The Confederate Battle Flag And Civil War Memory

The debate and emotion generated by the Confederate flag flying in Tampa not only captures what a hot-button topic this symbol still is, but how comprehensive our disconnect with the actual history of it. Example: while this flag is referred to as "the" Confederate flag, there actually was no national flag of the Confederacy until maybe 1863. This flag was also not the battle flag of the entire Confederacy, late in the war it was the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia. From this it has metamorphosed into a political hot potato, a divisive insult, beach towel kitsch, and a NASCAR staple.
Okay, clearly this subject requires more study, and thankfully I think I found the resource at Point Loma books in San Diego (a smashing addition to the list of San Diego used/independent bookstores). John Coski, the director of the Museum of the Confederacy, wrote a book called "The Confederate Battle Flag" which provides a comprehensive discussion of the history of this flag's cultural evolution. Don't let preconceptions about the Museum of the Confederacy fool you, Mr. Coski is a scholar of a high order, and his interview on NPR in 2005 (which you can listen to by clicking here) gives evidence of that fact.
I'm going to try something a bit different with this book; instead of reviewing it en bloc when I'm done, we'll take it piece by piece as I move through it. Feel free to get a copy for yourself and join me.

The Anniversary Of The Battle Of Antietam

Today is the 146th anniversary of the Battle of Antietam, fought September 17th, 1862 near the town of Sharpsburg, MD along the Antietam River. It is the costliest single-day battle in American history, with over 23,000 casualties, and was the springboard for President Lincoln's issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Jess and I haven't been to the field yet (though it's at the top of the list for our east coast swing), but here is a link to the National Park Service website for you to enjoy. As we mark this day, here is an interview with James McPherson from NPR's archives discussing the battle and its aftereffects. During my NPR archives search, I found this interesting segment about a pocketsize copy of the Emancipation Proclamation that was issued to soldiers in early 1863. I've actually seen one of these, our friend and fellow book collector Paul has this item in his collection. Talk about holding a piece of history!

Gettysburg Witness Tree Rehabilitation

If you recall, I recently posted about the damage to one of the few "Witness Trees" still standing in Gettysburg National Park. So named because these trees were arborial witnesses to the battle, they are a closely protected part of the park. One of them, a honey locust tree, was damaged in a storm and thought to be lost. Or so I thought...
Here is a link to the NPR discussion about the effort to rehabilitate this treasure.

Loving The Civil War Network And Virtual Book Signing!

Here is a luxurious hour spent on a warm Sunday afternoon: stretched out on the floor with my head on two pillows, award-winning Rwandan coffee lovingly roasted by The Jess in my cup, and the first episode of The Civil War Network playing on a pair of brand new Bose speakers. To wrap up, a review of The Abraham Lincoln Bookstore's latest offerings on virtualbooksigning.net.
To start, let's discuss the premiere episode of Francis Rose's brainchild, The Civil War Network. Right from the getgo, a most encouraging sign; excellent production and sound quality. This man clearly knows what he is doing. The audio was crisp even though the interviews are done over the phone, the editing is smooth, and he is a well-informed, engaging, and professional interviewer. All those combine for a great program and tons of promise for future episodes.
Mr. Rose introduced us to Jenine Culligan from the Huntington, WV Museum of Art. She spoke about the various exhibits of ACW photography and art they have available and I want to go! Next was a blogger and author named Harry Smeltzer who discussed his blog Bull Runnings, which is his attempt to digitize an entire Civil War battle, the First Battle of Bull Run. This is quite a story, he is self-motivated and working without compensation and is digitizing all pertinent records to do with the battle; ie orders of battle, casualty lists, medal citations, and the records of the hearings of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. He was asked if this is a project he will ever finish, and he answered a definitive "no". He's just plugging along, ensuring that this one piece of American history is recorded for posterity and for free.
Part three was a talk with Dr. Carroll Van West and a newly designed southern Tennessee Civil War driving trails guide called "Civil War Trails: Fighting for the Rails". His discussion of how the 47 points on the tour were selected was really amazing. First of all, large fields managed by the National Park Service (Shiloh, Missionary Ridge, Chattanooga) were excluded. Secondly, each spot was evaluated on whether it provided a "sense of place": did it capture and preserve the environs present nearly 150 years ago. Third was a quest for balance. These stops cover the war at the state and local level, addressing soldiers, women, children, slaves, Union and Confederacy. This is how to bring the Civil War home to us today, put us in the middle of it and give us a chance to understand face to face.
The fourth segment was a conversation with Civil War book collector Paul Taylor, keeper of the blog With Sword and Pen. This one was auditory bliss, being a Civil War bibliophile myself. He gave the three most important rules of collecting (condition, condition, condition) and also mentioned the importance of always buying books you want to read, but buying 1st editions if possible. I stick to buying books I want to read that I can afford, first edition or not, and sometimes let the condition go by the wayside. I ain't sellin' 'em, but sure wanna buy 'em.
The finale was certainly grand, being an interview with Pulitzer-Prize winning author of "Battle Cry of Freedom" James McPherson. He was discussing how he gives tours of famous battlefields, focusing primarily on Gettysburg. That being the only field I've visited, and that I read his book "Hallowed Ground: A Walk at Gettysburg" cover-to-cover the night before The Jess and I walked the ground for ourselves, this was a tremendous interview. There is no one I would rather have as a tour guide on a Civil War battlefield, this interview tells you why. If you want more, here is an NPR interview with Dr. McPherson from 2003.
I'm a pretty enthusiastic guy, as my first post about this endeavor surely showed, and it was justified and more after listening to the first episode of The Civil War Network. The second episode is in development, and you'll know as soon as I do when it's released.
If this wasn't enough, www.virtualbooksigning.net had a program yesterday morning with two of the premier ACW authors. Unfortunately I wasn't able to watch the live broadcast and ask questions (working, always working), but the archived broadcast will be available soon. Though I missed out on the Q and A, my copies of each book will be in the mail this week. Dr. McPherson will be on virtualbooksigning.net in November discussing his new book about Abraham Lincoln. Again, oh yes, please.