BLOG, or DIE. Author Bio
Monday, 17 August 2009
HELP WANTED: Civil War Baseball

Today I would like to share a unique project with hopes that someone out there in our community will be interested in participating.

A few months ago I was contacted by a gentleman from SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) who was busy compiling a database of all known Civil War baseball sources with the intention of doing some critical data-analysis on the subject. I provided him with transcripts of everything I had, as well as some local NPS archives files, and he was able to stretch his catalog to approximately 150+ primary sources.

This was far more material than was available when the only 2 books on the subject of Civil War baseball (George Kirsch's and Patricia Millen’s studies) were published. Therefore, the potential for doing something meaningful was huge. A majority of these new pieces were quoted from soldier’s personal letters home and post-war recollections. Understandably, most were written by from troops deploying out of the northeast (New York – Massachusetts area).

The gentleman at the head of this project is Larry McCray and he asked if I would be interested in writing a paper (or possibly more) on the subject. As I am fairly busy with my own publishing endeavors, I politely declined, but offered to share the details of his vision here with hopes of soliciting some interest. Larry sent me this overview:

Since we now have about 3 times the number of references that were available as late as 2003, I suggest that someone may want to receive this new data and use it to revise our understanding of the extent and significance of ball playing in the Civil War. I’d rather such a task reside with a CW person than another baseball person, for substantive reasons. My own role, as a military know-nothing, is to summarize the total evidence statistically and to help identify prior conventional wisdom that is inconsistent with the facts we now have. I will be putting this data out, but the timing can be worked out with anyone who wants to use them. My job is to get the data out, not to interpret them.

So: is there a way to gauge interest in your community in doing some such paper? Keep in mind that there are already two books [2001, 2003] on CW baseball, and while they are necessarily fueled with sparse anecdote, I wonder if publishers will see market value in another one. I am happy to provide the source material that I have on the 150 references summarized in a Word document and Excel worksheet.

Additionally, Larry is planning on making the collection available online for others to use in their own research. See Project Protoball: Supporting Research on the Origins of Baseball.

Anyone who thinks they might be interested in exploring this venture, or are aware of someone else who may, please contact Larry via this site.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 10:19 AM EDT
Updated: Monday, 17 August 2009 11:01 AM EDT
Permalink | Share This Post
Sunday, 16 August 2009
New Naked
 
A tour of my personal library and favorite history book titles...
 
 

Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 4:47 PM EDT
Permalink | Share This Post
Friday, 14 August 2009
OK-OK. I have NO idea what I'm doing, but I'm in.

Some of our fellow Civil War bloggers have recently setup Twitter pages to help share information and generate traffic to their respective blogs and websites. This morning I set up an account and hope to use it to promote both my books, as well as our foundation’s efforts. My Twitter page is located at http://twitter.com/Aubrecht and I am still figuring out how to use it. Social interaction within a web community is still a new concept and as much as I enjoy reconnecting with friends on Facebook, I am still trying to find a way to incorporate these tools into my own work. Please be patient as I navigate these waters (after all, the root word in Twitter is “twit”).


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 11:58 AM EDT
Updated: Friday, 14 August 2009 1:16 PM EDT
Permalink | Share This Post
Thursday, 13 August 2009
I can hardly wait...

This week I humbly accepted an invitation to speak at a banquet dinner for the Civil War Home Chatroom’s 2010 Muster. The CWHC is a wonderful organization made up of extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic Civil War buffs from around the country. Each year, members of this group gather together for an extended weekend at one of the country’s historic CW sites. For 10+ years they have visited hallowed grounds in both the western and eastern territories. Next year’s event is taking place in June and will encompass sites along the Shenandoah Valley.

Now these “musters” are not your ordinary tours by any means. This is a first class organization that spends a great deal of time coordinating a one-of-a-kind experience. From custom-designed commemorative shirts and hats, to special tours, member awards and a book exchange, the CWHC does it right. They also tap historians and experts with local networks that enable them to access sites that the general public cannot.

On the final night of each muster they hold a special dinner and I have been given the honor and privilege of giving that evening’s presentation. This year’s focus will be New Market, Port Republic, Cross Keys and Lexington and I will be speaking about one of my favorite subjects, “Stonewall” Jackson. The title of my piece is “Jackson’s Journey: Stonewall in the Valley” and it will present a look at a brilliant military campaign that forged the legacy of a lion.

As many parts of the weekend’s tours, especially those in Lexington, will cover Jackson’s family, friends, and personal life, I will be focusing on how the success of the Valley Campaign helped to re-define Jackson as a military giant. I plan to recap each engagement and offer a look at how Jackson’s actions were received on both sides. It’s quite different from talks I’ve done on ‘Stonewall” in the past (most have focused on his spiritual life), but I love the challenge of examining an old friend in a new way.

Jackson’s Valley Campaign has been heralded as one of the greatest military maneuvers in American history and rightfully so. Over the course of this mission Jackson’s 17,000 men marched over 600 miles in 48 days and successfully engaged three Union armies (52,000 men), preventing them from reinforcing the Federal offensive against Richmond. The campaign not only secured a series of crucial victories for the Confederacy, it also solidified Jackson’s reputation and a swift and savvy commander.

My talk will examine Jackson as a leader and I am really looking forward to including some great maps I’ve come upon to reinforce his troop’s remarkable achievement. Quotes from firsthand accounts and recollections will make up the conclusion of the piece. Of course I will have my usual PowerPoint visuals and I am bringing some of my own books to do a signing after the festivities are over. (I am also hoping to join the group for a prior tour and have solicited the assistance of my good friend, author and historian Richard Williams.)

Events like these, and the passionate groups that hold them, are a major reason I started writing about CW history in the first place. There is nothing better than sharing our collective knowledge to gain a better understanding and appreciation for our nation’s story.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 9:54 PM EDT
Updated: Thursday, 13 August 2009 9:59 PM EDT
Permalink | Share This Post
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
A bright shining star emerges


Special thanks to proud mom Kathleen Warren for sending me this article. I am so very proud of young Richard and I am looking forward to his performance above all the rest of us "boring old farts."

Salem boy portrays soldier in Civil War documentary (The Roanoke Times)

Richard Warren, a 10-year-old from Salem, recently turned actor for a part in a Civil War documentary. Warren portrayed the young Richard Kirkland, a South Carolina soldier who earned the nickname "The Angel of Marye's Heights" when he volunteered to cross enemy lines to take water to wounded Union soldiers during the fighting around Fredericksburg. A Georgia-based filmmaker recently came to Salem to shoot the scenes involving Richard.

Here's what Kathleen tells us:

About a year and a half ago, my son, Richard had a chance to do a living history presentation for a school project. He enjoys studying Civil War history (both sides) and decided on Richard Kirkland, someone that is not very well known in some circles. Remarkably, he did a great job for a 9 year old...so much so that Michael Aubrecht, a Fredericksburg author and historian put the video I did on his blog. He has since had the opportunity to give his portrayal for two 4th of July celebrations, a New Year's party, in front of the Stonewall Jackson Shrine and on the Sunken Road in Fredericksburg. (You can see this on youtube if you type in Richard Kirkland.)

Later, a Savannah filmmaker decided to do a documentary on Kirkland. Filmmaker Clint Ross contacted Aubrect, the Fredericksburg author, and through that connection, a film crew recently came to Salem to shoot the scenes involving Richard Warren as the 10-year-old Kirkland.

Here's what the filmmaker has to say about the project:

Basically, close to a year ago I contacted Civil War Author Michael Aubrecht after I had seen a piece he had written regarding Richard Kirkland "The Angel of Marye's Heights". I spoke with him regarding the idea of shooting a short screenplay about the event that launched Kirkland to national acclaim. I thought the story was captivating and left my mind and heart troubled by the complexity of the situation. "What would I have done?" was my question. It made me question war and the nature of men. In the words of Megan Hicks from her audio book What Was Civil About That War... "I do not understand the nobility of men... I must say, I am truly mystified." Michael and I hit it off from the beginning, we just naturally were propelled to tell this story. I went to the Film and Television's dean at my school, Chris Auer, and asked him if I could film this story for my Thesis. BTW, my school is Savannah College of Art & Design - www.scad.edu. Along with him and the overseer of my Thesis, Michael Nolin, I was granted permission to first do a documentary about Kirkland.

It was here that Michael became my co-producer and we adventured along to tell this story. We decided to showcase the event that occured at Fredericksburg and the memory of Kirkland. We looked into the ways Kirkland has been commemorated since th event in 1862. I phone interviewed Civil War artist, Mort Kunstler, award-winning audio book writer Megan Hicks, National Park Service Ranger Donald Phanz, historian and author of "The Long Role" Joseph Matheson, Civil War Historian John Cummings, and Civil War Author Michael Aubrecht. All these people brought a unique element to the Richard Kirkland story. I am including original music composed by Canadian Bluegrass musician Will White who wrote a song about Kirkland called Fredericksburg 1862. I have also included several dramatic scenes to capture Kirkland at his childhood, the night he contemplated leaping the wall, and his actual running across the battlefield. All in all, I am hoping this will turn out to be a quality film that is worthy of the story it is telling.

Those involved in the film were myself - Clint Ross (Director/Co-Producer), Michael Aubrecht (Co-Producer), Zach Graber (Cinematographer), Nazar Loun (1st AC or Camera Operator), and Clayton de Wet (Sound Mixer). We filmed in Camden, SC - Kirkland's hometown - Fredericksburg, VA - Where the battle took place and where Kirkland's act occured, and Salem, Va - Scene from Kirkland's childhood, which includes Richard Warren age 10, your son.

I am expecting to have this film completed by Dec.12th - the night before the Battle of Fredericksburg.


Posted by ny5/pinstripepress at 11:39 PM EDT
Updated: Tuesday, 11 August 2009 11:46 PM EDT
Permalink | Share This Post

Newer | Latest | Older