Monthly Archives: August 2012
James Oakes on the War of Northern Aggression
James Oakes has written an article in Jacobin Magazine that is creating some buzz. I have to say I’m a bit disappointed. The article is long on assertions and very, very short on evidence. The first instance is in the very first paragraph. Oakes says, “During the tense crisis months that followed – the ‘secession winter’ of […]
The Civil War Institute Does It Again
The Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College has a new conference coming up–3 days with over 100 historians in Gettysburg, PA. I’m looking forward to this. The conference concerns the future of Civil War History, looking beyond the Sesquicentennial. I like the idea of looking ahead and trying to figure out what we’d like things […]
America’s Civil War
The latest issue of “America’s Civil War” showed up today. This is a pretty good magazine that has evolved over the years. The features include news in the Civil War world, “Primary Sources,” which highlights … wait for it … a primary source each issue, with this entry dealing with the Holly Springs Raid. “Her […]
More Digital History
Another tip of the hat to Caleb McDaniel for this site: http://digitalhistory.blogs.rice.edu/ It’s for a Rice University Humanities Research Center masterclass in Digital History. The internet can really be great.
Great for Students of the War
I came across some outstanding resources for us students of the war. First, thanks to Caleb McDaniel, “How to Read for History”: http://wcm1.web.rice.edu/howtoread.html There are some fantastic links included, but especially take note of this one: http://www.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/ While geared toward those who are students in school, these are also incredibly useful to those of us […]
Antietam Sesquicentennial Events
Anyone planning to attend? http://www.nps.gov/anti/planyourvisit/antietam-150th-battle-anniversary-schedule.htm
Antietam Newspaper Summary
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a story today regarding the Battle of Antietam. As newspaper stories go, it’s not a bad summary of the battle. The website also has a video tour of the battlefield. http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/life/travel/remembering-antietam-the-civil-war-battle-150-years-ago-was-the-bloodiest-day-in-american-history-650513/ It includes a sidebar with directions for visiting the battlefield and talks about some upcoming events. This is pretty close to […]
Evaluating Lee at Gettysburg Completing the Series
As everyone knows, the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble Charge was a failure. There are several reasons for that, not the least of which being the failure of the preparatory bombardment to accomplish either of its two objectives. Faulty fuses were one factor, and another was pinpointed by Jeffrey Wert: “Many of the batteries had been engaged on either […]
Abraham Lincoln–Saint or Sinner?
Here’s a provocative look at Abraham Lincoln from the BBC. What do you think about it?
Evaluating Lee at Gettysburg Part 14 of a Series
Lee was most certainly an aggressive commander. There’s no doubt about that. But I hope I’ve made clear during this series that Lee’s use of the offensive throughout the war, not just at Gettysburg, was not the result of “having his fighting blood up” or some other uncontrollable urge to strike out. As historian Jeffry […]
Student of the American Civil War 
Recent Comments