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This Week In Statistical Silliness
The Cato Institute discovers that – during hard times – the government spends more. Being the Cato Institute however, that’s not interesting, so they spin it around. More government spending leads to lower GDP: Higher government spending growth in a year corresponds to reduced private GDP growth that year. Show More Summary
What Was Washington Doing During the Battle of Bunker Hill?
On Tuesday I posed the question of what George Washington was doing during the Battle of Bunker Hill, which occurred on the afternoon of 17 June 1775. As several people noted, around that date the Continental Congress was making Washington the commander-in-chief of its new Continental Army. Show More Summary
Let’s Recross that River and Return to Chancellorsville
Today is the anniversary of one of the bloodiest days of fighting during the Civil War. Those of you who visit Chancellorsville today will enjoy an insightful tour and interpretation of the final day’s fighting at Chancellorsville that took place in the area around the clearing between Hazel Grove, Fairview, and the Chancellor House. The [...]
For the memory of an uncle she never knew
It’s a major reason why I’m headed to Chancellorsville in just under six hours. I can list all my relatives in the 10th Virginia, the 33rd Virginia, and the Purcell Artillery who were there, fighting, on May 3, 1863. I can also list my relatives in the 7th West Virginia Infantry who were there, fighting, [...]
Lincoln and the law of war symposium
On May 4, from 1 to 5 p.m., the Lincoln Group of D.C. is sponsoring a symposium, “Lincoln, Lieber and the Law of War: 1863-9/11” at the E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington. It will take place in the ceremonial court room. Read full article >>
Q. & A. on Bunker Hill with Nathaniel Philbrick, part 2
Today Boston 1775 concludes a colloquy with Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution. Q. What could the American commanders have done differently to win the battle? What could the British commanders have...Show More Summary
Still time to register for Grant conference this weekend
The Ulysses S. Grant Association has scheduled a three-day conference and annual meeting in Georgetown, Ohio, the small town where Grant grew up. It begins Friday with a dinner and speaker, followed by a day-long bus and walking tour of Grant sites in the area, in particular the recent $1.4 million restored house where Grant grew up. Show More Summary
The True Face of the Southern Heritage Crowd
This story out of Hot Springs, South Dakota is truly bizarre and sad. Recently a couple of African Americans veterans, who were being treated for PTSD at a VA Hospital, complained about a display that included Confederate flags. Yeah, this is in South Dakota of all places. At the time the flags were removed and [...]
A Rebel War Clerk Denies the Existence of Black Confederates
The current Confederate heritage fetish with black Confederate soldiers and the confidence with which many assert the existence of these loyal and brave men in arms stands in sharp contrast with the fact that you are hard pressed to find anyone in Confederate ranks or on the home front who acknowledges the existence of these [...]
Q. & A. on Bunker Hill with Nathaniel Philbrick, part 1
Here’s the first part of my blog interview with Nathaniel Philbrick, author of the new book Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution. Q. Your new book is titled Bunker Hill, but it describes the years before that battle on 17 June 1775 and continues to the end of the siege of Boston in 1776. Show More Summary
Moon blamed in Stonewall Jackson’s death
Just in time for the anniversary of the battle of Chancellorsville, there is a new theory as to why Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s own men fired on him, mortally wounding him on the evening of May 2, 1863. Read full article >...
He gave them victories
May 1, 2013… so begins the Sesqui of the Battle of Chancellorsville. As such, I’ve been thinking… What if Stonewall Jackson lived to command beyond Chancellorsville? Frankly, any forward speculation of his possible performances in battles after Chancellorsville is subject to so many factors that it’s not even funny. As such, forward speculation is a [...]
A Civil War Crossroads (May 1, 1863)
Frederick Chapman’s (1818-1891) painting, “The Battle of Chancellorsville” (1865) is not an easy image to come by on the Internet. Information about the artist is just as difficult to nail down. Chapman is a relatively obscure artist. He served as the first president of the Brooklyn Art Association and was best known for his work [...]
Telling Stories at Chancellorsville
It’s one of those days where I can’t help but miss central Virginia and the opportunity to bring my students to Chancellorsville for the 150th anniversary. Chancellorsville was the first Civil War battle that I attempted to interpret for those students who took my Civil War class. Interpreting a battlefield rarely involved the close analysis [...]
What Really Matters in the Survey Course
The first year teaching at any school is all about acclimation to the culture. For someone who grew up Jewish, was Bar Mitvahed, but then lost all interest it’s been quite an adventure this past year teaching at a Jewish academy. The emphasis on Judaic Studies and the celebration of holidays feels both foreign and [...]
Nat Philbrick’s Bunker Hill: Talks, Reviews, and a Giveaway
Today is the publication date of Nathaniel Philbrick’s new book, Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution. He’s speaking about it three times this week in Massachusetts: Wednesday, 1 May, 6:00 P.M., Coolidge Corner Theater, Brookline. Show More Summary
But For Jackson
On the eve of the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Chancellorsville and we are already being subjected to a steady stream of interpretive flights of fancy surrounding the significance of Stonewall Jackson’s death. Although it was not evident at the time, some historians believe Jackson’s death began the ruin of the Confederacy. The Southern [...]
My current project
The photo at the left is of Brig. Gen. John Buford, whom I freely acknowledge is my single favorite figure of the Civil War. I’ve long harbored a fascination with Old Steadfast, as his men called him, and have had four articles on his role in the Gettysburg Campaign published in Gettysburg Magazine. Show More Summary
Passing of the last real child of the Stonewall Brigade(?)
I’ve been seeing postings lately, mostly on Face Book, about the last four surviving children of Civil War veterans (actually, it focused on the last four just in Virginia alone… and I didn’t seem to catch that last part), and I added to each that I thought they were missing somebody. I’m sorry to say… [...]
Two Talks on the View from France
Tomorrow the Institute for the Liberal Arts and the History Department at Boston College are presenting a lecture titled “Les Treize Colonies: Viewing Early America from France” by Bertrand Van Ruymbeke, Professor of American History and Civilization at the Université de Paris VIII. Show More Summary
- Civil War
- Abraham Lincoln
- Gettysburg National Military Park
- Grand Army of the Republic
- Ulysses S. Grant
- Robert E. Lee
- Stonewall Jackson
- Antietam National Battlefield
- Virginia Historical Society
- Thomas Jefferson
- Brooks Simpson
- Medal of Honor
- President Obama
- World War II
- Secretary of State
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Newt Gingrich
- American History
- National Historic Site
- Carolina
