.

In a different, first trailer released by History, Union soldiers are seen jumping over what appears to be a poured concrete wall. What, at the historical battle, such a wall is intended to portray I haven't a clue. Hardee-style hats can also been seen with the incorrect side pinned-up.

These obvious inaccuracies can be seen in just the couple minutes of trailers, leading one to wonder what will be noted during the two hours of the full showing. Granted, folks with little or only a casual interest/knowledge of the Civil War or Gettysburg in particular will never notice such boo-boos. But for those who have noticed them, and roundly criticized them, the inaccuracies are leading to a couple questions: first, what (if any) historical consultants have been used for the production; and second, were actual reenactors used for the show?

The production is advertised as being made "in cooperation" with "several prominent Gettysburg historians." Their names, however, don't seem to be listed anywhere, and my search for them has turned up nothing. We may not know who these "historians" are until the credits roll at the end of the show. To be fair to whomever they may be, it could be that such historians were not consulted in the scenes that show the listed historical inaccuracies. Any historian of the period would assumedly have picked them out and corrected them pretty quickly.

The question about actual reenactors perhaps gets more the heart of the controversy. Say what you will about them (I am a reenactor in addition to an author/historian), nearly any Confederate reenactor who has been in the "hobby" for any decent length of time would know that the rectangular, Navy Jack battle flag would never be carried during any depiction involving Gettysburg. And any Union reenactor worth his salt (salt pork?) would know in a millisecond that the crossed-rifles insignia is incorrect for the period. You only see such insignia on those Chinese-made crappy children's kepis that are sold in stores geared for tourists (the ones beside the plastic rifles with rubber bayonets). And even the least experienced reenactor knows better than to march in column, at shoulder arms, with his musket on full cock.

That is why everyone is assuming that very few or no actual reenactors were used during the filming. It is being assumed, because of what is seen in these trailers, that volunteers or actors with no reenacting experienced were dressed up in uniforms and given their respective roles.

Because of the high and impressive production values that a team like the Scotts obviously bring to the show, one hopes that the accuracy will also be high. Over the past few years, we buffs, historians, and afficianados have had to suffer through some really lousy Gettysburg and Civil War productions. One that quickly comes to mind is the Military Channel's absolute dog of a show Gettysburg: The Battle That Changed America. This hour-long, painfully and horribly inaccurate drivel pops up every now and again, forcing folks who know anything about Gettysburg to resist the temptation to draw a nice warm bath and open up their veins. During just the first couple minutes of this festering pile of ridiculousness, the battle of Gettysburg supposedly opened when a small Confederate unit, minding their own business as they walked along a road near the town, were ambushed and fired upon by Federal infantry. And the Confederate infantry that opened the battle is purported to be that of Richard Ewell's Corps. It actually gets worse after that. The principal historical consultant on the show was reportedly Tom Carhart, which actually explains a great deal. Carhart knows so little about the facts of Gettysburg, I'm not sure that he even knows in which state it took place. His fictional fantasy about Gettysburg Lost Triumph - Lee's Real Plan at Gettysburg and Why It Failed tries to be a non-fiction work but does not rise to the challenge. Where there are no supporting facts, Carhart simply fabricates them, and apparently he did the same for the Military Channel show. I've always felt that if the CIA wanted to interrogate me, they needn't resort to waterboarding; just the mere threat of making me watch that show again would crack me like a songbird.

Back to History's Gettysburg. I join those who say that regardless of the obvious inaccuracies seen in the trailers, with the expectation of many more to be seen, if the high production values and captivating presentation brings many to want to study the battle, the war and the period, then it will have value. When inaccuracies are shown and become engrained in the audience's perceptions, however, it sets back the clock of teaching true history a couple decades or more. I don't think those silly crossed-rifles insignias will start showing up at reenactments, and soldiers won't begin thinking it's proper to march in formation at full-cock, but when these issues come up they will provide teaching moments. Sure, visitors to Little Round Top still ask rangers and Guides why Buster Kilrain's name isn't on the 20th Maine's monument, but in the grand scheme of things little harm is done by relatively minor historical boo-boos and dramatic license. If we can bring more folks to want to learn history - especially our children - then we work to explain the errors and move on to what's important. History. Real history.

I applaud the History channel for bringing this production to what promises to be a wide audience. Yes, I may be wincing every few minutes at something I see, and even watching with one eye closed at times, but unless we can ever actually take our cameras back in a time machine to 150 years ago, it'll never be perfect. Based on what we've seen lately, maybe for now it's just enough to hope that what we start seeing is better than what we've been getting.

Oh, did I address the modern rock music that accompanies the trailers? Let's leave that subject for my post-show review...

UPDATE: As seen in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly, above is a screen shot of a soldier from the show. Note the Hardee hat with the wrong side pinned up. And the crossed rifles insignia on the front of it. Oy.

"To Appomattox" mini-series

2011-04-18T13:19:00.010-04:00

By now, probably many of you have heard of the Civil War mini-series that's in the works, titled "To Appomattox" (click the title for the project's official website). Written by Michael Frost Beckner (pictured below, well-known for his work in TV and film such as the CSI TV series and the Sniper and Spygame films), the 8-part series follows certain main characters throughout the war and after. Characters include Grant, Sherman, Lee and Longstreet.

I have been very honored the past couple weeks to be assisting Michael as the Historical Advisor, working on historical details and interpretations in the script. Several other authors and historians have been assisting with the project since Michael conceived it nine years ago. As I read through the scripts of each episode, I can tell that Michael has done his homework. In fact, he just called me this afternoon and we spoke for nearly an hour - Michael is a life-long history/Civil War buff and it's obvious that he's very excited to see this project nearing fruition. I can tell that he knows these characters extremely well. I can envision their portrayals on the screen, and I believe Michael is spot-on with their characterizations and personalities. There are no caricatures here. All of the portrayals are very fair and believable, historically accurate and plausible, and historians will be very pleased.

Casting thus far is very exciting. You'll see on the project website that a lot of well-known actors and actresses are on board, such as William Petersen, Michael C. Hall, Paul Giamatti, Will Patton, Bill Paxton, Laura Bell Bundy - and talks are proceeding with other famous actors that will be revealed once they sign their deals. The band Rascal Flatts (one of my and my wife's favorites!) is doing the musical score, and each of them also has a role in the series.

This is the first year of the war's sesquicentennial, of course, and projects about the war and the period are more popular than ever. Besides the number of TV shows showing lately on channels such as History and HBO, movies like the recent "Conspirator" are opening to large audiences. More are coming, too. And I think "To Appomattox" will be extremely popular and critically acclaimed, because Michael is doing it right - he is staying true and faithful to the historical figures, while the dramatic atmosphere is very touching, moving, powerful, and plausible.

Michael is still in negotiations for a network (many are assuming HBO but that's not a given). Several networks are currently very interested in the project.

I'm extremely honored to be assisting Michael with the script and historical details, and I look forward to being involved as the project develops along with other historians. This is truly one to look forward to.

UPDATE: A page of the historical consultants has gone up on the website - see it HERE.

WPRR Radio Interview April 19

2011-04-16T21:17:00.008-04:00

This coming Tuesday, April 19 at 10:35 am I have a radio interview on WPRR's show "Tuesdays with Tormala." I'm grateful to my publicist at Savas Beatie, Sarah Keeney, for setting up the interview. Click the link below to listen live, and you can also listen to it anytime once it's in the station's archives:

Tuesdays with Tormala

I'm looking forward to the interview - Rick Tormala is an impressive guy with quite a political track record. We will be discussing general Civil War Topics such as events leading to the war, causes of the war, and why the Union won.

UPDATE: The link to listen to the April 19 show is now on the site, and my interview begins about 32 minutes into the show (you can skip ahead to it if you wish).

The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook is at the printer

2011-03-25T16:27:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, our publisher Savas Beatie LLC sent the new book by myself and Steve Stanley to the printer. Titled The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook, it is the newest in the "Handbook" series by Savas Beatie. Steve completely designed the book - it's entirely in full color and features more than a dozen of his beautiful battle maps, and modern and historic photographs of the entire Gettysburg Campaign. The centerpiece of the book is a photographic study of the campaign from the Battle of Brandy Station (June 9, 1863) through the escape of Lee's army across the Potomac (July 14, 1863). We have also compiled the most complete and accurate Gettysburg Order of Battle to be found anywhere - which we hope will be a useful resource for everyone. In addition, there is a section of campaign trivia, quotes, personalities, Medal of Honor awardees, and a discussion of the major controversies and myths of the battle. And there's much more including a suggested reading list by category, and recommended websites.

All of the page backgrounds of the book are actual paper images taken from Jedediah Hotchkiss' map book - which makes for a stunning look! We hope that this handbook will appeal to readers and students of all ages and knowledge levels - folks new to the battle and campaign will receive a great introduction to it herein, and there's lots of information for even the most diehard Gettysburg scholar.

The book should be available by late May. We'll soon have a website available to purchase a personally inscribed and signed copy, and the book should also be on Amazon within a couple weeks or so.

"Plenty of Blame To Go Around" in paperback June 2011

2011-02-23T09:42:00.003-05:00

Eric Wittenberg and I were just informed by our publisher, Savas Beatie LLC, that our first book together Plenty of Blame To Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg will be out in paperback this coming June. This book appeared in 2006, and is a comprehensive narrative of Confederate cavalry commander Jeb Stuart's ride to Pennsylvania with three of his brigades. We begin just after the battle of Brandy Station, detail the orders and planning that went into the ride, and then narrate the ensuing eight days of the cavalry's exploits from Virginia through Maryland and then to Gettysburg. Stuart got into several scraps along the way, including the capture of the Federal supply train at Rockville, a nasty skirmish at Westminster, an all-day brawl at Hanover, and then Wade Hampton's fight against Judson Kilpatrick at Hunterstown on July 2.

We're very excited to see this volume come to paperback, just as our second book One Continuous Fight (about the retreat from Gettysburg and the companion volume) did about a month ago. Paperback volumes reach a wider audience, and it also gives us the opportunity to make a couple minor tweaks to the original issue. We found a couple interesting tidbits recently that add to the interpretation of the fight at Westminster, for instance, and we're able now to work in a few sentences of the additional information.

If you've been waiting for this book to come out in softcover, this summer will be your chance to pick it up.

Very nice honor - and two new books!

2011-02-19T16:23:00.009-05:00

Steve Stanley and I were very humbled recently when we were informed that our The Complete Gettysburg Guide was placed on the Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guides' list of "Recommended Reading" for the Guide exam last year. We're very honored that a prestigious group such as the Guides feel that our book provides helpful information to candidates.

Right now, Steve and I are hard at work on our next two books for Savas Beatie (hence the paucity of blog posts the past few weeks). Both of the books should be out in May. The first is The New Gettysburg Campaign Handbook, which is in the series of handbooks that Savas Beatie has been producing. Ted Savas and J. David Dameron produced a volume on the Revolutionary War, and Mark Hughes wrote the volume that covers the Civil War. Our volume features lots of campaign statistics, biographies, interesting facts, a discussion of controversies, and the most accurate and updated comprehensive Order of Battle for Gettysburg. The books features maps and design by Steve - each page and each map is in full color! For the background of each page, in fact, Steve has used a page from one of Jedediah Hotchkiss' map pages. The look is simply stunning. Each page is heavy, glossy stock.

The second book, which we're writing concurrently, is an expansion of those Orders of Battle - hopefully a resource that everyone will find useful - Orders for nearly every conflict of the entire campaign! Tentatively titled The Complete Gettysburg Campaign Orders of Battle and Numbers and Losses, it lists Orders for every single conflict during the campaign, and includes all strength and casualty figures for each. Each Order is introduced with a narrative that explains the conflict, and places it in context with the rest of the campaign. Again, Steve is doing the complete design of the book for Savas Beatie. Every single page is in full color on heavy, glossy paper that will last a lifetime.

Much more on these new books to come. Please stay tuned!

Compounding a fraud

2011-01-25T10:21:00.003-05:00

By now, many or most of my readers, I'm sure, have read of the scandal surrounding Lincoln historian Thomas P. Lowry. There are several online articles detailing how Lowry admitted, earlier this month, to falsifying a date on an Abraham Lincoln soldier pardon in the National Archives from 1864 to 1865. Lowry was able to claim, therefore, that the pardon "dated" the day of his assassination was likely one of the president's last official acts. The "find" garnered recognition for Lowry, elevating his status, and was hailed by the National Archives as an important Lincoln find. Rather than further detailing the sordid affair, you can read about the subsequent revelations here:

Saratosa Herald Tribune
Washington Examiner

A Google search of Lowry's name is starting to show several hundred newspaper articles that have picked up the story.

The National Archives has also released a video detailing the crime, which can be viewed here:

National Archives Video

Lowry, according to the articles, is now compounding his crime by blaming others. Even though Archives officials have a hand-written, signed confession to the deed by Lowry, he is claiming that he only wrote and signed it so that the investigators would "leave him alone" and that an Archives staffer likely changed the date. The statue of limitations on the crime (seemingly done in 1998) has run out, so besides the fact that Lowry's claims seem on the surface to be an obvious bald-face lie, it needs to be explained how Lowry could claim that he was "coerced" into signing the confession. So he's blaming Archive investigators, Archive staff, and even to a certain degree his own wife Beverly, who he claims originally found the pardon.

In his confession, the Archives state, Lowry snuck a quill-style pen into the reading room one day in 1998, took out the pardon, and after somehow slightly erasing Lincoln's own hand-written date of 1864 and changed the 4 to a 5. Lowry further states that he changed the date to that of Lincoln's assassination so that he would be recognized and lauded for finding what would seem to be an unusually historically significant document. Lowry based much of his resulting book, "Don't Shoot That Boy," on the document. As a result, he was able to secure publishing contracts for futher books, get numerous speaking engagements, and even a History Channel show based on the book in which he was the main talking head.

As my friend Eric Wittenberg states, it is hoped that Lowry's actions for his 15 minutes of fame have turned out to be worth it. Eric and many other fellow bloggers have picked up and commented on this tragic story. In addition, Facebook and chat boards are burning as the story circulates.

I spoke with Eric and other fellow historians and authors on the phone yesterday and last night, and the common thread in our conversations was how horrified we were by Lowry's actions and subsequent denials, but also by how out of character it is for the vast majority of historians. I have been fortunate to handle historic documents in my research - never a Lincoln-signed document however - and I have always been in awe of them. When I've been able to hold a document written/signed by Civil War icons such as Lee, Grant, Chamberlain, etc. and the hundreds of letters and diaries by the grunt soldier, it never fails that the hair goes up on the back of my neck. Lowry's crime has left a stain on the historical community and on all of us, because his utter lack of respect for the historical record is simply unfathomable.

Besides the respect that is owed by anyone who handles such documents of historic significance, we as historians/authors owe it to our readers, and the historic record itself, a high standard that can never be compromised or taken for granted. All of us historians and authors are sickened by this event, perhaps even moreso than in the cases were people have stolen items from the Archives or have been found guilty of plagiarism. All are reprehensible, but Lowry's actions are the worst of the worst. And all in the name of recognition and the building of a false career.

Rather than keep up his ploy of deny and divert, we can only hope that Lowry comes to his senses and reclaims a sliver of his dignity by admitting to his deed. He can't be prosecuted due to the statute of limitations - his prosecution has come from the historical community - but most folks are willing to give a measure of forgiveness to those who repent. Lowry has shown that such forgiveness has no importance to him, as little importance as he showed to the Lincoln pardon by altering it.

Lowry has spent his 15 minutes. And he's spent any amount of respect and forgiveness by blaming everyone but himself. Lincoln is recorded as having said, "History is only history if it is the truth."

Perhaps in his studies Lowry has seen that statement, and perhaps one day he will actually take it to heart.

We never stop learning...

2010-12-30T14:34:00.002-05:00

There is no doubt that we never stop learning - the more we look, study, listen, scrutinize and question, the more that is revealed to us.

All those old pictures taken during the Civil War - ones we've looked at a million times - seem like old hat to many of us. But today, GettysburgDaily.com has published a photo study of a Gardner photo at Gettysburg that has perhaps revealed more about the battlefield than we've seen in quite some time. Check it out here.

It might be high time we take all this digital technology we have and really start looking at all those old photos. I think the learning has only just begun. Again.

Merry Christmas to all!

2010-12-24T10:37:00.002-05:00

From my family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas! It's been quite busy the last few weeks (hence the paucity of posts) - I have four (four?!) books coming out next year, and the first manuscript is due January 15. I've been working hard on that one, then it's on to the next. Fortunately, I'm able to get a lot of writing done over the winter months, but I know it's important to take time off from everything over the holidays to spend quality time with family and friends.

My wish for you is that you and your family have a safe and joyous holiday season. Tomorrow, Christmas Day, it'll be fun watching my young nephew open gifts and enjoy the day. As I get older, I feel Christmas in the eyes of the young, and I remember what it was like for me.

May you also have a safe New Year, and are able to enjoy history in many forms - visiting historic spots, reading, etc. I'll be doing my best to contribute some worthy pieces to scholarship, and learning from as many folks as I can. Be safe and enjoy!

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift?

2010-12-06T14:20:00.004-05:00

Okay, we all know the December drill - long lines at the box stores, folks scrambling to find last-minute presents... it can be maddening. To make your Christmas purchasing perhaps a little easier, we have a special offer for you. If anyone on your "list" is a Gettysburg/Civil war buff, how about considering a copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide for them if they don't already have it? From now until midnight on December 17, the FIRST FIVE orders for the book on our website [click here] will receive a FREE copy of the accompanying battlefield Audio Tour! That's a $19.95 value, absolutely free.

Only the first five orders are eligible, so please hurry. I will post here when the first five orders have been received (and also on the book's Facebook page). All orders are shipped out the same day they are received. Please also let us know how you would like the book to be inscribed - they are signed by both Steve Stanley and me.

Thanks for considering the book for your holiday purchasing!

"One Continuous Fight" coming in paperback

2010-11-12T10:58:00.004-05:00

The 2008 book I co-authored with Eric Wittenberg and Mike Nugent, One Continuous Fight: The Retreat and Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863 is being released in paperback by our publisher, Savas Beatie (click on the book title to be taken to the Amazon page for the paperback). The scheduled release date is January 1, 2011. For those of you who have been waiting for a paperback version of our popular book, now's your chance! A detailed narrative of the momentous 10-day period following the Battle of Gettysburg, our book gives a blow-by-blow account of the 23 battles and skirmishes that took place during the retreat - as well as a scholarly discussion of both army commanders' decisions during the movements.

Soon I'll also have a link to order a personally inscribed and signed copy from me on my website, so watch for that if you'd like to have one of those.

Antietam and Gettysburg weekend

2010-10-18T11:50:00.006-04:00

Last night I came back from a very productive 3-day trip to Antietam and Gettysburg. I arrived in Gettysburg at Steve Stanley's house on Thursday evening. Friday morning, we drove down to Antietam to spend most of the day with good friend Ted Alexander, the head historian. In preparation for our upcoming The Complete Antietam Campaign Guide (scheduled release Summer 2011), Ted graciously agreed to take us on his extended "Off the Beaten Path" tour. We drove from Antietam to Hagerstown, Funkstown, Williamsport and back, with Ted pointing out many very interesting sites along the way, all related to the Maryland Campaign. And one little highlight - when we stopped and examined the 1700s-era Watkins Ferry and home site, there was an older gentleman in back of the home. The house is vacant and boarded up (after suffering a fire that gutted much of it). I walked up to the man, and he introduced himself - Joel Watkins, a direct family descendant. He proceeded to tell me a little about the property and family, and it was an incredibly fortuitous chance meeting. When I visit historic sites like these, it's always amazing and suprising the things you discover, and people you sometimes meet.

Ted did a wonderful job, and we still have 3 or 4 days we need to spend with him on the back roads of the campaign. These tours of obscure and little-known sites are really going to make this guide book special and unique. I have a legal pad with about 15 pages full of notes that I need to begin writing up - and this is only a start.

We got back to Ted's office at the historic Piper farm property, and he allowed us to check out the park archives. There isn't enough room here to describe the incredible stuff we got to see - and will be using - but suffice it to say we were like kids in a candy store!

Saturday Steve and I were booked for an all-day signing of our books and audio tours at the Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center. We had a very busy time, and it was wonderful talking to so many people. One fellow told us that The Complete Gettysburg Guide was his "bible" when touring, and we were extremely flattered. I never get tired hearing folks tell me how they use the book and learn from it.

We also got a very nice surprise during the day. TV journalist Rita Cosby (of Fox News, MSNBC, and currently of CBS) was scheduled to also do a signing of her new book at the Visitor Center. She has written a book of her father's World War II experiences as a prisoner of war - Quiet Hero. It's a wonderful, personal story. I got a copy, and she wrote a very nice inscription for me. She gladly accepted a copy of the Gettysburg Guide, and loved it. During our breaks, I got to speak with Rita for quite some time, and we compared similarities in our family stories. Rita is a very personable lady and I very much enjoyed our conversation. That evening, she was driving to D.C. to accept an honor from the Polish Consulate (her father was a Polish soldier during the war and came to the US afterwards) and it's very much deserved. The picture of us shows Steve on the left, me on the right holding my copy of her book, and Rita is proudly holding her copy of the Guide.

Sunday was also special - I don't seem to get to spend much quiet time on the battlefield lately, so I took about 3 hours to visit several spots on the field before heading home. I really enjoyed that. I had no agenda - no studying to do or notes to take - so I was simply able to walk around on my own and enjoy the field and the monuments. I also took a quiet walk through the National Cemetery - something I always try to do on each trip. It really re-charged my batteries.

A very productive and busy weekend, capped off by some "alone time" on the field. Great weekend.

I'm often reminded...

2010-09-28T13:03:00.004-04:00

Because I give quite a number of talks throughout the year, participate in book signings, and participate in many chats/discussions of topics that pertain to my books (directly or indirectly), I'm often reminded of exactly why I do this work. When folks tell me how much they enjoy one book or another, or one of my articles - or even give me deserved criticism about something I may have completely screwed up - it reinforces my motivation to help folks learn and discover. And in the process I learn even more.

There is the danger, though, to become a bit jaded. The more you hear praise and criticism, the danger increases that it doesn't make as much impact as time goes on. In addition to being guilty of it myself, I've seen it happen to many other authors/students of many genres. The more you hear how "great" you or your work is, the less it can impress you. I must always remind myself that for each new person that makes a comment to me, it's "new" to them that they've had a chance to praise or criticize. It's probably good that every once in a while someone shows indifference to my work, or outright tells me that I'm the worst historian to walk the planet :)

I must admit, though, that certain reactions and uses of my work make a great deal of impact. Today, my friend Jim Beeghley, adjunct professor of Graduate Education at Waynesburg (Pa) University, sent me a link to his blog post showing videos of his young son, CJ, at Gettysburg this past weekend. CJ is searching for rock carvings on the battlefield, using The Complete Gettysburg Guide as his guide. In each video, CJ is actually reading about each carving directly from the book as he sits or stands next to each one.

Here is the link to the post of videos on Jim's blog.

Barely 10 seconds into the first video, I don't mind admitting that my eyes began to moisten as I watched young CJ read my words. I chuckled as I watched him struggle with some words unfamiliar to him (sorry, CJ!), but he dutifully and determinedly said them phoenetically. Good on ya, CJ - you did very well.

But as he read from the book, and Jim panned the camera to the carvings, a few times I closed my eyes and listened to CJ - recalling when I wrote those words. His young voice, sometimes struggling with pronunciation but always doing his best, was the sweetest music I've heard in a long time. It made me think that perhaps someday long into the future, when I'm long gone and forgotten about, another youngster will find my dusty, musty old book on a shelf or in a box somewhere, and it might motivate him to read and learn. And perhaps visit the battlefield with the book. Things that we leave to this world - whether written words, things we say or do to another, or just the prodigy of a family line - last much longer than our own lives.

While out there on the field using my book, and as son and father so graciously made a video of the experience, I'm sure neither one suspected the impact it would have on me. That's as it should be. The experience, of course, wasn't for me. It was for them, to discover and learn, to be son and father together on such hallowed ground of historical importance. And it was also much more for the ones who made those carvings - Park Noel, Augustus Coble, etc. - because their stories live on in those who tell them. As I hope my work makes a difference into the future, probably folks like Noel, Coble, and the others could never have dreamed that 100 years and more into the future, people would be talking about them like they do now. However much of an instrument I've been for that attention, I'm grateful. And I know that Steve Stanley is too.

Thank you, Jim and CJ. Historian David McCollough, with his wonderful voice and presence, could have been out on that field reading from my book... and it wouldn't have made nearly the impact that you did.

With appreciation from a grateful heart.

Need a reason to oppose the casino in Gettysburg?

2010-08-31T20:18:00.001-04:00

Then watch this video.

It was played today in front of the PA Gaming Commission as part of a two-day hearing on the proposed casino. Gettysburg Borough Council and NoCasinoGettysburg organizer Susan Paddock asked me to testify, but because of a doctor's appointment today, and hand surgery tomorrow, I was unable. I feel horrible I was unable to attend, but I couldn't change the appointments. I was hoping to put together a panel consisting of fellow historians/authors such as Eric Wittenberg, Ed Longacre, Andrea Custer and others, but we all had scheduling conflicts. This just turned out to be a bad week to try to get folks together. I asked several folks, but they understandably had conflicts, and all felt bad about being unable to attend.

That video likely has more impact, though, than any of us could have mustered. Just listening to David McCollough talk about the sacredness of America's hallowed grounds should make everyone stop and think about what this stupid idea of collossal, galactic proportions would do to the area. As he says, it's simply trying to bank on Gettysburg - why not put a casino next to the Washington Monument, the Liberty Bell - hell, how about the White House? Either a place matters or it doesn't. If Gettysburg or any other such place can be cheapened by such a move, then let's get out the bulldozers and just plow the whole goddamn place under and bury the monuments. There's no "fence" - either you care or you don't. Make your voice heard.

Sept. 4-5 Gettysburg Book Signings

2010-08-30T11:44:00.002-04:00

This upcoming Labor Day weekend, Steve Stanley and I will be at several book signings around Gettysburg. If you're in town, please stop in and see us. All of my books will be available, as well as our first volume of the Audio Tour based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide. Here is the schedule:

Saturday, September 4:

11am to 1pm: Gettysburg Gift Center (former Wax Museum) - Steinwehr Ave
3pm to 5pm: Pages of the Past bookstore - 10 York St - Grand Opening of this new bookstore
7pm to 9pm: American History Store - corner of Steinwehr and Baltimore St

Sunday, September 5:

11am to 1pm: GNMP Museum and Visitor Center Bookstore
3pm to 5pm: Gettysburg Gift Center (former Wax Museum) - Steinwehr Ave

Hope to see many friends this weekend!

"Law Business Insider" Radio Interview

2010-08-05T20:20:00.005-04:00

A couple weeks ago, I was interviewed on the Law Business Insider radio show "America's Best Selling Authors." The show can be heard on many network radio channels as well as Sirius, etc. Many of America's best and most popular writers have been interviewed on the show, and I am very humbled and thankful to have been asked to appear. I had a terrific time with the hosts - Steve Murphy and Roger Clark. Both of these gentlemen were very well read, very insightful, and asked great questions which led to a unique and interesting discussion.

You can easily listen to the show by clicking here. Click on "Listen In" and first you will hear a great interview of Mark Wilensky, author of The Elementary Sense of Thomas Paine (about 15 minutes) and then my interview will follow. We had such a great time that the hosts asked me to come back on the show this month.

I hope you enjoy the show, and I really enjoyed being a part of it.

Audio Tour examples on YouTube

2010-08-01T15:45:00.006-04:00

Casemate, our North American distributor, has put two tracks of the Audio Tour based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide on YouTube. The first track is the stop at the First Shot Marker, and can be found here. The second track is a stop examining the July 2 night attack at East Cemetery Hill, and can be found here.

Audio Tours can be purchased through our website, and there is a special combo price for a tour and the book.

In Gettysburg stores, we've been hearing that the Tour is outselling all other audio tours by eight to one, and we are very grateful! We have been hearing wonderful comments and reviews from folks, and we're so glad that the tour, like the book, is helping folks to see and understand so much more of the battlefield.

Surgery report

2010-07-31T13:24:00.003-04:00

Looks as though the surgery on my right hand was a success! Already, just a few days after the procedure, I can straighten my fingers out for the first time since early April. And the hand doesn't get numb or tingly anymore. Dr. Christopher Lincoski seems to have done a wonderful job. As I mentioned in the previous post, he's a hand specialist who reportedly gets great results. Since the moment I woke up after the procedure, I haven't had an iota of pain either, so I've already thrown away the pain medication they gave me.

My hand will remain wrapped until Monday, when I can remove the wrap, and then just put a bandage over the incision. The following week the stitches will be removed, and at that time I will schedule surgery for the left hand as soon as possible - I can't wait to get it done now.

There's a lot of physical therapy ahead for both hands, but already I'm typing better and starting to get back to writing that I've been anxious to do. Thanks to everyone who has expressed their best wishes to me, and I appreciate all the kind thoughts. The website for University Orthopedics (with centers in State College and Altoona PA) since some folks have asked, is here. They have many specialists who are excellent. The bio of my surgeon, Dr. Christopher Lincoski, can be found here. Great guy.

Just call me Lefty...

2010-07-24T20:13:00.002-04:00

This Wednesday, July 28, I'm finally having the first of the two wrist surgeries to take care of my carpal tunnel syndrome. After several doctor visits and tests - including the infamous EMG electrical test I wish to never take again - I was referred to a hand specialist a few weeks ago. Dr. Lincoski of Allegheny Orthopedics, of State College PA will be doing the surgery. When I saw him earlier this month, he had just come back from volunteering a stint in Afghanistan, performing hand surgery on wounded soldiers and citizens. I think that's very noble. He specializes in only conditions of the hand and wrist, and performs many CTS surgeries... in fact, looking at his calendar for July 28, I saw that I'm one of four CTS procedures he's performing just that day.

No one looks forward to having surgery, but obviously I'm excited to have the chance to put the CTS symptoms behind me. Not only does it make it difficult to type and write, but I've been a DIYer all my life. I enjoy working on all sorts of home projects, and working outside in the yard and garden. For instance, clearing weeds in the garden is more difficult. Heck, just holding onto some objects sometimes can be challenging - causing me to drop things often. Plus, the numbness and tingling in the fingers, probably one of the most annoying symptoms of CTS, makes it difficult to fall asleep, in addition to any minor chore involving the hands that we all take for granted.

I'll report back to my readers sometime after Wednesday when I'm feeling up to it. We're doing the right hand first, so I guess for a while my new nickname will be Lefty!

Upcoming Radio Interview - The Law Business Insider

2010-07-22T14:56:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday, July 27, I'll be taping a radio interview as the guest on The Law Business Insider. Click here to see their home page, here for archived shows, and here for archived author interviews. Many Savas Beatie authors have appeared as guests on the show, and I'm very honored to be counted among them.

In addition to authors, many prominent politicians, attorneys, business leaders, and newsmakers are interviewed on the show, and it's quite an honor to be asked to appear. LBI shows appear on NBC, Fox News Radio, Sirius, the BBC, XM, Bloomberg, and more. The airing date and time of the show will appear on the bottom of the home page of the website after Tuesday, and it can be listened to anytime by checking the archives.

The Complete Gettysburg Guide Audio Tour, Vol. 1 - now in stock

2010-07-06T22:52:00.005-04:00

On Friday in Gettysburg, our initial stock of Volume 1 of the audio tour - The Gettysburg Battlefield - was delivered to us. If you'd like to order it, simply go to our website. We even offer a discounted deal if you order the audio in combination with the book.

It consists of two discs, 2 1/2 hours total and will take you from the first shot of the battle all the way through Culp's Hill and Cemetery Hill. Our audio tour covers twice as much ground as the National Park Service Self-Guided auto tour, and about twice as much as any other audio tour available. Included is a full-color booklet featuring several of Steve Stanley's maps (including his famous Day One All-On-One-Map!) in a full-color package completely designed by Steve. You can take the tour completely at your own speed, and skip among stops however you wish.

It's even better when used in conjunction with the book. Please consider picking up a copy of the audio tour, take it out for a spin, and enjoy Gettysburg!

Third winner (fourth day) of the Audio Tour!

2010-07-04T21:20:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, even after making several trips around the Gettysburg battlefield Saturday, Steven Stanley and I couldn't locate anyone carrying a copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide to award a free copy of our new Audio Tour based on the book. We were at the afternoon battlewalk for Pickett's Charge, and a couple folks who recognized us came up to us - explaining they didn't have the book in hand. Unfortunately, we just didn't see anyone carrying it.

Today, Sunday, however - Steve and I perched ourselves in the shade atop Little Round Top, hoping someone would walk by while carrying the book. After about 15 minutes, Steve spotted a group of folks walking past us. One fellow was carrying the book, and stepped out to the summit and opened it. We walked up to him, and told him about the contest and that he had won a free copy of the audio tour. He introduced himself as Edward Hall, a colonel in the Marines and known as "Colonel Ed." He had gotten the book last year during the Civil War Preservation Trust's membership drive - the CWPT sent a copy of the book to all new members at the $100 gift level, and it included a specially designed bookplate by Steve. Colonel Ed was very happy to get the Audio Tour and be our final winner. They asked us to give them some information about what to see from the summit of Little Round Top, which we were happy to do. We pointed out various sights to them, talked for a while about the July 2 Confederate attack on the hill and the southern portion of the battlefield, and had a great conversation.

Colonel Ed was a very gracious winner, and we enjoyed meeting him and his group. Congratulations to all of our contest winners and we hope you enjoy the Audio Tour!

WINNER of the second Free Audio Tour contest!

2010-07-03T12:19:00.002-04:00

On Friday here at Gettysburg, fellow blogger and historian Rea Andrew Redd was spotted with his copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide during a battlewalk - he's the second winner of the free copy of our Audio Tour based on the book. Rea is a big supporter of our book, and he was very happy to be our second winner.

Steve Stanley and I have made a few trips around the field today (Saturday) but haven't located our third winner yet. The tour is in several stores around town, and it has been selling extremely well - in fact, it's far outselling the other tours currently available, including another tour that was just released on July 2. We are very honored by that, and we hope folks who have them enjoy and learn.

Congratulations again Rea, and who will be our third winner....?

WINNER of the first free Audio Tour contest!

2010-07-01T16:47:00.003-04:00

We have a winner of the first free Audio Tour (based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide)! Today Steve Stanley and I rode around the first day's field at Gettysburg, and we spotted a gentleman carrying a copy of the book during the Railroad Cut battlewalk. It turned out to be Frank Piatek, who is the author of Cannoneers, To Your Posts! Frank was not aware of the contest, but was happy to be our first winner. We also saw at least one other person carrying the book on the walk.

Congratulations to Frank - that's one free audio tour, three more to go from tomorrow through Sunday!

Audio Tour update - and a CONTEST!

2010-06-28T10:57:00.002-04:00

We recently got word that the first Audio Tour of the main battlefield, based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide, will be available in Gettysburg this Wednesday, June 30. It will not be available in the GNMP Vistor Center bookstore, however, until the following week - Event Network, the company that runs the store, is unable to code it into their retail system until then. We've tried everything to help them get it listed more quickly, but unfortunately it can't be done. So even though it won't be available there until the week of July 5, the Audio Tour will be available at the following locations:

Battlefields and Beyond Book Shoppe (in Old Gettysburg Village)
The American History Store (corner of Steinwehr and Baltimore)
Gallery 30 (on the Square)
The Gettysburg Gift Center (Steinwehr Ave)

Steve Stanley and I have signings set up at each of these locations as follows:

Thurs., July 1 - 11am -4pm - We will be at the Hunterstown event in Hunterstown, about 4 miles northeast of Gettysburg
6pm - 8pm - Signing at Battlefields and Beyond Book Shoppe
Fri., July 2 - 2pm -5pm - Signing at the Gettysburg Gift Center
6pm - 8pm - Signing at the tent outside the American History Store
Sat., July 3 - 6pm- 8pm Signing at Battlefields and Beyond Book Shoppe

We have bookplates that we can sign and place into each Audio Tour.

Now for the CONTEST!

Over the four days from July 1 through the 4th, Steve and I will be making trips around the battlefield, and getting out to walk a little at certain spots. The first person, on each day, that we see out carrying a copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide will win a FREE signed copy of the Audio Tour! Please note - the winner must be out on the field with the book (having it in the car doesn't count). There will be one winner each day, and you can only win once. It must be somewhere out on the field - our book signings don't count. You don't know where we might be or at what time (we don't know yet either!) but it might be anywhere on the main battlefield or even East Cavalry Field. We might be at the popular spots - the High Water Mark, Little Round Top - or perhaps at less-walked areas of the field. Obviously, we can't be out on the field during book signings, but at any other time we could be out looking for that winner.

So if you're in Gettysburg July 1-4, make sure to take your copy of the book out with you, and we hope you're the lucky winner that day! (If a winner happens to already have a copy of the Audio Tour, we can substitute a copy of Volume 2 of the tour series when it's available.)

Good luck, and we hope to see you out on the field with your book!

Hey, Ma - I'm one of the "cool kids"!

2010-06-18T15:43:00.004-04:00

Buddy Dimitri Rotov has posted a great review of Tom Clemens' The Maryland Campaign of 1862 - Volume 1: South Mountain published by my publisher, Savas Beatie. I got an early peek at Tom's manuscript, and absolutely loved the footnotes - which pushes Tom's treatment of Ezra Carman's classic manuscript many levels above the prior release by Joseph Pierro. Dimitri writes what I consider to be the best reviews, and, true to form, he provides a very thoughtful and informative comparison of the two. Tom has gone far beyond the practice of simply editing and sourcing Carman's work (as Pierro did) by providing eminently useful commentary - and even taking Carman to task at times when it is warranted. Pierro's work basically gives you Carman's manuscript as a reference - which it does admirably - but in a very flawed work. For example, Pierro's book has no maps; it has no photos or illustrations beyond a frontispiece photo; and unfortunately, that front photo purported to be Carman isn't even Carman. A major, embarassing mistake for Pierro and publisher I'm sure. I don't know if they've corrected that in any future printings. I have both books, and with Clemens on my shelf I have no reason at all to ever refer to Pierro's. I eagerly look forward to Volume 2, which Tom is working on now.

But here's the reason for the title of this post... After Ted Savas sent me Tom's manuscript for review (the Maryland Campaign is my second love, and actually I have had photocopies of most of Carman's files for years), Ted asked me to provide a blurb to be included in the book. I was honored to be asked, and after reading Tom's work I immediately thought "Carman would approve" of Tom's work - and I include that statement in my blurb.

In his comparison of Clemens' and Pierro's works, Dimitri stated that imprimaturs were printed in both, but "...where Joseph Pierro has a dust jacket showing establishment blurbs (hello again McPherson, Davis, Bearss, Wert) Clemens has blurbs from the cool kids: Hartwig, Hoptak, Petruzzi, Rafuse."

I'm a cool kid! And to be as such in the company of Scott Hartwig, John "J.D." Hoptak and Ethan Rafuse just made my week.

I love it. Now, I have to trade in my cheap sunglasses for a designer pair. Hopefully the wife won't mind me wearing them in the house for a while...

Gettyburg Guide wins US Army Historical Foundation's Distinguished Writing Award!

2010-06-15T16:01:00.002-04:00

Steve Stanley and I couldn't be more humbled about the great news about the book that's been coming this week. Today, it was announced that The Complete Gettysburg Guide has won the US Army Historical Foundation's 2009 Distinguished Writing Award in the Reference category. Each year, the AHF chooses a small amount of books, across the entire spectrum of military historical releases, to win in various categories such as Reference, Biography, and Battles/Campaigns. Considering the release of many wonderful books last year, that ranged from topics of the Colonial Period to the current Middle East conflicts, that vied for recognition in these categories, this award is more than we ever hoped for.

Matthew Seelinger, the AHF's Chief Historian, paid us a great compliment when he said, "J. David Petruzzi's and Steven Stanley's The Complete Gettysburg Guide is the definitive reference book for anyone planning to visit the Gettysburg battlefield." All Steve and I ever hoped for regarding the book was for it to be useful for visitors to understand the battle, the campaign, see things they may never have thought to look for, and in general just appreciate the ground and the town. Such a high honor makes us grateful beyond words.

Thanks so much to the US Army Historical Foundation, and to everyone who has appreciated the book. It motivates us to keep working and learning. And appreciating how very lucky we are.

Very nice compliments about books in Hanover Evening Sun editorial

2010-06-14T11:37:00.006-04:00

Marc Charisse, editor of the Evening Sun newspaper in Hanover, Pennsylvania made some really nice comments about The Complete Gettysburg Guide in his editorial of Sunday, June 13. You can read the entire editorial online here. Two of my books, in fact were mentioned - the Guide, coauthored with Steve Stanley, as well as Plenty of Blame To Go Around, coauthored with Eric Wittenberg. We are very grateful to Marc for his kind words about the books - when the editorial was pointed out to me by Gettysburg friend Dean Shultz, I was greatly humbled at Marc's words. Here are the pertinent portions of the editorial:

"... last November, I finally found the book that could safely guide me
across Gettysburg all by itself... 'The Complete Gettysburg Guide.' At
last, the one book I'd take to Gettysburg if I could only take one book.
It's got everything - walking tours, driving tours, battle maps, monuments and
battlefield lore. In a way, Petruzzi's new book is too good, pointing out
all those cool rock carvings, dinosaur fossils and other hidden battlefield
stuff some of us had to spend years to find. If you see me on the
battlefield, I'll let you take a look at my copy..."

And about "Plenty of Blame To Go Around":
"(It) is the best study of J.E.B. Stuart's famous ride around the Union
army. It includes detailed descriptions of the battles of Hanover and
Hunterstown, as well as an excellent driving tour. A great
book."

Lancaster (Pa) CWRT Talk

2010-06-11T15:58:00.002-04:00

Last night I had the great pleasure of giving a presentation about The Complete Gettysburg Guide to the members of the Lancaster Civil War Round Table in Lititz, Pa. I was amazed at the number of folks who came out - well over 100, and the room was packed. I had prepared a PowerPoint presentation about the book, because Steve Stanley's maps and design are so gorgeous in the book, they must be seen to be appreciated. I especially emphasized the elements in his maps - color, movement, placement of park roads, etc., - that make the maps so easy to use on the field.

As usual, the section of rock carvings received a lot of attention and several questions after the presentation - it always amazes me how much interest there is in them (as much as I have!).

I had a terrific time - the folks were very hospitable. Aftwards, it was great to see a line of several dozen people who wanted to buy the book or have their own copy signed. Over two dozen members purchased the book, and at least a dozen brought their own.

Thanks so much to Micky Kraft for asking me to make the presentation - I hope to be able to go back soon to talk to them again.

Visit to Gettysburg's Lutheran Seminary cupola

2010-06-07T15:36:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I was in Gettysburg for the Gettysburg Discussion Group Muster, joining old and new friends for several beautiful days on the battlefields. Friday night we had a wonderful dinner at Mama Ventura's. Saturday afternoon I led a tour of the June 23, 1863 "Bushwacking" Incident at the Cashtown Pass, as well as some sights associated with the June 26 skirmishing between Early's Division and Pennsylvania Militia. On Sunday we got a wonderful, rare tour of Neill (Lost) Avenue by old friend Dean Shultz. I've taken that tour several times, but I enjoy each and every one of them, learning something new each time.

I must admit, though, that the highlight of my weekend (and maybe my year!) was getting to go up into the Lutheran Theological Seminary cupola for the first time in my life. Several years ago, the Lutheran Seminary and Adams County Historical Society opened the cupola to visitation again, once the attic steps were reinforced and safety was no longer a concern. A few times a year, it is available for limited visits to small groups, and when the opportunity came up this weekend, I jumped at the chance.

Prior to the tour, old buddy Wayne Motts (Executive Director of the ACHS) gave us a bit of history of the Seminary and its role during the war. We went down to the first floor, where he showed our group some very rare items. Then, those of us who registered and paid for the cupola tour were led up into it by Tim Smith.

After walking up four flights of stairs, we finally reached the attic under the cupola. There, we walked up a little maze of wooden steps, opened the trap door, then up into the cupola itself.

I still have butterflies in my stomach from when I stepped out onto the cupola platform. Here was where General John Buford made a couple visits while watching the fighting on the morning of July 1, 1863. This is where Lt. Aaron Jerome, his signal officer, watched as General Henry Heth's Division approached along the Cashtown Pike, and from which he finally spotted General John Reynolds' arrival along the Emmitsburg Road. And the views from there were simply awesome.

Much of the cupola has been reconstructed following a fire during an early 1900's lightning strike, but it didn't detract from the solemn history of being up there. Unfortunately, a couple of very tall trees to the west obstruct much of the view along the Cashtown Pike (modern Rt. 30 West), but the ACHS is attempting to have those trees cut back a little. That will open up the view that Buford had that day. But from there, you can see the 5 miles to Hunterstown, beyond Big Round Top, and all the way to the Fairfield Gap some 8 miles to the southwest. The seven of us were in the cupola for nearly an hour as Tim pointed out many landmarks, and we discussed a plethora of topics. Steve Stanley took a bunch of photos of us and the sights from all directions.

Prior to the tour, Wayne had showed us the spot on the grounds where he believed Reynolds stood atop his horse as he yelled up to Buford, and I'm convinced he has it right. It's just off the northeast corner of the building. Due to the way the fenced lanes were on the grounds at the time of the battle (and the eastern facade was the front of the building at the time), and because you have limited visibility of the grounds immediately surrounding the building since the brick facades around the roof extend above the roof lines, I think Wayne's location is accurate. Wayne stood on that spot while we were in the cupola, and yelled up to me "What's the matter, John?" To which I dutifully yelled down "The devil's to pay!"

After all these years of studying Buford and his cavalry, the opportunity to get up in that cupola will stay with me for the rest of my life - and even that cupola is "battlefield terrain" that must be experienced to be truly understood.

Audio Tour now available for order on our website

2010-06-02T12:07:00.003-04:00

For those interested, Volume One: The Battlefield - the first volume in the audio tours based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide is now available to order on our website here. The two CDs total 150 minutes, with an 8-page full-color booklet featuring maps by Steve Stanley. There's even a discount if you wish to order the audio tour and the book. We are now working on the second volume, which will feature the cavalry battlefields! We expect to receive the first volume about June 15-20 and they will be sent out immediately.

Gettin' organized

2010-05-19T00:01:00.004-04:00

Since my carpal tunnel syndrome limits my writing temporarily, I've been working the last few nights getting the books in my library organized. When I first shelved them in the new library, they were somewhat organized - all the cavalry stuff, all the Gettysburg books, etc., were in sections of their own. The rest was pretty much a mish-mash. I could find things, but I often did spend a lot of time going through the nearly 4,000 volumes to find a book, and there was really no rhyme or reason to most of the shelves.

Even the cavalry shelves were not truly organized - regimentals, reminiscences, biographies, battles and campaigns - all were mixed together. The only thing I had separated was Federal subjects from Confederate.

Now I'm digging in. Now all Federal regimentals are separated, and organized by state. Same for the Confederate (I have every single regimental ever published). All battles and campaigns are separated and organized chronologically. And biographies are alphabetical in their section. And all those shelves are labeled. Gotta find Convis' bio of Myles Keogh? Sure - it's beside Pohanka's and right between the Wade Hampton bios and Fitz Lee!

Now I'm moving on to battles/campaigns - I haven't decided whether to do them chronologically or alphabetically. I'm leaning toward alphabetical, though. Anyone have any suggestions? It may look weird on the shelves having the Antietam books next to Appomattox, but they'd be easy to find.

I think, too, that once I have all the volumes organized, I'm going to start my own Dewey Decimal system of sorts. For example, let's say I make Federal cavalry regimental histories category 100. Organized alphabetically by state, the first would be 100.1, the next 100.2, etc. Should a new one come out, it can be numbered and placed in proper order. Then maybe Confederate regimentals would be the 101 section. Gettysburg and each of its sections might be 102, 103 etc. Battles and campaigns would go alpabetically in their own sections. Making all those little number labels for the spines will be, uh, fun... I think?

The numbering system would finally enable me to computerize a catalog of the books so I can finally list them for an easy search, too. That will really come in handy for the xerox and computer-printed copies of books I also have (thank goodness for that part of Google Books) - there are hundreds of them as well. I have each of those in binders, and there's no organization to them right now either. The thousands and thousands of copies of newspaper articles and manuscript documents is even worse - right now sometimes I have to hunt for hours to find a particular article or paper. (A joke around my house is when my wife asks, "Find it yet?" "No." "Find it yet?" "No!" "Find it yet?" "Noooooo!")

Anyway, I'm getting there. I fully expect that by the time I'm much too old and senile to write anymore, the library will finally be organized....

First volume of Audio Tours now on Amazon

2010-05-10T14:31:00.003-04:00

Some of you may be aware that I am currently enjoying the pleasant symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. Yes, it's a hoot, but I've been surprised lately how many folks have been afflicted with it. Seems as common as the common cold. It's pretty severe in my right hand, which makes it difficult to type and do other simple tasks. I have seen both my family doctor and a specialist, and will be scheduling surgery shortly. I look forward to getting back to normal and putting this behind me.

Volume One of the audio tours based on The Complete Gettysburg Guide is now on Amazon - see the page here. This volume is The Battlefield, containing 2 CDs totalling about 2 1/2 hours. It all comes in a full-color digipak, with an 8-page booklet containing maps by Steve Stanley - who in fact designed the entire package, just like the book. We really hope folks enjoy it, and riding and walking the battlefield with us. Future audio volumes, such as the cavalry battlefields and a "Hidden Gettysburg" volume will be announced soon!

"Next Guide" survey results are in!

2010-04-16T11:25:00.003-04:00

Steve Stanley and I, as well as our publisher Ted Savas, would like to thank everyone who took the time to participate in our survey about the next "complete guide." I'm happy and gratified to say that 161 folks responded, and about 50 people left very helpful comments. The comments were probably the most useful part of the survey.

The top five choices in order of popularity were:

#1 - 1862 Maryland Campaign
#2 - 1863 Cavalry Battles
#3 - Petersburg Campaign
#4 - Chancellorsville
#5 - 1862 Valley Campaign

The Maryland Campaign was far and away the number one choice, garnering about 30% of the total vote. This confirms our decision to do that one next. Nearly all the research for the book is done, in fact. I begin writing next month, with several trips, visits, and tours to campaign sites being conducted over the summer. The book has already been contracted and we expect it to appear in time for the spring 2011 season. Antietam Chief Historian Ted Alexander has already agreed to write the Forward for the book.

I have to admit to being surprised that the 1863 cavalry battles (the Brandy Station fights, Aldie, Middleburg, Upperville) came in second. It may be that folks know my interest in the cavalry, and the lack of information about, and interest in, the fall Brandy Station fights, etc. may have driven the interest. We are definitely taking this under consideration. The fact that Petersburg was also so popular in the poll was very interesting.

I was surprised that the 1862 and 1864 Valley Campaigns did not score higher. Our thoughts were to do either separate volumes, or a combined volume, on these following the Maryland Campaign volume. That would coincide with anniversary dates, and we would also be working with the state and local historical societies - who have all expressed interest in a guide on these and working with Steve and I on them.

Next year, we will likely post a similar poll just to see how the choices come out then. I want to especially thank everyone for the very helpful and interesting comments left on the polling page. They were extremely fun and educational to read. One respondent reminded me of a Maryland Campaign skirmish I'd forgotten about, for instance. This poll has turned out to be an extremely useful tool and we heartily thank all who participated!

Interesting survey results thus far

2010-04-09T09:32:00.002-04:00

The results of the survey (see below post) have been extremely interesting. I am going to leave the poll up until next Friday, so there is still time to vote.

There have been nearly 150 respondents, for which we are very grateful. Lots of folks have wanted to make their opinions and thoughts known, and we are extremely appreciative for the effort. Thus far, the Maryland Campaign is far and away the favorite subject for the next "Complete Guide," garnering about 40% of the vote. That one is indeed next, as Steve Stanley and I signed the contract for that book several months ago.

The Valley Campaigns, the 1863 Cavalry battles, and Petersburg have "fought" back and forth for second place. All the other choices in the poll have also been popular with many respondents, except for Mine Run and (surprisingly) Appomattox. I didn't expect Mine Run to do very well, but I was a bit taken aback that Appomattox got very few votes.

The written comments in the poll have also been extremely revealing. I have been reading them with a great deal of interest. One respondent reminded me, for example, of a minor skirmish during the Maryland Campaign that I'd completely forgotten about. Perhaps because the poll is anonymous, respondents feel free to speak their mind and all of them have been very positive.

There's still about a week left, so even though the Maryland Campaign work will indeed be next, we encourage people to still vote if they haven't yet. The answers are helping drive us toward what will be the project after that. Later this year or early next year I will put up a similar poll about that subsequent project and I expect it to be even more interesting.

By the way, many folks have been asking about the progress on the audio tour supplements for The Complete Gettysburg Guide. Steve is nearly finished with the package design for Volume One - The Battlefield, and I am recording the audio in a nearby professional recording studio this coming Wednesday, April 14. The 2-CD digipak for Volume One should be available no later than mid-May, with the subsequent two volumes to be released over June and July at the latest. They all will also be available as downloads, likely sooner than the digipak releases. Volume One is the audio tour of the entire main battlefield, on 2 discs (total 150 minutes). The package will contain several of Steve's maps.

The studio producer has been very helpful guiding me through the somewhat complicated process of producing a professional recording, and has been making it both easy and fun - and quite a learning process.

Stay tuned for more!

"Complete Guide" survey

2010-03-29T15:08:00.003-04:00

If you can, please take a moment to vote in a survey I have created - "Which 'Complete Guide' of a battle or campaign in the Eastern Theater would you like to see?" I have listed several candidates for upcoming guides. There is also a space at the end to tell us why you voted as you did, or even suggest battles/campaigns not listed.

Please be assured that all responses are completely anonymous - I do not get any personal information from you. You can only vote once in the survey.

The responses and comments will really help us in our future decisions. I will leave the poll up for a couple weeks, and then report back on the results. As of today, 71 people have already voted, so please let us know your opinion. Thanks!

Spring has sprung, the itch has begun...

2010-03-09T15:30:00.003-05:00

No, don't worry - I won't be giving up my avocation of historical writing to become a poet...

Here in western Pennsylvania, spring is finally in the air. After one of the coldest and most snow-infested winters I can remember in my 45 years, we are finally up in the 50s. There is still 6-8 inches of snow lying in most folks' yards, with some huge piles still around from the plowing and shoveling. But the melt and thaw has, hopefully, begun. There is still a lot of March left, however!

I'm looking forward to this summer - getting out and especially doing some battlefield visiting. Last summer, short as it was (spring was late and the freezing weather began in early October with snow soon after), it was even shorter for me. I lost most of August last year to an illness that knocked me out for the better part of the month, and I couldn't do many things around the house that I had planned. It was January until I was able to remodel a spare bedroom into my new library, a project I had hoped to do back in August.

The new guide book by Steve Stanley and I, following in the mould of The Complete Gettysburg Guide, will be the 1862 Antietam Campaign. That means lots of stomping around many of my favorite grounds this spring and summer - Antietam of course, but also South Mountain, Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown, etc. I'm looking forward to it. The book will have the look and feel of the Gettysburg guide, featuring Steve's fabulous maps and photographs. There are so many obscure places and events that I'm looking forward to making available to visitors, and I know that the campaign experts helping us with the projects will have amazing things to contribute.

So here's to good health (hopefully!), sunshine, and lots of bug spray!

Gettysburg Guide a finalist for AHF book award

2010-03-04T09:43:00.003-05:00

Steve Stanley and I were just notified that our book The Complete Gettysburg Guide has been selected as a finalist, in the Reference category, for the Army Historical Foundation's 2009 Book Award! We are quite flattered, and we are very grateful for the wonderful reviews and support that the book has received from Army officials.

I will be completing the script for Volume 1 (The Battlefield) of the audio supplement to the book in the next few days, and will begin the recording process right after that. More updates when we get closer to release of the CD and download.

June 23, 1863 Cashtown bushwacking

2010-01-24T21:16:00.005-05:00

This Friday, I have scheduled my first trip to Gettysburg of the new year. I have been working, for the past several weeks, on the script for what will be the audio supplement to my latest book (with Steve Stanley), The Complete Gettysburg Guide. I need to make a trip to Gettysburg to lay out a detailed driving tour for a tour that will be included in the audio supplement - the June 23 bushwacking incident in the Cashtown Pass west of Gettysburg. This event is discussed briefly in the book, but there was unfortunately no room to include a tour of it. There has never been a tour published of the event, but friend and Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Gary Kross discussed it in a past issue of Blue&Gray Magazine (it's a great piece, but a few of the details of the incident are incorrect).

The bushwacking incident is one of those extremely obscure, little-known events of the Gettysburg Campaign. On June 23, a week prior to the battle, a company of the 14th Virginia Cavalry was conducting "reconnaissance" activities in the area of Caledonia. Many of the southern cavalry in Brig. Gen. Albert G. Jenkins' brigade had been scouting, taking horses and mules, and many other provisions, all around the Chambersburg area since entering Pennsylvania a few days prior. After taking a few dozen horses and mules in the Caledonia area, the Virginia cavalrymen continued east toward the Cashtown Pass.

Just as they reach a set of thick woods at the pass, the Virginians saw a roadblock of trees and other debris. After charging and scattering some Home Guard militia and cavalry stationed there, the Virginians cleared the road and pressed on toward Cashtown. They didn't get very far, however, before a shotgun blast came out of the brush alongside the road, and one of the Virginians in the lead, Pvt. Eli Amick, caught lead in his abdomen and yelled, "I'm shot!"

Amick, a 42 year-old veteran of the Mexican War, was taken back to the Greenwood area (a few miles east of Chambersburg), where he soon died. Amick, then, was the first Confederate to be killed during the campaign so close to Gettysburg (but not the first in Pennsylvania). According to local story, a Cashtown-area resident, Henry Hahn, was the ringleader of a small group of men who waited to ambush the Confederates along the road, and was the self-admitted trigger-puller after the war. Ironically, Amick was known among the Federal food-chain as a "notorious guerilla and bushwacker" himself.

Especially since Amick suffered the distinction of being the first southerner killed so close to Gettysburg during the campaign, I have long found this episode very interesting. I've been collecting every bit of information I could find on it. It will be fun including the first-ever detailed tour of this incident in the audio supplement, and this Saturday I will be shooting the mileages and spots for the tour. The very historic corridor along old Route 30 west of Gettysburg to Cashtown is chock-full of historic sites and things to see, and I'm looking forward to this road trip.

Park Service puts Bob Kirby at Gettysburg's helm

2010-01-08T15:03:00.003-05:00

According to a blurb on the Gettysburg Times website today:

National Park Service Northeast Regional Director Dennis R. Reidenbach has
named James Robert (Bob) Kirby as the new superintendant of Gettysburg National
Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Kirby replaced John Latschar who was reassigned to Frederick.

Kirby, currently superintendant of Petersburg National Battlefield in
Virginia, will assume his new post in March. Acting Superintendant
Mel Poole will return to his position as superintendant of Catoctin Mountain
Park in Thurman, Maryland.

Well, there you have it. I don't know Bob personally, just of him, and that he's been very effective at Petersburg. He has a lot of ahead of him, that's for sure. I and everyone wish him the very best.

No, I haven't disappeared...

2010-01-07T21:36:00.003-05:00

My apologies for not posting at all for the past five weeks or so... I basically took an unintentional sabattical over the holidays. After a whirlwind, busy summer, a month-long illness, and many family obligations in preparation for the holidays (and not having anything of value to post, admittedly) I just haven't had the urge to blog - until now.

It's a new year, and there's lots to look forward to. Except for a joint article with Eric Wittenberg that is in the new issue of Blue&Gray Magazine, I really haven't written anything of substance since the summer. (The B&G article came out really nice, by the way - it's based on the July 4, 1863 Monterey Pass battle chapter from our book One Continuous Fight, and publisher Dave Roth did a great job with the new maps.) I did a narrative piece on the actions of Gettysburg's South Cavalry Field for the No Casino Gettysburg and No Casino Adams County folks that is seeing a lot of public exposure right now (in opposition to the damned proposed casino along Rt. 30 only 2700 feet south of the Park boundary).

But there is a lot to report on the The Complete Gettysburg Guide front. We had to keep it quiet until this week, but all five of the major book clubs - including the History Book Club and the Military Book Club - picked up the book as a selection! It is quite an honor for Steve Stanley and I. Anyone considering purchasing the book through the club needs to know that the quality of the club edition is the SAME high quality as the regular prints - the clubs "piggy-backed" on the print run by publisher Savas Beatie. Very same book. Same heavy gloss paper, same cover boards, same cover, same everything.

During the holiday, I began serious work on the script for the audio supplement for the Guide. This audio, which will be available as a CD package, and an internet download, will feature my voice narrative of the battlefield tours from the Guide - and will include an additional tour not in the book. The additional tour is that of the June 23, 1863 civilian ambush of a company of the 14th Virginia Cavalry that took place in the Cashtown Pass. During the ambush, a Cashtown civilian named Henry Hahn shot and mortally wounded a member of the 14th. There has never been a detailed tour published of the incident, and to my knowledge it has never been mapped. The supplement will contain that map. Please note, also, that this audio guide will NOT simply be a reading of the book - it will be completely different, and will point out many sights, places and events that do not appear in the book, and will leave out some that are in the book - in other words they are quite different indeed. We hope folks will see the value in both and will desire both. If all goes well, the audio guide is scheduled to be available to the public sometime this coming April.

We are very humbled by the wonderful reviews that the book has received. Besides the great print reviews, as of this date there are 28 reviews on Amazon, all of them 5-star. We can't express out gratitude for that adequately, and we are so heartened that folks enjoy and learn from the book so much! And even though the book has just been made available by the book clubs, as of last night when I checked their website, the Guide was already the #7 top-selling volume on the History Book Club's Civil War Campaigns list.

Although I haven't written much over the past several months, I have been actively gathering primary materials in preparation for beginning to write the next volume in the Guide series - the one for the 1862 Maryland Campaign. I expect to start cracking on the text later this month. Release date for it is expected to spring 2011, which give Steve and I the bulk of this year to put it together. Many Antietam/Maryland Campaign students and experts - Ted Alexander (who will write the Forward), Steve Recker, John Hoptak, Mannie Gentile, and Brian Jordan, just to name a few and leave many out - have signed on to help. I have always loved the campaign - South Mountain, Harpers Ferry, Antietam, Shepherdstown - every bit as much as Gettysburg, and I can't wait to get started.

Also during the year, I will begin work on a solo scholarly book that I've been wanting to do for a long time. It's a book I feel has been needed for a long time, and I've spent much of my research time over the past couple of decades gathering material needed for it. That's all I'll say for now, and more will be forthcoming on it next year.

Well, that's all I've got to say for now. Western Pennsylvania is in the midst of another big snow storm right now, which I'm watching out the windows of my new home office/library. Snowblowing and shoveling cuts into my writing time! But winter, I have found, is a great time to write - hot chocolate at the ready, dog snuggled up at my feet.

Let the words flow... and try to grab the good ones.

Mike Phipps in Iraq on GettysburgDaily

2009-11-26T10:23:00.004-05:00

Folks, perhaps as part of your Thanksgiving events, please take a moment to check out the post from Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Mike Phipps on GettysburgDaily. Mike is a friend of mine who is on his fourth deployment, and was badly wounded previously. The last time I saw Mike was a couple years ago in the Mine Saloon in Gettysburg between (if I recall correctly) his second and third deployments. He is a member of the 1st Cavalry Division, the direct linear descendant of Gen. John Buford's division that was organized in 1863. Today, as I work on the roasting turkey, I'm wearing my 1st Cavalry Division t-shirt in Mike's honor.

The post from Mike will remind you of what these folks are doing for us "over there" and all that they are going through. It jerks you back to reality when you place it in context of all the political football that politicians play with our soldiers and their present situation. It makes you want to smack every politico right in the mouth and tell them to wake up, make the right decisions, give them all they need and accept nothing less than victory. Well, at least it makes me want to do that.

Anyway, please check out the post. Mike, ol' friend, kick the asses that need kicking and come back safe.

Giving thanks

2009-11-25T09:52:00.005-05:00

I wish all of my readers a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Everyone uses that phrase a lot this time of year, and I recently began wondering how much we think about the feelings and emotions behind the words.

There are, of course (and unfortunately) many folks nowadays who feel they have little to give thanks for. Many individuals and families have been hurt by the downturn in the economy. Others worry about their husbands, daddies, sons, even wives, sisters, and daughters etc. who are serving in danger overseas. For so many of these folks, gorging on turkey and sweet potatoes is the last thing on their minds. They just want to be able to keep their home and see their loved ones safe and sound again.

It can be tough. We go through highs and lows, happiness, sadness, and anxiety. For me, this is the first holiday season since my mom passed on in February. My beautiful and loving wife Karen is just starting to decorate our home for Christmas. Mom just loved seeing all the decorations each year - especially that daggone 14-ft Christmas tree in the living room that takes two weeks to put up and decorate with the 1600 ornaments. I honestly think that she kept Dad from taking her down to Florida each winter until late December just so she could hang around to see the tree in all its glory. Mom is one of the primary reasons we put it up each year, and now my eyes are beginning to well up just thinking about that.

That's all changed, of course. A couple weeks ago, I even allowed my emotions about it slip a bit. Karen asked about the details of putting up the decorations this year, and without even thinking I just responded "I really don't give a sh--." I hardly remember saying that, as if my mouth had a mind of it's own. But I immediately realized what I said, and I saw how my unthinking foolishness hurt her - I saw it in her eyes. Of course I cared. Of course it matters. And of course I want to see the decorations and the tree. I let the fact that since mom won't see it this year get ahead of what I truly want. I immediately told Karen that I didn't mean it, and to her credit she knew what I really meant. She understands how important it was to us for mom to see the decorations each year.

So we're doing it, just like we will every year until we're unable to. It's a lot of work putting up that blessed tree, and I'm sure there will come a day when physically we just can't do it anymore. I always joke to Karen that one day I'll just shrink wrap it, put it up in the back yard after the holidays, then just bring it in each year after Thanksgiving... maybe I'm not joking after all...

Things certainly have changed now, due to the loss of my mom. Since Karen and I have been together nearly 10 years, we've gone to my parents' for Thanksgiving. Then we spend Christmas at her parents' in upstate New York. But Dad understandably went to Florida a couple weeks ago - why be in an empty house for much of the holidays here? - where he can spend them with friends down there. I don't blame him, and I'd do the same if I were him. But it means that this year, for the first time, Karen and I will be alone for Thanksgiving. Just the two of us. Her daughter Ashley is spending the day with her grandparents in New York. Karen and I are still going all out, though - I'm getting up early tomorrow to cook the turkey (Dad's recipe), the sweet potatoes (Mom's recipe) and all the trimmings. We're doing it for each other. We'll be surrounded by a half-decorated house, with space made for that wretched big tree that's about to go up. But we'll make good headway over the long weekend.

Yes, times are challenging. My recent thoughts pale in comparison, of course, to the difficulties that many are going through. Many are dreading the possibility of losing their homes, or how to feed their families. How to find a job. Then there are others who have it good, maybe even better in this environment. Some folks have so much money and resources that temporary downturns hardly affect them at all. For them maybe there'll be one less Rolex under the tree. Or maybe not. Lucky them, I guess.

It sounds overly simple, but these are just those times when we need to be there for each other. Each other is all we have, after all. Politicians won't bail us out, and new legislation is hardly ever designed to make all of our lives peachy. Those of us who have a little extra this season might be able to reach down and give a little more. And many gifts cost nothing - tell your kids you're proud of them, your spouse you love him/her, or that the turkey this year was better than ever.

It'll just be Karen and I tomorrow, but that's okay. What surrounds me is the love of family and friends. The comments I heard this past weekend in Gettysburg about my books - the father who pointed out how much his 6 year-old son just loved going around the battlefield looking for the rock carvings we have in the Gettysburg Guide. My friends who help me with my work, and even those who criticize - I learn a great deal from what they have to say. All of this and more fills my head and my heart this time of year.

It's going to be a full house tomorrow indeed. Standing room only, in fact. I think I'll enjoy the crowd.

Weekend of reflection

2009-11-24T22:47:00.007-05:00

Since I got a late start, I arrived in Gettysburg right around 9pm on Friday night. Buddy Jim Glessner, co-owner of Ten Roads Publishing and former manager of the American History Store in town, had set up a book signing at O'Rorkes on Steinwehr Avenue for Friday and Saturday nights. I went right to the spot, where quite a number of reenactors and patrons were happily imbibing. I found Jim as well as Steve Stanley and his fiance Kyrstie, and we went upstairs to the signing room. There, Bill Frassanito was signing copies of his newly reprinted (by Ten Roads) Gettysburg Bicentennial Album. Jim Hessler had copies of his Sickles at Gettysburg terrific tome. John David "J.D." Hoptak, Antietam ranger, was signing copies of his new book "Our Boys Did Nobly." My friend Sal Prezioso, the owner of Gen. Collis' home Red Patch, had some friends in from Michigan who wanted copies of our The Complete Gettysburg Guide. Steve and I signed a couple copies, and spent an enjoyable couple of hours talking with everyone.

Close to 11pm, we packed up and headed for the Reliance Mine Saloon, where we had books available and relaxed with friends. Duane Siskey, fiance Lori Krick, Steve "Basecat" Basic, Linda Sanson, Raequel Fabio, Jim Lamason and wife Deb - lots of folks to catch up with.

I got back to host Dave and Carol Moore's house pretty late (they were already in the sack), and was up by 7:30 am. Steve and I had a signing at the Supply Wagon Sutler on Baltimore Street at 10am, then we went to the Visitor Center for our 12noon to 3pm signing there. My only regret about the timing was that I had to miss the parade for the first time in years. At the VC we signed with Bob Trout, a good friend who has written many great books on Jeb Stuart subjects. I had a nice long talk with him about our future plans. Rob Nixon was also there, and I picked up a copy of his excellent Gettysburg Monuments book. Just on his way out was Bill Styple, but fortunately I got a copy of his "Tell Me of Lincoln" new book, which is an excellent read and source. Fellow Savas Beatie author Brad Gottfried was there, and we had a chance to discuss Savas' Gettysburg Encyclopedia project. Brad and Ted Savas are the general editors, and I'm the editor of the cavalry section. I have to finish up my work on it soon, as Savas wishes to get the book to print soon. Jared Frederick was also there with his books, featuring his impressive artwork. Besides the many folks who bought the Gettysburg Guide, several folks also brought in their copies for Steve and I to endorse. It was nice, and appreciated, that so many readers tracked us down there to have their books signed.

I always take Dave and Carol out to dinner during my visits to show my appreciation for allowing me to stay in their beautiful home, so the three of us joined Steve Stanley at Brothers Pizza on the Fairfield Road. I got a big plate of stuffed shells, which was terrific. Brothers is Dave's favorite place, and it's always fun conversing with the owner in my lousy, broken Italian.
After dinner, we set off for the Luminaria in the National Cemetery. I always love that. This year it was beautiful - nearly 4000 candles throughout the grounds, with folks reading the names of the Gettysburg dead. Reenactor honor guards stand watch at various spots. The sky was very dark, so you could barely see to walk throughout the cemetery. There was just a chill in the air, and it made for a very contemplative time. I always do a lot of reflection during the Luminaria, and in fact I commented to Steve that "this is why we do what we do." And it's very true. Every time I work on an article or book, or do research, or give a talk or tour, it's all about honoring the folks who served and especially those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Some were brave, and some not so brave - but a grave stone doesn't distinguish the two.

We walked the entirety of the cemetery, Steve took some really nice pictures, and we both determined to finally one day get to the Antietam Luminaria - Steve needs to get pictures of it anyway for our next joint project, The Complete Maryland Campaign Guide.

By 8pm we were back at O'Rorkes for another signing, then off to the Mine again at 10pm. Duane and Lori brought their homemade flavored popcorns, and I think I ate about 10 pounds of it. Once again it was a great couple hours just being in the company of folks you love and who love you. Seeing friends in Gettysburg is just as important - if not more so - than anything else during my trips.

Sunday we had a signing at the Gettysburg Gift Center starting at 10am, so after breakfast we set up shop there, where we were with Jeff Shaara. He's pretty popular, so you always get overshadowed whenever you're with him - but that's okay. I've had a number of events and signings with Jeff, and we had a chance to talk quite a bit. He has certainly carried on his father's legacy and I'm impressed at his ability to promote the story of the common soldier in his works.

A big group of us had lunch together at Gettysburg Eddie's, then Steve and I had our final signing at the American History Store. The owner even brought us chocolate chip cookies! A few folks bought the Guide as well as my other books, and again I was impressed that several people brought in their books to have us sign them. Once fellow brought in a Guide that had a ragged dust cover, and obviously had seen a lot of mileage on the field. I told him I was glad to see that - that's what it's for! Most folks, I have found, remove the cover (many, many times it has been brought to us that way) but this guy saw his book as a complete workhorse and obviously had put it to heavy use. Before I left, I picked up my copy of friend Ed Longacre's new book that he had signed for me and left there from his signing on Saturday. We finished at 3pm, then Steve, Kyrstie, and friend Leigh Ann Daugherty and I went to Erik Dorr's new Gettysburg Museum of History on Baltimore Avenue. What an awesome place. Besides the Gettysburg and Civil War artifacts in the front room, this guy has an amazing collection of Presidential stuff - especially that of John F. Kennedy. Erik has JFK's secretary Evelyn Lincoln's entire collection. Hundreds of JFK's personal items are there, but I was especially struck by the piece of the leather seat, spattered with blood, from the back seat of Kennedy's Lincoln from the assassination. Folks, this has to be a spot you visit on your next trip to Gettysburg. You'll be impressed, and next time I have to spend a lot more than just the hour I could set aside for it.

It was nearly 9pm by the time I got home, and I guess I hadn't realized how much I had packed into the previous 48 hours. But it sure flew quickly, as it always does. The combination of spending time with close friends (many of whom I won't see again until spring), meeting and talking with fans of the books, and taking in the atmosphere of the Luminaria will keep me charged until my next visit. I'm actually hoping to make it back in January for the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable's meeting, when Steve and I plan to talk about the Guide. As long as the roads aren't bad I should be able to make the trip.

Thanks again to everyone who paid us such nice compliments about the Guide, and for taking the time and effort to hook up with us at one of the events. And my awe and appreciation to those who earned a candle in the crisp Pennsylvania air Saturday night.

For each and every one of you, it's why I do what I do.

Gettysburg - Remembrance weekend visit

2009-11-18T10:08:00.003-05:00

This Friday evening, November 20, I'll be heading to Gettysburg for the weekend commemorating Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The actual Remembrance Day events take place on the 19th, the day Lincoln actually delivered the speech. But on Saturday the parade, which features many groups - particularly thousands of reenactors - draws a large crowd. There are always many "rededications" at monuments around the field which are always interesting to attend. My favorite event, however, is the beautiful and ponderous luminaria which takes place in the National Cemetery on Saturday night. Seeing those approximately 3,500 candles in the cemetery, while volunteers read off the names of interred Gettysburg dead for a couple hours, makes for a very beautiful ceremony. If you've never been there, I encourage you to see it if at all possible.

Along with cartographer Steve Stanley, I'll be participating in several books signings around town over the weekend. If any friends are able to attend, we'd enjoy your company. I'll have copies of all three of my books available.

Friday, Nov. 20 - 9pm to approximately 10:30pm "Book and a Beer" signing at O'Rorkes on Steinwehr Avenue. About 10:30pm or so, we will be going to the Reliance Mine Saloon down the street for another signing there.

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 10am to 11:30am Signing at the Wagon Wheel Sutler, 40 Baltimore Street.

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 12noon to 3pm Signing at the GNMP Museum and Visitor Center. Folks such as Jeff Shaara and filmaker Ken Burns will also be at the tables.

Saturday, Nov. 21 - 9pm to ? "Book and a Beer Round Two" signing at O'Rorkes on Steinwehr Avenue.

Sunday, Nov. 22 - 10am to 12noon Signing at the Gettysburg Gift Center (former Wax Museum) on Steinwehr Avenue.

Sunday, Nov. 22 - 1pm to 3pm Signing at the American History Store at the corner of Baltimore and Steinwehr avenues.

I'll try to post while I'm in town. Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones!

Battle of Fairfield Tour Pt. 2 on GettysburgDaily

2009-11-13T21:51:00.002-05:00

If you're interested, the second installment of my mini-tour of the July 2, 1863 cavalry battle at Fairfield Pa is now up on GettysburgDaily. The third and final part will likely be on the site in a week or two. The tour is based on our tour in The Complete Gettysburg Guide.

Speaking of which, buddy Mike Rinehart has just put up his review of the book on his blog. It's very flattering, and I was quite speechless when I read it. Mike has such wonderful things to say about the book and Steve Stanley's maps and book design, and we very much appreciate everything that Mike pointed out. Mike, like so many reviewers, points out the uniqueness of our tour of the battlefield rock carvings, and it's nifty that so many folks like and appreciate it. Thank you Mike!

Podcast available of PCN-TV interview

2009-11-02T13:17:00.001-05:00

The podcast of my interview on PCN-TV is now available. Click HERE, then choose "PA Books" in the button list on the right side of the page. You'll see "The Complete Gettysburg Guide" as an option to play.

PCN-TV Interview Tonight (Sunday, Nov. 1 at 9 pm)

2009-11-01T11:28:00.003-05:00

Just a reminder that my hour-long interview on the "PA Books" Show of the PCN-TV network will air tonite at 9:00 pm. There are additional airings throughout the week. Those of you who are Pennsylvania or area subscribers will get it on your local channel, and anyone can stream the podcast of the interview on the channel's website (click on the PA Books section toward the bottom of the webpage) beginning tonight.
There are nearly four million subscribers to the channel, so I hope I don't get nervous - oh, wait, we taped it nearly two months ago :)
I hope you enjoy it. I really enjoyed talking about the new book, and Gettysburg and the Civil War in general. It was a lot of fun doing the interview and I hope it comes off alright.
UPDATE: The podcast of the interview should be available on the website beginning Tuesday or Wednesday.

The new "library"

2009-10-29T14:20:00.004-04:00

First, let me say that I'm glad the "Latschar mess" is now behind Gettysburg and the park. That entire sordid affair kept tongues wagging and the blogs and emails flying fast and furious. Former GNMP Superintendant John Latschar's detractors had a field day with the entire episode and subsequent demotion, and his supporters tried to keep up with the fray, often to no avail. Personally, I like many are thankful for the General Management Plan that has helped to return the field to 1863 views, but I (also like many) felt much distaste for the way some things have turned out. Not everyone can be happy all the time, but fortunately the Latschar furor has died down and efforts can once again be turned toward what is best for the park, for history, and the folks.

I mentioned a while back that we recently remodeled one of the spare bedrooms in the house to turn it into a new home library for my research and writing. It was great to be able to start on the room a month ago following my August illness. The bedroom was the only room untouched during the 1990 remodel and expansion of the home, so the 1969-era paneling, ceiling tile, and lovely (not!) green carpeting still remained in the space. I tore all of that out, we updated the wiring, and installed new drywall. Last weekend we painted the walls a pretty, and Victorian-style, "antique red." It looks really nice with the oak trim. Very library-like. Yesterday Karen and I picked out a light-colored barbour carpeting which will be installed next week. And last night I started putting up the bookshelves. The one set of shelves on one wall held nearly 1,000 of the books, so there's something like 2,500 or so to find a home (!). This weekend I hope to get the rest of the shelves installed, have all the books in place - it's fun, I'll admit, reorganizing all the books to make them easier to find - and then the custom-made chestnut desk will be the last thing to install.

I do think, however, that this winter I'll come up with my own type of Dewey-decimal system to organize the books as a finding aide. It's annoying staring at the shelves for a half hour trying to locate a book that you knew "was right here, darnit!" I'll computerize it so I can do a quick search. I have to decide how to categorize it so it makes sense, but I'll come up with something. And now that I have the space I will be able to organize those thousands of papers, documents, manuscripts, letters, and copies of "stuff" that I always have such a hard time locating. I've spent weeks looking for one stupid sheet of paper that eludes me. That's inefficient and aggravating, but hopefully that will get cured as well.

I'm getting there, slow but sure. Boxes are getting unpacked, shelves are getting filled - and finally I'll be able to get back to serious writing very soon.

Just as soon as I find that stupid piece of paper on which I wrote my future projects... now what did I do with it??

First installment of Fairfield battle tour on GettysburgDaily

2009-10-20T13:58:00.002-04:00

For those interested, the first installment of the tour of the July 3, 1863 Battle of Fairfield by Steve Stanley and me is now on the GettysburgDaily website. It is based on the tour in our book The Complete Gettysburg Guide. The second installment will probably be on the site in a few days.

Tonight in Gettysburg

2009-10-16T22:59:00.004-04:00

Right now I'm sitting in Steve Stanley's living room in Gettysburg. I arrived about 6:30 pm after a quite rainy (and road construction filled) four-hour drive. Steve and I, his fiance Krystie and friend Leigh Ann met at the Mayflower Chinese Buffet - one of my favorite haunts - for dinner. Afterwards, we drove to the American History Store on Steinwehr Avenue for a book signing in conjunction with the Military History Online fall muster. The signing was from 8-10 pm. Bill Frassanito was there, along with John Hoptak, Jim Hessler, Tim Smith, and Don Ernsberger. Steve and I signed several copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide, most of them actually brought by folks to have signed. Several folks also bought copies of my first two books. It was a nice time, especially meeting some MHO folks that I hadn't seen in a few years.

We need to get up about 4:30 am tomorrow in order to make the five-hour drive to Williamsburg, Virginia for the Military History Weekend show. The book signing there begins at 12 noon, and we need about a half hour or so to get set up. It will be an early start to a long day tomorrow, so good night everyone!

To Gettysburg, then Williamsburg

2009-10-16T13:46:00.002-04:00

In just a few minutes I'll be on the road to Gettysburg, where tonight Steve Stanley and I will be part of a book signing at the American History Store (1 Steinwehr Ave) from 8:00-10:00 pm. Bill Frassanito, Jim Hessler and others will also be there. It promises to be a fun time and I look forward to seeing all the folks again.

Tomorrow morning, Steve and I will leave early for Williamsburg, Virginia, to be part of the Military History Weekend that I posted about previously. Lots of distributors, publishers, authors, wargamers, and veterans will be there, and it's expected to be very well attended. Saturday night we've been invited to a private dinner with one of the Band of Brothers, Col. Eddie Shames - I'm very much looking forward to meeting him. The entire show looks to be very interesting, and I know I'll also be spending lots of time walking around and looking at all the exhibits and historical displays. I'll post from the road as I get time.

2nd segment of Hunterstown Battle on GettysburgDaily

2009-10-12T09:51:00.003-04:00

For those interested, the second and final segment of our tour of the July 2, 1863 Battle of Hunterstown is now on GettysburgDaily. Up soon will be our tour of the July 3 Battle of Fairfield, which I suspect will also be in two parts. Both tours are based on our book The Complete Gettysburg Guide.

On a separate issue, the Amazon webpage for the book currently shows that Amazon is temporarily not offering the book for sale. Apparently, an Amazon customer complained when the two copies he ordered were both received slightly damaged. It appears that when Amazon faces such an issue, they shut down the availability of the book until the issue is resolved. Our publisher has spoken with our distributor, and hopefully the issue will be fixed very soon. We don't know if the books were damaged at the distributor or Amazon (we may never know) but once they get the problem figured out (replacing the books, etc.) Amazon will be offering it directly from them again.

UPDATE (Wednesday): After working with the Amazon folks, our publisher and distributor have gotten the situation straightened out, and the book is now again available on Amazon. Thanks to everyone who worked to fix it!

Military History Weekend, Williamsburg VA, Oct. 17-18

2009-10-02T09:10:00.003-04:00

Co-author Steve Stanley and I will be representing our publisher Savas Beatie at the Military History Weekend Show, to be held in Williamsburg the weekend of October 17. Show headquarters is the beautiful Hospitality House on Richmond Road. Events actually run from Friday through Monday (see the event schedule), but Steve and I will be there from noon on Saturday until late Sunday afternoon. We will be signing copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide, and we will also have my first two books available (see them here and here).

I'm really excited to meet Col. Eddie Shames of the 101st Airborne, a hero of WWII and the famous Band of Brothers. Col. Shames will be signing copies of Osprey's Tonight We Die As Men (he wrote the Forward for the book), and I look forward to thanking the colonel for his service and to be one of millions who have let him know that he is a true hero.

If you'll be in the Williamsburg area that weekend, please come to see us! There are a lot of very interesting events going on throughout the weekend - militaria displays, book vendors, authors, sculptors, publisher tables, tours of the Virginia War Museum, author/historian talks, and a whole lot more. Hope to see some friends there.

Pete Jorgensen passes

2009-09-26T14:21:00.004-04:00

Those who are fans of The Civil War News and The Artilleryman Magazine (myself on both counts) know of C. Peter Jorgensen - author, editor, and preservationist. I just received the following:

C. Peter Jorgensen of Tunbridge, Vermont died Sept. 25 of cancer at age 68. His funeral will be Saturday, Oct. 3, at noon at the Tunbridge Church followed by a burial service and Pete's Party, both at his Monarch Hill Road home, to which all are invited. The committal ceremony will be reminiscent of the annual Tunbridge Memorial Day service in which Jorgensen participated until this year. It will include music by the Constitution Brass Quintet, firing squad, the release of white doves and cannons fired by the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks. Buffet lunch will be served after which friends will be invited to share reminiscences.

A complete obituary will follow, and any e-version of it I will try to post here. Prayers and good thoughts go out to Kay Jorgensen and her family.

Battle of Hunterstown tour, Part 1, now on "Gettysburg Daily"

2009-09-25T01:23:00.003-04:00

Steve Stanley and J.D. Petruzzi at the new historical
wayside on the battle-era John Tate Farm, Hunterstown Pa.
In the old road trace of the road leading from the old town square
(grassy area in the background) to the York Pike and Gettysburg.

Webmaster Bobby Housch has put up Part 1 of the tour of the July 2, 1863 cavalry battle at Hunterstown by me and Steve Stanley on Gettysburg Daily. We begin with the opening skirmish a couple hundred yards east of what was the town square, then proceed to the square, and finally we show the old road trace of the road to the York Pike that ran through the John Tate farm (which was used by the troopers as they galloped to what would become the main battlefield on the Felty and Gilbert farms).

Please check it out - we hope you like it! Part 2 (on the main field of the battle) is to follow, then will be our tour of the July 3 battle at Fairfield (likely also in two parts). Detailed narratives and tours of the two battles are included in our book The Complete Gettysburg Guide.

Photo Contest Winner!

2009-09-24T16:06:00.010-04:00

Tyler Fasnacht on Big Round Top with
The Complete Gettysburg Guide

Young Mr. Tyler Fasnacht is the winner of our Complete Gettysburg Guide Photo Contest! In July, we started a contest for folks to send us pictures of them holding the book, or with the book in various places such as the battlefield, etc. Tyler sent us a photo of him holding the book on the summit of Big Round Top. ALL of the photos were simply fantastic - many of them very creative and taking much effort to create. But we feel that anyone who is willing to lug the book all the way to the top of Big Round Top deserves a prize!

Tyler has his choice of a Special Signed and Numbered Limited Gettysburg Edition of the book, or a choice of any other Savas Beatie title on us! Congratulations to Tyler, and congratulations and thank you to everyone who participated.

Here are more submissions:

Craig "The Marker Hunter" Swain

Ron Linfonte (center) and his two sons, along with
a Harpers Ferry Springfield musket given to his grandfather
in the 1920's by a Civil War veteran

Rae-Ann McDonald, in full cavalry uniform, with her
steed Maybee, both enjoying The Guide

Now you can see why it was so difficult to choose a winner! More photos to come...

...Oh my! Part 2

2009-09-22T21:49:00.002-04:00

In a short time, we were in historic Shepherdstown, a place I haven't visited in a few years. While we went through town, the Shepherd University football team was playing in the stadium to a large crowd. After a while we reached Harpers Ferry. I love it there. I brought my wife there shortly after we were married, and showed her around. I even walked her out to the Jefferson Rock, quite a hike up the mountain.

The four of us were starved (yes, I know, that shocks folks who know me well), and one of my favorite places is a BBQ restaurant located near the train depot, a restaurant that is actually in a train car. Steve and Kyrstie have been there before, too, so we sat down to a great meal of Lt. Louis ribs slathered in sauce. I finished my rack, but I don't think Steve got all the way through his. Kyrstie only ate half of hers. Leigh Ann had a pulled pork sammich, and when through we we all satisfied. I'm grateful to our waitress, Brooke, who steered me away from my initial ordering of the fruit punch as my beverage. "Tastes like cough medicine," she admitted, out of earshot of the owner behind the grill. I got the root beer instead, seemingly a wise decision. I gave her an extra tip for the advice.

We then walked down to the Harpers Ferry bookstore, which has a great selection of books - Civil War, general history, local history, etc. It never fails that I melt the credit card in there, and this day was no exception. I found a recent book on the history off the CW in Loudoun County I've been meaning to get, as well as a new book on Chew's artillery battery in the war that will prove to be a great resource for Jeb Stuart's artillery. I found a quote from one of Chew's gunners in there about the July 3, 1863 battle of Fairfield outside Gettysburg that I wished I'd had a while back. A couple of my books were there as well, always good to see. Leigh Ann, a school teacher, bought the book of Lincoln's Quotations for use in her classroom. It is a newer paperback reprint. When I saw it, I told her that I actually have a hardcover first edition of it and that it's a good book and I recommended it.

We needed to get back to Gettysburg, so we got back on the road and arrived back in town about 7:00 pm. That gave us enough time to freshen up, let me make a few phone calls, and head out for the evening. I met Steve and the girls at Kilwin's on Steinwehr Avenue for ice cream. My hot fudge sundae hit the spot!

We then walked down to Jim Glessner's American History Store. Jim had only two copies of the Gettysburg Guide left, and Steve promised to drop some more off later. We shot the bull for a while, then we drove to the Mine. Before meeting up with the gang, I had stopped at Sal Prezioso's house, "Red Patch." Sal had asked me to stop, and then I convinced him to come out and play - to come to the Mine for a few drinks. After telling his lovely wife Gail that I was going to booze up her husband and corrupt him, he followed me to the Mine - he admitted that in all the years he's lived in Gettysburg, the Mine was the one spot he's never visited. It was my duty, of course, to correct that omission.

We had a terrific time that night, talking with friends including Jim Lamason and his wife Bev. Sal got initiated in the atmosphere of the Mine, and regaled us with tales of his many overseas travels. I think he had a good time that night, and hopefully Gail will let him out once or twice again.

I was scheduled to tape the tours of Hunterstown and Fairfield on Sunday at 2:00 pm. The tapings for Gettysburg Daily had been set up by my publicist at Savas Beatie, based on the tours of the cavalry battles there in the Gettysburg Guide. I had some time Sunday morning to run out to Hunterstown and make sure that it was okay to be on the property of the historic John Tate farm, owned by Hunterstown Historical Society founders Roger and Laurie Harding. When I arrived, Roger was painting the fence in front of the house, and Laurie also came out to greet me. When I described the taping, they agreed that it would be great PR for the battlefield. I would be able to take Bobby onto their property and show the old road trace that led out of the old town square, on which the Confederate and Federal cavalry galloped to what became the main battlefield on the Felty and Gilbert farms. Laurie also told me that she had a pen and ink engraving showing the old road trace as it went between the Tate barn and blacksmith shop - she promised to have a copy of it for me that afternoon.

I had lunch back in Gettysburg, and then went back to Hunterstown to meet Bobby and Steve. Steve had printed large versions of the pertinent battle maps from the book for us to show on camera. Bobby arrived at 2:00 pm, and we drove east to the area of the wartime Jesse and Jane Ann McCreary home, in front of which the opening skirmish of the battle took place. Steve and I got ready, and Bobby turned on the camera. Well, he tried to, that is. It wouldn't work for him. He changed tapes, changed batteries, but nothing worked. Uh oh.

After Bobby tried everything but just couldn't get it working, he pulled out a smaller digital camera that could take both pictures and video. We now would really have to keep each vignette short. I described the opening skirmish, the we went to the old town square to talk there. Steve held up one of his maps and we showed how the area looked in 1863. We then went to the old road trace through the Hardings' farm, and on their fence was an envelope for us from Roger and Laurie. Inside were two very nice copies of the pen and ink drawing of the old road - really neat! We did a taping there, then several tapings on the main battlefield. Several times Steve held up his maps for us to point out the locations and 1863 topography.

Next was Fairfield. Bobby stopped in town to get another disc for his camera, and we made the 10-minute drive to Fairfield. Again we taped at the area of the opening actions, then went to the main battlefield. I showed the old road trace of what is now Knox Road, and made a point to emphasize that the very tough fences along the roads and in the fields really made it difficult for mounted operations. I then finished up with a little talk about the ramifications of the July 3 battle there, which showed how exposed Lee's rear was, and the unexploited opportunity to choke off one of Lee's main lines of retreat - the Fairfield Gap/Monterey Gap corridor.

Since it was already 5:00 pm, there wasn't any time to do South Cavalry Field as planned. Also, I needed to get on the road for the nearly four-hour drive. We made a plan to tape SCF on March 7 next year.

Bobby is really a terrific guy. He's very personable, easy to work with, and I really appreciated the opportunity for the additional exposure for the tours in our book. Folks in over 120 countries view and enjoy his website. Doing the tapings was a great deal of fun. While at Fairfield, one of the 6th US Cavalry's squadron commanders slipped my mind for a moment, and I went blank. We had to stop the tape, and we had a good laugh over it. Bobby doesn't expect folks to be infallible experts, just to be well-informed, passionate about the events, and to have fun with it all. We certainly did.

Back at Steve's apartment, we signed a bunch of copies of the Guide - second editions since the first edition was pretty much gone shortly after release. The third edition has just been ordered, which is really very humbling. I brought back a couple cases which needed to get shipped out for orders.

There was a lot of construction on the freeways, so it took me all of the four hours to get home Sunday night. I was beat, but was able to look back on a very nice weekend in Adams County, Antietam, and Harpers Ferry. After being sick for nearly an entire month, and pretty much chained to the house and office since, it was fabulous getting out for a couple days and having a great time with great friends. I'm hoping to get back once or twice before Remembrance Day in November.

Bobby tells me the Hunterstown tour segment should be on his site this Friday - I'll post a link here once it appears.

Gettysburg...Antietam...Harpers Ferry...Hunterstown...Fairfield...Oh my!

2009-09-21T22:07:00.006-04:00

Last night I returned from a very busy, yet enjoyable trip to Gettysburg and nearby environs. The trip was mainly to give taped tours of the battle of Hunterstown and Fairfield for Bobby Housch for his GettysburgDaily website, but also for Steve Stanley and I to do some legwork for our next book, The Complete Antietam Guide. I couldn't leave until after work Friday, so I arrived in Gettysburg about 10 pm.

Buddy Jim Glessner, who manages The American History Store on Steinwehr Avenue, called me while I was on the road to let me know that two Licensed Battlefield Guides had heard I was coming to town and wanted to meet me. They were waiting for me at O'Rorkes. When I arrived, we had a very nice discussion about The Complete Gettysburg Guide, and they told Steve and I how much the guides enjoy the book. We were very honored by that - I have so much respect for the guides and park rangers, and the fact that they enjoy and recommend the book means a great deal to us. Everyone especially enjoys the tours of the cavalry actions - so little is generally known about them, and the book has given many folks much detail and so much to see. And the tours of the cemeteries and rock carvings has a lot of people talking - those are ones I keep hearing that folks really enjoy.

After an hour or so, Steve and I, along with Steve's fiance Kyrstie and Jim headed to The Mine for a few beers and some pizza. I'd eaten dinner but was starved by that time, so I had Dominos deliver to the bar. We had a nice time for a couple hours before I headed to my usual bunkhouse, Dave and Carol Moore's home on Herr's Ridge.

Steve and I had Saturday free, so we planned a trip to Antietam. After breakfast, Steve, Kyrstie, their friend Leigh Ann and I hopped in my truck and headed for Gettysburg's sister field. We got to the Visitor Center about 10:30, where we found ranger John Hoptak holding court behind the counter. John's a cool guy, besides being an Antietam expert. He always has a big smile on his face, and it was great to see him again. John told us about the new walking tours at the newly-acquired Roulette Farm, and we determined to walk the Federal Attack on the Sunken Road there. I asked if ranger Mannie Gentile was going to be around, and John told us that after his morning tour, he'd be in the VC that afternoon. We decided to come back later so we could see Mannie.

Steve also wanted to get some more pictures for the book, so we first headed to the Dunker Church. I enjoy going in there, and we sat in one of the pews for a while. A couple of Confederate living historians came in, and we talked for a while. Next was the Maryland monument, and Steve got some nice shots there. We then drove to the Mumma Cemetery, then the Roulette Farm. I hadn't been able to walk it since the NPS acquired it, so the four of us walked down the dirt road leading to the house and outbuildings. We crawled all over the place and I enjoyed seeing the house up close for the first time. Something I found in one of the sheds surprised me, though. Inside was a complete wooden original artillery limber and ammunition chest. It looks like it had been there since the battle. On the ground behind it was a rusty 3-inch Ordnance barrel. I wondered aloud how long it had been there and how it got there. I wondered if perhaps it was found on the field after the battle (one of the wheels was in pretty bad shape) and maybe Roulette had snatched it. Until the NPS got the property, maybe no one but the owners knew it was even there. I determined to ask someone when we got back to the VC, but of course I completely forgot later.

We then hiked the Federal Attack trail to the Sunken Road, which was a real eye opener. Coming up to the very high ridge overlooking the road, it made an impact on me how those Federal flags appearing over the ridge must have looked to the Rebs below. As always, walking the ground teaches everything - nothing replaces it. And the view of the Sunken Road below was one that I took in for quite some time, enjoying the educational and different view.

The girls convinced Steve and I that we just had to walk up the observation tower - easy for them, they're both in their 20's and Steve's and my knees have seen better days. The girls walked the Sunken Road to the tower, and Steve and I knew that in order to store what would be much-needed reserve energy, we drove the truck to the tower. By the time we got there, the ladies were already at the top. Youth is wasted on the young! Steve and I groaned... er... climbed our way to the top, and of course the view was spectacular as always. The sky was rich blue, and there wasn't a single cloud. It was a fabulous day. And wonderful for taking pictures. Steve got lots of shots from up there, and thinks maybe he might have a candidate for the cover of the Antietam Guide.

We walked back down the tower - I don't think anyone had to carry Steve or me, but I might be mistaken - and headed back to the Visitor Center to hopefully find Mannie. And find him we did. Mannie, dripping suave and coolness, was perched behind the counter edifying upon a group of visitors. He saw me out of the corner of his eye and threw me a "J.D...." in the middle of his conversation with the folks. When he was finished we had a great talk. I introduced him to Steve and the girls, and he gave us some great things to think about for the book. I took his comment that "much about Antietam that seems obvious, may not be so obvious" to heart. Lots of folks have strong opinions about McClellan, Lee, what could have been done or wasn't, and that events as transpired seems obvious to the point of near silliness... but the key is to look deeper. Thanks, Mannie, and I will keep that in mind as we get further along.

We said goodbye to Mannie, signed some copies of the Gettysburg Guide in the bookstore (they had only 3 copies left, and Steve had to take two more cases down to them today), and we then drove to the town of Sharpsburg for lunch. Since it was Anniversary Weekend, the Sharpsburg Festival was going on. I'd attended it several times before, and the food is great. Unfortunately, they'd already run out of chicken by the time we got there (about 1:30 pm). Rats! We settled for some hot dogs and sat on a rock wall to eat. We walked through the festival a bit, then drove to our final destination - Burnside's Bridge.

There were lots of people there, and Steve got more nice shots of the area. The skeeters were getting to us, though, so after about a half hour we walked back up the hill. But before leaving, I showed the gang the venerable William McKinley monument - what friend Steve Basic calls the silliest monument on any battlefield. Ha ha, I find it hard to argue with him. Dedicated to what was then a popular and lamented former President, the monument specifically commemorates the fact that then-Sgt. McKinley brought coffee and food to the boys on the line - exposing himself to fire in doing so. Of course, if the popular McKinley had never become President and subsequently assassinated, the monument would not exist. Of all the unsung acts of bravery that took place on Civil War battlefields, and have never been commemorated by a marker of any kind, it does indeed seem a monument to emotional reaction more than anything else. Ah well.

After a fulfilling, wonderful day at Antietam, we headed down the road for Harpers Ferry by way of Shepherdstown. I'll post on the rest of the trip tomorrow.

The Bloodiest Day

2009-09-17T14:21:00.003-04:00

I can't let today go by without acknowledging the anniversary of the massive Battle of Antietam, of September 17, 1862. Some 23,000 Americans, who wore suits of blue or gray, fell as a result of the great battle of the Maryland Campaign. It still stands by far as America's bloodiest day, thought initially to have been surpassed by expected casualties of the events of 9-11.

I've long told folks that the Antietam battlefield is my second-favorite only to Gettysburg, but I'm not sure that's true. Gettysburg may be my "favorite" since I've studied it the longest, and have visited it the most - but perhaps Antietam truly is my most favored. It's pristine, and development has not been allowed to encroach so close like so many other spots. The nearby town of Sharpsburg is a wonderful historical village, and I have several friends there. Every time I go to Gettysburg, I hope to be able to take at least a few hours and visit Antietam, with perhaps a visit to Harpers Ferry to boot.

Well, this weekend I'll finally get to Antietam again. Sunday I am doing a taping of my tours of the battles of Hunterstown and Fairfield (and perhaps South Cavalry Field) based on my latest book with Steve Stanley for the website Gettysburg Daily. But I'm driving to Gettysburg Friday evening, and Steve and I are going to spend most of Saturday at Antietam doing some legwork for our new book - a guide to the Maryland Campaign. Steve is going to take some more pictures for the book (it will feature the battlefield and surrounding areas in all seasons, just like the Gettysburg Guide), and there are several obscure spots that I need to spend some time at to take some notes. I can't wait to get back there.

The Antietam casualties were ponderous. Their sacrifice is ponderous. And what it took to become a unified nation is ponderous indeed - something we should never forget amongst the many petty arguments we often get into, just to prove to ourselves that we're still there.

Change in seasons

2009-09-16T22:49:00.006-04:00

Here in Western PA (West Pennsyltucky for my friend Rick Allen of Maryland), we are blessed with all four seasons. Sometimes in the extreme - summers can be mild or hot as hell. Winters can be mild, or we can have -22 degree nights and snow measured in feet. Fall, however, has always been my favorite.

Right around this time of year, the signs of autumn begin. The leaves are just starting to change, and soon will be in their full painted-canvas glory... to be enjoyed for a couple weeks if a huge windstorm doesn't blow them down. Folks from other parts, in fact, drive here to western or central PA to view the leaves on the mountains.

The nights cool off after still-warm days. Today, for instance, was sunny and about 76 degrees at its warmest. Tonite, however, will dip down to about 52 - wonderful sleeping weather. It's the time of year when you need to run neither the furnace or the air conditioning. The temp in the house is comfortable 24 hours a day. That nip in the air causes folks 'round these parts to look into the sky as if reading some type of annual sign, and say, "Hhmm. Football weather." I think that phrase is passed down through generations like a favorite recipe.

And the smells - you can smell those leaves. If I went into a coma for 20 years, and was blind when I woke up, all I'd have to do is smell the outside air here and I'd know it was sometime from mid-September to mid-October. No doubt. Some folks are also beginning to burn their fireplaces and woodburners at night - meaning you can smell that wonderful, sweet aroma. I caught it when I took the garbage out tonite. One of the many Amish families that live all around me must be burning wood tonite.

Fall is also marked, for me, by the shift in my household chores. Over the past few days, I tore down my 1500-sq. ft. garden, always a sign for me that the end of summer is near. The tomato plants were dead and over, and so was everything else except the pepper and cabbage plants. The cabbage is about ready to pick, and I'll be harvesting peppers for another week or two. The garden, which was a sign of growing life and expectations of harvest several months back, is now a mostly-empty patch that soon will be covered with snow. My mom, who passed away this past February, loved the cucumbers and tomatoes that I grew. This was the first growing season without her, and every time I worked the cukes, picked one, or enjoyed one in a salad, reminded me of her. Simple things like the garden kept her memory alive for me, just like so many foods and other familiar things remind me of family and friends past.

I also started moving and stacking the firewood this afternoon. I buy hardwood by the tractor-trailer load and throughout the summer cut it and split it. It's great exercise, and a terrific way to heat the house in winter. We have a modern woodburner built right into the electric furnace, and we burn wood as much as possible. Excepting the cost and time that we put into the wood, we are able to heat our 2-story 4200-sq. ft. home for about $30 a month, on average and even during the coldest months. I figure - why give the money to the electric company - and as I said it's great exercise getting it ready. My dad and I cut and split wood for his fireplace and woodburner when I was a kid, so it's an activity I've long enjoyed. And considering the Cap and Tax the cretins in Congress are instituting - doubling and tripling electric rates because of a "global warming" that doesn't exist except in the inexplicable mind of Al Gore - it'll save even more money. More money to put into Civil War research!

I was raised very Italian, and in my family all the men cook. Today, I do most of the cooking and always have. My dishes always change when autumn rolls around. This week I made my homemade chili, always a winter favorite. Another is cabbage and ham stew, and several other dishes made usually only during the cooler weather.

And this is also the time of year I start digging into whatever will be the next book. I enjoy writing over the winter months, and it fits well with the summer marketing season. If I can finish a book by January or so, then it's on schedule for editing, etc. for a spring release. I wrote most of the text of The Complete Gettysburg Guide in front of the fireplace in our living room - fire blazing, wood crackling and popping, one of my wife's crocheted blankets over my lap on which I rested the laptop. Our little dacshund Buddy curled up on my stomach. Steve Stanley and I have begun work on our next one - a guide to the 1862 Maryland Campaign - and I'm sure I'll work on it mostly in front of the fire. I had actually planned to begin early, this past August, but my nearly month-long illness precluded that. Concurrently, I'm also working on the script for the audio tour that will compliment the Gettysburg guide.

Soon, the snow will begin flying. I hate it by the time January/February rolls around, but that first snowflake we usually see around here in late October or early November evokes admiration from most folks. Hey, it snowed last night. Winter's comin'. Wonder how bad it'll be? Well, they say a bad winter this time. Or - They say a mild one this year. I don't know who the hell "they" are, but those folks seem to have an opinion about everything, don't they?

Next spring, the process starts all over again. The air will warm and the sun will get higher even while there's still snow patches on the ground. I'll start tilling the garden, eager to get the tomato and cucumber plants in. I'll think of Mom and how she loved them. I'll start wearing short-sleeved shirts even while the temperature is still in the 50's, just to let Ol Man Winter know he's not welcome anymore. And a whole new season of visiting Gettysburg and other historical sites, talking to folks about this passion, and perhaps anticipating the release of another book will all be just around the corner.

That reminds me, time to get back to writing. C'mon, Buddy, time for us to hop in the easy chair in front of the fireplace. I'm not building a fire tonite - not yet - but I'm sure he'll understand.

Steve Stanley on Civil War Talk Radio

2009-09-11T20:25:00.003-04:00

If you didn't get to hear it live today, master cartographer/photographer Steve Stanley was the guest on Civil War Talk Radio this afternoon. In addition to the discussion about our new book, I know you'll enjoy hearing Steve talk about his early interest in history and mapmaking, how he develops his maps, and his thoughts about battlefields and preservation. Most folks know Steve by the beautiful maps he produces for the Civil War Preservation Trust, and now through the interview you'll be introduced to much more! Click on the link above (you should be able to listen to the show by clicking the player in the middle of the screen, and soon the show will be archived by date).

Great job, Steve, and congratulations!

PCN-TV Interview about "The Complete Gettysburg Guide"

2009-09-10T09:48:00.009-04:00

Yesterday (Wednesday) I traveled to our capitol, Harrisburg Pa, to the studios of PCN-TV to tape an hour-long interview for the channel's "PA Books." I was a bit nervous going into it, since it was my first on-camera interview, but host Brian Lockman (left) made me feel very much at ease and was very easy to talk to. It was a great time! It was a very conversational interview, which made it fun. Brian told me that he really enjoyed The Complete Gettysburg Guide, and knew it very well. His questions about it, however, were very well done - instead of simply asking me about this or that in the book, he asked more general questions about Gettysburg, which allowed me to connect the topics with the book however I wished. I thought that was a really terrific way to do it. Instead of just a fact-by-fact accounting of what is in the book, we were able to have more of a conversation about its contents, the tours, the battlefield and town, and the battle's impact on history and its participants.

The taping that we did will be edited to one hour. For a little behind-the-scenes, one thing you probably won't see (hopefully!) is when I deftly dumped nearly the entire contents of my coffee mug into my lap during the interview! Brian needed to take a break at one point for a drink, and I decided to do the same - accidentally spilling the water on my pants. We had a good laugh over it, and I thought that maybe they should just leave it in the final airing - folks who know me well would just figure "that's J.D." :)

The interview is scheduled to air on October 25 at 9:00 pm. Here is a link to the PA Books section of PCN-TV's website (scroll down through the window on the left side of the page to see the section for the book). Over 3,000,000 households in Pennsylvania receive PCN, and it will also be available as a podcast on their website so anyone can see it. I'll provide more information when I have it.

"Complete Gettysburg Guide" audio companion update

2009-09-05T16:00:00.011-04:00

A wonderful review of the book appears in the November 2009 issue of America's Civil War magazine, in subscriber's hands and on newsstands now. I repeat it here, but also importantly for the last paragraph of Robin Friedman's review:

Casual visitors to Gettysburg usually do just fine following the National Park Service's auto tour map to get their fill of the historic battlefield. But if you really want to explore the sites and events surrounding the epic three-day battle, this comprehensive new guide by Civil War historian J. David Petruzzi and accomplished cartographer/photographer Steven Stanley is a welcome and
invaluable resource.

The guide's subtitle - Walking and Driving Tours of the Battlefield, Town, Cemeteries and Other Topics of Historical Interest - tells you all you need about the authors' goal here. Petruzzi and Stanley have developed 11 separate tours of the battle in stunning, colorful detail. The first is a tour of the June 26 Marsh Creek skirmish between Confederate cavalry and Pennsylvania militia and the final two examine the battlefield's beautiful rock carvings and its outlying field hospital sites.

Published on high quality, glossy paper, the 320-page hardcover book is both durable and easy to hold as you follow the tours. Directions for each tour's sites are provided in meticulous detail, and Stanley's maps and photographs are first-rate.

Petruzzi opens the guide with an extensive overview of the Gettysburg Campaign and then the Marsh Creek skirmish tour. The first day of the main battle often gets bypassed in favor of the fighting on July 2 and 3, but the authors want to make clear that what happened on July 1 is critical to comprehending the battle as a whole. Petruzzi and Stanley provide 12 specific stops on this tour, including the often-overlooked memorial three miles west of town marking the conflict's opening shots.

The tour for the July 2-3 fighting comes in a single chapter, with the action arranged by location rather than chronologically. This approach allows the reader to see the interrelationships between the fighting on those days. Thus, the tour begins with the Confederate position on Seminary ridge and covers the Southern penetration of the Union center late on July 2, almost at the same point it attained briefly during Pickett's Charge.

Other tours cover the little-known but significant fighting at Brinkerhoff's Ridge on July 2, as well as the July 3 battle between J.E.B. Stuart and David Gregg at East Cavalry Field. Separate tours cover the obscure July 2 cavalry clash at Hunterstown and the July 3 engagement at Fairfield, a loss for the Union mounted arm.

The authors give the Evergreen and Soldiers' National cemeteries deserved attention but should have looked further at the African-American presence during the battle. The town's small Lincoln Cemetery, a historic burial ground for African Americans, offers
eloquent testimony to the Civil War and is worth a visit.

Thank you, Robin, for such a great review of the book. As to your final point, I had actually considered trying to work in a tour of the Lincoln Cemetery (one I have visited many, many times and as recently as this past July), along with visits to Cashtown and the pass, Black's Cemetery, the battle at Hanover, etc. However, space was the consideration. If you look carefully at the book, you'll see that our publisher Ted Savas at Savas-Beatie chose the much higher quality (and expensive) sewn binding of the heavy, gloss paper - rather than the common glued binding. Note that many sections of dozens of pages, each sewn together and then bound together to produce the book, make up the whole. Logistically, with this type of production, you can't just add, say, 3 or 4 more pages. You'd have to add dozens. That's why we had to make the decision to include what we did. Another sewn section in the book would have added perhaps $5 or $10 more to the price... knocking out a huge segment of the buying public. The book retails for only $39.95 ( less than many black-and-white hardcovers today) and less than $30 on online sellers like Amazon. A bigger book would retail closer to $50, and no one would buy it.

When we began the book, we were given the 320-page limit by Ted (all with an eye toward desired production costs of the book driving the affordable retail price), meaning that once all the text, maps, and photos were produced and chosen, Steve had to lay it all out to see how it would fit. Also, notice that the opening of each tour chapter features a photograph that "bleeds" over a facing two-page spread, which is how we wanted each chapter to begin. This, then, is another factor that dictates how, and on what page, each preceding chapter must end - further dictating the page count of each tour chapter. Obviously, we knew how many of Steve's maps had to be in the book - we were not going to short-change those, period. Depending on their size, they all take up a certain amount of space. Of course, you also have to calculate in the front and back matter, bibliography, and index. (Now do you see why Steve, in the Introduction, tells what a long, tedious process it was to design the book? :) We had originally chosen to include a tour of Hanover, but it just wouldn't fit. At the end, we also had to remove several photos that Steve had planned, and wanted, to include, but it was either remove them or remove text. It was a long process of choosing what could be included (based on necessity and desire) and what had to go.

In the end, then, the desire to include "one more tour" of, for example, the Lincoln Cemetery, or Cashtown, or whatever, would have driven us to add an entire section of many more pages, driving up the price of the book and making it much less affordable to a wide variety of folks. So it was a question of adding all those 4 or 5 other tours - or none of them. Not one or two. This type of question has come up since the book's release ("Why not add this, it would have taken only a couple pages....?") and folks understand the logistics of book production when I explain this to them.

However, it allows us to... include these sites in the audio tour! The audio tour will compliment (not replace) the book. So there will be tours, sites, and events in the audio tour not in the book, and vice versa. The audio tour will not be a simple reading of the book text, and in fact the two will be quite different, giving the visitor a much fuller, broader experience when they have both (a must!). Steve and I have many, many different sites and events planned for inclusion in the audio tour, and if anyone has any suggestions please do let me know - we'd be interested and grateful for all ideas.

So that's the answer to why this or that didn't make the book - but is very likely to be in the audio companion. Stay tuned.

"Plenty of Blame To Go Around" makes Top 50 Civil War Books of All Time list

2009-09-04T10:46:00.003-04:00

I was quite honored to learn today that Plenty of Blame To Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg made the updated Old Baldy Civil War Roundtable (Philadelphia PA) list of the 50 Civil War Books of All Time. This book (my first, and co-authored with Eric Wittenberg) appeared in 2006 and came in at #50. We are in terrific company - classics by Foote, McPherson, Shaara, Sears, Frassanito, Catton, Warner, etc. headline the list.

To have your work thought of as important as these classics is humbling and gratifying. Thank you to those who formulate the list, to all those who have enjoyed the book, and everyone for thinking so highly of the work. It is appreciated beyond words!

Dimitri Rotov's review of The Complete Gettysburg Guide

2009-09-03T09:08:00.002-04:00

We have been humbled by all the wonderful reviews that the book has been garnering. Over the past couple of months, I have been receiving emails from folks who have read it and used it on the field, and all the comments have been terrific. There are several bloggers who specialize in book reviews, and Dimitri Rotov is one that I (and everyone) respect very much. His reviews are always very insightful and detailed. Dimitri tells it like it is, and it's difficult to impress him - which is as it should be. I enjoy reading his entries every day.

Yesterday (September 2) Dimitri put up his review of The Guide. As expected, he goes into a great amount of detail. We couldn't be happier with the review, and once I read Dimitri's comments they - like so many others' -reinforced for me why we did this book. There is no better teacher of historical sites than to look at them for yourself, and study them on the spot. Thank you so much for the review, Dimitri, and I'm simply speechless. I spoke with Steve Stanley yesterday and he is one happy and humbled camper after reading it :)

On the "shingles" front (see previous post), I'm slowly healing. Once the pain is entirely gone, I think I'll be back to 100%. We're getting there!

My dance with shingles - and I ain't talking about my roof...

2009-08-20T14:03:00.002-04:00

My apologies to my readers for not posting for a few weeks - I've gotten several calls and emails from folks wondering if I'm just "laying low" for the summer, or if I've gotten lost. Well, when August 1 came, I had intended to follow through with my plan to take the month off from researching and writing, and gets lots of stuff done at the house... including moving the entire library from the first floor to the second. I had intended to do those things, that is.

On the 1st, which was a Saturday, the better half and I took a ride to do some antiquing and visit yard sales, something we enjoy doing once in a while. Hey, yard sales can be great places to find books! After making our last stop, I noticed that I had a few blisters on the back of my head. I thought maybe it had something to do with the hot sun. We had the roof off the Vette and I thought perhaps I had gotten a little too many rays.

I didn't think any more of it - until I woke up Sunday morning. There were more blisters on the back of my head, my neck, and also my right cheek. Aw, *&%$#@, I thought... poison ivy? I was out back near the woods cutting grass on Saturday morning, and maybe I got into it somehow. During the day the blisters got progressively worse. I got some Poison Ivy Wash at the store, and hoped it would help.

By Monday morning the blistering got worse and began to hurt. And the pain wasn't just at the surface, it hurt deeper in the muscle. While at the office, I called my family doctor to get in to see her so we could do something about it. She was on vacation, and her partner was covering her patients. Unfortunately, though, I couldn't get in to see her until Tuesday afternoon. When she took a look, she diagnosed it as poison ivy, or oak, or whatever. The strange thing about it, which I told her, was that it wasn't itchy at all - but it was hurting like hell. She was convinced it was contact dermatitis, and prescribed a steroid cream to put on the rash. I left, picked up the prescription, and immediately started smearing the stuff all over rash.

By Thursday, though, it hadn't cleared up much. The blisters had turned from white to red, and they seemed to be spreading. On top of it all, I started to get dizzy. I called the doc's office about it, and she prescribed steroid pills to give me a stronger meds regimen. I was so dizzy I could barely walk, let alone drive, so my wife picked up the pills. I dutifully started taking them. I was out of the office both Thursday and Friday, mainly because of the dizziness.

Saturday was pretty bad by late afternoon. The dizziness got worse, and I lost my appetite. All I could do was lie in bed. If I got up, which was rare, I had to hold onto things or I'd fall down. I was getting pretty naseous, and the fact that I couldn't eat was turning my stomach into knots. Sunday was no better. I was hoping that whatever reaction I was having would begin clearing by Monday.

Fat chance. On Monday I was dizzy as ever, and the blisters turned into ugly scabs. I still wasn't eating, and by then I'd lost about 12 pounds. (I'm 6'1" and 180, so I'm not wide to begin with.) Knowing that things were a lot more serious than just a case of poison ivy, I told my wife to run me to the Emergency Room that night.

We got to the ER about 9:30 pm. I told the admitting nurse that I thought maybe I was having a reaction to the steroid pills, which can make one dizzy and naseous. But in my case it was pretty bad, and after 3 days of it I couldn't take it anymore. Plus I wasn't eating and I was getting dehydrated. I hobbled back to the exam room. After my vitals were checked out, in walked one of the ER physicians.

It only took about a 10-second examination for him to shake his head and declare it was shingles. Shingles? What the - ? And a pretty bad case, too. Because we were treating poison ivy, it was shingles that had gone untreated for about 10 days. The blistering had gotten infected (hence the redness) and to top it off, I was dizzy as hell because it had given me an inner ear infection. It was so far advanced that it was too late to give me the shot they normally give in the early stages of shingles. A second doctor came in at the request of the first, and he too recognized it as shingles. Both shook their head when they learned another doctor had misdiagnosed it, and everyone felt bad that I had suffered this long. It was virtually untreated, and to add to my misery, I couldn't eat, was dehydrated, had a sore neck and shoulder from sleeping in a weird position (when I could sleep at all), and the ear infection completely debilitated me.

I was given and prescribed a powerful antibiotic which would knock out the shingles and the infection. I would take 2,000 milligrams per day for the next 10 days, and all I could basically do was ride out the storm. I was told I'd have a pretty rotten couple of weeks ahead of me.

And rotten they were. I could only spend the next 3 days in bed. But thankfully, the infection(s) subsided, and the dizziness finally went away over the past weekend. By Saturday my appetite returned, and I ate everything in sight. Karen spent about $200 at the grocery store, and I ate it all and then some. I've actually gained all of the weight back already. The blistering and rash are nearly gone, but the worry now is that there may be some scarring (although not too bad) because it became so advanced. I saw the chiropractor, who put my neck back into position on Tuesday. My neck was out for two weeks, and the muscles were completely wrecked. That's starting to heal now. Because of everything, I had so much pain in the head/neck area for nearly two weeks it's hard to describe.

The docs told me that shingles is basically an adult form of chicken pox. If you had it when you were a kid, you're at risk for another breakout later on, because the virus lies dormant in you for 20, 30, even 50 or more years. Neither I nor my father can remember me having it, though. Thankfully, there is a shot that is given to prevent another breakout, or will make it less severe. Once I'm completely healed, I'll probably get it. I've since learned that my sister had it some time ago too. What has really scared me is that if left completely untreated, it could have caused deafness in my right ear. If it gets into your eye, for instance, you can go blind.

I got back into the office on Monday, and I'm pretty much back to normal. There's some numbness, though, in my neck and cheek, and I'm hoping there's little or no scarring. If there are any lasting effects, however, that first doctor is getting a call - from my attorney. She called me at home the day after I was at the ER (she got a report from them) and I'm sure she was fishing around to see what my attitude was. I let her know that at this point, it's a matter of time to see if I fully recover.

I realize that there are much worse health maladies to go through, but this one was pretty awful. Getting a misdiagnosis meant that a pretty bad illness turned into a horrible one. I had nearly three weeks of abject hell, and I'll never forget August 2009.

Now it's time to get out the hammer and tools, and get to work on that library. Let's see, I wonder how long it will take to carry about 4000 books upstairs... 8 or 10 at a time...

Amazon/Barnes & Noble reviews

2009-07-28T11:11:00.003-04:00

We really need more online reviews of The Complete Gettysburg Guide on Amazon.com and BN.com... everyone who can put up a new review of the book beginning today (July 28), please email me at jdpetruzzi@live.com, and we will tell you about a special offer we and our publisher have for you. Clicking on the links above will take you to the book's pages on those sites. Please place your review on the sites, then email me for details. Thank you!

"The Complete Gettysburg Guide" digital companion

2009-07-23T14:23:00.003-04:00

After a couple weeks of finally "gittin' stuff done" around the house and catching up on lots of things, I have been talking with Steve Stanley about our upcoming projects. We're just now starting on what will be a digital companion to "The Complete Gettysburg Guide." We will have a downloadable and CD touring companion to the book that folks can take along and play in their vehicle and/or personal devices. In addition to including Steve's maps, the companion will complement and supplement the book with additional places to see and events to tour on the battlefield, in the town, and other places. Audio tours are extremely popular with folks, and many, many people have asked if/when we'll be doing an audio companion for the book.

This weekend I will begin writing the script, and Steve is starting to work on the package itself and the maps. If anyone has any suggestions, please pass them along to me. I will continually keep you posted here as to our progress!

Back from Gettysburg

2009-07-07T20:43:00.008-04:00

Wow, it was a whirlwind four days in Gettysburg from July 1 to 4. Steve Stanley, Mike Nugent and I had a busy time doing book signings almost constantly, but it was a lot of fun. It was really great seeing Mike, whom I hadn't seen since last summer.

The reception of The Complete Gettysburg Guide has been beyond our expectations, and we are truly humbled and grateful. Everyone has given us such wonderful comments about it, and we especially love hearing from those that have taken it out on the field and used it. But my buddy Steve Basic made the most poignant observation of all, and one I couldn't agree with more: if someone gives this book to, say, a ten year-old, and it sparks his interest in Gettysburg and history in general, then all the hard work was more than worth it.

Over the four days, we had a lot of book signings and talks at wonderful Gettysburg stores such as The American History Store, the Gettysburg Museum and Gift Center, Gallery 30, the Supply Wagon Sutler, as well as at the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitor Center. We also attended the Hunterstown Heritage Days over the anniversary of the cavalry fight there, on July 2.

On July 3, it was a special treat to speak in front of a large crowd under the Sacred Trust tent outside the GNMP Visitor Center. During our second book signing inside the VC that day, we were able to meet filmaker Ken Burns, who was signing his books beside us. Below is a pic of Ken, Steve Stanley, me, and Mike Nugent during a short break.

At Hunterstown, I spoke to the attendees about the book and also the preservation efforts going on at Hunterstown. Below is a shot of the talk. Laurie and Roger Harding are true gems as the coordinators of the Hunterstown Historical Society, and it was great seeing the dedication of the new Civil War Trails wayside on their historical property, the Tate farm.

Below is a shot of Steve and I flanking wonderful Custer living historian, Steve Alexander, at the Hunterstown event as he holds his copy of the book.

Here is a pic of me giving my talk during the Sacred Trust (Gettysburg Foundation) event in the tent outside the GNMP Visitor Center on July 3. We had a packed tent, and I got lots of great questions about the book. I think we signed about 40 copies of the book for folks, and we really enjoyed talking to people about the tours and places to see that are included.

Charles Joyce is simply one amazing artist. When you visit Gallery 30 at 30 York Street in Gettysburg, check out his work. During our signing there on July 4, Chuck was having an exhibition of some of his work at the gallery, and I had to have my photo taken with him in front of some of his paintings. He is below on the left.

I'm very glad to be back home after this, my fourth trip this year to Gettysburg. But I can look back on many days of talking to many amazing folks about the book. Now it's time to take time to get some things done around the house! (Oh, and get back to my real job, too!)

Weekend in Gettysburg, and an unexpected ending

2009-06-29T23:38:00.003-04:00

I arrived home late last night from three great days in Gettysburg, and I really wanted to post a wrap-up of the trip before going to bed, but I just couldn't. True, I was tired and it was already rather late by the time I got things squared away... but I couldn't help thinking about something that happened at the end of our last book signing last night, and I needed to give myself a day before posting anything. More on that as I close this post.

I arrived in Gettysburg late on Thursday afternoon, which gave me time to make some visits around the battlefield. As I've mentioned here before, I've been taking much more time on my visits this year to spend simple, quality time on the field. I enjoy closely examining the new vistas afforded by the tree clearings. This time I took more time to examine the Slyder farm area on the southern end of the field, then Munshower's Knoll. I also took several minutes to once again look around in the area of the stone walls bordering the southern end of Rose's wheatfield. After eating way too much (for the hundredth time) at Mayflower's Chinese Buffet, I stopped at several retailers in town and signed newly-arrived copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide that the stores had pre-sold and wanted signed so the customers could pick them up.

I got to the Reliance Mine Saloon a little after 9 pm, where I met some friends. I called it an early night, however, since I wanted to get up early and visit the Visitor Center bookstore and spend a couple more hours on the field. Dr. Dave and Carol Moore graciously put me up again this trip.

The book has been selling very strongly in the VC bookstore since its arrival nearly two weeks ago, and in the morning I took a look at the displays. They feature the book at each entrance, as well as on the register counters. We all are very flattered that they're doing that in addition to being on the shelf in the Gettysburg section. Customers can easily find the book and the prominent and numerous displays are very generous of the store folks.

I then took a slow cruise of Culp's Hill and motored over to the American History Store (on the corner of Steinwehr and Baltimore Street) to see manager Jim Glessner. As I've said here many times before, Jim has turned this former Greystone's store into the premier bookstore in Gettysburg. That, in addition to the DVDs and historical maps he carries makes the store a wonderful place to browse. The book selection is now even better than it was under the Greystone ownership. Steve Stanley and I were slated for a book signing in the store that evening as well as Saturday evening (7-9 pm). Jim had secured a sidewalk sandwich board to advertise the signings, and buddy (and Licensed Battlefield Guide) Jim Hessler was going to be with us as well, signing copies of his brand-new book on Sickles at Gettysburg.

After dinner Steve and I arrived at Jim's store for the signing, and it went very well. We signed quite a number of books for customers, as did Jim Hessler. But the most enjoyable part for me always is talking to people. We had great conversations about topics addressed in the book - not only specific parts of the battlefield, but also the rock carvings, Letterman Hospital, and the cemeteries. Folks really do have quite broad interests in Gettysburg, and people are quite eager to see them addressed in The Guide.

I then had a great couple hours in the Mine with friends, including Blake Magner. I really enjoy talking with Blake - especially hearing his experiences. Besides being widely read and great to discuss Gettysburg with, he's entertaining as hell. His dry wit and fantastic stories are wonderful. Bill Frassanito was also holding court that night, and I hated to have to leave about 11:30, but Steve and I had an early and long day ahead of us.

I picked Steve up a little after 7 am Saturday, and we headed off to the All-Star Complex on Rt. 15 South for the Gettysburg Collector's Show. We had a table there, and sold copies of The Guide as well as large copies of some of Steve's maps. Wow, I love that show. Of course, there are all manner of weapons and artifacts there - but I love the books. Several of the top book sellers are there, and I have found many of my old first editions at previous shows. But I really have to behave there... otherwise, I'd re-mortgage the house after a couple hours and the wife would kill me...

There were thousands of visitors, and we sold a nice amount of the book. I did make several trips around the floor, and purchased a few books (but didn't have to mortgage the house, thankfully). Steve's girlfriend Kyrstie (a wonderful lady, and - just between us - several levels above Steve's station :)) helped us out at the show and even brought us lunch. During the show Saturday and Sunday, lots of buddies dropped by. Newly-minted Licensed Guide Stan O'Donnell and his wife Bev came by, as did George Franks, Karl Fauzer, Sal Prezioso, Duane Siskey and Lori Krick, and others. I spoke for a time with Andy Turner, whose Gettysburg Magazine display was right across our table (making me stare at the Bob Younger book collection the whole time!). Andy and I spoke about a couple articles I'm going to be sending him, and both he and Col. Silas Felton bought copies of the book.

I forced Steve to take me to the Chinese Buffet again for dinner, where I again ate enough to choke Pleasonton's whole cavalry corps. We had our second book signing at Jim Glessner's store that evening, then we all went to the Mine for Book 'n A Beer night. A couple customers bought copies of The Guide, but the highlight was again listening to Blake for a couple hours.

Sunday morning we were again at the Book Show before 9, and we stayed until 1 pm. It was a very nice show - I got to spend a good deal of time not only perusing the books for sale, but also examining cavalry sabers and carbines. I really wish my friend (and co-author of the book One Continuous Fight) Mike Nugent could attend a show - he'd go nuts looking at the weapons and artifacts.

After packing up we had lunch with Kyrstie and Steve's daughter Ashleigh (along with Duane and Lori) and then we went to the Visitor Center for our 3-5pm signing there. There we met new Licensed Guide Christina Moon and gave her a copy of The Guide. Christina recently suffered a house fire, and she lost her entire book collection along with just about everything else. Her many friends have been helping her rebuild her collection, and it was an honor to present her with a copy of the book.

The signing went very well. Even though there weren't that many customers so late on a Sunday, we signed quite a number of books. One customer's story, though, really made an impression on Steve and me. The gentleman had attended a Smithsonian-sponsored tour with venerable historian Ed Bearss last week, and on the bus Ed had his copy of The Guide. Ed passed the book around the bus and really praised it. Steve and I were really floored by that, and we are humbled by Ed's endorsement. The gentleman had made a point to come to the VC to get the book and was happy that we happened to be there for a signing at the time. To know that Ed brought his copy of the book along on the tour and showed it to folks was one of the nicest things we'd heard about the book.

Close to 5 pm, as we were about the finish, Len Riedel, Executive Director of the Blue and Gray Education Society came by. Len had brought several wounded Iraqi War veterans to Gettysburg for a tour of the field, and some came into the bookstore. After a few minutes, one veteran came rolling up in his wheelchair. I began speaking with him, and he told us that his right leg had been blown off by an IED. The terrorists had been targeting him that day, because he had been hitting them pretty hard. They hit him four times before he lost the leg, and he happily told me that the ones who wounded him are "with us no more." He was actually rather soft-spoken, and told me that this was his first visit to Gettysburg since a young boy. His own year-old son was sitting in his lap, and I really loved talking to him. He was going to be fitted with an artificial leg soon, and had a great attitude about his wound, calling it "just losing a foot, that's all." He looked at the book, and really liked it. As he was talking with Steve and Len, I snuck over to a cash register, paid for a copy of the book, then went back to them. Steve and I signed a copy for the veteran and we have it to him. He really appreciated it, but we told him that we appreciated his service much more and thanked him for fighting for and protecting us. As I spoke with him, I wanted to cry, which frustrated me. I have seen several wounded before, but his wonderful attitude impressed me more than I can express. He took life as it comes, and accepted his wound like it's just part of the job. His lovely wife came by shortly after, and I looked at this little family in which there was evidently a lot of love. The soldier looked to just be about 25 years old, but I predict he has a lot of life ahead of him. We regretfully said our goodbyes, but it was after 5 pm and I needed to hit the road and get home. I drove Steve home and got on the road, but thought about the soldier nearly all the way home. I'll never forget him, the story he told me, and the sacrifice he made for all of us and for justice.

I have bought something over 3,000 books in my life, but I will always remember that the one we gave him was the best purchase I ever made. It's also one that I will never forget. It was a terrific few days in Gettysburg again, but made all the more special by meeting that soldier at the end. It taught me more about the people I write about, a little primer that is always welcome, and reinforces the purpose of all that we do as students of history.

My golf game really stinks

2009-06-23T22:51:00.003-04:00

There was a time, once, when I could bring even the toughest golf courses "to their knees."

Well, not really, I guess - but I was a pretty decent golfer in my high school and college years. As a senior in high school, I was the top player on our team, and pretty consistently shot a couple to maybe four or so strokes above par during matches. And our home course was actually a PGA course about 5 miles from the school - not your average public links.

During my four years at Penn State, I played on our men's team and achieved the #3 ranking, carrying my lowest PGA handicap of 3.5 several times. I had trouble cracking par, and just couldn't get those last few strokes consistently off my average. But back then, during all those school years, we played at least 18 holes 5 or 6 days a week, and lots of days a group of us would play 36 in a day. Then - go out on the range and hit a few more. I even toyed with the idea of getting more lessons and perhaps seeing if I could try some PGA tournaments and Q-School. But as my interests leaned toward business, I just never got serious enough about my golf to pursue it.

But I lived and breathed it. I hardly ever missed watching a tournament on TV. I got all the golf magazines. I practiced putting in the basement until I nearly wore grooves in the carpet. Jack Nicklaus was my hero, and I even fashioned both my grip and my swing after him. I use the interlocking grip and have a "flying right elbow" just like Jack.

In the ensuing years, life intervened. I started out in business (self-employed) after college, and seriously took up again my personal study of history. My golf days during the week started out at 3 or 4, then dwindled to 2, and now for the past 10 years I only play 9 holes, one night a week, in the men's league at our local muni.

And boy, does my game suck.

Of course, I also got married in the meantime, and helped raise my new wife's daughter. Business became a much bigger part of my life, and golf went to the background. Now I hardly ever go out to the range, and I mostly only watch part of the major tournaments on TV. There just isn't much time for it anymore. But I have ramped up my study of the Civil War and writing, of course, while still finding much time for the important things in life - family, and other forms of recreation that we can do together. I guess like most people, my interests have changed and the amount of time devoted to them has proportionately changed as well.

Did I mention my golf game really blows?

There was that time, say 20 years ago, that I would nearly go into a rage if I shot 40 or over for 9 holes. Now, today, I'm ecstatic if my score is under 50. Tonite, though, I shot a 52, and had a 53 last week.

I told you my golf game bites.

Last week I was pretty frustrated - I guess it's taken time for me to understand that it's not just that I can't do some of the things I did 20 years ago, it's that I can't put the "time" in anymore. Truthfully, I want to put that time into other things - which I do - and that one night a week on the course with the guys is somewhat of a necessary bit of leisure for me. Being out on the course still takes me back to my school years, and especially to when I was about 8 years old when my mother actually taught me the game. She was the first to take me out. That first day out with her, I think I scared the living daylights out of her when one of my shots darn near killed someone playing on an adjacent hole... but starting me on the game enriched my life. I soon learned that golf is one of those games that shows the measure of a person in many ways. There are rules, yes, but it's left up to you to follow them. You can take "mulligans" on the course, but you don't often get them in life. You can kick that ball out of the rough when no one's looking, but in family, business, and life in general, there are no foot-wedges. You take each shot as it comes and deal with it. That's why, today, I can't stand someone who cheats on the golf course - I want nothing to do with them. I feel they can't be trusted if they'll cheat at the game. Play with me and cheat, and you're finished. I don't mean the friendly kind of play - I mean deliberately cheating to lower a score or better your shot in order to win money or whatever. I want nothing to do with such a person because one who can't be trusted when he's being watched certainly can't be trusted when he's not.

So rather than be so frustrated tonite, I'm starting to accept the fact that unless I were to start playing 4 or 5 days a week again, and practice my game, it's probably as good as it'll be. You get out of something what you put into it. And that's very true with just about everything in life. I read, study, listen, and write more now than I play golf - and I think I'm better at history than golf. I have to accept that the one night a week on the course can continue to be just for fun, and I'll never be the nearly-scratch golfer I once was. Yes, my game really stinks, but it's okay. No matter how I and my golfing buddy finish the season, we'll still get to eat a great season-ending banquet just like everyone else. Yeah, I'll wish I'd played better, but I can look back on a summer of fun, sun, and fresh air. And remember that in the end it's a game - one you play - I don't make a living at it. I don't make a living at my writing either, but I am content to practice it continually, constantly honing my skills. You get out of it what you put into it.

Sigh. 52 tonite. Oh well, there's always next week. I wonder if I still have that old putting return machine around here somewhere?

"Beginning" again...

2009-06-22T23:32:00.003-04:00

Those of you who have read my Introduction remarks in The Complete Gettysburg Guide may recall the story that I tell of first learning to write my name at a very young age. One evening, I asked my father, David, how to write my name. He knelt down beside me on the floor, took one of my crayons, and wrote "D-A-V-I-D" on the page. I then traced over the letters, then wrote the name myself over and over, and I guess I haven't stopped writing since.

This past weekend, our local museum, operated by the Brockway (PA) Historical Society, hosted a talk and book signing for me. My father is one of the officers of the society, and a friend Tim Carnahan also is a valuable volunteer there. Tim did all the legwork setting up the event, and a nice little group attended on Saturday. Some folks also drove from about 15 miles away to get the new book. I was able to make a donation back to the museum from the sales, and it was a very nice couple of hours to spend talking about the book and signing them for attendees.

We had a picture taken, below, as I sign a book with my father looking on. I thought at that moment how what I had written about in the Introduction had come full circle. As he did those forty or so years ago, he once again looked on as I write my name - just as he taught me.

I know we both wish that my Mom, who went back home to God this past February, could have seen this book. She knew all about it as Steve Stanley and I worked on it, and even got to see some early images of the pages. I know that somewhere she is looking down, and perhaps also thinking back those many years ago when her "boys" wrote their shared name on paper for the very first time together.

I just wanted to let everyone know how special that story in the Introduction is to me, as special as the book itself is to Steve and I. Thanks, Dad, for showing me...

...the awesome power of words.

The Eagle Has Landed

2009-06-16T16:17:00.003-04:00

Okay, sorry, borrowed a title from one of my favorite movies :-)

Actually, the book has landed - finally! - in Gettysburg. Copies of The Complete Gettysburg Guide were just delivered this past Friday to the Visitor Center and Museum Bookstore (they were put out on the shelf Sunday), and all retailers should have them available today or tomorrow. One store told me that today alone they received six calls from folks looking for the book. Customers have been routinely asking if the VC store has them in stock. Co-author Steve Stanley received a supply today that he is going to sign and send to me, enabling me to fulfill the rest of our website orders. So those of you who ordered personally signed copies from us, and have not yet received them, they'll be on their way to you in just a few days.

It's wonderful finally having the book available in Gettysburg - now we hope that folks will take it out onto the field(s), town, cemeteries, etc. and put it to use. Make the book work for you, teach you, and cause you to have more questions about it all. There is much for us to discover together!

Pics from Gettysburg Trip

2009-06-12T20:42:00.018-04:00

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Savas Beatie Marketing Director Sarah Keeney, from the Gettysburg visit weekend before last. Savas Beatie Managing Director Ted Savas and Sarah spent a few days in Gettysburg following their trip to Book Expo in NYC. It was the first time I'd met Sarah (a beautiful and very talented lady) and the second time I got to join Ted at the hallowed ground.

Above is a shot taken at one of our favorite watering holes and eateries, O'Rorke's. I'm in the blue shirt, and Ted is wearing white. The fellow in dark blue standing with us is my good buddy from "across the pond," Mark Peters, who hails from England. His better half Yan is in the foreground. Mark has made at least two trips here to the US to meet with our Civil War Discussion Group Online at the annual muster, which had taken place that weekend. I wasn't able to arrive in Gettysburg until later on this particular Sunday, so Mark and Yan actually stayed in town that evening so I could see them. I was really honored and tickled that we could see them, since I was afraid I would miss their visit. Mark is a very, very sharp student of the American Civil War and all military history, and I love talking with him. He owns all my books, and I know he enjoyed being able to meet Ted and Sarah too. Mark is a big fan of Savas Beatie and their books, and seeing all of them able to meet and talk was a special treat. (Sitting at the table in the background is my co-author of The Complete Gettysburg Guide, cartographer Steve Stanley - probably telling more of his famous lies.)

Above, Jim Glessner is flanked by Steve Stanley on the left, me on the right. Jim manages what are known as the Habitat stores on Steinwehr Avenue for the Bardot family. Jim has done a wonderful job with the American History store at the corner of Steinwehr and Baltimore Street, which was the former Greystone store. Jim has the store stocked chock full of Gettysburg and Civil War books, DVDs, historical flags, and a fabulous selection of historical Gettysburg maps. He really has turned it into the premier book and reference store in Gettysburg. Here, Jim is holding up his very own copy of The Guide, which Steve and I signed for him. He didn't think he was getting one this early (we had only gotten a small supply of pre-release copies for the Civil War Preservation Trust Conference and Gettysburg Discussion Group muster the following weekend). Jim's copy was literally one of the very first couple copies put in private hands, and his copy he's holding is literally the first copy of the book signed by both Steve and I (we marked the book as such, too). Knowing Jim, he's probably already sold the book for beer money. (Kidding, Jim!) Jim will hopefully be selling lots of the book in his store, and we were proud and honored to present him with "the first."

This time I'm the one being flanked - by two beautiful ladies, Sarah on the left and Tammy Myers on the right. Tammy manages the Gettysburg Gift Center and Museum (formerly known as the Gettysburg Wax Museum) on Steinwehr Avenue. Tammy has a big job managing this popular place, and they have a great selection of books. I'm also guilty of buying lots of my shirts and hats here! I had just signed copies of my first two books (Plenty of Blame To Go Around and One Continuous Fight) that they had and are shown on the counter. Tammy's a great lady, and she's always very willing and helpful during book signings. Steve and I also got to spend time with her at the CWPT Conference last weekend, and I found out there that she does not like mushrooms on her pizza... sorry, Tammy, next time I'll remember! (Hhmm... wonder if she likes sardines or anchiovies?)

Another merchant that we visited on Monday was Gallery 30 just off the square. It's primarily an art and crafts gallery (and they really have some awesome items), but they carry an impressive selection of books. Not just Gettysburg and Civil War books, but of many genres. Before I even got to know the owners well, I had purchased a number of books on a variety of subjects there. They had a supply of my books there and above I'm shown signing one. Customers really prefer books signed by the author (I always have), and it's nice that merchants like for us to do that.

Sarah and I are pictured above with one of the owners of Gallery 30, Peggy Rock. I'm holding my first book, Peggy is holding the second, and Sarah is holding up a copy of the newly-arrived The New Civil War Handbook by Mark Hughes (Savas Beatie 2009). Folks, you must get this book - it's chock-full of interesting and useful facts, figures, trivia, charts, you-name-it about the Civil War. It's a book you'll enjoy sitting down and reading through, and referring back to again and again. In fact, I'll probably never write another article or book without referring to it profusely.

Here's a shot of Ted and I at the monument of the 24th Michigan Infantry of the Federal Iron Brigade, along Stone/Meredith Avenue on the first day's field. Eric Lindblade, a fellow who works for Jim Glessner at the stores, took us on an enjoyable tour of Archer's advance of July 1. We started down at Willoughby Run close to the Country Club property and followed the advance up the slope to the monuments here. It's a neat little walk I've long enjoyed making. Just check yourself for ticks when you're done! (I volunteered to check Sarah, but she wouldn't allow me. My medical degree non-withstanding, too.)

Above, Ted and I are up in the Warfield Ridge (or Longstreet) tower. Man, Ted loves climbing these towers. I'm leaning on the rail after getting up here, hacking, wheezing, throwing up, and catching my breath. Well, okay, not really - I'm in pretty good shape. Ted is leaning on me, and I think there's a metaphor here...

A really nice shot of Monday night's dinner at Mama Ventura's just off the square. Going around the table clockwise beginning from the left: Kyrstie, Steve Stanley's much better other; Steve; Ted; Licensed Battlefield Guide George Newton; me, just digging into a wonderful plate of pasta and clams; Licensed Battlefield Guide Jim Hessler; Sarah; and Antietam Ranger John Hoptak. George's Silent Sentinels book about Gettysburg artillery was a great resource for me when writing The Guide, and Jim's new book on Sickles at Gettysburg is awesome and one everyone must have. John is a great researcher and has enlisted to help Steve and I with the next guide book in the series - The Complete Antietam Campaign Guide.

I had to leave for home right after dinner Monday night, so I regret I had to miss the traditional gathering at the Reliance Mine Saloon. It was nice of Sarah to send the above picture of everyone. From left to right: Steve Stanley, holding a copy of The Complete Gettysburg Guide; Jim Hessler, holding his Sickles book (which has one of the neatest-looking covers ever); John Hoptak; Sarah Keeney; Ted Savas; the Gettysburg legend William Frassanito holding one of his books; Jim Glessner; Eric Lindblade; and my good buddy Duane Siskey.

Thanks again for the pictures, Sarah! Be sure to check out her own blog, On Marketing (Working With Authors) for more details and pictures of their own trip that week.

Busy weekend blast

2009-06-07T18:23:00.002-04:00

Friday, Steve Stanley and I were fortunate to have some copies of our new The Complete Gettysburg Guide to take to the cocktail hour of the annual muster of the Gettysburg Discussion Group. It was held at the 1863 Inn Gettysburg (formerly the Holiday Inn). I love the GDG folks - there's hardly a more knowledgable group of folks around, and we all love discussing Gettysburg. Members Chris Army and Sal Prezioso did yet another fabulous job organizing the muster. It was very nice seeing them again and many old friends - Dr. Laurence Schiller, Christ Liebegott to name a couple, and to listen to a very informative talk by GNMP Superintendant Dr. John Latschar. Many members bought copies of the book and loved the content and look of the book. Like the CWPT members, many couldn't wait to take Steve's maps out onto the battlefield.

On Saturday, I actually had a few free hours to spend touring the battlefield. I always lament that among most of my trips to Gettysburg, I don't always have much time to do that. I took advantage of a gorgeous day and made visits to the Lincoln Cemetery, South Cavalry Field, Little Round Top, The Wheatfield, The Angle, and Culp's Hill. Lots of folks, families and groups were out. I also took a little walk through the National Cemetery, something that always makes me think and clears my head.

After lunch, Sal Prezioso called to get a fourth copy of the book (thanks Sal!) that he was giving to someone as a gift. Sal and his wife Gail own Red Patch, the beautiful home along Confederate Avenue that was built in 1900 by Gen. Charles H. T. Collis. I drove over to Red Patch and enjoyed seeing the house again as we drank a couple fine cups of espresso in his kitchen. Sal then showed me some new acquisitions in his impressive library - even I am jealous of his collection! He showed me the latest research he'd done on the house, and some very interesting Civil War books he'd recently gotten. I think I spent about two hours with Sal, and loved every minute of it.

About 3:30, I needed to drive to nearby Fairfield to join a tour bus led by the great historian Ed Bearss. I was looking forward to hearing my friend Ed lead a tour of the July 3 cavalry battle there, one which I've studied for eons (there is a tour of the battle in the new book). I also knew that my buddy Dean Shultz would be along, and I looked forward to spending time with both of them. I arrive a bit early and stopped at the Marshall house in the middle of the battlefield, which is owned by Kevin and Kim Bream. Kevin's family history of the home helped immensely in The Guide, and we also reproduced a picture of cavalry veterans at the home that Kevin provided. Kevin wasn't home, but Kim loved the copy of the book I showed her, and I promised to send their copy once we get the regular shipment next week. Kim offered to have the busload of folks tour the property, but as it turned out there wouldn't be time.

As expected, Ed gave a wonderful tour and narrative of the Fairfield fight. I love listening to him, as does everyone. I learned quite a bit during his talk, which was the best 45 minutes on the battle I'd ever witnessed. I will incorporate much of his talk into my own future tours that I give of the battle. After his talk, Ed gave our new book a very nice plug. On Thursday, Steve and I gave Ed his personal copy of The Guide, and he told the group that that night he'd read the chapter on the June 26 skirmishes, and was able to look over the rest of the book. He thought it was simply wonderful, and that everyone interested in Gettysburg should have a copy of the book, because besides the main battlefield tours the book will take you to all the outlying battlefields and historical spots. He told the crowd the book was beautiful, and one cannot ask for better endorsements from such a respected historian. Steve and I are humbled by them.

That evening Steve and I signed several more books for members at the Wyndham Hotel at the CWPT Conference. Later I spent a couple great hours at the Reliance Mine Saloon with friends such as Jim Glessner and Raequel Fabio, Duane Siskey and Lori Krick. Jim manages the American History Store (the former Greystones store) at the intersection of Steinwehr Avenue and Baltimore. Jim is doing a fantastic job stocking the store with books, period maps, flags, DVDs - you name it. Whenever you're in town, you must stop in the store and check out everything he has. I also got to see battlefield guides Tim Smith and Garry Adelman (who purchased a copy of The Guide) as well as Bill Frassanito on Friday night. Bill really likes the acknowledgement we have about him in the book, and was really touched by it.

I was able to leave for home late morning today, so I arrived home about 4 pm. I brought the books I have into my office, and I will begin mailing out our website orders tomorrow (Monday). Those of you who have ordered The Guide now don't have long to wait.

As I was driving home, I talked to Steve, who had gone into the Gettysburg Visitor Center bookstore shortly after I'd left town. He spoke with Lisa, the manager of the bookstore, about the book and that they should have it in about a week or so. Lisa had told Steve that customers constantly ask if the book is available. She also related that earlier today, a man had come into the store looking for a copy of The Guide. He had seen folks around the field with the book (undoubtedly CWPT and GDG members, since only they have copies at the moment) and assumed that it was now available in stores. When Lisa explained to him that neither they or any other stores have it in stock yet, he actually became a bit belligerant. He insisted that it must be available somewhere - since he had seen people out using it - and that either someone was holding out on him (?) or perhaps the book was stored away somewhere and she didn't know it. I guess she finally convinced him that she didn't yet have it before he stormed away. Whoever the gentleman was, we're sorry that it just hasn't hit the stores yet and I wish fate had allowed us to run into him, for we certainly would have sold him one of the few copies we have left before the main shipment. I do hope he obtains one soon and that he is able to enjoy it on the field by next week.

This week was my third trip to Gettysburg already, and we're set to probably do book signings next week if the books arrive as expected. Steve and I will also be at the big Book Show toward the end of June at the All-Star Complex near Gettysburg, as well as at many signings around town over the anniversary week. After all these trips, I'm going to owe my sweet wife Karen a non-history related vacation trip...!

It was a fabulous weekend. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing so many friends, making many, many new ones, and learning a great deal from historians at the Conference. Now it's back in the office, back to work, and several hours of packing up and shipping books to those who have ordered it from us. Very busy week ahead of me.

Incidentally, after Antietam National Battlefield chief historian Ted Alexander thoroughly looked over a copy of The Guide and was told that our next likely project is the guide for the Antietam Campaign, he offered to write the Foreword for it. Steve and I gladly accepted. We will cover Harpers Ferry, South Mountain, Antietam, Shepherdstown, and all points between. Those places and battlefields are among my very favorites, and we're looking forward to starting on it so that the book is available by next summer. Many Antietam rangers, historians, guides, and students have already "enlisted" to help us out, and we can't wait to get started!

Civil War Preservation Trust Conference

2009-06-04T22:59:00.003-04:00

Wednesday afternoon I arrived here in Gettysburg for the annual conference of the Civil War Preservation Trust. This morning (Thursday) I spoke at 9am to the attendees about the new book with Steve Stanley, The Complete Gettysburg Guide. It was a very nice time - my buddy Ed Bearss was along, and I was flattered that he stood up in the front of the room near me so that he could hear. Over 100 people came to hear about the new book, and afterwards Steve and I signed many, many copies for the folks. I listened to several of the speakers that morning -including John Miller, who is doing wonderful work commemorating the events in Maryland - and they were all terrific.

After dinner tonite, Steve and I signed more books for the attendees, and we got a nice surprise tonite. The new chairman of the CWPT, John Nau III, came over to us with CWPT President Jim Lighthizer. John and Jim looked at The Guide and they were so impressed with it, John bought quite a number of the books on the spot. John purchased one for himself, and the rest he's giving as gifts to a number of friends of his... I will post more about this later...!

Tomorrow night (Friday) I will be at the cocktail hour for the Gettysburg Discussion Group to deliver and sign more books. Supplies of The Guide should be arriving at the distributor in the next couple of days and will be shipped right after that.

By the way, if you haven't had a chance to listen to my interview with Mike Noirot for his blog This Mighty Scourge, please do so. It was neat talking about the book and Steve's talents in creating it. Please leave a comment for Mike about the interview because I know he'll appreciate that.

It's been a whirlwind couple of days, and it's been great meeting old friends and making new ones. The next few days should be fun and I'm looking forward to seeing more friends from the Gettysburg Discussion Group tomorrow night.

ThisMightyScourge Interview

2009-05-29T22:15:00.002-04:00

Earlier this evening I had the pleasure of being interviewed by my good friend, Mike Noirot, for his blog ThisMightyScourge. The focus was the new book by me and Steve Stanley, The Complete Gettysburg Guide, and it was an honor to be able to discuss the book with Mike. A month or so ago, when Mike offered to interview me for his very popular blog, I sent him electronic files of the book (since we didn't have any hard copies yet) to give him a chance to see it.

Mike's digitally-reproduced interviews are a very popular feature of his blog. Visitors to the site are able to hear these interviews, and because their presentation is much more personal and candid than a text-only interview, I believe readers will enjoy them very much. Mike is actually breaking ground with these interviews - the only similar presentation, for instance, are venues such as Civil War Talk Radio (on which I appeared a couple years ago). In these interviews, you get to hear authors and historians talk personally about their projects, and I predict that Mike's readership will grow enormously as these interviews become more and more popular.

I first met Mike a couple years ago in Gettysburg, through a mutual friend, Duane Siskey. Mike is a very dedicated student of the Civil War and history, and our interview discussion shows that he is a very well read Gettysburg scholar. He asked me really terrific questions about the book, and it was enjoyable talking about how the project began, and how co-author Steve Stanley and I worked through the process of making the book the way it is in its final form. And as I told Mike at the end of the interview, the first time I see someone using the book out on the Gettysburg battlefield, my heart will skip a beat and I'll know that all of our effort was more than worth it.

Mike expects to have the interview up on his blog by Monday, June 1. Please check it out and I hope listeners enjoy it as much as I did. It will give you a lot of background information and behind-the-scenes stuff about the book, and Steve and I are very grateful for Mike's support and appreciation for it. I was humbled when he said he couldn't wait to get back out on the battlefield with the book, and that's the nicest compliment that anyone can receive. Steve and I did this book for everyone from the newest visitor to the most informed student of Gettysburg, and we hope that everyone enjoys and learns from it.

Mike, thank you again for the interview and the great discussion!

Second edition of The Complete Gettysburg Guide ordered!

2009-05-27T15:08:00.003-04:00

Steve Stanley and I, as well as our publisher Savas Beatie LLC, are proud and humbled to announce that a second edition of The Complete Gettysburg Guide has just been ordered - and the first edition isn't expected to arrive from the printer for another couple of weeks. Pre-release sales and activity has made it obvious that the first edition would barely last beyond release - and for that we are all very grateful to everyone who has ordered the book and expressed interest in it! The first edition print run was itself rather sizable, but it has become necessary to order a second run that can be shipped early in June to fulfill demand.

So if anyone who has not yet ordered the book wishes to have a first edition - and at the risk of sounding like I'm only shilling books - please do order very soon. Those that have already ordered (or order very quickly) from our book website, or Savas Beatie's site, are guaranteed a first edition of the book (the Special Editions available only on our site are comprised of only first editions obviously). However, if you wait much longer to order we may run out of first editions to fill regular orders. If you've ordered from online sites and storefronts, you should get a first edition. But again, if you wait a few weeks or wait to see it on a store shelf later on, you likely may not see a first edition. (Okay, shilling over!)

Steve and I had a small supply of the books pulled and sent to us directly from the printer (at rather great cost per book) so that we would have them for the Civil War Preservation Trust Conference in Gettysburg next week. We'll have those until we run out at the Conference book sale on Thursday June 4. But we won't have any more until a couple weeks later when the distributor receives them, and we'll begin shipping out our website orders. We expect all orderers to have their copy by June 15 if not a bit sooner.

Gettysburg trip(s)

2009-05-27T00:34:00.005-04:00

My apologies to my readers for not posting in a while, but I've been taking a long-deserved break of sorts and doing lots of family stuff lately. I realized recently that I've been writing constantly for about the past four years - three books, several articles, and several other projects - and felt it was time to take a little break. Over the holiday weekend, Karen and I took our daughter out in the boat and we did a lot of fishing - and actually caught fish! It was a relaxing time, and I also got quite a number of projects done around the house that have been waiting much of those four years. I still have several more projects to complete, and have promised myself that I'm going to do them this summer in spite of the fact that I'm starting the next book in late July (a very exciting project with Steve Stanley - more to come about this!).

This Sunday afternoon, I'm driving to Gettysburg to meet up again with my publisher Ted Savas (see his post about his travels this weekend), and to also meet Savas Beatie marketing director Sarah Keeney. We're going to do a little battlefield trekking, and also meet with several distributors. I have to come back home late Monday night, spend Tuesday and Wednesday morning in the office, then drive back to Gettysburg in the afternoon to attend the Civil War Preservation Conference. At the CWPT's Wyndham Hotel HQ on Thursday, Steve and I will have a book signing for our new The Complete Gettysburg Guide. My other books will also be available in addition to several other Savas Beatie titles. I'm very much looking forward to seeing old friends there, as well as making many new ones.
Steve and I have a bunch of book signings scheduled through June and July, and soon I will post the schedule here as well as on the new book's website. I always enjoy them very much - there's nothing I like better than interacting with folks about the books, and hearing their comments and criticisms. Feedback is very, very important to me. I hope to see many of my friends on the fields very soon!

GettysburgDaily.com Presentation Sept. 20

2009-05-11T23:38:00.004-04:00

I'm very excited to have been asked by the folks of the fabulous GettysburgDaily website to do a presentation for the site this September 20. That day, I will be meeting Bobby Housch to do a taping of tours of the battles of Hunterstown (July 2), Fairfield (July 3) and - if there is time - South Cavalry Field (July 3 - Merritt and Farnsworth).

I've been addicted to the website for some time now. It features very interesting photographic studies of what is going on with the field and town, historic battle and town studies, and video tours by rangers, Guides, and historians. I'm honored to have been asked to participate based on the tours and narratives of the new book I've done with Steve Stanley, The Complete Gettysburg Guide. The taping is a ways off due to the fact that Bobby is literally booked up with presentations through the summer, but I thought I'd give everyone a heads up. Steve Stanley will also be along, and we will likely have some of Steve's maps from the book up on the site. Steve has mapped for the very first time, for instance, the opening skirmishes of the fights at Hunterstown and Fairfield, in addition to the several maps of the battles. He's also done the most accurate and detailed maps of Merritt's skirmish and Farnsworth's Charge on South Cavalry Field ever done. You can only find these in the book.

I'd say I hope they shoot me from my best side, but too many folks I know are likely to comment that it would mean you wouldn't see my face....

"Sickles at Gettysburg" - Jim Hessler's must-have biography of Ol' Dan

2009-05-08T10:13:00.002-04:00

There has been a lot of buzz lately about Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Jim Hessler's upcoming (June 2009) biography of Dan Sickles - Sickles at Gettysburg: The Controversial Civil War General who Committed Murder, Abandoned Little Round Top, and Declared Himself the Hero of Gettysburg. Published by Savas Beatie LLC, this much-anticipated book will be, in my opinion, the seminal work on Sickles at Gettysburg as well as the must-have military biography of the general. Love him or hate him, Sickles is a pivotal figure of the battle, and much has been written about his role on July 2. Jim has presented a very thoughtful, reasoned, balanced, and extremely well-documented treatise of Sickles' controversial participation on the Union left during the second day of battle, as well as his influence on the rest of the Gettysburg Campaign, not to mention Sickles' infinitely interesting post-battle life and career.

I have read the other published biographies, as well as more material on Sickles' Gettysburg role than I care to remember. Jim's book will place all of the extant material in perspective, and I believe will drive much of the opinions to come. Jim has no agenda or axe to grind with his book - he simply presents (in more detail than I've ever seen) all of the facts and circumstances that led to Sickles' controversial move of his 3rd Federal Corps forward from the Cemetery Ridge line on July 2. And the biographical details that Jim provides convinced me that previous to this book, I knew much less about the general than I thought I did.

The July 2009 issue of America's Civil War magazine also contains an article on Sickles at Gettysburg by Jim, based on his book. It's on newsstands now - check out the article for a taste of what is in the book, and don't miss the discussion of the "Sickles Chomping on a Cigar" battlefield story.

I must also compliment publisher Ted Savas and his design folks for the beauty of the cover of this book. It is wonderfully done. Last night, Jim forwarded an electronic image of the full cover of the book, and I was very impressed. Savas is well known for having the best book covers in the business (they have done a beautiful job with all of mine) and this one is gorgeous.

Congratulations to Jim on giving us what will be the standard Sickles work, and an infinitely interesting read that everyone will thoroughly enjoy.

Civil War Preservation Trust online bookstore

2009-05-04T21:02:00.009-04:00

I'm quite honored that the Civil War Preservation Trust's 2009 Annual Conference in Gettysburg's "Recommended Reading List" features all three of my books. The Complete Gettysburg Guide (with Steve Stanley), Plenty of Blame To Go Around (with Eric Wittenberg), and One Continuous Fight (with Eric and Michael Nugent) are all on the list.

As an aside, I'm also excited to hear that Mike will be a guest on Civil War Talk Radio later this month. Mike, a policeman in Maine and retired Army (armored cavalry) officer, should provide an extremely entertaining interview! I was on CWTR a couple of years ago and enjoyed it very much. Congratulations, Mike, and I will put up more details about your interview shortly.

"Hallowed Ground" article

2009-05-01T16:00:00.004-04:00

Those you who do not receive the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) magazine Hallowed Ground can still view the article mentioned in the previous post that is based on the new book The Complete Gettysburg Guide. Click HERE to read the article, and see Steve Stanley's maps and photographs that also appear in the book.

The article is based on the chapter in our book about the June 26, 1863 skirmishes near Gettysburg at Marsh Creek and the Witmer Farm (Bayly's Hill). The book chapter goes into much more detail and also contains driving/walking tours of the areas.

Civil War Preservation Trust Conference, Gettysburg June 4-7, 2009

2009-04-30T21:47:00.004-04:00

This year, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) will hold its annual conference in Gettysburg on the above dates. I and Steve Stanley will be there providing and signing copies of our new book The Complete Gettysburg Guide. That weekend, we will have 100 of the only copies of the new book available then, which will not go to retailers and the distributors until the following week. Steve, who creates the beautiful maps for the CWPT, has nearly 70 new, original maps in the book as well as over two dozen of his battlefield photographs. Steve and I are donating 10% of the proceeds of all sales to the CWPT for battlefield preservation.

I am also honored and humbled to have been asked to write the Gettysburg Campaign summary that will appear in this year's Conference booklet. Two dozen of Steve's maps will accompany the piece. Much of it is done and I need to complete it this weekend. Steve does a beautiful job with the Conference booklet, which in and of itself is always quite a collector's item.

One more CWPT-related item: those of you who are members, please watch for your new issue of the Trust's magazine, Hallowed Ground. The new issue, which should be in everyone's hands very soon, will feature an article by me and Steve on the June 26, 1863 skirmishes near Gettysburg that precipitated the battle. As Gen. Jubal Early's Division passed through Gettysburg toward the Susquehanna on that date, his cavalry escort (the 35th Battalion Virginia Cavalry commanded by Lt. Col. Elijah White and the 17th Virginia Cavalry under Col. William French) clashed with Pennsylvania militia cavalry and infantry west and north of Gettysburg. Dubbed the Marsh Creek Skirmish and the Witmer Farm (or Bayly's Hill) Skirmish by those of us who have studied these actions, these little scraps are interesting sidelights to the main battle. The Hallowed Ground article is based on the chapter in our book that gives both a detailed narrative and tours of both actions.

Steve and I have many other signing events lined up this summer - including events at the Gettysburg Visitor Center bookstore, bookstores around town, and Sacred Trust and other events during the anniversary. Once we have them nailed down I will post them here.

We hope to see many of our friends at these events and on the field this summer!

"Complete Gettysburg Guide" Special Edition bookplate

2009-04-24T14:17:00.003-04:00

This is an image of the bookplate, specially designed and created by Steve Stanley, that will appear in only the Special Signed and Numbered Gettysburg Limited Edition of The Complete Gettysburg Guide. Each is numbered 1 through 100, and will be personally signed across the face of the plate in red ink by both me and Steve. Each will be signed on the battlefield, and once the 100 are sold, there will be no more. They are only available for reservation on our website (on the Order page, click on the Special Edition version). Numbers are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and since many are already spoken for, please get your order in soon if you would like one of these collector editions. The quicker you order, the lower your number will be. They are not (and will not) be available anywhere else online or through any retailers.

So if you'd like one, please hurry! We will specially pack and ship these Special Editions the second week of June.

Pre-orders for Scott Mingus' new book

2009-04-20T21:56:00.003-04:00

Folks, for those interested in the exploits of the venerable Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign (and who ain't? :) Scott Mingus' upcoming book on the subject, published by LSU Press and available in October, is on Amazon now for pre-orders. Wonderfully written and deeply resourced, this book should be in the hands of every Gettysburg student and student of the war. Click on the link above to go to the Amazon page.

Additionally, I recently finished reading another of Scott's latest, Gettysburg Glimpses: True Stories From the Battlefield. Similar in format and content as his "Human Interest Stories" series, this terrific little volume is packed with vignettes from the Gettysburg Campaign that will make you smile, laugh, ponder, and perhaps want to cry. Not only is it great leisure reading about one of our favorite subjects, but it is also sure to provide some great sources that I suspect will show up in some future works (probably including mine!).

My buddy Scott, York County PA's first Licensed Tour Guide and fellow Gettysburg enthusiast, is doing darn fine work. Check these and Scott's other available titles and you are sure to be pleased.

How does "history" get this bad?

2009-04-10T21:18:00.002-04:00

Folks know that I rarely do much ranting against those "bad" history movies, books, etc. Of course, when I do, I come with both barrels blazing :) However, after the wife and I did some work around the house tonight, I settled down to watch a little TV and relax a bit. I channel surfed until coming to the Military Channel, on which a show called "Gettysburg: The Battle That Changed America" was about to begin at 9:00 p.m. Hhmm, I thought - something good to watch for an hour or so.

Oh boy.

I literally just watched exactly the first 9 minutes of it and HAD to shut it off. Not just wanted to shut it off - HAD to. I was afraid I'd take that new LCD TV off the bedroom wall and throw it out the window, and the wife wouldn't have been amused. And I don't need to tear out what little is left of my hair.

One of the first talking heads to appear was Tom Carhart - no, however, he wasn't the reason. Never mind that Carhart has penned what is probably the worst historical book to waste good tree pulp ever printed on planet Earth. Even someone with such poor historical method as Carhart couldn't have made this show any worse.

After a minute or so of history behind the town of Gettysburg and the first two years of the war, the show stated that the battle of Gettysburg began about 10:30 am on July 1, 1863, when a small Federal infantry detail surprisingly stumbled upon a small Confederate infantry detail somewhere west of Gettyburg.

Wha? I continued watching, thinking that maybe the show was describing the start of some other battle or skirmish, maybe outside Gettysburg, Arizona Territory, or a town in China or Zimbabwe.

No such luck, however. That's how the show portrayed the Battle of Gettysburg beginning. After a reenactment showing a Confederate infantryman getting shot and killed by a Federal sniper, surprising the whole lot of a couple dozen Rebels, the battle was on. So immediately the few dozen soldiers face off against each other along a dirt road and start shooting at each other. This little scrap, says the show, drew in the 150,000 or so men of both armies into the battle. Robert E. Lee, whom the show said was 8 miles away, is immediately notified that "Ewell" is engaged at Gettysburg. Meade, whom the show said was 30 miles away, was also immediately notified and he commands his army to "find good ground and hold it!" Meade, purported the show, was in command of the Federal army because two other generals, also offered command, refused it because they felt they couldn't defeat the great Robert E. Lee. Then, that segment before the commercial ended by stating that as more troops were drawn in, the battle was "underway by 1:00 pm."

I'm sure, like me, you can see where the show was going. It probably couldn't get any worse, but I also suspected it wasn't going to get much better. After thinking better of chucking the TV out that window, I instead shut it off.

As I ask in the title of this post, how does "history" truly get this bad? We all know that there are a legion of books, articles, and movies that make mincemeat out of the truth of history. Fictionalized history deservedly gets a pass, but when a documentary such as this makes blatant errors in just about every single statement in just the opening 9 minutes, are the historical advisors behind these things that uninformed, that clueless?

Oh, and did I mention that the show, true to form, showed that little band of unsuspecting Confederates as simply wanting to go to Gettysburg to get the badly needed shoes they desired? I must have forgotten to mention that in all the haze.

Of course, even the most casual student of the battle knows that it did not begin late in the morning when a couple dozen opposing infantry stumbled upon one another as they sauntered toward each other down the same dirt road. The battle began a full 3 hours earlier (7:30 am) as Federal vedettes of Gen. John Buford's cavalry division fired upon Gen. Henry Heth's Confederate infantry division as the latter marched eastward on the Chambersburg Pike toward Gettysburg. And the Confederate corps of Gen. Richard Ewell didn't open the battle, instead fighting north of town in the early afternoon. By that 10:30 am mark, Heth's division was fully engaged with Buford's cavalry, and the Federal infantry corps of Gen. John Reynolds was just arriving on the field. Any "historical advisor" that came up with the show's portrayal of the start of what is inarguably the most famous battle of the entire American Civil War wouldn't have to just be a bit uninformed, he'd necessarily have to be an unabashed bozo. And I mean that the way it sounds - my, he'd really have to be clueless.

The rest of those 9 minutes, the gist of which I pointed out earlier, was just as bad. I can understand this sort of hooey appearing on some cartoon show, but the Military Channel? To boot, respected Gettysburg National Military Park ranger and historian D. Scott Hartwig appeared in the show - wouldn't the writers/producers of this silliness have allowed Scott to review the production? Apparently they didn't. I'm sure Scott would have insisted they scrap the whole thing and start over.

Save your TV. Be kind to it. Don't throw it out a window. If you see this show appearing on the Military Channel near you, flip to something else. Quickly.

Your electronic friends will thank you. And so will the history gods.

But don't ask me how the show ends - I don't have a clue. Maybe the great Robert E. Lee actually won at Gettysburg.

Wilmington DE Round Table talk and Gettysburg

2009-04-05T09:30:00.009-04:00

I haven't really been more than 20 miles away from home in the past five months, and the death of my mother on February 5 was very tough on me. Our winter here in northwestern Pennsylvania was particularly cold and snowy, so when our weather began improving a couple of weeks ago, my cabin fever reached a high pitch. I had previously been scheduled to give a presentation to the Wilmington DE Civil War Roundtable last month, but we rescheduled it to April 1 due to my mom's passing (thanks to fellow author and historian Edward Bonekemper for being able to switch April for March with me).

This past Wednesday morning, I headed off for Wilmington. Rain was forecast for all day, and the weatherman wasn't kidding. Just about all of Pennsylvania was under a cloud, and it rained continuously for the nearly five hour drive from my home to Wilmington - sometime rather heavily. That always makes for a less-than-pleasurable drive, but it was heartening to be able to "get away from home" after so many months. I arrived at the restaurant where the Round Table holds its meetings about an hour early, but I began meeting members there right away. The members of this RT are really some terrific folks. I heartily enjoyed talking with them before and during dinner.

My topic was Jeb Stuart's ride to Gettysburg based on the book by Eric Wittenberg and me - Plenty of Blame to Go Around. After dinner we started the program and I kept it interactive, allowing folks to ask questions along the way. We got right into the logistics of Stuart's eight-day long ride through Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, his orders for doing so, decisions that he made, and the several skirmishes and fights he got into with Union cavalry. Of course, special emphasis was placed on the June 29 clash in Westminster MD with about 100 of the 1st Delaware Cavalry for the members. My talk began about 7:20 pm, and we didn't wrap up until about 9:30 pm. There were lots of questions and comments from the members, and we had a terrific time. Afterwards I sold and signed several copies of the book, as well as some copies that the members already owned and brought to me. It was wonderful hearing how much readers enjoyed the book - that never gets tiring, believe me.

To the members of the Wilmington CWRT, I thank you very much for your kindness and for hosting me for a terrific discussion - and I very much look forward to walking the battlefields with you at some point!

I relaxed in the hotel room that evening, and looked forward to the following couple of days. My publisher Ted Savas was flying in to Baltimore MD and at the last minute we set up a get-together in Gettysburg Friday and Saturday with my co-author on The Complete Gettysburg Guide book Steven Stanley. Ted was bringing his 13 year-old son Demetrius Theodore (D.T.) along, and were going to spend five days in D.C. afterwards to see the sights. In Gettysburg, we were also going to spend some time with Gettysburg Licensed Guides Jim Hessler and George Newton, as well as Antietam ranger and guide John Hoptak and others. (I had not met Jim or John previously, so I was very excited about the time I'd get to spend with all these folks.) I knew the next few days were going to be great fun and with all I'd been through the past couple months, very relaxing and a real battery-charger.

Since Thursday was open, Steve and I met once I arrived in Gettysburg shortly after noon. Steve, who designed and laid out the Gettysburg guide book (in addition to doing the fabulous maps), printed out a copy of it and we took it to Staples to be bound. We needed to take this pre-publication copy to the Gettysburg Visitor Center so ranger Scott Hartwig could give it a final look-over for approval for sale in the VC bookstore. Event Network, who operates the bookstore, had already received approval of the book from the rangers (ranger Eric Campbell also wrote the Foreword) but Scott understandably wished to see a final copy. Scott called me on my cell to let me know when he was available, and we met him that afternoon. After a nice talk with him, Steve and I gave him the copy, which he promised to have back to Steve next week.

While in the VC, we also spoke with a fine lady named Lisa, who manages the bookstore. She was very, very impressed with the book - she had already heard all about it - and highly anticipated its release. The store plans to feature the book front and center at the checkout counter (an author's dream) and they expect it to do well. It is very heartening for Steve and I to have such great support from so many influential folks. The cover of the book contains endorsements from several folks to whom we are very grateful - Eric Wittenberg, LBG Jim Hessler, ranger Eric Campbell, and also Jim Campi, Policy and Communications Director of the Civil War Preservation Trust. Some very interesting things are currently being discussed regarding the book with the Trust and other groups, and I will report more on those as events progress.
Steve and I also discussed book signings that will be set up at the VC bookstore upon the book's release, as well as during the anniversary weekend in July. Those promise to be a lot of fun and we very much look forward to them. Look for more information here and on the book's website to come shortly.

After dinner at Gettysburg Eddie's (formerly the Gingerbread Man) Steve and I went to the Reliance Mine Saloon to meet up with old friends Dwayne Siskey and his fiance Lori. Also there were Jim Glessner (who manages the American History Store on Steinwehr Avenue - the former Greystone building). Jim has converted the store into one of the premier bookstores in town. He also has a large collection of maps for sale there. Since the Farnsworth House bookstore has pretty much turned into a seance room for "ghost hunters," the appeal of that place is over unless you go for that sort of thing. While in town, you have to check out Jim's store and his books, maps, flags, DVDs, etc. Jim's sweet and lovely lady Raequel Fabio was tending bar, and we had a very nice time that evening with everyone. Afterwards, I went to Dr. Dave Moore and his wife Carol's home on Herr Ridge, who always graciously open their home to me when I'm in town.

Friday morning Steve and I had breakfast at Dunlap's, and Ted and his son were due to arrive in town from Baltimore before noon. We decided to all meet at the VC, so that we could see the movie, Cyclorama, and let Ted's son tour the museum. I walked into the bookstore and there was Ted - I recognized him from his picture right away, although we'd never met before. Since he looks more like a New York Italian than a Californian Greek, I knew we'd get along right away...

It was great meeting the fella that I'd talked with and emailed for the past three years, and who has had so much confidence in me and my work. We met his son D.T. - a fine young fellow who was looking forward to seeing Gettysburg. The bookstore had me sign copies of Plenty of Blame and One Continuous Fight that they had recently gotten in, and Ted also signed one of his books. We got some pictures of that that I will post here soon.

The four of us then watched the New Birth of Freedom movie which I thought was fantastically produced and presented. Sure, it's very PC and spends more time on the causes of the war and its results than on the battle of Gettysburg itself, but I was otherwise extremely impressed. It is geared toward the casual visitor and youngsters, which is what it should be.

We then viewed the Cyclorama presentation (which Ted's son really enjoyed) and again I was impressed beyond description. I've seen the old presentation several times - but folks, this new one in its new home will knock your socks off. Don't miss it and see it at least once. The previous day, Steve and I watched the tearing down of the final part of the old Visitor Center, and I hope the old Cyclorama building goes soon.

Although the previous day (Thursday) had been sunny and beautiful, this day (Friday) the skies opened again. It turned chilly, the winds kicked up, and it started raining sideways. Some wind gusts seemed to be 50-60 mph. We met George Newton on Reynolds Avenue and got a nice McPherson Ridge/Railroad Cut/Oak Ridge tour by him. D.T. loved the railroad cut and enjoyed exploring it. Even though the weather was crappy, we had to pull him into the car for the drive to the next stop.

At Oak Hill, I took Ted to the northeastern edge to see the view of the Federal 11th Corps position from the newly-cleared spot there, which you couldn't see previously due to the tree cover. The sense of the enormity of the first day's field is now able to be interpreted.
George then took us to the rarely-visited Jones Avenue, the only park avenue named for a Confederate officer, and one I had completely forgotten about to be honest. I hadn't been there in years. That was very cool! That visit quenched my thirst to constantly see obscure spots.
Ted got settled into his hotel, and I planned dinner at Hoss's restaurant on Rt. 30 east of town to buy Ted one of those many steaks I owe him. LBG Jim Hessler, who penned the new book on Sickles being published by Savas in a few months, joined us there for dinner. Jim is a great guy and great to talk to. I wrote a promotional blurb for Jim's new book, and since it's the most well-researched and even-handed treatment of the man and his methods ever done, I predict it will do extremely well.

After dinner we all met at the Mine, where Dwayne and Lori, Jim and Raequel, and John Hoptak joined us. We had taken Ted to Jim's store earlier and he was duly impressed. About 9:30, Bill Frassanito came in right on schedule, and I introduced Bill to Ted. Ted's son D.T. then shortly sat down with Bill, and the two of them proceeded to have a conversation that lasted an hour and a half. Ted remarked that when he himself was younger and learning about the Civil War, one of this earliest books was Bill's Journey in Time of 1975. Ted recalls poring through that book at about his son's present age. Now, more than 30 years later, Ted was sitting in Gettysburg and watching his son sit beside Bill himself as the two flipped through and talked about the very same book. They say life is a circle - not a straight line - and it was certainly proved that night. I secretly watched Ted's reaction to it all, and I saw Proud Daddy in his eyes.

(William Frassanito and D.T. Savas discuss one of Bill's books. D.T. talked with the Gettysburg legend for about an hour and a half, both of them thoroughly enjoying each other's company. Note that D.T. is actually leaning on Bill's arm as he listens intently.)

The conversation was great, and John Hoptak and Steve and I discussed the next project that we plan to do. John will be very instrumental in assisting with it.

(L to R: Dwayne Siskey, J.D. Petruzzi, Jim Glessner, Jim Hessler, Steve Stanley, Ted Savas, John Hoptak. In front: D.T. Savas - the beer bottle was empty, we promise, Mrs. Savas!)

We stayed until about 12:30 am and then I headed to Dave for some sleep. The four of us planned to do more battlefield touring Saturday morning before Ted and D.T. needed to drive to Washington. Fortunately, Dr. Dave was on call that day and was able to join us for breakfast, and his wife Carol came along too. I should say - fortunately for Ted, Carol joined us that day...
After breakfast, we all jumped in Dave's SUV and Dave agreed to give Ted a quick tour of Culp's Hill. It was sunny, but the wind kicked up again. When atop the observation tower on Culp's Hill, I thought we'd all be blown away. But the view of the entirety of the army's lines from up there was a topic of much discussion. And due to the clearing on Oak Hill, you can now pick it out easily.

I showed Ted where Merritt and his cavalry fought on July 3, as well as a brief overview of Farnsworth's Charge. We took D.T. on Little Round Top (the wind was again nearly strong enough to blow us off there) which he enjoyed. Devil's Den captivated him, and I showed him and Ted the location of the famous July 1863 photo of the dead in the Slaughter Pen. A stop at the Angle and Copse of Trees wrapped up our tour, since Ted needed to get on the road to D.C. for a ballgame later that day.

We all got back to their hotel, and the Savas boys came down the elevator with their luggage to load their rental car (which had to be replaced the previous day since the battery had done dead - another story in itself!). Ted, however, had an anxious look on his face as he slapped his pockets and began searching all their luggage in earnest.

He couldn't find the keys to the car.

Where they in the room? "Nope, I checked there - the room's clean."
In the luggage? Your jacket? Packed away in one of the bags? "Nope. Nope. Nope."

Dave mused that his wife Carol always finds things that others are looking for. "Yeah, okay," Ted responded, apparently not convinced. We suggested we go up into their room and check it one more time. Ted had to go to the counter to get another room key, since he'd lost the other - notice a pattern here? - and we went up to it. Once in the room, we fanned out like characters on CSI. Dave went to the bathroom, I got on my hands and knees and began looking under the beds, and Steve started checking the tables. When I found Gideon's bible in the drawer, I began singing the Beatles' "Rocky Racoon," but I don't think Ted was amused.

A moment later, Carol held something up in the air, jingled it, and said, "Is this it?"

Ted threw his hands up in the air and squealed.

Apparently, the keys had been on the bed but got covered by the comforter. As Dave predicted, Carol indeed found them. Ted gave her a big hug, and joked about the fact that since his own wife's name is Carol, he was here in Gettysburg hugging another Carol in his hotel room. We christened her "Alternate Carol," but we can't tell Ted's wife about it. Hhmm, maybe I shouldn't have written about that...

Dave helped Ted plan the drive to D.C., and they headed off. Again, it was terrific finally meeting Ted, spending loads of quality time with him, and talking about anything and everything. We talked about the future and planned some good things. I enjoyed showing his son around a bit - they are our future keepers of history after all. Ted called in a couple hours to say he'd gotten to their D.C. hotel alright, even though it was Cherry Blossom weekend with lots of people in the city. I just hope Ted can remember where he keeps his hotel and car keys this time - if Carol has to drive there to help him out again, she might charge him time and mileage.

Steve had gone to Virginia that morning to pick up his daughter Ashleigh, and the three of us make a few stops in town. We went to Jim's store so I could pick up a great copy of the Elliot map of burials on the battlefield that I wanted. I have the map in sections, but I've always wanted one large map that I could use, and Jim has them along with about a dozen other historical maps of the field.

I took off for home about 5:00 pm, refreshed and batteries charged again. The few days were enjoyable, interesting, educational, and - perhaps more importantly - very amusing at times. I needed that. I'd love to forget the past couple months. Having this new book come out gives Steve and I something to very much look forward to, and taking this early trip to Gettysburg helped me look forward to a great year that didn't begin so well. I realize I've been a bit down lately, and I'm now fired up to work hard. Thank you all for all your support, and for bearing with me.

Ted, Steve and everyone - thanks for a great several days in Delaware and Gettysburg. And Ted - watch those keys. D.T., maybe watch your Dad.... besides keeping him straight, you can learn a hell of a lot from him.

I have.