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This weekend I was contacted by a gentleman from MIT who is a SABR (Society for American Baseball Research) member and part of a team working on a study of the expansion of baseball during the Civil War.

This group was familiar with some of my work at Baseball-Almanac and I have agreed to review their draft and provide a listing of primary sources. As I was emailing them, it struck me how different I approach the two styles of history that I write. In hopes that it may help others who may be potentially interested in this subject, I am posting a portion of my email here. I am also hoping my partner Eric Wittenberg will chime in (when time permits) with his thoughts as we are both currently bouncing between these two genres. hint-hint...

As I state below, please excuse the raw nature of the post.

Larry, thank you for sharing your notes with me. They look quite interesting. I will read through them in detail this week, but in the mean time I’ll share with you what little wisdom I can in regards to this type of project.

Please forgive the crude structure of this email, but it is snowing terribly here in central Virginia and I may have to leave soon to guide my son home from work. We are in the country and he is a relatively new driver with zero snow experience. We just don't get these kinds of storms.

After briefly glancing through your piece and reflecting on the previous works of Mr. Kirsch and Miss Millen, I can say that a using a broad perspective, or looking at this through a wide-angle-lens so to speak, may not yield the results that you are looking for. I assume that you are interested in digging deeper than either author has in the past. I applaud both books, but went deeper myself in some instances to showcase the smaller voice and dispel some myths.

The reason I am considered an ‘expert’ in this particular area (= other’s words NOT mine) is because I am one of those rare authors who is BOTH a published baseball and Civil War historian. Therefore I approach BOTH sides of this subject somewhat differently from other historians who are not versed in the dualities of this research. They are VERY different.

You are quite correct that there are not many ‘major’ sources to support the notion of mass expansion of baseball during the War Between the States. These include large circulation newspapers and periodicals like Harper’s Weekly, although there are some mentions of baseball games in rare instances.

That said, you can find MANY primary sources that support the spread of the game at the individual-level. This includes soldier’s and even civilian’s correspondence, letters, diary entries, and memoirs that all depict baseball games being played fairly frequently in encampments, prison camps etc. The details are often very good as the game was something they welcomed discussing.

The key to finding these gems lies in the research. Civil War historians tend to use personal pieces as their primary reference and reinforcements, the little guy’s words, the common solider, staff or civilian recollections that reinforce the bigger, or main idea. Baseball historians tend to do the opposite, relying on the BIG picture in many cases to tell the story. I’ll give you an example…

It would be like if someone wanted to write about Babe Ruth calling his shot, but instead of favoring the recaps in the sports papers and media reports (as a baseball historian usually would) they used the hundreds of memories the fans in the stands recorded, which BTW, often conflict the media’s.

The problem is that most of the witnesses in attendance at that game did not immediately go home and write down their testimonies. During a war however, that is exactly what takes place. People wrote about everything and it was the primary form of mass communication. The challenge is finding these materials to collectively build a foundation for your historical argument.

You may not be able to find 5 newspaper articles presenting baseball games in the field at a particular time or place, but you will find 20 mentions of a game in 20 different letters home from the troops who were stationed there. Yes, it takes a tremendous amount of research to find them, but they are there.

To give you an example of how I go about this and how I will be able to help you. I am currently in the process of finishing my 6th and 7th books. One is a baseball book which you will be interested in (see links at end of email) and the other is another Civil War book, a chronicle.

The CW study is on the Confederate encampments of Spotsylvania County (where I live). I have spent the last week going through my listing of the National Park’s Bound Volumes. They supplied me with a 1000-page catalog PDF and through ‘keyword searches’ I am able to define what primary sources I will need to pull and copy from their collection. By using terms like ‘camps,’ ‘encampment,’ ‘fireside’ etc. I was able the narrow down 147 potential sources. Now when I go to the archives I’ll know what to pull. By doing a quick search of ‘baseball’ the sources are also revealed. Now the digging begins to sort out what is useable.

In the long-format essay that I sent you from Civil War Historian you will note that I quoted several intimate, first-hand accounts. These were provided by the Fort Ward Museum, who has a great collection of these materials. Fort Pulaski also has a wonderful selection of sources on baseball and they reenact CW games there. I’ll get you info on both of these contacts when I send those leads.

My point in all of this is to really see the mass ‘spread’ of the game during the Civil War, you need to get down in the trenches at the individual solider level. There you will find references to the game from both north and south, spread as far apart as New England barracks to Florida prisons.

And THAT will provide the scope of the spread of the game. As troops from the northeastern states shared the game with their peers, it spread south, across the lines and into POW camps, over into Midwestern territories and further southwest. Most on an amateur level of course, but the game grew in understanding and popularity all throughout the conflict.

Perhaps the greatest writer of that era, Walt Whitman also embraced the game’s growth and his words shed light on the ever-growing affection it boasted among the post-war public. Don’t forget, the professional game was NOT that far removed from the war. After all, the year the National League was originally founded Gen. Custer and his troopers of the 7th Cav. (many who were CW vets) fell at the Battle of Little Big Horn.

I wish I had more time to type, but this is all I can offer at the moment. Please visit my website at www.pinstripepress.net for more on both subjects. Per your request, here is a link to a baseball studies page on my site w/ links: http://www.pinstripepress.net/Portfolio.htm Here is a link to my latest baseball book project which is nearing completion: http://www.pinstripepress.net/USTINK.htm

I can send something formal if you like and please feel free to list me. Once again, sorry for the sloppiness, but I’m in the middle of a ‘blizzard’ here in the Old Dominion. I’ll send those sources and commentary as soon as I can. Thanks for your interest and query. I'm off to use my 4-wheel drive.

I'll keep you updated on Larry's project. That is unless I end up in an enbankment. Wish me luck.

My friend and associate Chris Williams has a great article running in the Free Lance-Star Town & County today. Chris has been contributing stories all throughout Black History Month and this one presents the African impact on the building of America's economy. (Please disregard the 'double post' of this topic below. It appears to have attached itself to an earlier entry on vandalism. My blog browser crashed while I was submitting my post and I can't seem to delete it). READ HERE

I have spent the last few nights pouring through the 1000-page PDF of our local National Park Service's Bound Volumes catalog. I identified over 140 primary sources for my upcoming book on Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County. These include orders, letters, diary entries and even camp servant papers. It looks to be a great collection of materials that will make this chronicle a worthy collection of transcripts. I'll be spending many an afternoon up at Chatham with the copying machine. I'd better bring my own packs of paper as the NPS is surely feeling the economic strain too. I love research and this project is going to be a fun one for sure.

Michelle Obama released her first official portrait today.

The photo was taken by White House photographer Joyce N. Boghosian. According to the write-up, Mrs. Obama had input as to the setting.

Please note which 'view' she selected, or more importantly, which president is hanging on the wall in the background.

See this portrait's bio on the White House Historical Association's web site.

Well done First Lady!

Perhaps she would be interested in The Jefferson Project too?

My friend and associate Chris Williams has a great article running in the Free Lance-Star Town & County today. Chris has been contributing stories all throughout Black History Month and this one presents the African impact on the building of America's economy. READ HERE

Although it is certainly not at the level of vandalism that was cast upon the Peace Light Monument in Gettysburg, the slave auction block here in downtown Fredericksburg has been purposely damaged for a second time. Back in 2005 someone smashed off 13 fragments with a hammer requiring a $3500+ restoration. Last night, another yahoo decided to follow suite and broke off 2 large pieces.

Ironically a photo of the often overlooked memorial appeared in The Free Lance-Star yesterday with an article on Black History Month tours. My associate Chris Williams and I were researching photos of the block online to compliment an article he has coming up in the Town & County.

This REALLY infuriates me as it is most likely one (or more) teenage hooligans who have absolutely no idea what the item symbolizes of how important it is to preserving the history of the city. Unlike the first attack, this one has received no press other than a mention on local news radio. Perhaps they are trying to avoid giving the perpetrators the media attention that they most likely crave.

Personally, I’d like to find the culprits and make them stand on the block in their underwear for a day. It’s still pretty cold here in central VA and if they didn't die of exposure, the embarrasment might get them.

What I find even more startling is the rampant vandalism that takes place on memorials. A simple ‘Google Search’ for “vandalized memorials” brings up page after page of international incidents including malicious damage to the New Haven Iraq Veterans Memorial, San Fran Holocaust Memorial, Croatia WW2 Memorial, Ontario Firefighters Memorial, Israeli Navy Memorial, Lincoln Brigade Memorial, 114th PA Monument and on and on…

What a sad commentary on our society.

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Last summer I introduced readers to a remarkable young man named Richard Warren from Virginia. Richard was a 9-year old Civil War enthusiast who was so touched by the story of Sgt. Richard Kirkland that he portrayed the “Angel of Marye’s Heights” as part of a living-history timeline. His presentation was so well received that Richard continues to expand and perform it today. The Warren family is coming to Fredericksburg this spring and we will be spending the weekend touring our local sites including the Stonewall Jackson Shrine, Chatham Manor, Fredericksburg's historic churches, and of course the Kirkland Monument. Last month I was contacted by a film director from Georgia who is preparing to film a documentary on Sgt. Kirkland. I have been providing the producers with source material and agreed to do an on camera interview to appear in the piece. This morning I put the movie's director Clint Ross in touch with the Warren family as what better way to illustrate the impact of history than by showing how it influences and affects our youth today. Stay tuned for updates on this exciting project.

One of the biggest ‘hot-button topics’ circulating around the CW blogosphere lately has been the overlooked legacies of southern Unionists and/or disgruntled Secessionists. This subject remains relatively new in the annals of Civil War publishing and few historians (that I’m aware of) have deeply examined the cross-dynamic between those citizens who supported the Confederacy’s cause and their neighbors who didn’t. Even more forgotten is the stories of secession supporters in the North, loyalists to ‘the enemy’ so to speak.

Fortunately people like Robert H. Moore II have begun to do a considerable amount of research into these far too neglected topics. I found myself startled by the rampant political, spiritual, and social discontent of Fredericksburg’s citizens when researching primary sources for my book on the town’s historic churches and I am interested in the experiences of these ‘individualists’ in the post war era. The guts it took to go against popular opinion is a noble trait indeed no matter what side of the war you line up on. (Although I find myself siding with Virginia in most cases, I admire the courage of the southern Unionist. In a way they remind me of the early Christians who were an unwavering minority.)

While going through some files provided to me by my friends at the local NPS, I came upon this letter that clearly illustrates the experience of the southern Unionist and the level of discontent they had with their own state’s fight:

DESCRIPTION: Letter of Anna M. Armstrong to her sister, probably Hannah, May 23, 1864. Anna was the daughter of Benjamin and Ann Armstrong, residents at “Beechwood,” the Armstrong home (still standing) on Gordon Road. The house served as Ulysses S. Grant’s headquarters for several from May 12-14, 1864, during the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House. Anna and all her family were born in Delaware and were avowed Unionists, as this letter makes clear.

From the Delaware Republican, June 2, 1864
Life in Virginia

The following letter from a young Delaware girl residing near Fredericksburg, VA., dated Beechwood, May 23d, 1864, shows that the hardships to which the people of that section have been subjected.

Dear Sister—Once more I take my pen in hand to let you know we are well and still staying here, but that is all. You don’t know how lonesome we are since the U.S. Soldiers left. On Thursday night we went to bed completely worn out, and slept very soundly. On Friday morning when we got up the pickets were gone. We had just got some breakfast when we saw some of the rebels, they came on and one of them shot our dog; mother begged him not to do so, but it was no use. The rebel cavalry came soon after and Ewell’s Corps of infantry arrived in the evening and went on about half a mile, where they had a severe fight. They owned they got a complete whipping. They brought about 80 wounded back to our barn—the last one of whom got away to-day, much to our relief. On Friday there was a skirmish line thrown on around our house, and it was really laughable to see the graybacks walking up and throwing down their guns. They say they are starving and will not fight. They were trying to cut off a wagon-train, but thank God they did not succeed. If our house had been directly in range you would have seen us before now. They have got the cars running from the creek to Fredericksburg I heard to-day, and I hope you will come home soon, if you think you can be satisfied. Send us word before you come, and we will try to send for you. I tell you it is hard doing without a horse. I hope father got home safe. He just got away from here in time. They came and took the nurses from the hospital in about half an hour after he left. Mother begged them to leave them to take care of their own men, but they would not. You dont know what people they are; I wish the U.S. soldiers would let the rebel wounded stay on the battle field, they deserve nothing better. I could see every one of them shot before my eyes. There were six buried in our lot. I wish Gen. Lee and all his men were in the same condition. There was one buried this morning; I expect if you were here you would be afraid to go to the wagon house after hearing them groan so. I believe one can get used to anything. Our yard is almost covered with blood; you cannot pick up a piece of wood that is not completely wet with human gore. Do not faint or be afraid to come home when you read this letter. The little pig-pen is almost full of guns, so you can see if they hunt us we can shoot them. I must tell you what we have to pay for things here, flour is selling in town for $800 a barrel, bacon from $8 to $10 a pound, coffee $16, sugar $12, rice $1, and not much at these prices; calicoes $12 per yard. I do not know what muslin is now; I gave 50 cents for one pair of shoestrings; I will send you a sample of some dresses we got last summer and gave $8 a yard for them, and got them very cheap. I have got one home spun dress; it was a long time before I would wear it, but I had to come to it. I am afraid we will see no more of the U.S. boys; I wish they would camp on our place until the war is over, which it will soon be. The soldiers are getting dissatisfied and discouraged. I expect to hear of Richmond being taken soon.

A.M.A.