This morning I started to look at the promotion and coordination for the Houses of the Holy book release party. Here is the printed invitation that I am designing. The 'background' is actually the Standard's Mill marker down the street from my house. This event will most likely be taking place at a local museum or church in 8-10 weeks when the title officially hits the shelves. (I was just informed by The History Press that the final book has been sent to the printer with 900 copies ordered for it's first run.) Stay tuned for details. I'd love to discuss the title in person with you...

One of the best things about being an author is the wonderful opportunities that you get to speak to different groups and organizations. I have been very blessed this year with numerous speaking engagements and book signings. One of my favorite dates, and one that has resulted in many new relationships, was the talk that I did last month to the Fredericksburg Civil War Roundtable at the University of Mary Washington. This group is highly respected and one of the oldest CWRTs in the country. Founded in 1952, they run a very classy program, and I intend to accept their invitation to become a member in the very near future. (They also have the best menu in town.)

David Silberman is a very knowledgeable and talented RT member who has taken some rather remarkable photographs over the years. David was generous enough to share some of his work with me and he is now making several of his pieces available as limited edition prints. The first to be released is a stunning image that captures two Civil War-related inductees into The Hall of Fame for Great Americans at Bronx Community College in New York. They are Union Major General Ulysses Simpson Grant and Confederate Lieutenant General Thomas ‘Stonewall’ Jackson. Both generals face one another in a very dramatic setting.

This Hall of Fame landmark was founded in 1900 to honor prominent Americans who have had a significant impact on this nation's history. Built in a sweeping semicircular Neo-Classical arc with wings at either end, it provides a panorama across the Harlem River and beyond to the Palisades. It is a unique and patriotic reminder that this country's phenomenal growth has been due to the vitality, ingenuity, and intellect of these individuals. While photographing Grant and Jackson, David was fortunate enough to have captured the beauty of the dawn. The result is a portrait with incredible lighting. The shadows of course add to the drama, but the sculpture's details and inscriptions are still clearly visible.

David explained to me that this image symbolizes the story of our country’s Civil War, when two great American’s of Hall of Fame status faced off in the name of their cause. It is a testament to the tragedy and triumph of the War Between the States. As a tribute, the photographer is making an 11 x 14 limited edition print available for purchase at only $150. I have recently added this print to my own office wall and highly recommend it for yours.

For more information on how you can order this one-of-a-kind photograph by David Silberman, please email ma@pinstripepress.net. (Serious inquires may request a full-size, low-resolution ‘sample’ photograph for a closer review.) I will be adding a permanent gallery with additional Silberman prints over on my website in the future.

(Photo Copyright 2008, David Silberman)

Book #4 is in the can! It is near 1:30 AM in Fredericksburg, VA my friends and I just finished the last galley for 'Houses of the Holy.' After a year of work it is finally done! I just sent my final suggestions off to the publisher and the next time that I touch this title, it will be as a bound copy en route to the bookstore. What a feeling as this is my first 'secular' book and should open up some doors for my career. Honestly, after 3 major revisions and 4 edits, I think it's some of my best work to date. And thanks to the NPS, it’s the most balanced and broadly interpreted narrative that I've ever done. I can't wait to share it with you. Thanks be to the Lord, my father who proofed the entire book 3x's, and The History Press for some remarkable work. Now it's sleepy time...

This morning I entered four of my amateur photos in the CWPT Digital Photo Contest. I had to create a Flickr™ account which I may use for other things in the future. I chose to simply enter two categories in the contest: 'Preservation Threats' and 'Civil War Battlefields'. My entries are here. Wish me luck.

PS: My video blogging test appears to have worked. Here are some 'quick and dirty' test shots that I did. They are all formatted for QuickTime.
I plan to shoot some lesser-known spots on the Fredericksburg Battlefield and share them with you in the near future.

My Stars and Bars 1: http://www.pinstripepress.net/100_3207.mov

My Stars and Bars 2: http://www.pinstripepress.net/100_3208.mov

My Stars and Stripes: http://www.pinstripepress.net/100_3209.mov

Me working at 1 am : http://www.pinstripepress.net/100_3211.mov

Greetings all, I hope that you had a beautiful weekend too. We had an absolutely blessed one for Jackson's baptism. He's now our 'littlest general' in the Lord's army. I also hung my First National Confederate flag (in my backyard above the pool) and a brand new 50-star American flag (on my front porch). Both are proudly swaying in the gentle Virginia breeze while paying tribute to those who fought and fell beneath them. I'll share some pics or video soon. That's all for now. Back to the proofs...

(PS. Last week I mentioned that I was giving up political talk-radio in favor of my battlefield driving-tour CDs. This morning I fired up the local Fredericksburg edition on my way to the office. There I was, cruising along, enjoying the beauty of the Virginia countryside, and listening to the introductory track... I couldn't help but smile and think to myself 'My God what a wonderful place to live!' Here's hoping that you get to be like Mannie and me someday and live near your favorite battlefield too. It makes the commute a lot more tolerable.)

This week I was contacted by a Christian family from Roanoke whose seven year-old son is participating in a ‘living timeline’ program. His selection of character was a subject near and dear to my heart, Richard Rowland Kirkland, “The Angel of Marye's Heights.” Apparently his mother had been doing some research online in preparation for the presentation and uniform and came upon my published work on the humanitarian including my devotional essay, round table presentation, and upcoming walking tour.

She emailed to see if I could send here transcripts of any of Kirkland’s personal correspondence and I gladly sent her three of Richard’s letters that were provided to me by the lovely Susan Sweet of the Orange County CW Round Table out in CA. The first one was written in April of 1861 when the young recruit was still in training for what was to come. You can read the anxiousness in his ‘voice’ as the anticipation of what lies ahead is apparent. The other two letters take place the following year and Kirkland’s maturation is evident.

I find it wonderfully extraordinary that a seven year-old would select Sgt. Kirkland as his character and I wish him the best of luck with his program. His mother promised to send a picture of his costume and a copy of a tract that they have passed out on the subject titled “Water for the Wounded.”

In the meantime I have posted a JPG (scan) of one of the letter transcripts for your own reading here. Enjoy.

Sorry for all the 'toxic' political posts lately. I just deleted them out of frustration. It appears that I am being sucked into the black-hole that is the 2008 presidential election. No more Glenn Beck radio on the way home from the office! Today I brought some of my Civil War battlefield tour CDs. That should relax me.

Frankly, as a registered Libertarian, I am not voting for either of these gentleman, so why even worry about it. Honestly, I despise the state of our government and the media because they have both turned me into a cynical, miserable citizen. Even my wife and kids are sick and tired of hearing me rant. It's not healthy. I love what this country is supposed to be, but I hate living in what it has become. As a devout Presbyterian, I have to move on and accept that America's future is in God's hands now. So I will leave this topic with these timely words:

On April 30, 1811, Thomas Jefferson wrote to William Duane from Monticello about political compromise and the role of journalists in the political process:

I think an Editor [of a newspaper] should be independent, that is, of personal influence, & should not be moved from his opinions on the mere authority of any individual. But, with respect to the general opinion of the political section with which he habitually accords, his duty seems very like that of a member of Congress. Some of these indeed think that independence requires them to follow always their own opinion, without respect for that of others. This has never been my opinion, nor my practice, when I have been of that, or any other body. Differing, on a particular question, from those whom I knew to be of the same political principles with myself, and with whom I generally thought & acted, a consciousness of the fallibility of the human mind, & my own in particular, with a respect for the accumulated judgment of my friends, has induced me to suspect erroneous impressions on myself, to suppose my own opinion wrong, & to act with them on theirs.

This particular project is intended to take some pressure off of two neighboring elementary schools (Riverview and Parkside). The engineering logistics have spilled over to the rebuilding of our bridge-overpass and an eventual ‘straightening’ of much of our winding country road. It’s a mess to say the least, but our younger kids will probably go there and the road improvements will be nice.

Unfortunately, they have decided to christen the school as “Cedar Forest Elementary, “ which, IMO, is a very lame name. Cedar Forest was all they could come up with? I guess this kind of mediocrity makes sense as Riverview Elementary is near a river and Parkside Elementary is beside Patriot Park. Still, how utterly boring and historically insignificant.

Of course with all of the controversy surrounding Southern schools that are named after Confederate commanders, it doesn’t surprise me that they would go with something safe. We do have Robert E. Lee Elementary and Lee Hill Elementary, but I have always been surprised that “Stonewall” Jackson isn’t represented by any of the schools. His legacy in our proximity is more than his commander’s and this new school will be located in the general vicinity of Jackson’s Ambulance Route, a few miles from the Stonewall Jackson Shrine, and just across the road aways from the woods that host the ruins of Belvoir. What a great opportunity to introduce “Stonewall Jackson Elementary,” or even “Thomas J. Jackson Elementary.”

I did a little research online and have found that there are only a handful of schools bearing his name across the United States. I found: Stonewall Jackson Elementary (Dallas and Denton, Texas), Stonewall Jackson Elementary (Bristol, VA), Stonewall Jackson Elementary (Jacksonville, FL), Stonewall Jackson High School (Prince William County, Virginia), Stonewall Jackson High School (Shenandoah County, Virginia) and Stonewall Jackson High School (Kanawha County, West Virginia) which closed in late 1980's and is now a middle school.

Apparently our school district isn’t as fearless. So despite the significant Jackson sites and history that saturate our area, we will have “Cedar Forest,” which must mean that the trees in the school's parking lot are cedar. [Yawn]