Write Here Write Now

In case you missed it on Facebook, at the Decatur Book Fair Tim Morrison did an interview of me about my Robinett book.  You can find it here scroll down to number 25.

http://writeherewritenow.businessradiox.com/Decatur-Book-Festival-2011/

Decature Book Fair

Come join Deeds Publishing @ the Decatur, GA book fair this weekend:

http://www.decaturbookfestival.com/2011/index.php  


The Street Fair and book selling is from 10:00 to 6:00 on Saturday and Noon to 6:00 on Sunday. Our booth area is between the City Hall and New Court House, a fairly compact area so we'll be easy to find.

New Piece in North - South

You can find a new piece I wrote in North - South Vol. 13 - 3.

Incidents of War: A Fight for the Colors, Gettysburg, July 1, 1863.

Onward and Upward

Well changes are coming.  Today is my first day working for The Angelo Group, Inc.  I am project manager and historian for an effort for the Military Intelligence Branch.  We will be creating three documentaries on MI history.  Should be quite fun.

Professional Historians and the Black Confederate Myth: Part One

 Interesting piece!

http://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2011/06/18/professional-historians-and-the-black-confederate-myth-part-one/

http://cwcrossroads.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/1661/

Civil War in Memory

For Americans, at least, no historical event is so constantly reassessed and reinterpreted as the American Civil War.

http://chronicle.com/article/Civil-War-History-an/127926/?sid=cc&utm_source=cc&utm_medium=en

sets out a good argument against the desire to interpret the motivations of people going to war in light of the consequences of the war.  In this case, the ACW resulted in emancipation, and the idea of the Union is no longer of great interest--but this does not mean that people in 1860 saw things this way--claims John David Smith, writing about a new book by Gary Gallagher.

Now on Kindle!!!

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_6_27?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=broomsticks+to+battlefields&sprefix=broomsticks+to+battlefields

An AHA Moment about Vickers and Freemasonry

I was talking to four Freemasons this week about both Robinett and Vickers.  They indicated that when a mason is removed from the organization every mention of them is purged for all records.  That could MEAN, in the case of Vickers that is what happened to him and why I cannot find where he was raised. BUT, then why was he buried in a Masonic cemetery?

Every question answered always generates new questions.

Keep History Alive
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New Review

Al Nofi has posted a review of Robinett on Strategy page.  You can view it here:

http://www.strategypage.com/bookreviews/590.asp

Georgia Military College

Well, good news here.  I am no an adjunct professor at GMC.  I will be teaching the US Military History course starting in August.

Okay, so now what?

Manuscript finished, at least the first draft.  I will make some modifications before I make it publicly available.

Dr. Harris, at Widener has indicated there is no funding for my next proposal: a study of PMC from 1945 until the end of the Corps.

Guess I can kick back and relax now.

Manuscript Complete!

Well, draft is complete and sent off to AMU.  Now I can relax a bit and work on the next draft at my own pace.  This will not be published like Robinett was.  I will make copies available to those who are interested for a nominal fee.  More on that later.

Robinett and Vickers

AS the first draft of my manuscript winds down it is becoming quite obvious that the two had far more in common that simply DMA.  It now that David Vickers shared the same psychological issues: PTSD and Narcissism.  Hard to say for sure as long distance psychiatry is difficult at best and in Vickers' case he left so little in the way of personal papers.

North & South Magazine

The current issue of North & South magazine, Vol 12, # 6, March 2011 has an article I wrote about Henry C. Robinett, "When All But Life and Honor's Lost."  Be sure to pick up a copy.

Almost FInished!!!

Well, the first draft of my manuscript is almost finished.  I should wrap it up this week.

Progress!

Well, another weekend of writing is gone and I have made significant progress.  It is amazing how it is all coming together.  Still not sure what had a greater influence on Vickers, his time as a POW or Judson Kilpatrick.  My gut says Judson.  We will see where it leads.  If so, here is a snap shot of Kilpatrick:

He reacted rashly under pressure, striking out blindly against adversaries without thinking of the possible consequences.  He was not a man that one would want to follow into battle.  Another shortcoming was his arrogance, his feeling that he was not subject to the same rules as others, that he could steal, take bribes, or use his office for personal advantage with impunity...Kilpatrick had no loyalty to his command.  He was quick to abandon his responsibilities if he saw a brighter future looming elsewhere.  

That is from Samuel, J. Martin.  Kill-Cavalry: The Life of Union General Hugh Judson Kilpatrick. ( Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2000). 

And then there is this from General Sherman as he was beginning is march to the sea:

Summing up Kilpatrick in 1864, Sherman about to undertake his march to the sea said, “I know that Kilpatrick is a hell of a damned fool, but I want just that sort of man to command my cavalry on this expedition.

So, after the war Vickers hitches his star to a man such as this.  Why?

20,000 Words...

and I am just getting to Vickers and the 3rd New Jersey enter the war at the firs battle of Bull Run or Manassas for your Southern folks!