10 Questions with . . . Rob Orrison

Rob Orrison is co-author of A Want of Vigilance: The Battle of Bristoe Station (with Bill Backus) and The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign (with Dan Welch). He’s also co-founder of Emerging Revolutionary War, and he serves on the boards for Civil War Trails and the Mosby Heritage Area. Read his full ECW bio.

Why do people seem to overlook the fall of 1863?
It falls between what we have been taught as the high water mark of Gettysburg and the beginning of the end of the war, the Overland Campaign. Also the battle of Bristoe Station was specifically forgotten I believe because 1: the Confederates wanted to forget and 2; it was won by Gouverner K. Warren, a much-maligned Union General. If Hancock was there, I think it would have been more memorialized by the Union veterans. 
 
What is the most under-appreciated facet of the Bristoe campaign?
That Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia were in high spirits and morale in October 1863. They wrote of Gettysburg as a set back, nothing more. It is amazing to most people to learn that on October 15, 1863, the Confederate army is only 25 miles outside of downtown Washington, DC. Most believe the Confederates were licking their wounds and waiting for Grant to attack them.
 
You have done a lot of work with Civil War Trails. What is it that you think is so groovy about the trail system?
It is a consistent brand (logo, style) of interpretive markers over six states and over 550 jurisdictions. That kind of coordination is something that is nearly impossible—except they do it! It is focused on the visitor/traveler, and it has brought to light so many new and interesting sites/stories. It is one of the things I enjoy being involved with the most.
 
Your tour company, Civil War Excursions (with Matt Atkinson), lets you spend a lot of time in the field. Tell us a little about that.
Matt and I had been doing tours for years for groups.  We love showing people exclusive Civil War sites and discussing the Civil War to all kinds of people.  We both do this in our own full-time jobs, but we wanted to be able to share with people all the places we have been to over the past 20 years. We figured this was the best way to do it and promote these sites and preservation. It also gives Matt and I the opportunity to research other facets of the war and most of all, we have a blast doing it. 
 
What's the deal with your man crush on John Mosby?
I wouldn’t call it a man crush, more like a boyhood hero. I grew up in “Mosby's Confederacy,” where my high school mascot, “Raiders,” was named after Mosby. As I grew up and studied Mosby, the more I began to respect the man. He was a local Robin Hood during the war, but even mores o after the war, he was the epitome of reconciliation. Once wanted dead by Grant, the two became friends after the war. Though Mosby was disliked by many in the south for becoming a Republican, he never shied away from the causes of the war. “The South went to war on account of Slavery. South Carolina went to war—as she said in her Secession proclamation—because slavery wd. not be secure under Lincoln. South Carolina ought to know what was the cause for her seceding. . . . I am not ashamed of having fought on the side of slavery—a soldier fights for his country—right or wrong—he is not responsible for the political merits of the cause he fights in. The South was my country.”

You recently had a second child. What are you doing to ensure that he and your oldest son are both probably brainwashed to love the Civil War?
Both are too young to understand something as complex as warfare, but I believe the more you expose children to history then they hopefully grow an appreciation for it. If you force it, they will rebel. Taking our 3-year-old to historic sites and parks is something I try to do once a month. So far, it is working: he loves the Air and Space Museum and asks to go to the museum all the time (alhough he is disappointed when there is not a space shuttle!).

Lightning round. Short answers:

Favorite trans Mississippi site? Toss up, Wilson’s Creek

Most overrated person of the Civil War? Stonewall Jackson

What is one Civil War book you would recommend as indispensable?   Confederate Tide Rising, Joe Harsh

What is one civil war-related question no one has ever asked you that you wish someone would?  How many times was a rifle fired by someone until one of the rounds actually hit someone?

News & Notes

Sarah Kay Bierle's newest book is a collection of historical Christmas stories. With Gladness: A Christmas Story Collection released on November 4, 2016. Each short story presents Christmas in a certain historical era and introduces new characters facing unique challenges. The historical settings include Colonial Era, American War For Independence, Trail of Tears, California Rancho, Civil War, Gilded Age, Great Depression, World War II, Vietnam Conflict, and the Modern Era. Perfect for easy holiday reading or family story time! Find more information and signed copies on the book's webpage:  https://gazette665.com/books/14121-2/

The Marietta (GA) Daily Journal featured a front-page story on Steve Davis on Sunday, November 27. Alas, according to author Bill Hendrick, the piece was not available online, but folks interested in a scan can email us at [email protected].

Historian and ECW author Bert Dunkerly has spent a lot of time sharing our nation's history in North Carolina this month. Bert has made appearances at the Cape Fear Civil War Round Table in Wilmington, North Carolina; the Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table in Sylva, North Carolina; and at the United Daugthers of the Confederacy in Greensboro, North Carolina.

ECWer Dwight Hughes recently gave a presentation on the CSS  Shenandoah for the Thomas Balch Library Lecture Series in Leesburg, VA. The library is owned and operated by the Town of Leesburg, focusing on local history and genealogy with a special emphasis on the American Civil War. Thomas Balch (1821-1877) was born in Leesburg and became a Philadelphia lawyer. He played a prominent role in advancing the practice of international arbitration for settling disputes, particularly with respect to the “ Alabama claims,” in which the U.S. sued Great Britain for complicity in supporting Confederate commerce raiders. Balch promoted arbitration of the dispute in person to President Lincoln in 1864 and to leaders in Great Britain. In 1872, an international tribunal awarded the U.S. $15.5 million. Apparently, a portion of the original funding for the library came from proceeds of the  Alabama claims. The  Shenandoah was part of the suit and second only to  Alabama as a basis for the award.

Emerging Civil War contributor, historian, and author Chris Kolakowski has been busy with his post at the MacArthur Memorial. You can see Chris on two episodes of C-SPAN's American Artifacts as he takes viewers on a tour of the memorial. Check it out here.

Derek Maxfield informed us that on Nov. 1st, a historic marker was erected and a dedication ceremony held at the Upton Farm outside of Batavia, New York. The marker recognizes the home and property where Gen. Emory Upton grew up. While there is a significant memorial to Emory Upton in downtown Batavia, there had never been a historic marker erected at his home. While the house has been substantially remodeled, there are still original parts of the structure, including walls and stairway to the second floor. Derek and ECW Editor-in-Chief Chris Mackowski both attended the dedication ceremony and wrote about it here and here.

Prof. Julie Mujic recently presented at the Southern Historical Association on a panel entitled "Calculating the Value of the Confederacy: Southerners Confront the Union Economy." Her paper, “Would Cotton or Corn Rule?: Southern Perspectives on Their Importance to the Midwestern Economy,” formed just one part the interesting panel presentation.

New from the ECW Bookshelf

Now available in digital through Savas Beatie: Traces of the Bloody Struggle: The Civil War at Stevenson Ridge, Spotsylvania Court House by Chris Mackowski. Chris, the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, tells the story of Spotsy’s forgotten front along the Fredericksburg Road. The digital edition is available for Amazon Kindle and the Barnes & Noble Nook. For those interested in the hard copy, the 60-page paperback booklet is available for $10 exclusively through Emerging Civil War and at Stevenson Ridge. Email [email protected] for ordering information.

Don’t forget about our Emerging Civil War Digital Shorts, available exclusively through Amazon:

• The Union's Great Crisis: The Fall of 1862 by Chris Kolakowski
• Shaping Chancellorsville: Fields of Battle and Memory: How Memories of the Battle Have Shaped the Battlefield by Chris Mackowski
• "Supplies are the Great Question": Union Logistics and Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, 1864 by J. Britt McCarley

3rd: Chris Mackowski, Keynote, S.C.V. Christmas 1864 Service, Petersburg, VA

3rd-4th: Sarah Kay Bierle, Book signing at Drum Barracks Christmas Event, Wilmington, CA

8th: Dwight Hughes, “The Cruise of the CSS Shenandoah,” Bull Run Civil War Round Table, Centreville, VA

10th: Chris Mackowski, “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson,” Louisville (KY) Civil War Roundtable

13th: Dwight Hughes, “The Cruise of the CSS Shenandoah,” Civil War Round Table of the District of Columbia, Washington D.C.

14th: Kristopher D. White, “The Valley Forge Winter: The Christmas of 1862 in the Army of the Potomac,” at the Western Pennsylvania Civil War Roundtable, Pittsburgh, PA