This weekend marks the 148th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863). Gettysburg has always had a special place in my heart and as much as I enjoy living here in Fredericksburg, I wouldn’t mind living there either. You could say that Gettysburg is the entire reason that I became interested in history and later pursued it as the focus of my writing vocation. I recently posted a piece about my childhood experiences at Fort Ligonier Days, but Gettysburg, more than anywhere, made me the historian that I am today.

Family time was always an important part of my childhood and vacations were eagerly anticipated in the Aubrecht house. Over the years, we had driven or flown to several destinations including Disneyworld, Niagara Falls, and Sea World. All of them were magical, but none as special as the place we visited in 1978. That was the summer my family traveled to the National Military Park at Gettysburg.

I remember it like it was yesterday and how funny the name "Gettysburg" sounded to me at the time. I also recall how I had absolutely no idea what was there. Did it have an amusement park, or a beach, or maybe some natural wonder, or a water park? Those were the types of getaways I was used to. "Nope." my mother said, "Don't worry. I think you'll like it." For some reason, both my mother and father kept the main attraction a surprise and I vividly recall asking them repeatedly on the drive there, where were we going and what we would see.

After what seemed like days, we finally arrived at this little tourist town in Pennsylvania greeted by miles of wooden rail fences and wheat fields. "What is this?" I asked myself, "Some kind of farm?" Pulling into the town, I can still picture all of the flags (both Union and Confederate) that adorned the doorways of virtually every store and hotel in sight. I also remember seeing what I thought were blue and gray cowboys painted on the signs for several museums and attractions. "Whatever took place here," I told myself, "it happened a long time ago."

As we checked in, my parents gave me a very brief introduction on where we were and why we were there. Hearing the key word "war," my mind began to race as I tried to take it all in. A Civil War? Americans fighting Americans? Soldiers? Slaves? Instantly a mass of both familiar and foreign terms sparked my interest. As we departed the hotel and began to sightsee, I found myself becoming more and more excited about where we were and what I was about to experience. I recall seeing real cannons for the first time and lots of big gray statues and monuments. I remember feeling so small while looking up at these giant bearded guys on horses that were wielding guns and swords. Very cool. Very cool indeed!

The battlefield itself was a bit of a bore initially as endless rock outcroppings and miles of grassy fields failed to capture the imagination of this six year-old boy. On the other hand, the many museums and other attractions we later visited really caught my eye. I clearly remember every sight we saw including the Electric Map, Wax Museum, Robert E. Lee's Headquarters, Jenny Wade's House, the Gettysburg Cyclorama, and of course the National Cemetery where miles and miles of tombstones mark the graves of fallen brothers in arms. After attending every show and spectacle available, the battlefield took on a whole new meaning and I vividly recall our second tour out to hallowed locations like Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, High Water Mark, the site of Pickett's Charge and Devil's Den.

I remember ducking down behind the stone walls and pretending it was July of 1863. Often I would force my little sister to play the role of the "loser" in that particular melee and I must have shot her dead a thousand times. (Sorry Melissa.)

As our vacation progressed, the tales of these men and the three-day battle in which they participated captivated me. I began to understand the impact of the Civil War and respected the North's battle to preserve the Union, as well as the South's fight for state's rights. Initially, I struggled to find the villain in all of this. After all, when I played army at home it was always me, the American, fighting the Germans or Japanese. This "civil" war however was very different and even I could not bring myself to judge either the blue or the gray. Ultimately, neither side were true enemies.

Over the next few days, I spent every waking minute possible soaking up as much knowledge as I could on the War Between the States. I also soaked up a ton of souvenirs and went home loaded down with a kepi hat, musket pistol, books, toy soldiers, postcards, maps and even a bunch of View Master discs (remember those) that featured the photography of Matthew Brady. In retrospect, Mom and Dad definitely shelled out some cash on that trip. The following year we returned again and I don't think I ever anticipated a family vacation as much as that one. By then I was a seasoned seven year-old Civil War Buff who had even memorized the Gettysburg Address. "Four score and seven years ago…" This time, I understood exactly where we were and the sacrifice of the men President Lincoln honored in that speech.

What had started off as a simple family vacation changed my life forever as Gettysburg left an indefinable impression on me that remains to this very day. Now I live in Fredericksburg, Virginia and the same magic that I experienced in the north now surrounds me in the south. Just as I cannot forget this childhood experience, I cannot forget the men who fought and died so that America could be reborn in unity. God Bless every Billy Yank and Johnny Reb who fell on the fields of battle all across America and God Bless my parents who introduced me to them all.

As someone with a specialized degree in Visual Communications, I’m living proof that anyone can become a published 18th-19th century historian. That said, I would never have pictured a legendary pornographer joining our ranks. Yet that is exactly what happened when Hustler publisher and free speech-activist Larry Flynt teamed up with David Eisenbach, a professor of American political history at Columbia University. The result is a tremendously decadent and unique book titled, One Nation Under Sex: How the Private Lives of Presidents, First Ladies and Their Lovers Changed the Course of American History. According to the publisher, this book "peeks behind the White House bedroom curtains and documents how hidden passions have shaped America's public life."

Billed as a collection of “history changing sex scandals” these are the salacious tidbits that have been apparently whitewashed from American textbooks. In an interview for Salon magazine Flynt stated why he wrote the book in the first place: “Well, we're often preoccupied with it even in our present society. Over the last 30 years there were a lot of corrupt politicians – usually involving sexual scandals. I just thought it would be interesting to go back and start with the Founding Fathers and see if they still existed. I was amazed it was so prevalent.” Obviously meant to be more entertaining than educational, the intent of the book is serious nonetheless. And by co-authoring it with a professor from Columbia, Flynt has added an element of scholarship. Although I have yet to read it or examine its sources, I am intrigued to say the least, especially in the sections on the Founding Fathers.

So what did Flynt find? Of course Thomas Jefferson’s renowned sexual relationship with Sally Hemings, a slave girl who he fathered multiple children with is included, as well as Benjamin Franklin’s infidelities while living in France. Franklin, perhaps the biggest playboy of all the Founders is actually credited with publishing a tabloid newspaper that had the first-ever sex advice column. It seems that Flynt and Franklin may have been kindred spirits. James Madison’s wife Dolly (and her sisters) are said to have thrown epic parties at the early White House which often included lots of wine and members of the Continental Army. According to the book, one of the president’s cabinet members said to him, “I know you don't want to hear this, but your wife has single-handedly turned the White House into a brothel.” Alexander Hamilton’s rarely discussed sex scandal is included. Apparently Hamilton was having an affair with a married woman while serving as the secretary of the treasury. Her husband, a gentleman named James Reynolds, began to blackmail Hamilton until word of it reached Congress. Following a formal investigation, it was determined that Hamilton had not used any of the state money to cover his tracks and was entrapped by the situation.

Although I doubt that Larry Flynt will become the next Bruce Catton, he does have an obvious gift for salacious entertainment. At the least, "One Nation Under Sex" sounds like a great bedside read. In closing his interview for Salon, Flynt offered up the book’s affect on his own perspective of America by taking the rest of us to task. He said, “Historians really get under my skin because I think they're the most anal-retentive group of professionals I've ever met. They can look at Mount Rushmore and get writer's cramps. Historians never wanted to believe that this magnificent man who drafted the Declaration of Independence had actually fathered children by a black slave. The publishers of history books tend to be conservative and they only want to know about policy and politics. They don't want to know about sex. That's why it's left out of these books and has been for centuries.”