Daniel Mowles preparing roasted rabbits for a tasting of Civil War-era food at the Roger Smith Hotel on Monday. The chef, it turned out, was from southwest Virginia and grew up in a household that, he said, had inherited some of Robert E. Lee’s silverware.
Those were just coincidences at a tasting of dishes from the Civil War era, prepared according to recipes adapted from cookbooks published between 1861 and 1865.
You can read the rest of the story here.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Just a Reminder: The Civil War A Visual History
My family and I drove back to Kansas for the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty, where my family is from last weekend. Were back home now and just wanted to remind everyone that the Coffee Table Book:
The Civil War
A Visual History
Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States
is now in your local book store. It's not to early for Christmas purchases and this would make a great one for any Civil War buff/historian.
The Civil War
A Visual History
Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States
is now in your local book store. It's not to early for Christmas purchases and this would make a great one for any Civil War buff/historian.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
New Digital Civil War Magazine
Civilwarmonitor.com is the digital arm of The Civil War Monitor, a new quarterly magazine devoted to the belief that popular history need not be superficial or sentimental. In its pages, readers will find richly illustrated and originally researched articles written from a variety of angles—military, political, social, and economic—by the country’s leading historians and authors. Accurate, authoritative, and engaging, The Civil War Monitor brings the full drama and meaning of the country’s greatest conflict to life.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The Civil War: A Visual History.....Review
The Civil War
A Visual History
Rare Images and Tales of the War Between the States
On September 27, 2011 there will be a new Civil War Coffee Table book in your local book stores and at Amazon. I was fortunate enough to receive a preview copy from the publisher for review. I have several coffee table books on the Civil War so I was expecting a rather large book in the mail. Upon receiving the book I was quite surprised, it is just a little larger than normal book size, which I really like. One of my coffee table books is so large it’s kind of hard to enjoy but not this one.
The Civil War: A Visual History is very unique in its own way compared to other Civil War coffee table books. Usually the books are just a group of pictures and drawings of battle scene and the destruction the war caused all put together and bound. They jump from one picture to another with no particular order. This isn’t the case with this one. A Visual History takes you from the beginning right through the war to the end. Yes there are lots of pictures, which some that have never been seen before but for me one of the interesting parts is that they have included actual letters the soldiers wrote which brings the pictures to life. You’re not just looking at a group of pictures, you are right there, in the thick of the war.
In the “Behind The Scenes” chapter you will also see some rare pictures but you will get to read a very rare private letter that was written by Alfred Waud who was the most prolific artists during the war. Then somewhere in the book (I’m not going to tell you where) is a version of the Confederate Seal Proof Lithograph which was printed by the King of England’s Master Engraver. There’s also a rare photo of Lincoln’s confidante Rebecca Pomeroy.
The research that was done in order to bring the Civil War to life within this book is just amazing. Items are included that you just wouldn’t find all together in one Civil War coffee table book. To me this would be a great Civil War book for the person that is just starting out his/her interest in the Civil War and/or any history lovers’ library.
If I tell you much more of what is included within this book I feel like I would be spilling a great surprise but one surprise I can tell you, is that you won’t believe the price for this outstanding Civil War Coffee Table Book. It’s only $14.99! There is also going to be an ebook for $6.99 and a companion APP that will have its exclusive content for $4.99.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
National Geographic Channell - Today!
The National Geographic Channel, Starting 6 central time.
Three new shows are airing this evening:
Lincoln’s Secret Killer -The health of Abraham Lincoln in his final year of life.
Conspirator/kill Lincoln -The story of Mary Surratt, who was the first woman hung be the U.S. Government who was convicted for her involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Secret Weapon Confederacy - The story of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine.
You can also read my reviews on Lincoln and the H.L. Hunley
Three new shows are airing this evening:
Lincoln’s Secret Killer -The health of Abraham Lincoln in his final year of life.
Conspirator/kill Lincoln -The story of Mary Surratt, who was the first woman hung be the U.S. Government who was convicted for her involvement in the conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln.
Secret Weapon Confederacy - The story of the H.L. Hunley, a Confederate submarine.
You can also read my reviews on Lincoln and the H.L. Hunley
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
The First Submarine to Sink a Warship
Exploring History magazine by National Geographic
There is a strange and secret weapon just off the harbor of South Carolina in 1864. Its name is H. L. Hunley after Horace Lawson Hunley, a Louisiana lawyer. The Hunley is the granddaddy of the modern submarine, well beyond its time in the 1860s.
The H. L. Hunley had quite an adventure. It was to break the hold that the Union had on the harbor before the city’s supplies would be gone. The first attempts were by the Hunley’s builders, with no luck. Then the Confederate military commandeered the submarine and ended up sinking here. It was 2 weeks before they could bring her up from the bottom and what a site that was, bodies and all. Horace Hunley took back the sub and manned it himself. What a mistake that was. Once more it sunk and “The spectacle was indescribably ghastly,” wrote Beauregard years later.
The H. L. Hunley had taken on a nick name by this time. Can you guess what it would have been? George Dixon now took charge of the sub. He was one of the builders. After many attempts the H. L. Hunley had finally hit its target, the U.S.S. Housatonic. But what happened after it hit its target? No one ever saw the submarine or the men again. As a matter of fact no one really knew exactly where it sunk or what exactly happened.
In 1995 the H. L. Hunley was finally discovered. Now maybe some of the questions that have been asked for over 100 years would finally have answers but some questions will never have any answers.
What do you think?
Question: Did the Hunley crew starve for air or did they sit and wait for the water to cover them?
In this article “The First Submarine to Sink a Warship” on page 86 of the new Exploring History magazine by the National Geographic you can learn more about the granddaddy of all submarines and a legend about Queenie Bennett. It’s really a fascinating article. I have read several articles on the Hunley but again like I said in my review of Born Radical, you get drawn right up into the story.
You will also see Horace L. Hunley’s grave stone, an 1863-64 map of the Charleston Harbor and actual pictures of the Hunley itself after it was brought up and opened for the first time.
After you read the article, think on this: Here you are setting in very close quarters, back is bent forward, and arms are constantly pumping, up…down…up…down. Your arms are now acing but you can’t stop. Sweat is pouring down your face. It’s like an inferno!
Exploring History magazine by National Geographic is now on sale at your local newsstand.
There is a strange and secret weapon just off the harbor of South Carolina in 1864. Its name is H. L. Hunley after Horace Lawson Hunley, a Louisiana lawyer. The Hunley is the granddaddy of the modern submarine, well beyond its time in the 1860s.
The H. L. Hunley had quite an adventure. It was to break the hold that the Union had on the harbor before the city’s supplies would be gone. The first attempts were by the Hunley’s builders, with no luck. Then the Confederate military commandeered the submarine and ended up sinking here. It was 2 weeks before they could bring her up from the bottom and what a site that was, bodies and all. Horace Hunley took back the sub and manned it himself. What a mistake that was. Once more it sunk and “The spectacle was indescribably ghastly,” wrote Beauregard years later.
The H. L. Hunley had taken on a nick name by this time. Can you guess what it would have been? George Dixon now took charge of the sub. He was one of the builders. After many attempts the H. L. Hunley had finally hit its target, the U.S.S. Housatonic. But what happened after it hit its target? No one ever saw the submarine or the men again. As a matter of fact no one really knew exactly where it sunk or what exactly happened.
In 1995 the H. L. Hunley was finally discovered. Now maybe some of the questions that have been asked for over 100 years would finally have answers but some questions will never have any answers.
What do you think?
Question: Did the Hunley crew starve for air or did they sit and wait for the water to cover them?
In this article “The First Submarine to Sink a Warship” on page 86 of the new Exploring History magazine by the National Geographic you can learn more about the granddaddy of all submarines and a legend about Queenie Bennett. It’s really a fascinating article. I have read several articles on the Hunley but again like I said in my review of Born Radical, you get drawn right up into the story.
You will also see Horace L. Hunley’s grave stone, an 1863-64 map of the Charleston Harbor and actual pictures of the Hunley itself after it was brought up and opened for the first time.
After you read the article, think on this: Here you are setting in very close quarters, back is bent forward, and arms are constantly pumping, up…down…up…down. Your arms are now acing but you can’t stop. Sweat is pouring down your face. It’s like an inferno!
Exploring History magazine by National Geographic is now on sale at your local newsstand.
The Civil War...How we remember it
Virginia Historical Society Partners with American Association for State and Local History on Local Events
The Civil War and How We Remember It
Thursday, September 15, 2011 | Time: 10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Richmond Convention Center
Author and contributor to the New York Times Civil War 150 blog “Disunion” Adam Goodheart will address the Civil War and how we remember it. This event is made available to the public at no charge through the support of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. To learn more about the AASLH conference, go here
Oh how I wish I could go!!
The Civil War and How We Remember It
Thursday, September 15, 2011 | Time: 10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Location: Richmond Convention Center
Author and contributor to the New York Times Civil War 150 blog “Disunion” Adam Goodheart will address the Civil War and how we remember it. This event is made available to the public at no charge through the support of the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities. To learn more about the AASLH conference, go here
Oh how I wish I could go!!
Future of Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe is in the process of being decommissioned. This is a sad time in the forts history. The fort has been in use for over 200 years.
Here is a short clip that you'll want to take a look at. My family visited Fort Monroe back in 2007. I wrote an article on it here. When I went back to find the article, I realized I hadn't put any pictures up. I'll have to dig them out and get them posted.
Enjoy!
Here is a short clip that you'll want to take a look at. My family visited Fort Monroe back in 2007. I wrote an article on it here. When I went back to find the article, I realized I hadn't put any pictures up. I'll have to dig them out and get them posted.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Exploring History ---- Abraham Lincoln
Born Radical by K. M. Kostyal takes a look deep into Abraham Lincoln to try to find out exactly who he was and what led him to became our 16th President. Abraham’s character has always been a mystery. Here Kostyal tries to bring that alive.
Abraham Lincoln in his 30s -------- Abraham Lincoln 1860 at age 51
Monday, September 12, 2011
Born Radical by K. M. Kostyal - Exploring History
Review
September 13, 2011 a new magazine will be at your local newsstands titled: EXPLORING HISTORY” by National Geographic. On the cover Abraham Lincoln is pictured as what he would of looked like as a more youthful man in his 30s rendered by artist Tim O’Brien. The first picture ever taken of Abraham Lincoln was in 1860 at age 51. This is the picture that is well known to us today.
Born Radical by K. M. Kostyal takes a look deep into Abraham Lincoln to try to find out exactly who he was and what led him to became our 16th President. Abraham’s character has always been a mystery. Here Kostyal tries to bring that alive.
Lincoln, the 16th President has more books written about him than any other President of the United States but what do we really know about the “man” himself? Yes, we all know he was from the frontier, poor farmer family, raised as a tough man if you wanted to live, had a passion for learning, quiet and a skeptic. There are many other words that historians have described him but who was the real Lincoln?
Did you know that he wrote a composition when he was a child on animal right? He considered himself a “strange, penniless, friendless, uneducated boy”. Abraham Lincoln grew up in an era of hard labor, little or no schooling with people dying at a younger age than we do today. Most people that lived in the wilderness never got out; never made anything of themselves but not Abraham. Some say his father was the one that drove him out, to seek a new kind of life. Abraham had his hand in many businesses before he finally found his calling, politics and he was very good at it.
Abraham was able to connect with the down home, common everyday people. He always wanted more and so did the people of the United States. He always knew he was destined for something higher.
Within the article you will see Lincoln’s boyhood home, his sum book which is the first known piece of writing in his hand. A time line of Lincoln’s major moments in his life and an 1857 map of the United States.
You are not going to want to miss this well written article on Abraham Lincoln. I have read several books on Abraham and this article helped fill in some of the blanks/questions that I had wondered about the man himself. He felt more really to me as a person and not just as our 16th President. I found it very insightful and to me gave me a better picture of who Abraham Lincoln was from a boy to the Presidency.
Other articles that you history lovers might like are: The column on How It Works – The First Submarine to Sink a Warship; articles on Inside Rome’s War Machine, Stopping the California Black Death, Joan of Arc-Beyond Belief, Birth of the Pyramids and many others. Also in their Good To Know Column is: New Books, Websites, Apps and TV Specials coming.
National Geographic has done an excellent job putting this magazine together. Nice clear crisp pictures, interesting easy to read articles. Just like their shows they take you there, tell you the history as it happened.
Watch your local newsstands for this Premier Issue of Exploring History by National Geographic $6.99. I know you’re going to love it!
September 13, 2011 a new magazine will be at your local newsstands titled: EXPLORING HISTORY” by National Geographic. On the cover Abraham Lincoln is pictured as what he would of looked like as a more youthful man in his 30s rendered by artist Tim O’Brien. The first picture ever taken of Abraham Lincoln was in 1860 at age 51. This is the picture that is well known to us today.
Born Radical by K. M. Kostyal takes a look deep into Abraham Lincoln to try to find out exactly who he was and what led him to became our 16th President. Abraham’s character has always been a mystery. Here Kostyal tries to bring that alive.
Lincoln, the 16th President has more books written about him than any other President of the United States but what do we really know about the “man” himself? Yes, we all know he was from the frontier, poor farmer family, raised as a tough man if you wanted to live, had a passion for learning, quiet and a skeptic. There are many other words that historians have described him but who was the real Lincoln?
Did you know that he wrote a composition when he was a child on animal right? He considered himself a “strange, penniless, friendless, uneducated boy”. Abraham Lincoln grew up in an era of hard labor, little or no schooling with people dying at a younger age than we do today. Most people that lived in the wilderness never got out; never made anything of themselves but not Abraham. Some say his father was the one that drove him out, to seek a new kind of life. Abraham had his hand in many businesses before he finally found his calling, politics and he was very good at it.
Abraham was able to connect with the down home, common everyday people. He always wanted more and so did the people of the United States. He always knew he was destined for something higher.
Within the article you will see Lincoln’s boyhood home, his sum book which is the first known piece of writing in his hand. A time line of Lincoln’s major moments in his life and an 1857 map of the United States.
You are not going to want to miss this well written article on Abraham Lincoln. I have read several books on Abraham and this article helped fill in some of the blanks/questions that I had wondered about the man himself. He felt more really to me as a person and not just as our 16th President. I found it very insightful and to me gave me a better picture of who Abraham Lincoln was from a boy to the Presidency.
Other articles that you history lovers might like are: The column on How It Works – The First Submarine to Sink a Warship; articles on Inside Rome’s War Machine, Stopping the California Black Death, Joan of Arc-Beyond Belief, Birth of the Pyramids and many others. Also in their Good To Know Column is: New Books, Websites, Apps and TV Specials coming.
National Geographic has done an excellent job putting this magazine together. Nice clear crisp pictures, interesting easy to read articles. Just like their shows they take you there, tell you the history as it happened.
Watch your local newsstands for this Premier Issue of Exploring History by National Geographic $6.99. I know you’re going to love it!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Gods and Generals Movie Review
Dr. Steve Woodworth an Civil War historian and Professor of History at Texas Christian University, reviewed the film Gods and Generals for the Journal of American History in 2003. The American Historical Association (AHA) recently posted a copy of that review that appeared on the website Teachinghistory.org.
I remember seeing this movie and liking it. I remember people complaining that it was way to long so they wouldn't go see it. There was intermission half way through the movie, this is the way movies were originally. I have to be honest though it's been so long ago I really don't remember they whole thing. Think I'll have to set down and re-watch it again.
Click here to read the review
I remember seeing this movie and liking it. I remember people complaining that it was way to long so they wouldn't go see it. There was intermission half way through the movie, this is the way movies were originally. I have to be honest though it's been so long ago I really don't remember they whole thing. Think I'll have to set down and re-watch it again.
Click here to read the review
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Up-Date
Well I’m finally back, at least for a little while. It’s been a very busy summer around here. Since the end of May I have been in Virginia for a month, home for just a little while then back to Virginia. From there was in Philadelphia, PA then to Boston, MA. And in a couple of weeks heading back home to Kansas for the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty. Medicine Lodge is where my family is originally from. So as you can see I haven’t had that much time to even thing about blogging. Everywhere we were we toured and visited all historical sites but didn’t see anything Civil War related. It was all Revolutionary War, which is a switch for us but boy was it interesting. Revolutionary time period is also one of my interests but when you live in the south and originally from Kansas you just don’t get to see anything from that era. We had a great time and would like to head east again someday. There’s just so much to see. In no way can you see it all!
I’m going to try to squeeze in little thing every once in a while but after I get back from Kansas I’m hoping to have more time for blogging. Since we have been back from Boston we have started painting the inside of our house. It’s been 7 years so the walls are due to be freshened up. We have 2 rooms down and 3 more to do before the holidays hit. I do have several things coming up that you would probably by interested in, so check back often. Talk soon!
I’m going to try to squeeze in little thing every once in a while but after I get back from Kansas I’m hoping to have more time for blogging. Since we have been back from Boston we have started painting the inside of our house. It’s been 7 years so the walls are due to be freshened up. We have 2 rooms down and 3 more to do before the holidays hit. I do have several things coming up that you would probably by interested in, so check back often. Talk soon!
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