News, views, and pews...

I just received a copy of the September 19th issue of 'The Bull Run Observer' in which an article was written about my presentation on religion and the war at Manassas Museum READ HERE. I was able to scan in the newsprint. Also, I'll be in the Saturday issue of 'The Free Lance-Star' Town & County section. I did a photo shoot down at St. George's Episcopal Church and Cemetery on Wednesday. They perched me up on a ladder to shoot the tower in the background. I have a board meeting with the National Civil War Life Foundation on Sunday and some insights from this past Wednesday night on my church Stonewall class that I'll post as soon as I have some free time.

Gettysburg?s Fee and Foundation

There have been some interesting discussions and debates going on around the blogosphere in regards to the new Gettysburg Visitor's Center and the decision to charge an admission fee. Several bloggers have queried members of the 'Friends of Gettysburg Foundation' to see if they were informed of any planned admission changes. I have been a contributing member of the foundation since January of this year and wanted to share a brief insight on my experience.

Traditionally, my family does all of our charity giving (when we can afford it) through our church. Gettysburg’s revival was the one ‘secular’ cause that I felt I could participate in and I still feel good about my decision to do so. The foundation does a great job of keeping members informed of the goings on at the museum and we do get special treatment for certain events.

I was very honored to have my engraved name and a mini-flag posted at the new VC with other members in appreciation of our support and I have received some nice newsletters, bookmarks, and a 2009 calendar in the mail. I will continue to be a standing member for as long as I can because I already see the long-term rewards that are being reaped by the public. I myself will be visiting the new location for the first time later in the fall.

I am not aware of any time that an admission fee was mentioned or alluded to in any mailer or email communication from the 'Friends of Gettysburg’ since January of this year. Personally, I never minded paying for the Electric Map and I won’t mind paying for the Cyclorama and exhibit hall either. (In fact, I never mind paying a fair fee at any battlefield or museum as I recognize that it requires funds to maintain them.) Therefore I don’t understand all the hoopla on this. How could anyone expect the development and renovation of the area to be 100% free?

Specifically in regards to the G’burg VC, where else on earth can you see the one-of-a-kind exhibits that they have there? Each year, vacationers pay hundreds of dollars for admission to theme parks where the thrill of a roller coaster ride fades before they even make it back to the parking lot. (Civil War buff or not, the new Gettysburg museum experience has to have a larger impact on a visitor than funnel cake and a water slide.)

That said, the lack of mentioning any fees and the giant administration salaries that some bloggers have quoted do bother me and I am also disappointed with being ‘sold out’ on a charity leads list. As soon as I sent in my initial donation form to the 'Friends of Gettysburg Foundation,’ I began receiving weekly matching petitions from every museum and historical foundation on the planet.

This includes the WW1 and WW2 Museum, Korean Museum, Slavery Museum, Lincoln Museum, Tuskegee Airman Museum, War of 1812 Museum, and on and on and on… This bothers me in principle, as it was obvious my name was added on a public donor list. I don’t even open these mailers anymore because I can’t afford to and frankly I feel like I’m being heckled by these organizations.

Gettysburg is a national treasure. Fredericksburg (where I live) is a national treasure. All of these battlefields are national treasures, and I would rather see my money going to support these hallowed grounds than any other ‘secular’ cause. And if paying a ticket price is required to visit the newly restored Cyclorama and state-of-the-art exhibits that present the conflict in bigger and broader terms, so be it.

I have a family of 6 and will gladly 'bite that bullet.'

Still, it would have been nice to have been informed up front of a possible admission fee as much of this 'shocked' reaction from the public may have been avoided. (Additionally, most of us have friends in the NPS and want to see them keep their jobs. By financially aiding these battlefields and museums, perhaps we are also helping them stay employed by the government in a dire economy.)

An Interesting ?Development?

Here is a close-up from one of the recreation photos of Grant’s War Council that were taken by Terry Thomann on Saturday at Massaponax Church (see shoot details below). We had a great group of participants and everyone did the best they could to match the original series as much as possible. These are the exact pews (painted today of course), but there were some other factors that prohibited us from capturing an exact replica.

The ground was not level anymore, so they had to dig ruts into the church yard to level the pews out. Of course this limited the angles at which they could be set. In the original shot, Timothy O’Sullivan was able to lower the balcony window, but today those original windows are protected by an outer layer of plexi-glass. Therefore, the wet-plate box camera had to be angled in between two of the pane frames. And of course the busy street and gas station in the background had to be ‘cropped out.’ We did our best to mask them with two wagons and horses.

There were two successful shots in the series, which I believe will be available in print form, but here is a cropped out version to show what the end result looked like. I added numbers to show the match-ups that we tried to duplicate. Hats off to Jackson Foster (#4 the pipe smoker) for darn near mirroring his character. Stay tuned for details on where to get the finished prints. Most impressive is the clarity of the tin-type photo that was taken using an 1800's-style camera and developed using 1800's chemical recipies and techniques.  SEE LARGER/UNMARKED VERSION

And speaking of photos, tomorrow I am being photographed in the cemetery at St. George’s Episcopal Church for an article on me and my latest book in the Saturday Town & County insert in The Free Lance-Star. Keep an eye out for my ugly mug.

That's one down and three to go?
Yesterday our son received an acceptance letter to UNOH (University of Northwestern Ohio) where he will be attending their racing school. He starts classes in August and will be majoring in High Performance Motorsports at their College of Technologies. He also hopes to drive for one of their racing teams. (Yes they have racing at UNOH, along with their own tracks.) We couldn't be prouder. Now all I have to do is sell a lot of books to help pay for it!

Farewell Friend

Brooks Simpson has a great post today that echoes the sentiments of all lifelong N.Y. Yankees fans who are collectively bidding farewell to an old friend. Ultimately the "House that Ruth Built" is/was just as valuable and treasured as any player ever to don the pinstripes. Even the haters (yes that means YOU Eric) have to respect the history of these hallowed grounds. In tribute, I am re-posting a piece I wrote years ago for Baseball-Almanac on the team that (IMO) first christened this ballpark worthy of our affections. Enjoy...

Murderer's Row: The 1927 Yankees

As a lifelong baseball fan and historian, I have always been fascinated with the legacy of America's National pastime. Nothing pleases me more than digging through my library of baseball books or surfing the 'net and learning about teams and individuals who played this wonderful sport decades before my parents were even born. Part of me longs for the days when it truly was a game and although I have many fond, first-hand memories of baseball, I feel cheated at times, for never experiencing it as it was meant to be.

Maybe that's why I have such a fascination with the history of the game and players who haven't walked the earth during my lifetime. I also love debating baseball with fellow fans and one issue that constantly comes up is the challenge over who was the greatest team of all-time.

Some say it was the 1906 Chicago Cubs who won 116 games. Others say the 1929 Philadelphia A's who showcased one of the best pitching staffs ever to share a mound. Maybe the 1975 Cincinnati Reds featuring "The Big Red Machine", or even the 1902 Pittsburgh Pirates, who won the National League crown by 27 1/2 games, the widest margin of victory in league history. The 1912 Boston Red Sox, the 1942 St. Louis Cardinals, the 1939, 1961 and 1998 New York Yankees, the 1970 Baltimore Orioles, the 1986 New York Mets, the 1995 Cleveland Indians and many others have all been considered worthy of this honor. All have been heavily defended (most by their hometown fans) as the greatest teams in the history of baseball.

In my quest for the answers, I've done a lot of research on this subject and in my own opinion the greatest baseball team of all-time has to be without a doubt, the 1927 New York Yankees. The stats below speak volumes, but these numbers only begin to tell the story of this amazing team and the foundation they provided for building one of baseball's most storied franchises.

With an all-star lineup known as "Murderer's Row," New York outscored its opponents by nearly 400 runs and hit .307 as a team. Babe Ruth, perhaps the greatest player ever, set the original single season mark with 60 homeruns, which was more than any other American League team had combined. The "Sultan of Swat" also had plenty of help from his fellow sluggers in pinstripes. Outfield counterparts Earle Combs in center and Bob Meusel in left field hit .356 and .337 respectively. Lou Gehrig had his first big season, batting .373 with 47 homers and a league leading 175 RBIs. Second year man Tony Lazzeri ranked third in the loop with 18 homers.

The pitching staff boasted four men who won 18 or more games, led by Waite Hoyt at 22-7. Herb Pennock and Wilcy Moore gained 19 victories apiece, while Urban Shocker added 18. This lethal trio complemented the dominant offense by claiming the league's three best ERAs. Moore, who pitched primarily in relief, led the way with a 2.28 mark. With a 110-44 record, the "Bronx Bombers" ran away with the American League pennant, winning by a staggering 19 games. For an encore, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Series and went on to win another championship the following year.

What made this group so exceptional was the sheer quantity of individual record setting performances and accomplishments which, when combined, formed a group so far ahead of its competition that it was almost unfair to any team not wearing the NY on their caps. The Yankees led the American League in nearly every offensive category. They set major league records with 975 runs scored, 158 home runs, 908 runs-batted-in, and a .489 slugging average.

Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig combined to form the most devastating 1-2 batting combination in baseball history. They finished one-two, respectively (Ruth-Gehrig), in the league in home runs, runs scored, batting, strikeouts and walks. They also finished one-two, respectively (Gehrig-Ruth), in the league in runs-batted-in, total bases and extra base hits. The 32 year old Ruth batted .356 and set a major league record with 60 home runs, topping by one the mark he had set six years earlier. He had 164 RBIs, and scored a league leading 158 runs. Gehrig, only 24 and in his third season as the regular first baseman, batted .373, hit 47 home runs, and set a MLB record with 175 RBIs, breaking Ruth's mark of 171.

The best lead-off hitter in baseball, Earle Combs, batted .356 and led the league with 231 hits and 23 triples. Bob Meusel batted .337 with eight home runs and 103 RBIs, and finished second with 24 stolen bases. Tony Lazzeri batted .309, finished third in the league with 18 HRs, had 102 RBIs, and tied for third with 22 stolen bases. The switch-hitting Mark Koenig batted .285 and scored 99 runs from the number two spot in the order. Joe Dugan, one of the best fielding third basemen in baseball, finished strong despite his .269 average. And the average, but underrated, catching trio of Pat Collins, John Grabowski and Benny Bengough combined to hit .271 with 7 home runs and 71 RBIs. This lethal rotation at the plate became known as "Murderer's Row" and this group, usually called the "Bronx Bombers," earned their new nickname after killing pitchers' statistical earnings throughout the league.

Yankee pitchers, grateful to be in pinstripes, also dominated the league, posting a leading 3.20 ERA and 11 shutouts. Waite Hoyt, the ace of the staff, turned in his best campaign yet, posting a 22-7 record and leading the league in winning percentage, tying for the league lead in wins, and finishing second with a 2.64 ERA. Thirty-year-old rookie Wilcy Moore burst into the majors as the best relief pitcher in baseball, posting a 19-7 record and leading the league with a 2.28 ERA, while tying for the league lead with 13 saves. Herb Pennock, one of the best southpaws in the game, finished 19-8 with a 3.00 ERA. Urban Shocker, one of the few pitchers still legally allowed to throw a spitball, finished 18-6 and was third in the league with a 2.84 ERA. Dutch Ruether, in his final season in the major leagues, and the hard-throwing George Pipgras, who was eased into the starting rotation in mid-season, combined for a 23-9 record, with a 3.73 ERA.

The Yankees grand finale for the '27 season, the World Series, was the quickest ever played and lasted only 74 hours and 15 minutes. They became the first American League team to sweep a World Series, and it was only the 2nd four-game sweep in World Series history (the Braves over the Athletics in 1914). The Yankee pitchers had a combined ERA of only 2.00. Making only three errors, they had a .981 FA. The Yankees trailed a total of only two innings during the entire Series, out-scoring the Pirates 23-10. Pittsburgh, only once, managed to score more than one run in an inning (during Game 4). What made this feat even more spectacular was the fact that the Yankees used only four pitchers, and a total of 15 different players during the entire Series.

The Yankees 1-4 hitters (Combs, Koenig, Ruth and Gehrig) combined to hit .387 with 2 home runs, 16 RBIs and 17 RS, while the rest of the hitters batted just .189 with only 3 RBIs and 6 RS. Together, Ruth and Gehrig batted .357 and had a slugging average of .786. With homers in both Games 3 and 4, Ruth became the fifth player in Series history to hit a home run in back to back games. They were only his second and third home runs at Yankee Stadium and there would be many more to come. Koenig led all batters by hitting .500 (9 for 18), and was the only Yankee to hit safely in each game.

The 1927 Yankees represented TEAM in every sense of the word. The company they shared in the dugout made these great players even greater. In today's game, it would be virtually impossible to put together such an elite group of talent (at the same time) in a single clubhouse and their accomplishments together will never be duplicated.

Players today seem more concerned with individual achievements and if more players played for the team instead of for the player, they would complement each other's strengths, compensate for each other's weaknesses and push each other to be even more successful. In other words, they could all take a lesson from the 1927 Yankees, the greatest team of all-time.

(Taken from 'Murderer's Row: The 1927 Yankees' by Michael Aubrecht. Baseball-Almanac / Pinstripe Press, 2000) 

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.