That?s a wrap!

What a great day… I am literally exhausted as I sit here typing at the keyboard. Today I assisted with scene setting and coordination during the re-enactment of Grant’s ‘War Council’ at Massaponax Church. While Terry Thomann of the Civil War Life Soldier’s Museum perched his camera in the upper balcony, using the same set-up and development techniques that Timothy O’Sulllivan used for a series of shots of the Union commanders, I was down on the ground helping to direct the people portraying the generals and their staffs. (It was probably a bit amusing to see me walking around calling out orders and telling people to ‘hold.’) There was a great deal of set-up and preparation to get the camera and people positioned and everyone did a great job with their parts. The horses were so patient and cooperated better than the people. Maybe it was because we were at a church, but the day was blessed and the resulting shots were outstanding. They will be available as prints in the near future.

There were plenty of experts on hand too, and I had a great afternoon talking with NPS guru Donald Pfanz, local historian John Cummings, Amy Umble (of the Free Lance-Star), and a bunch of others who are too many to name. General Grant (aka Harry Bulkeley from "Sherman's March") and I had lunch together and U.S. Grant’s actual great-great-grandson also participated in the shoot. The use of the actual pews, along with a great bunch of re-enactors, two wagons, several ‘extras’, and a dozen horses with attendants made the setting very accurate. We did two poses of the original series, one with Grant seated beside Meade and another with him bent over a group reviewing a map. We posed the surrounding officers as best we could with ‘pipe-smoking guy,’ ‘newspaper reader,’ etc. As The Free Lance-Star will be covering this event in detail, I will post a link to their article here in the coming days. I’m beat and only have enough energy left to simply share some candid shots I took when I wasn’t busy yelling at people. Enjoy…

UPDATE 9/21: Article in The Free Lance-Star
UPDATE: 9/22: John Cumming's post and sample photo

  

Civil War photography expert and museum owner Terry Thomann
positioning the 1800's wet-plate camera in the upper balcony of Massaponax Church.

 

Say 'cheese'
Tomorrow I will be assisting Terry Thomann of the Civil War Life Soldier's Museum with a historic photo shoot at Massaponax Church. We will be recreating the famous series of shots taken at Grant's War Council complete with generals, re-enactors, horses, wagons, and period-extras (sitting on the actual pews). From the balcony, Terry will be using 1800's camera equipment and developing techniques to recapture this historic moment in Spotsylvania history. Looks like I'll be knee deep in Yankees and I promise to take lots of digital photos of the event. Have a great weekend and if you're in the area between 11-4pm, stop on by.

PS. There is an article on me in today's Bull Run Observer. I'd love to hear from anyone from the Manassas area who may have read it. I have yet to see it myself.

School's In

Last night we kicked-off the first ‘official’ installment of the course I am teaching on the spiritual life of “Stonewall” Jackson at Spotsylvania Presbyterian Church. I had mentioned that I had a full house last week at the meet and greet and this week I had several new students register with plans to welcome a couple more. I am especially pleased with the number of outside attendees who do not belong to our church. If I accomplish nothing else over this 10-weeks, I will be satisifed that I introduced some newbies to our congregation and perhaps they will stick around after the class is completed.

Tragically, we had a 49 year-old elder pass away suddenly last week, so many of those who regularly attend the Wednesday night dinner and programs went to the viewing at the funeral home. This meant that we had only 12 people in attendance (out of 16 or so) and I made a point of opening the session with a group prayer for the grieving family and their loved ones. Fortunately, we were scheduled to watch a DVD and will not be getting into the actual book and workbook until next week. Therefore no one missed any of the courseware.

The 40-minute film was “Still Standing: The Stonewall Jackson Story,” which is a wonderful religious documentary that specifically deals with Thomas Jackson’s faith and how it influenced his legacy. Produced by Franklin Springs Family Media and based on the work of our good friend Richard Williams Jr., I used the film as an overview of the Christian character of a man who is both an inspirational and bewildering subject. I added it so there would be some familiarity as they began the book. The film also fills in a lot of background information on Jackson’s childhood. The rest of the course will be using my books “Onward Christian Soldier” and “The Southern Cross,” as well as transcripts of Jackson’s letters to his wife and his book of maxims.

After the movie concluded I pointed out the contradictions that make this devout believer so fascinating. Here we have a man who shamelessly practiced civil disobedience while establishing a Sunday school for free and slave blacks in Lexington, then rose on the battlefields of Virginia to become one of the Confederacy’s most fearsome warriors, brilliantly commanding an army fighting for a government that maintained the institution of slavery. I also presented the irony of a man who was one of the "worst instructors" in the history of the Virginia Military Institute (Dr. Robertson’s words), yet his statue alone adorns the entranceway, his words are chiseled throughout the campus, and his horse is buried on the grounds and preserved in the VMI museum.

It seems that “Stonewall” left behind a complicated legacy that begs to be examined – especially in a spiritual sense. Secular historians can say whatever they want, but everything that made Thomas Jackson the courageous general we remember today was a direct attribute of his faith in God. If not for it, he would have succumbed to despair and disappeared from memory. Ultimately his story is just like ours. He was a believer, a sinner, and a servant - imperfect, flawed, and forgiven.

I can already tell that this is a real savvy group. The discussions, both on the history and theology side of things should be extremely insightful and enlightening. This week they have been assigned to read Chapter 1 of “Onward Christian Soldier” and we will begin the study guides and scripture readings next week (Psalms and Proverbs). We are using the King James Bible and I am looking forward to spending time in the Word.

Maybe it is because I speak at museums and universities on a fairly regular basis now, but I am really enjoying teaching and conducting a classroom. The interaction and open discussions taking place are tremendous and I have found that I am gleaning more wisdom off my students than they are probably gleaning off of me. I’ve only begun, but I can already say for a fact that you teachers out there have a great gig. (It's hard to believe that just a few short years ago, I was absolutely terrified of public speaking.)

Stay tuned as I am anxious to get into the prepared courseware which was developed to be very interactive and intimate. I’ve been in bible studies that can get emotional at times and although I will never post any personal testimonies that are shared behind closed doors, I will share general observations on them. For instance, Lesson 1 deals a lot with the multiple family-related tragedies in the Jackson home that left young Thomas an orphan and ultimately scarred him for life. The discussion point then asks participants to share a scar from their lives (voluntarily of course). This is to bridge the gap between Jackson’s faith helping him to heal - and our faith enabling us to do the same.

Spiritual strength is the goal of this entire 10-week exercise. “Stonewall” is simply the foundation for a study that is intended to show us how to find courage and apply it in our daily lives. The course is not by any means a forum for hero worship, it’s a forum for worshipping through a hero.

I won! (that never happens...)

CWPT 2008: 2nd Place, Preservation Threat category: Modern "Raid"

(Thank you CWPT judges. Congrats to all the winners. I am honored and humbled to say the least.)

 

Party prep

I spent the better part of the weekend completing my ‘To-Do List’ for the October 3rd, Book Release Party at the Civil War Life Museum for “Houses of the Holy.” DETAILS HERE. In addition to completing the special roadside marker signs, table settings and decorations, we also finalized the platter buffet and dessert menus. My wife is an amazing party coordinator and she is responsible for the CSA/USA flag theme and all the special accoutrements that go along with it. (Without her, I’d probably have served some bitter green tea and a bag of stale corn chips.)

We will have several tables set-up with a buffet and eating area, raffle/foundation information area, and a book signing area - all within the wonderful setting of the CW Life museum. The party will be set-up both inside and outside the exhibit halls and the press is giving us great promotional support on the radio, online, and in the newspaper. My network of contacts is really paying off this time and I am blessed beyond words.

As the wife is handling the set-up design and ambiance, I am in charge of the media/entertainment side of things. This includes a 70 period-photograph slide show that will be running in a loop at the book signing table. I also made the table signs and assembled the gift basket items. As the party and admission to the museum is free, we are holding a $5 raffle and accepting donations to benefit the National Civil War Life Museum Foundation. The gift basket contains items worth over $100 in value. The raffle winner will receive:

4 autographed books: Onward Christian Soldier, Christian Cavalier, The Southern Cross, Houses of the Holy

1 Civil War coloring book for kids

3 picture frames with 5 historic church photos

2 special issues of Civil War Historian magazine

1 copy of Historic Churches of Somerset New Jersey

Multiple book postcards and coupons from publishers

1 personal reading light book clip-on

2 commemorative Book Release Party flyers

(and a few other 'goodies' to be named) 

The musical entertainment is still being debated at this point, so there are a few remaining elements to the party yet to be completed, but I wanted to get as much of the pre-planning and set-up done as the next few weeks will be quite busy for me. (BTW: There will be an interview/feature on me in the Sept. 19th issue of the Bull Run Observer and an interview/book review on me in the Sept. 27th issue of The Free Lance-Star.)

In addition to attending another board meeting for the National Civil War Life Museum Foundation, I am also assisting the good folks from the Civil War Life Museum on the 20th when they recreate Grant’s ‘War Council’ up the street at Massaponax Baptist Church. Using re-enactors on the exact same pews, the famous photo shoot is being recreated using authentic 1800’s period wet-plate photography. The addition of wagons, horses, and the temporary shutting down of Rt1. South will make the recreation as accurate as possible.

This is to coincide with Massaponax Baptist Church’s Birthday Celebration, and their 220th Anniversary Civil War re-enactment. According to their ad: “It all starts at 11am and goes to 4pm. We will be having games for Adults and Children, choir singing, food, the barrel-train for the children, guest speakers and more. After lunch we have NPS Ranger Donald Pfanz speaking from the local Park Service,  about the Civil War, Massaponax Church during that time, about Gen. Grant and the Union Army, And more. All this just before a Re-enactment, at about 2pm, of when Gen. Grant and his troops met at the church, [May 21, 1864]. A picture, [shot by a reproduction camera just like the original], will be taken out the same window as the original. This has never been done before.  Photos can later be purchased and donations will be received with open arms, to help to maintain our historic sanctuary.”

I hope to see you at BOTH parties. 

Special book on a special place

Most of you are probably aware that I started out (writing professionally) as a contributing historian for Baseball-Almanac. From 2000-2006 I worked amidst an avalanche of stats and biographical data while penning close to 400 studies for BA. These included the complete histories of the MLB All-Star Game: 1933-2006, MLB World Series: 1903-2005, MLB Year In Review: 1876-2005, MLB Divisional Series: 1981/94-04, as well as a series of special sections including the MLB Commissioner Bios, Opening Day History, Origin of the 7th-Inning Stretch, George Steinbrenner and Bud Selig Biographies, Chess and Baseball, Baseball during the Civil War and a collection of fan essays focusing on the New York Yankees. This led to my first eBook “Luckiest Fans on the Face of This Earth,” as well as a series of freelance commissions for Major League Baseball, Pop Flies, and even ESPN Classic. For links to most of this material, you can visit the Baseball Studies page over on my website.

NONE of these projects would have been possible without the generous mentoring and support of a REAL baseball historian named Harvey Frommer. Yankees and Red Sox Fans will no doubt recognize the name as Harvey’s work tends to focus on those franchises, but above and beyond these rivals, he has published over 30 baseball books to date. I’ve read as many of them as I could and every one of them has been extraordinary. I used to publish a baseball history newsletter called “The Highlander” and it was our promotion of Harvey’s work that led to a friendship that I still treasure to this day.

Harvey has been kind over the years in providing advice, critiques, and a wealth of contact information that has blessed me with an ability to do far better work than I ever could have on my own. Therefore, it is with a great sense of pride and enthusiasm that I would like to introduce one of Harvey’s newest releases, which pays tribute to a very special place that is about to leave us.

No one I’ve come across in my career possesses more knowledge or skill in writing about the game of baseball like Harvey. His narrative-style is always enjoyable no matter what aspect of our National Pastime he is writing about. This time Harvey has provided fans with a timely memory-book focusing on the life and legacy of baseball’s most hallowed of grounds (well outside of Boston and Chicago that is). With “Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of ‘The House That Ruth Built’” Harvey presents a complete history of the ball field from both the player’s and fan’s perspectives.

Beginning with a Foreword written by THE voice of Yankee Stadium, Bob Sheppard, “Remembering Yankee Stadium” proceeds to take the reader on a journey from the initial planning of the ballpark to its epic-existence today. The quantity of historic moments witnessed within the walls of Yankee Stadium is astonishing and Harvey does a wonderful job in recapping them using the testimonies of firsthand witnesses. This includes the recollections of celebrities, broadcasters, and writers, as well as everyday fans like you and I. Harvey also has a talent for putting together lists of associated data using things like player’s numbers or dates and there are plenty of gems of little-known stats and facts. Who remembered that 28 was Thurman Munson’s number his rookie season?

An additional section titled “Stadiumology” provides a wealth of stadium-specific data including attendances, monuments, broadcasters, and famous firsts that took place on New York’s most storied diamond. Another aspect that makes this book a real winner is the breathtaking photography that compliments the editorial content. The collection of imagery is beautiful, blending together both familiar and fresh shots that brought back a lot of fond memories for this reader. See sample Slide-Show.

New Yorkers and Yankees fans will no doubt appreciate Harvery Frommer’s efforts, but the appeal of this title goes well above and beyond the Bronx Bomber faithful. If you are a baseball history fan, “Remembering Yankee Stadium: An Oral and Narrative History of ‘The House That Ruth Built’” is a must have for your library. This ball park closes its doors at the end of this season. This book will enable the reader to re-open that door at any time.

For more on this book visit Harvey Frommer’s webpage.

To order your own copy, visit Amazon.com.

Stonewall Study kickoff

Tonight’s introductory ‘meet and greet’ was a great start to what I hope will be an exciting two months. I gave a short pitch at the pulpit for last minute sign-ups (along with the other teachers) and later I had every chair in my classroom full, with even more students to come next week.

This is what is so great about living and worshipping in Fredericksburg/Spotsylvania… In my class I have a National Park Service volunteer (Chatham guide), a professional relic hunter who lives adjacent to the Spotsylvania Battlefield, an Ellwood Manor volunteer whose backyard butts up against The Wilderness trenches, a retired Army Intelligence officer who has his advanced degree in Military History, a student of the Great Southern Revival, a VMI graduate, several lifelong residents whose ancestors fought for the Confederacy and a couple of 'Yankee' transplants who moved here for the history. It’s a great mix of age, experience, and knowledge and I petitioned everyone to contribute to the course with their own insights as well.

I was VERY happy to see some ladies register too, as we will be discussing Thomas Jackson’s relationships with his mother and two wives. It will be a blessing to get a woman’s perspective. Everyone seemed to get along well and they were attentive and enthusiastic when I went over the syllabus and workbooks. Next week we kick things off officially with a viewing of “Still Standing” before diving into the book and study guides. Stay tuned for postings on the class discussions and debates that evolve from the readings.

BTW: My wife is the one who deserves a medal as her class down the hall is made up of 3-4 year olds. I couldn’t imagine teaching in that madness. God bless her. (PS. I’ll also have some BIG publishing news to share soon.)

Wish me luck!

Excerpt from an email I just received: Congratulations...One of your photos has been selected as a finalist in our 2008 Civil War Photography Contest...I can tell you that all of the judges were very excited to see your photo in the contest and think highly of you as a photographer...We plan to announce all the winners on or near September 15th. (Rob Shenk, Civil War Preservation Trust)

UPDATE: Also, please keep me in your prayers today. It's my first night of school as 'the teacher.'

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 8, 2008

The History Press Releases
Historic Churches of Fredericksburg: Houses of the Holy
By Michael Aubrecht

Charleston, SC:  Historic Churches of Fredericksburg: Houses of the Holy recalls stories of rebellion, racism, and reconstruction as experienced by Secessionists, Unionists, and the African American population in Fredericksburg’s landmark churches during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Using a wide variety of materials compiled from the local National Park archives, author Michael Aubrecht presents multiple perspectives from local believers and nonbelievers who witnessed the country’s “Great Divide.” Learn about the importance of faith in old Fredericksburg through the recollections of local clergy such as Reverend Tucker Lacy; excerpts from slave narratives as recorded by Joseph F. Walker; impressions of military commanders such as Robert E. Lee and “Stonewall” Jackson; and stories of the conflict over African American churches.

To request a review copy or to arrange an interview with Michael Aubrecht, contact Katie Parry at katie.parry@historypress.net.

The History Press, based in Charleston, South Carolina and Salem, Massachusetts, brings a new way of thinking to history publishing by producing regional history titles by excellent historians and striving to make these books available to a wide audience.

The History Press, Inc.
18 Percy Street                                                                                                           | Charleston, SC 29403
P: 843.577.5971 | F: 843.577.6712 | www.historypress.net

Recommended reading

As the last weeks of summer draw near, the days have begun to get shorter, my pool water is turning colder, and the leaves have just started to trickle down from their limbs. Fall stands just around the corner and its time to start thinking about those ‘winter reads’ for snowy nights when a good book is just what the weatherman ordered. Here are two excellent and highly original titles that are guaranteed to keep you from suffering from ‘cabin fever.’

Our first title is quite possibly, THE most original concept for a Civil War-era history book that I have seen in years. With the exception of Robert Krick’s recent offering “Civil War Weather In Virginia,” which focuses on the affects of mother nature on the War Between the States, James Schmidt ‘s latest release “Lincoln’s Labels,” takes the title for ‘Most Under Appreciated Topic.’ A well-respected historian and blogger, Schmidt is the author of more than fifty articles on American history in publications such as ‘North & South,’ ‘The Civil War News,’ ‘World War II,’ ‘Learning through History,’ and ‘Chemical Heritage.’ Balancing on the shelves between the military-history and consumer-economics sections of your bookstore, “Lincoln’s Labels” takes a detailed look at the origins of some of the most recognizable brands in our stores today and how they came about during the nation’s great divide.

As with any American-based war, the home front has always been called upon to answer the call in support of the military’s efforts. War often initiates some of the biggest expansions of both inventions and industry. Not surprising, the Civil War was responsible for some of the most significant contributions by corporate giants such as du Pont, Brooks Brothers, Procter & Gamble and Borden’s. “Lincoln’s Labels” also examines the conflict’s affects in turn, on American businesses, and how they were forced to modify the way they operated in order to survive. It is a story of wartime politics, big business, and how ingenuity and perseverance are key to success. The addition of many wonderful illustrations makes this book a complete study that provides an unfamiliar background to some very familiar products. For more on this unique title, please visit the official Lincoln’s Labels website.

The second title that I would like to introduce you to today comes from a very familiar authoring duo (now a trio), who have also come up with a quality study on a far too neglected subject in the annals of military history: the retreat. With hundreds, more likely thousands of books already published on the glorious victories that took place on American battlefields, this book deals with the post-battle experiences of the downtrodden and defeated. Following the success of their critically acclaimed (and this reviewer’s favorite read of 2007) “Plenty of Blame to Go Around: JEB Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg,” cavalry gurus Eric J. Wittenberg, and J. David Petruzzi, have teamed up with retired US Army Armored Cavalry Officer Michael Nugent to produce another winner focusing on the Gettysburg Campaign. “One Continuous Fight: The Retreat from Gettysburg and the Pursuit of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia, July 4-14, 1863” spotlights the ten-day retreat that Robert E. Lee’s battered and bruised Army of Northern Virginia conducted following their humbling defeat in Pennsylvania.

While the rest of the world continues to remain wrapped-up in the three-day engagement that took place in Adams County from July 1-3, this historian trio presents the little-known events that took place from July 4-14, 1863. During that period there were over two-dozen skirmishes and fighting at locations such as: Granite Hill, Monterey Pass, Hagerstown, Williamsport, Funkstown, Boonsboro, and Falling Waters. With a compelling narrative that has become the collective style of Wittenberg and Petruzzi (and now Nugent), the reader is transported back in time to hop in the saddle with General JEB Stuart who was able to redeem his tardiness at Gettysburg by successfully defending the retreating column of Confederate casualties that stretched for over seventeen miles. An examination of Union General George Meade’s actions is also presented giving the book a nice balance between the North and South. As with their previous release this book is a treasure trove of rarely seen documents, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and was published using primary and secondary sources. For more on this unique title, please visit the official One Continuous Fight website.