Blog
An irregular discussion on what interests me about history and in particular the War Between the States, the War of Northern Aggression, the War of the Rebellion, the War of Secession, the War of Southern Independence, the Civil War and any other name that frankly confuses those who don’t have a dog in this fight.Post 18 – Hungarian Military History Museum & the Story Behind the Winchester 1895 Rifle
On a recent business trip to Budapest, Hungary, I made a side visit into the Hungarian Military History Museum. I spent three hours here until they kicked me out at the closing time of 4 pm. Due to this early winter closing time I missed most of the post-WWII history...
read morePost 17 – Visit the 31st Annual Capital of the Confederacy Civil War Show at Richmond
If you like Civil War weapons, cannons, uniforms, shells, buttons, bayonets, swords, soldiers’ & civilians’ letters, rusty canteens, bullets, photos, artwork, metal detectors, period documents and BOOKS then be sure to stop by the Richmond [Va] Raceway this...
read morePost 16 – National Release of new Antietam Video: A Message from the Tree
Winchester [Va.] artist turned documentary film producer Radford Wine will preview his film for its national release at the NPS Antietam visitors center auditorium on Sunday, November 20 at 2 p.m. He will briefly explain the genesis of the video and his career moves...
read morePost 15 – From Germany to Fort Gregg: Sergeant John Riethmiller, 116th Ohio, Killed in Action at the War’s End
Johann Gotlieb Riethmiller jumped off a boat in America in 1847. The seventeen-year-old did not record why he and his older half-brother decided to leave their German birthplace and take a long trip to another country. Johann was born in Kirchheim unter Teck in the...
read morePost 14 – Too Many Confederates Named Duncan at Fort Gregg
I want to reiterate that one of the neat things about researching history and then putting the findings into a book means that more discoveries are usually right around the corner for the author. With the arrival of the internet it is easy for somebody to read a book...
read morePost 13 – From Artist’s Brush to Director’s Lens – Radford Wine’s Films Give a Different Perspective to Sharpsburg & Gettysburg
A recent newspaper article in the Winchester [Va.] Star [July 23, 2011] by Stephanie Mangino clued me in to the recent work of Shenandoah Valley artist Radford Wine. Radford worked in the marketing field until he decided to pursue his love of painting in 1991. Since...
read morePost 12 – Medal of Honor – Or Not – for 39th Illinois’ Corporal Henry M. Day?
One of the things I love about researching and then writing a book about a historical event is the numerous sub-stories that evolve. Frequently a descendant of a Civil War veteran or somebody doing similar research fills me in on one of these stories. A friend of mine...
read morePost 11 – Thornrose Cemetery at Staunton, Virginia
A number of Confederate soldiers are buried at this historic cemetery in Staunton. Staunton sits at the southern end of the Shenandoah Valley. The war era Central Virginia Railroad came through the town and the trains brought supplies and numerous soldiers from the...
read morePost 10 – Charlottesville, Va., Confederate Memorial Ceremony on May 28, 2011
The trees stand as silent sentinels overlooking the final resting place for more than 1,000 Confederate soldiers at the Confederate Cemetery tucked into a corner on the west campus of the University of Virginia [corner of Alderman and McCormick]. During the war,...
read morePost 9 – The Confederate Alamo Receives 2011 IPPY Award
I just found out yesterday that my 2010 book, The Confederate Alamo: Bloodbath at Petersburg's Fort Gregg on April 2, 1865, received an IPPY Silver Medal for Best Regional Non-Fiction, Mid-Atlantic. The regional IPPY awards go to the best fiction and non-fiction books...
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