It was with a tremendous sense of gratitude and humility that I accepted the position of Vice-Chairman for the National Civil War Life Foundation tonight. I was aware I had been nominated, but when the vote was unanimous, I was floored. Our meeting was a two-hour session in which everyone on the board had something of significant value to share. This monumental project is coming along nicely and the tentative fund-raising initiatives, exhibit planning and educational programs are starting to come together. I am blessed to be a part of something so original and significant.

One aspect that drew me to this effort was the intentionally diverse perspective that this museum is going to present. We have ZERO agenda. The entire goal of the NCWL Museum is to represent ALL sides, military, civilian, slave, etc. In addition, we are not only going to display artifacts. We are going to give our museum’s visitors the complete back-story and conclusion.

For example, the latest gem added to our document collection is an original letter from a former slave to her master, asking that her children be hired out to her. That said, it is so much more than just a letter. Ultimately, it is a testament to the painful woes of slavery as this woman is desperately trying to get her family back. Not only were we able to procure her letter, we also had a genealogist research her family and provide us with the woman’s complete history all the way back through three other masters – up to her days as a freed woman following the Civil War.

These kinds of rare and intimate exhibits are exactly what inspires us at the National Civil War Life Foundation. Our museum will not tell the story of some random slave who penned a letter to her former owner. It will tell the story of Mrs. Amanda Holmes, a strong African-American woman who was born in Virginia, bought by a minister from Missouri who freed her, successful in purchasing her husband, and a relentless lobbyist who secured sponsors to assist her in the retrieval of their children. THAT my friends is a REAL story. THAT is what this museum is all about.

There will be lots of news to come as we continue to procure support from both politicians and celebrities. For more information on the NCWLF, visit our website (which I also maintain) at www.civilwarlife.org and keep an eye out for our Facebook page.

PS. I also want to reiterate my congratulations to our good friend John Cummings who was unanimously elected as Secretary tonight.

Over the last few weeks I have received some wonderful feedback from colleagues, readers and Facebook friends on my amateur “Naked Historian” video series.

Although I have far more pressing matters going on with the National Civil War Life Foundation and my upcoming book on Confederate encampments, I am having a blast shooting these little ditties in my free time. I am also surprised by the interest they have generated and will continue to make them as long as there’s an audience. People seem to respond to the idea of me showcasing historical sites here in the Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania region that are off the beaten path. VIEW EPISODES HERE

What I really enjoy as the creator is the lack of pressure with these. They are highly original as far as content (so there’s nothing to compare them to), very casual as far as preparation (a little research and a shave), and ultimately fun to do (I never know what will happen). It is the exact opposite of how I usually work. When I have a lecture or radio appearance to do, I spend weeks gathering materials and assembling a tight, scripted presentation. It’s the only way I can do them.

These videos involve 30 minutes of research and 7-8 minutes of filming. Frankly, I am improvising my intros and this is good practice for the tourism spots I will be doing on our local cable-access. Personally I think it’s good to “let our hair down” and incorporate fun into our work. As historians, it is very easy to get all wrapped up in our professional research and writing that we lose sight of that original joy that drove us to the subject in the first place. That could probably be said for most vocations.

When I give the occasional tour of our area to a visiting family or group, I feel like a little kid all over again. When I am up writing until 1 am in the morning for a week straight, it’s a far different feeling. That is not to say I don’t enjoy BOTH processes, but there is a definite distinction between work and play. I have come to understand why other historians become re-enactors on the weekends. Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter compared to their day-job and they can revert back to that time when history was just an interest with no pressing deadlines or peer reviews.

Surprisingly, some of the most enthusiastic feedback I have received on these unscripted videos is from academic historians and doctorate students. I think this is because they get it. (A doctorate student friend of mine from Carnegie Mellon University has been a huge supporter.) This is simply my way of preventing burnout and sharing some overlooked history in my community. I would like to do at least 10 episodes of ‘TNH’ and I am opening up the last few to suggestions.

So far I have shot:

1. Best Buy and the Forgotten Marker at Central Park
2. Sterling Plantation on “Stonewall” Jackson’s Ambulance Route
3. Gordon Home and Family Cemetery at Loriella Park
4. The Caged Cannon at Pelham’s Crossing

I am prepared to shoot:

5. The Suffocated 15th New Jersey Monument on Rt.3
6. The Meade Pyramid on the Fredericksburg Battlefield
7. Spirit of Freedom Garden in Celebrate Virginia (IF I can get close)
I also have a lead on a house near Harrison's Crossing and a barn in England Run.

What else? Email your suggestions to ma@pinstripepress.net. Winners will be selected as previously planned episodes are completed. Selected candidates will have their email read and receive credit for their suggestion in the opener. (And to all my local NPS buddies out there, feel free to send your leads too, hint-hint.)

The criteria is as follows:

1. The site must be located in the Fredericksburg or Spotsylvania County region.
2. No major tourist stops, the more minuscule – the better.
3. The site must be documented and/or verified as being a ‘historical’ location.

Thanks in advance. Now I have to get back to doing REAL work…

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.