I wanted to give you a quick heads up that I have a feature article on the local Civil War painter John Adams Elder’s exhibit running in this weekend's edition of The Free Lance-Star (Town & County insert), as well as another on Mort Kunstler's latest release and upcoming appearance here in Fredericksburg in next week's. I also have a reply letter in the next issue of Civil War Historian magazine, as well as a long-format feature in the issue after that (Jan/Feb 08). Please patron these wonderful publications so I can retire early.

PS. Last night NBC’s Brian Williams was reporting from the scene of the wildfires that are currently spreading across California at an alarming and deadly rate. He stated that this event was the largest single evacuation of people in America since the Civil War. (Tip of the hat to our good friends over at CWi who pointed out that he mistakenly used the words "peacetime." 'Peace-anything' isn't really an accurate term when describing the War Between the States is it?)

Still, as I pray for the safety and comfort of those who are affected by this disaster, I can't help but reflect on how awful the burning of Atlanta, Richmond, Charleston, and other cities must have been. If the shocking photographs and film clips that are being broadcasted from San Diego are any indication of the firestorm that swept across the South, then I have a much greater appreciation and sympathy for the citizens who suffered through it. Black and white photographs of charred chimney stacks and rubble do no justice to the magnitude of destruction, nor the terror that it must have struck in its victims.