Monthly Archives: July 2012
Bruce Catton
Bruce Catton was the gateway for a whole lot of people to study the Civil War. His writing was clear and brought the actions to life in our imaginations. More than one historian has taken Catton’s writing as a model for how to write history that engages the reader. Bruce Catton, as a young boy, […]
The Blue and the Gray (the Movie)
This was a TV miniseries first aired in 1982. As a young student of the war, I enjoyed this movie very much. It was based on writing by Bruce Catton with anecdotes portrayed that came directly from the war. The first part (of 46) can be seen here. The second and third. This movie wasn’t […]
North and South — Not the Magazine
And also, not the soapy miniseries (sorry, Patrick Swayze fans). Popularly, the Civil War is depicted as “The North” vs. “The South.” But do those labels really fit? California is part of the North? In reality, those particular labels tend to obscure much more than they enlighten. For example, Maryland, Missouri, Kentucky, and Delaware are […]
Loving those Battlefields
Apologies to Pat Benatar. The best way to understand a battle is to walk the ground on which it was fought. A battlefield is a living, 3-D textbook. The terrain, the weather, the foliage, and the wildlife all contribute to an understanding of what happened. I recently paid another visit to the Antietam Battlefield. In […]
An Infographic from the Civil War Trust
The Civil War Trust put together this infographic on casualties in battles. What does it tell you? Are there any insights you can get from it? http://www.civilwar.org/resources/battles-of-the-civil-war-infographic.html#.T_XEKfV0n-I
Gettysburg Magazine
One of the best popular magazines about the Civil War, in my opinion, is Gettysburg Magazine. It’s a magazine completely dedicated to the Gettysburg Campaign. It has terrific articles, great photos, and detailed maps. Some of the contributors are top names in the study of Gettysburg, including Supervisory Ranger/Historian D. Scott Hartwig, Kathy Georg Harrison, […]
Civil War Journal
There was once a time when the History Channel actually did history programming. One of the best of these was Civil War Journal, a series of programs produced by Greystone Communications. This series was very well done and included a lot of contributions from Brian Pohanka and William C. “Jack” Davis. These episodes are available […]
Ken Burns and the Civil War
Every student of the American Civil War has to view the Ken Burns miniseries, “The Civil War” (companion book available also) not just once but several times. I have it on DVD, and if a DVD can be worn out, this one will be. The Burns series brought the Civil War into millions of living […]
Internet Argument, er, Discussion Groups
Interacting with others on historical topics, I’ve found, stimulates your own learning a great deal. Before the internet I would read a book and think about it, and that’s about it. I could have a rare discussion when I found someone of like interest, but the give-and-take was very informal and usually very light. Then […]
Don’t Be Fooled by Credentials
Here’s a lesson for us students of the war. David Goldfield, Professor of History at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, wrote this column. Thanks to Keith Harris for finding it. As I read it, I couldn’t believe what I was reading was actually written by a professor of history. He claims, “The war did […]
Student of the American Civil War 
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