Emerging Civil War
Emerging Civil War — April 2022
Originally published April 2022 · pp. 29–31
I was pleased to open the March 2022 issue of Civil War News to see a review by Joe Truglio of our ECW 10th Anniversary book The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma. “I found this book full of valuable information on the battle and also valued the opinions of authors I admire and respect,” Joe said. We admire and respect Joe. As a member of the Robert E. Lee Civil War Roundtable and former president of the Phil Kearney Civil War Roundtable, both in New Jersey, Joe has been a stalwart friend to ECW since our very earliest days. When I did a talk for the Colonel Henry Ryerson Civil War Round Table in northern New Jersey, Joe made the trek up to see me. He had commented so frequently on our blog posts that, when he introduced himself, I recognized his name immediately. That encounter made Joe the first ECW reader I ever met in person, a distinction I still look back on with great fondness and nostalgia and I’m pleased to call him my friend to this day. In fact, the symposium wouldn’t be the symposium without Joe, and his pals Hank and Chris, bunking up in the Civil War House and spending the weekend with us. A few days before I saw Joe’s kind review in the paper, I got word from the Civil War Roundtable Congress about another friend, Wally Rueckel. The Congress established a pair of awards, one of which honors a CWRT that exhibits innovation: The Wally Rueckel Innovation Award. Wally is a founding member of the Congress and a founder of the Brunswick CWRT in Southport, North Carolina, the largest CWRT in the world with more than 1,300 members. “Talk about innovation, and Wally and his namesake award should quickly come to mind,” said Congress President Mike Movius, himself a good friend of ECW’s. Wally’s another guy I’ve known a long time. He has worked hard to network the CWRTs of North Carolina, and his energy has been matched only by his friendliness. The Congress also established the Dr. John Bamberl Phoenix
Chris Mackowski and Wally Rueckel. Award for re-invigorating a “dark” CWRT. John’s another absolutely swell guy. When Joe referenced “authors I admire and respect,” we would be remiss if we didn’t say the feeling was mutual. ECW enjoys the success it enjoys today because of the many warm and wonderful personal relationships so many of us have developed over the years with folks like Joe and Wally, and John and Mike, Hank and Chris, and YOU. We are deeply grateful for your support and friendship. Please know that we admire and respect you. In gratitude, — Chris Mackowski, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief “What Ifs” of the American Civil War? And what if that symposium included keynote speaker Garry Adelman talking about the great “what ifs” of Gettysburg? What if other Civil War rock stars like Gordon Rhea and Brian Matthew Jordan were on the docket, not to mention ten other ECW all-stars? Find out the answers to these and other compelling Civil War What-Ifs August 5-7, 2022, at the Eighth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge, held in Spotsylvania, Va. Tickets are $225 each, available here: https://emergingcivilwar. com/2022-symposium/.
Eighth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge What if ECW had a symposium inspired by its latest book, Great Month, Chris Mackowski has been exploring the road from Civil War to Civil Rights, tied in with a project for a new class he’s teaching this semester at St. Bonaventure University: “The Civil Rights Movement and the Media.” See interviews with • • • •
News and Notes Sarah Kay Bierle recently made a short trip to the Carolinas! She enjoyed hiking at Bentonville Battlefield. Stephen Davis, ECW’s book review editor, has returned to Jack Melton’s Civil War News as a contributing columnist. His monthly “Critic’s Corner” in the CWN March issue spotlighted Thomas Cooper DeLeon’s Four Years in Rebel Capitals (1890). Bert Dunkerly spent a few days touring sites in Charleston, Savannah, and the low country. He did not see alligators but did find beer. Dwight Hughes received another great review for his new ECW Series book Unlike Anything That Ever Floated: The Monitor and Virginia and the Battle of Hampton Roads, March 8-9, 1862, in the Winter issue of Civil War Navy magazine: “Unlike Anything That Ever Floated is an excellent read. There is something for everyone here and even if well acquainted with the battle you will find something new. It is highly recommended.” Chris Kolakowski has joined the Consortium of Indo-Pacific Researchers as a lead for their military history efforts. The Consortium is a volunteer think-tank affiliated with the Air Force Journal of IndoPacific Affairs. For more information, visit https://indopacificresearchers.org/. Chris Mackowski spoke on “Abraham Lincoln as a Writer” to the Fredericksburg, Va., chapter of the Sons of Union Veterans on Lincoln’s birthday, February 12. On Saturday, February 20, three folks with ECW ties spoke at the Chambersburg Civil War Seminar’s one-day online “Leaders and Leadership” conference, organized by ECW alum Eric Wittenberg: • • •
Chris Mackowski on “Stonewall Jackson’s Arresting Leadership Style” Dave Powell on “William S. Rosecrans and the Spirit of Innovation in 1863” Dr. Zachery Fry: “Martinets and McClellanites: Regulars, Volunteers, and Leadership Challenges in the Union Army”
(Here’s a shout-out to our friend Gordon Rhea, who spoke about Jeb Stuart.)
ECW Retreat Emerging Civil War had our annual retreat over Presidents Day weekend. This year, we converged on Gettysburg for a couple days of workshops, battlefielding, beers, and camaraderie. Fourteen of us gathered in person for the full weekend, with several others Zooming in for the day on Saturday. We thought we’d share pictures of some of the fun on pp. 30-31.
Emerging Civil War Multimedia From the ECW YouTube page: In February, for Black History
Pat Young of the Reconstruction Era Blog Dr. Breea Willingham Historian Rebecca Hoffman of Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Historian Joe Owen of Lyndon B. Johnston National Historic Site
For the anniversary of Fort Donelson in early February, see videos with Chris Mackowski and Kris White. In January, Kris did a series of videos from Stones River National Battlefield with cameos by park historian Jim Lewis!
February saw the birth of the man whose name is most connected with the American Revolution and the quest for American independence: George Washington. Born along the Potomac River in Westmoreland County, Virginia, on February 11, 1732 (os); the “os” is for “old style,” which relates to the calendar then currently used in the English world in the mid-18th century. Today, we know the date as February 22. To celebrate the birth of Washington, the Emerging Revolutionary War’s popular Sunday night “Rev War Reverly” was dedicated to all things Washington on February 20. To check it out, head over to Emerging Revolutionary War’s Facebook or YouTube pages. A full schedule is on the Facebook page under the “events” tab, as well. Start planning for two ERW events this coming autumn. The first is in Historic Alexandria on September 24 as ERW partners again with Historic Alexandria to bring a full-day symposium dedicated to the international ramifications of the American Revolution. Then, on November 11-13, 2022, the second annual ERW bus tour heads to Monmouth and Valley Forge to follow the “Rise of the American Army.” Check out our website www. emergingrevolutionarywar.org to secure your tickets for both of these events. As folks came into town, we did some battlefielding on our own or in small groups. We had originally intended to shoot some videos for the ECW YouTube page, but the wind was too strong (and thus noisy). Several of us took some time to tour around Culp’s Hill (seen here in the distance) before we all checked into the hotel and then met up for dinner at the Garyowen Irish Pub. It was time to get down to work, just in time for lunch. We had a top-floor room in the hotel for a work space, with a pleasant view up toward the National Cemetery, across the field where the old visitor center once stood. It’s hard to see in this photo, but a picture of George Pickett hung in the room, overlooking our countertop of food, which essentially gave us our own General Pickett’s buffet with no baked shad on the menu, but lots of Tommy’s pizza.) Subscribe or Renew Online at CivilWarNews.com On Sunday morning, after a hearty breakfast at the world-famous Lincoln Diner, Kris decided to test our hardiness and dedication to the cause. He led the group to the remains of the Bliss farm and made us stand on a windswept plain while he shared not only Civil War history but WWI history, too. Jon Tracey chimed in with some additional info about the impact of the Spanish Influenza pandemic on Gettysburg and some WWII history.
Trekking across the field from Cemetery Ridge to the Codori Thicket, we wrapped up the day with a visit to the Willard Monument. Willard, while leading the 125th New York, was decapitated on the spot by a Confederate artillery shell.
