Emerging Civil War · February 2019
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Books, Books, Books · ECW Bookshelf · News & Notes · 10 Questions...with Jon-Erik Gilot
Podcast · Symposium · Upcoming Presentations
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Years ago, as a young writer in Goddard College’s M.F.A. program, I had a classmate who dreamed of one day being able to walk through her home with stacks of her own books everywhere.
It sounded like a lovely dream, to be honest.
It’s not an idea you can think about too much, though, because the logistics of it can easily get in the way: Why would I have stacks of my own books everywhere? Are there a lot of copies of one book or a few copies of several? How many titles? Are they remaindered copies? Why would my wife put up with this?
But the idea of being surrounded by one’s own hard work and words—in tangible form—represents a kind of rewarding comfort.
In a way, I feel like I have been immersed in that sort of experience the past couple of months, surrounded by books from the Emerging Civil War Series.
Two years ago, my son Maxwell came into the world, and at that time, I told my colleagues I’d be able to commit to overseeing four ECWS books a year through the production process on a first-come/first served basis. As people finished projects, I’d put them into the queue, and I’d get to them as fatherhood allowed.
We managed to do slightly better than I’d originally forecast, thanks largely to some talented staff we brought on board to help with prep work and production. (Here’s a shout-out to Hannah Gordon, Chris Kolakowski, Sarah Bierle, and Tara Hatmaker!) And now that Maxwell is old enough to toddle and provide editorial advice of his own, I’ve been kicking into higher gear to help clear the backlog.
So, aside from the three titles we released in the fall, we’ve had two releases so far in 2019, with two more books at the printer now, and one more in production for late-spring release. Five books in a single season—and eight in six months—are both new records for us. That will bring us up to a total of 33 ECWS books from Savas Beatie (34 if you count our limited-edition booklet
Traces of the Bloody Struggle: The Civil War at Stevenson Ridge, Spotsylvania Court House).
Plus we have four more ECWS books slated for fall release as well as two more books in our Emerging Revolutionary War Series (
plus two books in our “Engaging the Civil War” Series with Southern Illinois University Press). In short, we have a lot of great stories coming your way in 2019.
And for me, the best part of it is that they’ve books written by historians I respect, whose work I admire and enjoy.
With all these books in the works, I feel immersed in a version of that comforting dream of my classmate’s from years ago.
— Chris Mackowski
Editor-in-Chief
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The 2019 Emerging Civil War Symposium is fast approaching!
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On Friday, August 2, 2019, the Sixth Annual Symposium will once again kick off at beautiful Stevenson Ridge in Spotsylvania, Virginia. Tickets are going fast and, believe it or not, we are almost at capacity already.
Over the weekend, attendees will hear from numerous speakers presenting on this year's theme, "Forgotten Battles of the Civil War." Historians such as A. Wilson Greene, Chris Mackowski, Chris Kolakowski, James Broomall, and many more will delve into the battles of Romney, Wilson's Creek, Secessionville, and others. The weekend will conclude with a battlefield tour of newly preserved ground at North Anna. It will be a weekend that you will not want to miss!
Do not miss your chance to attend this great Symposium before it sells out for the second year in a row! You can get your tickets ($155 each) and register, or find more information at
https://emergingcivilwar.com/2019-symposium/
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Emerging Civil War Bookshelf
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To see how those volumes fit together with events in the east, check out
The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign
by Chris Mackowski, released last November. Soldiers in the Army of the Potomac heard about Grant’s victory at Chattanooga just as they were setting out on their own campaign and called it “Good news to march on.”
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Emerging Civil War News & Notes
February is Black History Month. If you haven't seen ECW's coverage this month,
check it out here.
Steve Davis
took a look at American photography before the Civil War in an article titled “Transcends the Bounds of Sober Belief” in the March 2019 issue of
Civil War News
. Steve’s regular column, the “Critic’s Corner,” continued its look at letters home from a Texan soldier, and he also penned a “Small Talk Trivia” quiz focusing on Union generals in the Western Theater.
Meg Groeling
will be one of the featured speakers at the Southwest Civil War Symposium on Saturday, March 23, 2019. The event is hosted by the Southwest Civil War Roundtable and will be held at 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA. Meg will be speaking about the first assassination attempt on president-elect Abraham Lincoln as he traveled on the Inaugural Express through Baltimore. “Other than that,” she said, “we are waiting for our second grandchild to be born--any day now!” (And we’re pleased to report Emery Ellyce arrived safely on Feb. 18.)
Meg reviewed Angela M. Zombeck’s
Penitentiaries, Punishment, and Military Prisons: Familiar Responses to an Extraordinary Crisis During the American Civil War
in the March 2019 issue of
Civil War News
.
Steward Henderson
recently participated in the Untold Stories Program at Fredericksburg, playing the role of a corporal. Last year's program was very successful, so the coalition of organizations presenting the program expanded the event to include vignettes in four downtown Fredericksburg churches. The Civil War portion was a recruiting scene at Camp Casey in 1864. The other vignettes portrayed scenes from the Revolutionary War, World War I, and World War II.
Chris Kolakowski
reviewed
Challenges of Command in the Civil War: Generalship, Leadership, and Strategy at Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Beyond—Volume I, Generals and Generalship
by Richard Sommers in the March 2019 issue of
Civil War News
.
Chris Mackowski
is featured in one of the American Battlefield Trust's latest "Civil War In4" videos, "
Stonewall Jackson
." Chris offers a four-minute synopsis of Jackson's Civil War career.
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The Emerging Civil War Podcast
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For February’s Emerging Civil War podcasts, co-hosts Dan Welch and Chris Mackowski kicked off the month talking with their award-winning colleague Dave Powell about his new book,
Decisions at Chickamauga
, part of the “Critical Decisions” series being published by the University of Tennessee Press.
For the month’s second podcast, Chris talks with Kris White about the “forgotten fall” of 1863. The first of a two-part podcast focuses on “the stations”: Bristoe and Rappahannock.
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10 Questions . . .
with Jon-Erik Gilot
Jon-Erik Gilot works as an archivist by day and is assisting with ECW’s archives behind the scenes by night. You can read his full background
here
.
Q: Let’s start with the obvious question first: As a Civil War historian and as a resident of West Virginia, how do you feel about West Virginia statehood?
A: As a resident of Wheeling—the birthplace of West Virginia—reminders of the statehood movement are all around. The first state capitol building sits just a block from my office, and the custom house (Independence Hall) sits just a few blocks beyond that, while an imposing statue of Francis Pierpont greets visitors on Market Street. Residents of western Virginia were a people set apart, kept under the thumb of the tidewater aristocracy and FFV's that dominated Virginia politics in the 19th century. As Abraham Lincoln opined that our country could not exist as half slave and half free, it would have been tough sledding for Virginia to continue to exist as a state so sectionally divided. The Civil War was the vehicle that helped push that statehood movement over the finish line.
Montani Semper Liberi
(Mountaineers Are Always Free)!
Q: What aspect of the war in West Virginia/western Virginia fascinates you the most?
A: West Virginia was fighting a different kind of war, much more akin to what was happening in Missouri, Kansas, eastern Tennessee, and western North Carolina. The Civil War and West Virginia statehood very literally pitted families and neighbors against one another. It was a dangerous place to live, with places like Romney and Beverly changing hands numerous times throughout the war. So I enjoy the human interest aspect of what was going on here. I'm also especially interested in the first campaign and the early days of the war in western Virginia. Many officers, both north and south, cut their teeth here in the summer and fall of 1861, and we can use those early days as a litmus test to gauge the leadership qualities these men would exhibit throughout the rest of the war.
Q: How did you get hooked on the Civil War?
A: I was lucky to have a mother who fostered my interest in history at a young age with books about Abraham Lincoln and trips to Gettysburg and Antietam. I also grew up in a small, historic town (Mount Pleasant, Ohio) steeped in Civil War history. The first newspaper to advocate for the immediate abolition of slavery was published there (
The Philanthropist
, 1817). Benjamin Lundy, whom William Lloyd Garrison considered the “Father of American Abolitionism,” made his home there. Numerous Underground Railroad landmarks still dot the village. John Hunt Morgan's men skirted the village in July 1863 with Federal soldiers on their heels. I was just surrounded in Civil War-era history.
Q: You’re an archivist in your day job. Obviously, archivists can be invaluable resources to Civil War researchers. Do you want to give a shout-out to your profession?
A: I started working with my local historical society at a young age and really got hooked on the visceral connection you feel when holding a historic document, artifact or textile. As the “keeper” of such history it's important to protect what we have, but equally important is accessibility. What good is having all of this stuff if it’s locked away and out of sight? That's why I'm such a big fan of what Garry Adelman and Kris White are doing at the American Battlefield Trust in utilizing some amazing, rarely seen artifacts on battlefield visits and giving us behind-the-scenes virtual tours of some outstanding Civil War collections all across the country. Balancing access and preservation can be tricky, but I think it's important that we constantly look for new ways for our material to reach a wider audience.
Q: Is there an aspect about your profession that’s commonly misunderstood?
A: White gloves! Archives seem to be most associated with white gloves, and Garry Adelman likes to rail on the 'uppity' archivists who yell at him for handling artifacts without gloves. While I'd always advocate for using gloves when handling photos or negatives (fingerprints can damage emulsion), wearing gloves reduces our sense of touch, making us much more apt to accidently cause damage to a fragile document or book. So I'd tell Garry to go on with his bad self—as long as his hands are clean!
Lightning Round (short answers):
Q: Most overrated person of the Civil War?
A: Nathan Bedford Forrest...all day, every day.
Q: Favorite Trans-Mississippi site?
A: Wilson's Creek, a crown jewel of our battlefield parks.
Q: Favorite Regiment?
A: I don't know that I have one favorite, but I am fond of the 15th Ohio and 52nd Ohio, both incredibly hard fighting regiments raised around my hometown. I have substantial collections of letters and photos from both regiments that may one day make for a good book(s).
Q: What one Civil War book do you consider to be essential?
A:
Battle Cry of Freedom
by James McPherson remains an incredibly accessible book for anyone looking for a solid, one-volume overview of the conflict.
Q: What’s one Civil War-related question no one has ever asked you that you wished they would?
A: Let's instead ask “What's one Civil War-related question you wish no one would ask?” And that would be when my wife asks me “Do you really need another Civil War book?” Yes, Dear. Yes, I do.
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Emerging Revolutionary War News
One of the most important and recognizable dates in the month of February is the birthday of George Washington, who was born on February 22, 1732, in the new-style calendar. Bonus points if you know what date was written in the family Bible and the day his mother always said his birthday was?
However, this year, February had another important date. On February 3, 2019, in conjunction with Savas Beatie LLC, Emerging Revolutionary War announced the next two volumes in the
Emerging Revolutionary War Series
. These volumes will cover the Valley Forge winter and the Monmouth Court House battle and campaign. Both are slated for release later this year.
For updates on these releases and other great content on this era of American history, continue to check the blog,www.emergingrevolutionarywar.org.
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March
13th: Dan Welch, “The Last Road North,” Cleveland Civil War Round Table, OH
14th: Chris Mackowski, “Second-Guessing Richard Ewell,” Cape Fear Civil War Roundtable, Wilmington, NC
14th: Rob Orrison, “Potomac Blockade,” Montgomery County Civil War Round Table
18th: Bert Dunkerly, “Civil War Railroads,” Charlottesville Civil War Round Table, VA
21st: Dan Welch, “The Last Road North, ” Civil War Round Table of the Mid-Ohio Valley
22nd: Chris Kolakowski, “The Kentucky Campaign,” Hagerstown Civil War Round Table, Hagerstown, MD
30th: Dan Welch, “Prince William County in Pickett’s Charge,” Prince William County/Manassas History Symposium
April
9th: Chris Kolakowski, “TBD,” Richmond Civil War Round Table, Richmond, VA
10th: Dan Welch, “The Last Road North,” Central Ohio Civil War Round Table
11th: Dwight Hughes, “Rebel Odyssey: The Cruise of the CSS Shenandoah,” California University of Pennsylvania Civil War Round Table
13th: Chris Mackowski, “The Great Battle Never Fought: Mine Run,” Louisville (KY) Civil War Roundtable
14th: Chris Mackowski, Jefferson County (IN) CWRT, Madison, IN
23rd: Edward Alexander, “Dawn of Victory: Breakthrough at Petersburg,” Williamsburg CWRT, Williamsburg, VA
24th: Phill Greenwalt, “If This Valley Is Lost, the Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864,” St. Louis Civil War Round Table, MO
26th & 27th: Chris Mackowski, Bus tour of Spotsylvania Court House, Mosby Heritage Area Association (www.mosbyheritagearea.org/events)
26th-28th: Rob Orrison, Spotsylvania Court House Tour, Mahoning Valley CWRT
for a full listing of our available speakers and their topics.
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