Summer has begun to give way to the first cool evenings of fall. For some of us, that means it’s time to write syllabi, prepare course content, and welcome students back to our classrooms. For others of us, it means fewer tourists visiting our battlefields and historic sites—which also means a chance to finally catch up on some writing projects because we’re spending a little less time on the front lines.

I used to love this time of year in western New York: mornings would be deeply shrouded in fog, and big yellow school busses would lumber out of the white mist as they made their rounds collecting their begrudging cargo. As the fog burned off, it took with it, little by little, day by day, the vibrant green from the forested hills, leaving behind small patches of amber, gold, and crimson. As September ages and October approaches, the color takes over completely.

In central Virginia, I still get to enjoy four seasons, although full-blown fall will come almost a month after it does farther north.

Of course, we all know from reading the headlines that change is in the air in other ways, too—not just for the Civil War community but for American society as a whole and its relationship to its own past. Many of us have followed events with great interest, wondering whether we are heading into autumn of a different sort.

I wonder what colors we’ll see when the fog lifts.

-- Chris Mackowski

Editor-in-Chief

Sarah Kay Bierle 's new historical novel Lighthouse Loyalty is in the publication process and scheduled for release in September 2017. Set in 1867, the fictional story follows Susan Rose Arnold—a lighthouse keeper's daughter—as she discovers the Civil War's effects which cast dark shadows two years after the conflict ended, creating secrets which could tear her family apart—or draw them closer together.

Two of ECWs premier naval historians will be speaking at the 2017 McMullen Naval History Symposium. Chris Kolakowski and Dwight Hughes will be presenting on Civil War naval leadership. Look for the more information about the event, which runs September 14-15, 2017, here.

Speaking of Civil War naval history and our very own Dwight Hughes, Dwight just launched his own website (above right). You can find more information about his blogging with ECW, publications, and where you can see him at CivilWarNavyHistory.com.

Prof. Julie Mujic will be spending an evening with the Mahoning Valley Civil War Roundtable on September 11, 2017. To find out more about her presentation and the Mahoning Valley Civil War Round Table, click here . 

 

Rob Orrison and Bill Backus , co-authors of  A Want of Vigilance , will be speaking on another topic that both have worked on over the past several years, the Potomac Blockade. Their research, published this past year as an issue of Blue & Gray magazine, will be brought to life at the October meeting of the Bull Run Civil War Round Table. They hope you can join them!

The August 2017 issue of the Journal of Southern History featured book reviews written by three ECW authors:

·       Chris Mackowski reviewed Paul Kahan’s Amiable Scoundrel: Simon Cameron, Lincoln's Scandalous Secretary of War.

·       Kelly Mezurek reviewed Robert S. Levine’s The Lives of Frederick Douglass.

·       Matt Stanley reviewed Phillip Leigh’s The Confederacy at Flood Tide: The Political and Military Ascension, June to December 1862.

Civil War News featured a few ECW-related pieces in its latest issue. Steve Davis ’s “Critics Corner” featured a look back at Come Retribution: The Confederate Secret Service and the Assassination of Lincoln by William Tidwell. The issue also reprinted Chris Mackowski’ s ECW blog post from July 11, “ Getting More Young People Interested in the Civil War: Some Suggestions .” The issue also featured a review of Eric Wittenberg ’s revised The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station , published by History Press. Reviewer Walt Albro lauded the book’s “clear and understandable description and overview of the action.”