For the last two nights I have been busy reading through the digitized transcripts and primary sources on camps that I was fortunate enough to gather from our local NPS archives. So far I have identified at least 40 excellent pieces from the 150 or so I’ve browsed that will be featured in my upcoming book Campfires at the Crossroads: Confederate Encampments in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. This title is part of The History Press’ new American Chronicles Series and I am very excited about getting this project underway. Among the gems I’ll be quoting are letters, diary entries, and military reports that present the secessionist's camp life and day-to-day hardships that were experienced in our area and neighboring counties. It’s VERY cool to read a letter written from a soldier camped near Massaponax or Thornburg knowing that he wrote it right down the road from where I live.

There is some excellent material on African-American servants too who accompanied their masters in the field. Some served as cooks and valets, while others appear to have made a lucrative living for themselves (and I assume their masters) by washing clothes. As the topic of “Black-Confederates” has become a hot-button issue in recent months, I will be sure to include what accounts I can in my book. I will say that every black “confederate” I have come across was acting in the capacity of a servant, NOT a soldier. One interesting tidbit is that a master was apparently required to pay for their slave's portion of the mess (food) if he was to stay in camp. In addition, slaves could be contracted out for labor. Most surprising is an account of two slaves bringing food out to their masters when they were under artillery attack on the front lines. 

I am also enjoying the bittersweet letters home from soldiers to their loved ones followed by their subsequent death notifications. There are some baseball references too, which I will certainly be highlighting. All in all, the sourcing process for this project has only just begun, but it always strikes me how much I love doing research – even more than writing.

PS: BRAND NEW VIDEO OF 'TNH' WILL BE POSTED TONIGHT.