15 YEARS AGO I was first introduced to the Civil War paintings of Mort Künstler.

12 YEARS AGO I stood in line for 2 ½ hours to meet him at a gallery in Fredericksburg.

10 YEARS AGO I began collecting his illustration books of which I have 6 titles.

3 YEARS AGO I was able to purchase 2 of his calendar prints to hang in my dining room.

2 YEARS AGO I interviewed the man for 2 feature articles in the Free Lance-Star.

1 YEAR AGO I wrote a third feature article and a friendship followed.

2 WEEKS AGO my friend donated 2 prints to the National Civil War Life Foundation.

TODAY I accepted a job to write the historical certificate copy for his next release.

If you would have told that 21 year-old kid that someday he would be writing Mort Künstler's copy, he would have laughed out loud. I am surely blessed and very grateful.

Mort Künstler articles by yours truly:

Mort Künstler: An American Master

“Merry Christmas General Lee”

Human Decency During War

I am VERY proud to announce that Eric Wittenberg and I have finally completed the draft manuscript for You Stink! Major League Baseball’s Terrible Teams and Pathetic Players. The current word count is 185,665 with 380 pages (single spaced). We also have complete rosters, statistics and box scores, 50+ photos and 34 footnotes. The file was just sent off to our proofer in preparation for publisher submission. I always love this feeling when a book is initially down on paper. The editing and refining process follows, but it’s very satisfying when concept becomes reality. It's hard to believe that we started this project just 12 months ago. Eric did a great job with his sections and I’m blessed to have him as a friend and co-author. Stay tuned for details on this unique project.

At the invitation of an editor and chief of mine, I entered a fun, fictional writing contest. The theme is ‘conflict’ and the task was to write a 750- word essay. Of course I went with the Civil War as my backdrop. You can read my story (and vote on it if you wish) over at The Novelette. You can also enter yourself if you like. Here’s a taste of my entry:

It was early on Sunday, in the spring of 1864, and all around were signs of God’s glorious creation. Daybreak had just begun, and the sun was slowly peeking over the horizon. As it ascended, the vast landscape of sleeping clouds appeared to catch fire and the midnight blue evening was painted over by a brilliant orange glow. A gentle breeze stirred the miles of tall grass covering the fields beneath and the sweet song of birds softly echoed through the trees.

Below in the valley, the scene was very different. Hidden amidst a thick hanging fog, two armies were just beginning to stir. Many soldiers did not share nature’s sentiments in welcoming back another sunrise. Exhausted, homesick and terribly traumatized by the horrors they had witnessed on the battlefield, the promise of another day brought nothing more than prolonged suffering. READ ON

This evening I had the pleasure of attending a very special program at the historic Massaponax Baptist Church. As I had announced below on 3/24, the National Park Service hosted two showings of their fourth “Voices from the Storm” presentation. These unique programs use historic venues, the words of the people who lived and fought here, music, and images to tell the story of a community caught in the maelstrom of the Civil War. Each one lasts approx. 60+ minutes and is tailored especially for the location.

Tonight’s presentation shared the firsthand experiences of Spotsylvanians amidst war in their own words. According to the handout, no place suffered longer or more variously from war than Spotsylvania County. NPS Chief of Interpretation John Hennessy narrated the program which featured Debbie Aylor, Randy Dail, Scott Howson, and Torie Aylaor as readers. Period musicians and singers from Evergreen Shade provided the musical interludes and a 40+ photographic slide show ran on the backdrop.

I had the privilege of sitting in the front with National Civil War Life Foundation Chairman Horace McCaskill and Museum Director Terry Thomann. This gave us an up close view of the performers who did a magnificent job in conveying the emotions of the individuals they were quoting. The photographs selected from the NPS collection added a great deal to the piece and the live music was extremely touching at times. Evergreen Shade’s version of “I’m Going Home” was very emotional and sitting in the hallowed sanctuary of Massaponax Baptist Church added to the experience.

John’s narrative painted a vivid portrait of the county’s perspectives from all sides and I was surprised by some of the numbers he included such as the majority of Spotsylvanian’s in the 1860's being African-American, the high percentages of financial losses incurred by whites, and the staggering amount of civilians requiring government assistance after the war. Clearly the program showed that suffering occurred on all sides, both on and off the battlefield. As I am just beginning to gather primary sources for my upcoming book on Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County, I recognized some good material on camps that I am hoping to include.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend one of these “Voices from the Storm” programs, do it. You will get the REAL story, from those that experienced it, through their own words, images, and music.