With the exception of a speaking engagement at Manassas Museum on the 20th, I have cleared my entire calendar in order to focus on acquiring sources for my upcoming "American Chronicles" book on Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have identified a variety of potential sources listed in the NPS' Bound Volumes catalog and I will be spending several days up at Chatham copying them for transcription into the book.

Our county and the surrounding area hosted thousands of troops and there appears to be a nice collection of quotable materials from the southern contingency. As this book is to be presented in a chronicles-format (verbatim transcripts with introductory narratives by me), I want to make sure that it is more than just a good read. I have already published three books based on my faith (meant to uplift), two based on neglected topics (meant to educate), and my goal now is to write one that will become a respected research tool for others.

Much like my study on Fredericksburg’s historical churches, this project is of special interest to me as I live in the vicinity of several sites. Three of them are marked by VA roadside markers:

Lee’s Winter Headquarters E-38: During the winter of 1862-1863, Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee maintained his headquarters in a small clearing in the woods in this vicinity. The camp contained only a few tents and nothing but a flag to indicate it was Lee’s headquarters. By mid-February the Army of Northern Virginia showed signs of scurvy and malnutrition, so Lee sent Lt. Gen. James Longstreet and a few other divisions to southeastern Virginia to gather supplies and counter Union forces. Lee remained at the site until late March 1863, when a serious throat infection forced him to take shelter at the nearby Thomas Yerby’s house. [2002]

Longstreet’s Winter Headquarters E-41: Following the Battle of Fredericksburg in Dec. 1862, Confederate Lt. Gen. James Longstreet established his headquarters in a tent near here. His command center was in close proximity to Generals Robert E. Lee and J. E. B. Stuart. Longstreet commanded the Army of Northern Virginia’s First Corps, a force totaling approximately 40,000 men. In Feb. 1863 Longstreet left Fredericksburg with the divisions of Maj. Gens. George E. Pickett and John B. Hood to conduct an independent military operation near Suffolk. He rejoined the Army of Northern Virginia in May following the Battle of Chancellorsville. [2002]

Stuart E-8: At this point J. E. B. Stuart had his headquarters and cavalry camp in December 1862. [1995]

The REAL challenge with this project is to highlight the camp locations which are not well-known. This requires quality research and a willingness to spend the time necessary to uncover the data. As the final product is part of The History Press' "American Chronicles Series," the turnaround on the manuscript will be relatively quick. Therefore my pre-production work must be thorough.  

On a related side-note I was contacted by George Skoch, a renowned map maker, CWPT logo designer, and former co-editor of Blue & Gray Magazine. We discussed the possibility of putting together a couple maps IF the data to create them existed. Of course we won’t be able to determine that until I get into the archives and see what reference is available. I can’t wait to get started.

After four years, it was about time for an upgrade and I will continue to add new elements as time goes on. As you can see, I went with a simple, military-style-sheet and I hope to upgrade the quality of my posts to match the improved quality of the template. My original blog archives are still accessible via the link to the top right. As I am reinventing my online identity I thought I would reintroduce myself to new readers (below). As a reminder, I will be speaking at Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church this Wed. night at 6:30 on J. William Jones’ book "Christ in the Camp" as part of their Christian Classics Series. Next week I will be doing both a lecture on Fredericksburg's historic churches and a book signing at Manassas Museum on Friday, March 20th at 7pm. As usual, I will post the transcripts and slides over on my website.

Michael Aubrecht is a historian and author from Fredericksburg. He is a happily married father of four, as well as a devout Presbyterian. He attends Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church in beautiful Central Virginia and lives near the historic Massaponax Church, just a few miles from the 'Stonewall' Jackson Shrine.

In late-summer of 2008, Michael was appointed to the board for the National Civil War Life Museum Foundation, and commissioned to act as an event advisor (providing expertise in Civil War-era baseball) for the 1859 County Fair and Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania VA Sesquicentennial Committees.

Michael's personal interests include Southern Civil War history, 19th-20th century baseball, and the positive role that Christianity played during the War Between the States. His non-fiction book titles include: "Onward Christian Soldier: The Spiritual Journey of Stonewall," "Christian Cavalier: The Spiritual Legacy of JEB Stuart," "The Southern Cross: A Civil War Devotional," and "Houses of the Holy: Historic Churches of Fredericksburg."

He is currently in the process of completing "You Stink! Major League Baseball’s Terrible Teams and Pathetic Players" with co-author/historian Eric Wittenberg and researching "Campfires at the Crossroads: Confederate Encampments in Spotsylvania County" as part of The History Press’ American Chronicles Series.

From 2000-2006 Michael was a contributing writer for Baseball-Almanac.com, and has written over 375 studies on MLB history, as well as an online eBook titled "Luckiest Fans On The Face Of This Earth: History of the New York Yankees in the Fall Classic."

In 2005, Michael was commissioned to write the Introduction to noted UK sport's author John White's "Baseball Miscellany," and in 2006, he optioned the rights to one of his most popular baseball stories on the life of Jackie Mitchell for a film titled "Strike Out Queen." He is also featured in four consecutive 'Faith Writer's Anthologies,' as well as 'The SPC Post,' 'Cross-Times,' 'Pop Flies,' and 'The Citizen's Companion.'

Michael is a longtime member of Faith Writers, founder of The Jefferson Project, co-founder of The Jackson Society, an Associate Member of the Sons Of Confederate Veterans, Honorary Member of the John Bell Hood Historical Society and Lee's Lts., a supporter for the Gettysburg Foundation and also a contributing writer for various newspapers and magazines including 'The Free Lance-Star' and 'Civil War Historian.'

In 2008, Michael won Second Place in the Civil War Preservation Trust’s national endangered battlefield photography contest. In 2007, he was recognized by The Free Lance-Star for penning letters that had an impact in the community, and in 2006 he received citations from the Sons of Confederate Veterans and the United Daughter's of the Confederacy.

From 1994-2000, Michael received a number of citations from the U.S. Navy and Lockheed Martin. This includes the prestigious AEGIS Excellence Award and multiple Lightning Awards. An experienced associate art director and designer, he has also won multiple Creativity Awards (#'s 32-35) and a #36 Silver for a cover story on Colin Powell for Selling Power magazine.

Michael is periodically available for guest speaking, book signing, interviews, radio, and online chat presentations. Discounts and/or fees waived for church, military, heritage, and non-profit groups.

Visit Michael’s website at www.pinstripepress.net or contact him directly at ma@pinstripepress.net.