Now a Not-for-Profit
· News & Notes
· ECW Bookshelf
· 10 Questions with Edward Alexander
Emerging Rev War News
· New Speakers Bureau Brochure
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When Kris White, Jake Struhelka, and I sat on the porch of the caretaker’s cottage at the Jackson Shrine in the summer of 2011, kicking around the idea of starting up a blog, it was kind of a lark, to be honest. We wanted to create a platform that would allow us to showcase the work of a small group of young historians whose work we believed in—“emerging voices” in the field, as we envisioned it. Thus, Emerging Civil War was born.
Beyond that, we didn’t necessarily have an end goal in mind. We just wanted to get the blog up and going and then see where things would take us from there.
From the outset, we’ve tried to operate in the spirit of a nonprofit organization, but for a long time, there wasn’t really any need to be formal or official about it. Behind the scenes, we’ve always thought of ourselves as a little “mom and pop” operation.
However, ECW has experienced a tremendous amount of growth since that cigar-smoke-filled evening eight years ago. As an organization, we’ve adapted as we’ve grown—which has not been without its growing pains—and finally, this year, we reached a point where we had to “get official” about a few things.
ECW no longer operates in the spirit of a non-profit but, instead, we officially
are a non-profit corporation, as registered with and recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia. We’re especially proud of this step because it reflects the support so many people have shown for our educational mission.
We’re still working on the IRS end of things, so although we’re not yet a 501(c)3, we are moving in that direction. We don’t intend to get into the fund-raising business—there are plenty of other worthy Civil War organizations who need your money more than we do!—but we do hope this will eventually open us up to some additional funding sources that’ll help us keep the lights on (part of the inglorious work every mom and pop worry about in their behind-the-scenes work).
Thank you for your ongoing support of Emerging Civil War. We’re deeply grateful that you’ve joined us as we continue the journey. As Kris White’s wife said to him, “Not too bad for three idiots sitting on a porch.”
— Chris Mackowski, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Emerging Civil War
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The Seventh Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge
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Mark your calendars for the first full weekend in August 2020! Yes, the dust is still settling from this year’s ECW Symposium, but we’re already looking ahead toward Aug. 7-9, 2020.
Our theme next year will be “Fallen Leaders.” Our keynote speaker will be Gordon Rhea, who’ll talk about the loss of Jeb Stuart at Yellow Tavern and its impact on the Army of Northern Virginia. Our Sunday tour, led by Greg Mertz, will look at the wounding of James Longstreet in the Wilderness.
We’ll announce our full line-up of speakers later this fall.
Our early-bird rate through December 31 is $155/ticket. Regular price will be $175. Order tickets and get more info at https://emergingcivilwar.com/2020-symposium/.
We hope you’ll join us!
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Edward Alexander
recently spoke to the Western North Carolina Civil War Round Table and took advantage of being out that way to visit the Great Smoky Mountains for the first time. He
ascended Clingman’s Dome
, and then followed a barbecue trail back home. (He notes that Rising Smoke BBQ in South Hill was the best of the batch.)
Steve Davis
’s “Critics Corner” in the September issue of Civil War News focused on Jonathan D. Sarna’s
When General Grant Expelled the Jews
. Steve also shared a great personal story in that issue about the sale of the first copy of his new book,
100 Significant Civil War Photographs: Atlanta Campaign
. Steve and publisher Jack Melton are at work with
America’s Civil War
magazine on a photo essay for the January 2020 issue that highlights some of those “significant Civil War photographs.”
Jon-Erik Gilot
joins a dozen other ECWers authoring for the Essential Civil War Curriculum, a project of the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech. More information on this project may be found at:
www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com
Steward Henderson
is working on a new Slavery and the Civil War battlefield tour for Fredericksburg Tours. Look for this new tour soon.
Chris Kolakowski
’s review of Darrell L. Collins’ The Army of the Cumberland: Organization, Strength, Casualties, 1862-1865 appeared in the September 2019 issue of
Civil War News
.
Chris Mackowski’
s review of A. Wilson Greene’s
A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg
(vol. 1) also appeared in the September 2019 issue of
Civil War News
.
Derek Maxfield
, of Rudely Stamp'd, will perform the play
Now We Stand by Each Other Always
on
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August 24th at the Attica Historical Society, Attica, NY at 2:00 PM,
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Sept. 7th at Genesee Community College Medina Campus Center, Medina, NY at 1:00 PM,
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Sept. 21st at Buffalo-Niagara Heritage Village, Amherst, NY at 1:00 PM, and
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Oct. 23rd at the Hornell Public Library, Hornell, NY at 6:30 PM.
“If you can make one of these performances,” he says, “you won't want to miss it!”
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ECW Bookshelf
Antietam National Battlefield
by Kevin Pawlak is part of Arcadia Publishing's “Images of America” Series. Beginning with an overview of the Battle of Antietam and its aftermath using Alexander Gardner's well-known photographs, the the book traces the history of the battlefield through today. Using images from various archival repositories, readers will find fun anecdotes about the establishment of the battlefield as we now know it and see how one of the best-preserved battlefields in the nation evolved from perhaps one of the least preserved.
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10 Questions . . . with Edward Alexander
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The name of your company,
Make Me a Map, LLC
, is a cool Civil War reference. Where’d you come up with that inspiration?
Most Civil War enthusiasts will recognize the name from the famous Stonewall Jackson quote asking Jedediah Hotchkiss to make him a map of the Shenandoah Valley, which enabled his Confederate force to outmaneuver three Union armies. I had played around with a couple other name ideas, but this one seemed perfect for both being catchy as well as having Civil War relevance. I can accurately map better than I can creatively design, so I really need to commission someone to make me a logo to really take a step forward.
At our August ECW Symposium, Will Greene mentioned that he was at work on the next book in his three-volume series on the battle for Petersburg. Your maps were such a great part of volume one. Have you started work on volume two’s maps yet?
Volume 1 of
A Campaign for Giants: The Battle for Petersburg
was released in mid-2018. The mapping work began in October 2016 and probably took 4-6 months to complete. Will's research and writing obviously took years to produce. His retirement is allowing him to pick up the pace, but we are still a few years out from Volume 2 hitting the shelves. Volume 1's maps were the first I had done for publication. I have learned a lot of cartographic and graphic design skills since then, so the next batch will have a different look but hopefully quicker production. I expect to start on the basemaps soon, but I won't be adding troop movements or labels until the manuscript is complete. One thing about Volume 1 that really satisfied us was how the maps matched the text. That is critical for a book. My biggest pet peeve as a reader is when it is obvious that a book's map details are just renditions of a previously made map and do not include the locations and troop movements actually mentioned in the text.
What other mapmaking are you in the midst of (that you’re allowed to share)?
In addition to working with Will, I have a few projects for the Emerging Revolutionary War Series (Monmouth, Valley Forge, and Morristown/Middlebrook), a few for the Emerging Civil War Series (Hampton Roads, Elmira, and Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's battles), and just finished up a unique map set of World War 2 Burma for Chris Kolakowski. Have a few other projects outside the ECW umbrella, too—busy slate!
Is there anything you’d really like to make a map of that you don’t necessarily foresee a chance to do?
Everything is still a learning experience, so I've dabbled in a few projects that I haven't been contracted to do. One of these is a Richmond brewery map. Making products that aren't battle or campaign projects allows me to experiment with different graphic design styles that I can go back and incorporate into my typical projects. I'd also love to work more with online, interactive maps but really only have the time to work on print products.
You’ve been concentrating a lot lately on your mapmaking, but are you working at all on any writing projects these days?
I've really had to set aside writing to focus on mapping. Unfortunately, I have a few half-baked projects that never really made it over the hill. But I'm excited to be working on an essay on the battle of Five Forks in memory for an upcoming “Engaging the Civil War” series title.
Lightning Round (short answers):
Favorite primary source?
The diary of William Wallace Perry, 82nd Pennsylvania Infantry, in the Joyner Library at East Carolina University. Perry was among the youngest actual infantry soldiers in the Army of the Potomac and kept a well-written journal. He has great commentary on the last year of the war, particularly the Petersburg Breakthrough.
Favorite Civil War-related monument?
Hard to say. I know as a kid I loved the Warren statue on Little Round Top. My least favorite are all the woefully inaccurate, misleading monuments placed during the 1910s and centennial around Petersburg.
Favorite unsung hero of the Civil War era?
Captain Charles Gilbert Gould, 5th Vermont Infantry, the first man over the works at the Petersburg Breakthrough. He's starting to receive more credit.
What’s a bucket-list Civil War site you’ve not yet visited?
I've been to almost all the ones I'd want to see, but I'd love to revisit some of the places like Vicksburg and Shiloh that I haven't seen since being a kid.
Favorite ECWS book that’s not one of your own?
Grant's Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant
. Just a fascinating story of Grant racing to take care of his family before he dies and an illumination of the behind-the-scenes that produced one of the pinnacle memoirs of the war.
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The Emerging Civil War Podcast
In our first August podcast, Chris Mackowski and Dan Welch spoke with Derek Maxfield and Tracy Ford of the Rudely Stamp’d Theater Company. Maxfield and Ford portray Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman in the two-man show
Now We Stand By Each Other Always
.
In our second August podcast, Chris Mackowski and Chris Kolakowski talked about the Civil War connections of Gen. Douglas MacArthur.
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Douglas MacArthur and the Civil War:
“The Reunion of Blue & Gray Personified”
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The American Civil War was an immediate and formative experience for Douglas MacArthur’s parents and their families, and their experiences helped inspire and shape MacArthur. MacArthur’s wife also had a significant Civil War pedigree. Between them, General and Mrs. MacArthur had ties to virtually every major land campaign east of the Mississippi River.
The MacArthur Memorial and Emerging Civil War are co-sponsoring a symposium with four scholars exploring the Civil War activities of Douglas and Jean MacArthur’s ancestors. Speakers include Chris Mackowski, Charlie McKnight, Dan Welch, and Brian Steel Wills. Chris Kolakowski will moderate.
Join us on September 28, 2019, from 9:15 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the MacArthur Memorial, 198 Bank Street, Norfolk, VA, 23510. The event is FREE, but registration is required. Call 757.441.2965 to reserve a seat or register online.
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The month of August in American Revolutionary military history saw highs and lows for the American cause. Paulus Hook, which saw a nighttime strike by “Light Horse” Harry Lee, was fought in this month, along with some of the battles of the Saratoga Campaign. In the southern theater, in 1780, one of the worst defeats for the Continental army happened in South Carolina at Camden. Many of these sites are preserved today by local, state, and/or national parks for you to visit and explore. Some of these battles will also be the subjects of
Emerging Revolutionary War
Series
titles in the coming years.
Let’s cast an eye though toward September and the first
Emerging Revolutionary War-
partnered symposium, “Before They Were Americans: A Prologue to the Revolutionary War.” The ERW Symposium is being held on September 28, 2019, in partnership with Gadsby's Tavern Museum in Alexandria, Virginia. It’s only $60 to reserve your seat. In addition, check out
Emerging Revolutionary War
at
www.emergingrevolutionarywar.org
for symposium updates and highlights leading up to the day.
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The 2019-202 ECW Speakers Bureau
is Now Available
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The new 2019-2020 Emerging Civil War Speakers Bureau brochure is now available. This year’s speakers bureau features twenty-three historians who offer more than 150 talks.
New this year: ECW is pleased to offer a series of talks based on our book
Turning Points of the American Civil War, the first volume from our “Engaging the Civil War” Series published in cooperation with Southern Illinois University Press.
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September
- 4th: Bert Dunkerly, Battle of Eutaw Spring, Dr. George Mosse SAR (SC)
- 4th: Chris Mackowski, “Grant’s Last Battle,” Genessee Community College, Batavia, NY
- 9th-11th: Chris Kolakowski, “The Kentucky Campaign,” East Tennessee Civil War Round Tables in Knoxville, Kingsport, and Morristown
- 10th: Rob Orrison and Kevin Pawlak, “Maryland Campaign,” Chesapeake Civil War Round Table
- 10th: Chris Mackowski, “The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign,” First Defenders Civil War Roundtable, Reading, PA
- 10th: Rob Orrison and Kevin Pawlak, “Maryland Campaign,” Bull Run Civil War Round Table
- 11th: Sarah Kay Bierle, West LA and West San Fernando Valley Civil War Round Table
- 16th: Dan Welch, “The Last Road North,” Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Round Table
- 16th: Dwight Hughes, “Unvexed Waters: The Mississippi River Squadron,” Charlottesville Civil War Round Table, Charlottesville, VA
- 19th: Phill Greenwalt, “The Florida Brigade at Gettysburg,” Palm Coast Civil War Round Table, FL
- 20th-22nd: Chris Mackowski, Civil War Roundtable Congress, Missouri Civil War Museum, Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, MO
- 20th: Rob Orrison and Kevin Pawlak, “Maryland Campaign,” South Maryland Civil War Round Table
- 24th: Chris Mackowski, “The Battle of the Bloody Angle at Spotsylvania Court House,” Williamsburg (VA) Civil War Roundtable
- 26th: Chris Mackowski, Buffalo (NY) Civil War Roundtable
- 28th: Civil War Symposium at the Doulgas MacArthur Memorial, Norfolk, VA (including ECW’s Chris Kolakowski, Chris Mackowski, and Dan Welch)
October
- 7th: Chris Mackowski, “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson,” Tri-Cities Civil War Roundtable, Kingsport, TN
- 8th: Chris Mackowski, “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson,” Knoxville (TN) Civil War Roundtable
- 9th: Chris Mackowski, “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson,” Cumberland Mountain Civil War Round Table, Crossville, TN
- 10th: Julie Mujic, “When a Copperhead Loves an Abolitionist,” California University of PA Civil War Round Table
- 17th: Steward Henderson, “Fighting for Their Freedom: The United States Colored Troops,” Powhatan (VA) Civil War Roundtable
- 17th: Phill Greenwalt, Lee and Grant, Civil War Roundtable of Miami (FL)
- 18th: Chris Mackowski, “The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign,” Lake of the Woods Civil War Study Group, Locust Grove, VA
- 19th: Mike Block, Chris Mackowski, Rob Orrison, and Kevin Pawlak, bus tour, “The Fall of 1863: Bristoe Station, Rappahannock Station, and Mine Run,” Prince William County, VA
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