A few weeks ago I received a very detailed 24-page project and exhibit development plan from my friend and associate Terry Thomann, director of the Civil War Life Soldier's Museum. I am fortunate to sit on the board of the National Civil War Life Foundation with Terry and he was kind enough to invite me to contribute to the new museum’s design as a subject matter expert.

The museum’s envisioned exhibit categories include: Introduction - The parlor 1860, The Militia, Slavery, John Brown, The Infantry, Life in Camp, By the Book, Officer Life, Manufacturing Arms, Life in the Cavalry, Field Music, The Home Front, Life at Sea, Technology and War, Field Surgery, Artillery, The Parlor Part Two, We Drank from the Same Canteen – Reunification, The Civil War Remembered, and Photography in the Civil War.

There are multiple teams assigned to oversee these different categories based upon their specialties. Members include Col. Horace McCaskill Jr., Jeff Campbell, Terry Thomann, Robert Zeller, Daniel S. Goldstein, John Cummings, John Hennessy, Glenn Williams, Dr. Robert R. Mackey, George Wunderlich, Joyce Henry, Robert S. Driscoll, Kevin Hershberger, John H. Thillmann, Al Connor, John Richter, Scott Harper, Dean Levy, David Lenk, Randi Korn, Johanna Jones, Stephanie Downey, and ACE Everett.

At the CWLF we firmly believe there is a need for a cultural asset that will emphasize the impact of the American Civil War on the lives of everyday people who had to fight, support or simply wait for the conflict’s outcome. In perhaps what is the most concentrated area of battlefields and related historic sites, we will offer context; indeed, the National Civil War Life Museum will become the natural first stop for visitors to the Spotsylvania region. Our mission is to bridge the gap between other area attractions that are focused on either key personalities or the tactics of major events.

Every artifact has a unique story to tell—if one knows how to listen. We plan to display and interpret key artifacts in a fashion that will allow the visitor to make their own discoveries. These discoveries will in aggregate, encourage personalized connections between the complex and turbulent 1860’s and our own time. It is our intent to present a platform of opportunities that will encourage this connectivity. Issues of race, the use of special powers in wartime, distinctions between activism and terrorism, the role of the press and the effects of rapid technological development are examples of potential topics that will be presented for visitor consideration.

The theme “Civil War Life” will focus not only on the lives of Civil War soldiers, but the conflict’s impact on the lives of their families. “Slavery” will address the life of enslaved African-Americans in the south and with particular focus on the support that this supposedly southern institution actually received from northern financial and business interests. “Civil War Science” will highlight advances driven by the war principally in the fields of manufacturing, medicine and ordnance technology. “Reunification” will explore veteran’s organizations, reunions and the impact of Reconstruction on the existing and newly freed African-American population. Our content development of these topics will draw upon emerging new scholarship.

My assignment is to review the plans for the Home Front, Life in Camp, and Field Music exhibits and advise the design consultants. I will be spending some time in the coming months researching and reviewing materials for the planned exhibits in the categories that I was assigned. Our preliminary vision for each section has been outlined as follows:

THE HOME FRONT

Most soldiers left family behind. Those at home were forced to cope with uncertainty, loneliness and the possible loss of a loved one. This exhibit will consist of newspapers and letters about civilians and a collection of sheet music and musical instruments that would be found in the home. Period literature and music for home consumption reflected political themes, served as an inspirational boost to civilian morale, and helped families cope with loss. An elective sound feature will include samples of all of the above. A museum figure will display a typical woman in a day dress of the period. The centerpiece of the display will be a circa 1850 square grand piano. This artifact will give us the opportunity to explore the topic of Northern support of and profit from slavery. This occurred in many ways through financial investment and manufacturing. The piano’s ivory keys serve as a connection between ivory processing companies in Connecticut and the ivory/slave trade in Africa. We expect that visitors to the museum will have their perceptions of slavery in America and the world changed by this exhibit.

A sidebar exhibit of Civil War currency and patriotic tokens will illustrate the sentiments of the people of the times. Tokens displaying mottos such as “The Union Must and Shall Be Preserved”, “The Flag of Our Union / If Anyone Attempts to Tear It Down, Shoot Him On the Spot”, “Freedom and NO slavery”, and “Our Army” will displayed along with currency illustrated with scenes of industry and slavery. Statistics will frame the enormous domestic effects of the war. This exhibit supports both the Civil War Life and Slavery themes.

LIFE IN CAMP

As the key theme of the Museum is “Civil War Life”, this exhibit is very important. It is an opportunity to display in situ important personal artifacts illustrating daily life in the field for the basic soldier on both sides. As an example, an artifact as simple as a common tin cup illustrates the importance of Coffee to the soldier who stopped to enjoy a simple cup of coffee at every opportunity. It literally kept them going and was an occasion to gather around a small fire to enjoy the company of comrades. Camp is where the most time was spent. This exhibit consists of artifact groupings integrated into an immersive scenic recreation of a Civil War camp. This camp will occupy approximately 900 square feet of floor space. Within this environment will be examples of shelter tents, officer’s tents, log huts and shebangs (improvised shelters made of sticks and branches). The camp will be populated with uniformed museum figures posed in simulation of typical camp activities. These activities will include cooking, writing letters, standing guard etc. Artifacts on display will be used to illustrate these camp and personal tasks. Supporting artifacts will include; camp lighting, mess equipment, food containers and preparation implements, shaving, sewing and personal grooming items, games and recreation items, religious tracts and bibles, soldier’s letters, diaries and writing equipment. Each of these items will be carefully displayed and interpreted to encourage the visitor to think about its significance to the soldier’s daily life and the comfort derived. All of the items in this display could have been used by either a Northern or Southern soldier; these will not be separated by region.

FIELD MUSIC

This exhibit will focus on music and instruments of regimental bands. Music in camp provided a much-needed link to home and provided a mobile form of entertainment. Both armies used formal bands to strengthen unit identity, boost morale before and even during engagements. The bugle and the drum was a critical and reliable means of transmitting commands instantly to units over the din of battle. A feature of this exhibit will be a collection of original sheet music and band instruments. An elective interactive kiosk will enable the visitor to hear music, bugle and drum calls being played on original instruments. Sound cones and micro-speakers and sound inhibiting panels will be employed in order to avoid sound pollution within the rest of the space.

I will update you periodically on the progress of this important venture. To see how you can help financially support the National Civil War Life Museum, please visit our website at http://www.civilwarlife.org/.

I just got an email from my editor over at The Free Lance-Star. She informed me that the multi-racial feature that I was a part of will be running in the Feb. 14 edition of Town & County as part of a special package on Black History Month. Keep an eye out for it.

One of the neatest benefits of being an author is the wonderful opportunities that come your way which don’t have anything to do with writing. A few weeks ago I was contacted by an extraordinary film director and grad student at Savannah College of Art and Design who is planning on shooting a Civil War documentary and drama here in Fredericksburg. I am not at liberty to discuss the exact topic, but Richard Williams and I have been providing some networking and content consultation with the producers of the film. This promises to be an interesting experience that may tie over into some other projects of note and I will keep you apprised of the situation as details become concrete and releasable.

You may recall that I was recently invited to join the Spotsylvania County Fair Subcommittee and tasked with helping to organize and coordinate an old-time baseball tourney. The goal was to commission a series of games to coincide with the mid-September event's 1859 theme. Well I am very happy to say that I was able to accomplish that goal thanks to the assistance and generosity of the Vintage Baseball Association. Mr. Bruce Leith, president of the Eclipse BBC of Elkton, was very interested in participating and came through with a program that has more than exceeded our expectations.

After making a few phone calls and offering up a nice incentive package that includes discounted rooms and free access to a wealth of historical sites, we were able to procure one of the league's best teams who share our common interest in using this event as a platform to preserve and present our local pre-secession history. (The entire fair is being crafted in an 1859 retro-style including the games, music, shows, foods, contests, and of course baseball. There will be VA Militia re-enactors on site too. More event info to come later.)

Through Bruce, we were able to secure the nationally recognized Eclipse Base Ball Club of Elkton's Traveling Club. They are the 2007 and 2008 Maryland State Champions and the 2008 2nd Place Eastern Region Champions. Their record last year was 17-12 (9-1 in the Maryland State Championship Series). Needless to say, these guys are good.

The teams will be appearing in full 1864 uniforms (the crowd won't know the difference) that are authentic to the actual club that played in the 1860s in Cecil County, Maryland. (The Eclipse actually started playing a full year before most other clubs in the state. They were made up of Civil War veterans who learned the game while serving alongside either New Yorkers or Philadelphians during the war. Half of the club was made up of Union soldiers and 1/2 -1/3 were Confederate veterans.)

Along with myself, members will be speaking to the audience about the history of early baseball, the origins of their club, what vintage baseball is, the rule differences from today's game, as well as who plays today and why. They promised to remain in character of the mid 19th-century (i.e. no high fives, jewelry, etc) in order to stay true to the period performance.

There will also be opportunities during the game for audience participation. Curious onlookers will be able to ask questions about what they see before the match, afterwards, or between innings. And there may be an opportunity for a fan or 2 to participate in the game for an inning or two.

The teams will play two, 9-inning regulation matches and I will be helping to do play-by-play along with a rep from the teams. We will also be handing out period-looking programs and vendors will be selling ballgame foods at period-prices. The teams may be handing out a limited number of scorecards and information on the Vintage Baseball Association. All in all it looks to be a great event and I am very happy to have a part in it. Stay tuned for more details as I would love to see you there.

BTW. I have a BIG announcement coming in the next week or so. Maybe even the BIGGEST of my career. Stay tuned. And I sent my signed contract in to my reps at The History Press for my second title with them on the Confederate encampments in Spotsylvania County. Life is good.

Buried up to my eyeballs in 19th-century baseball stuff and loving every minute of it. Eric and I are up to nearly 400 pages and 165,000+ words. I'm on to photo acquisition!

Come back next Saturday (Feb 7) for a transcript of that multi-racial feature on Black History Month running in the FLS Town & County. See you then.

Other big news to come next week, new book contract and vintage baseball event both come to fruition!

Today I received an extremely detailed, 24-page document outlining The National Civil War Life Museum and Research Center Project Plan. As some of you may know, I sit on the NCWLF board and developed the foundation’s website. Recently, I was able to secure the endorsement and fund raising support of Civil War painter Mort Kunstler.

Of all of the projects that I am fortunate enough to be a part of, this is by far the biggest. And the fact that I will have some part in the establishment of a museum that my grandchildren will visit is a blessing beyond words.

The current board of directors consists of nine members from diverse experience, ethnic and gender backgrounds. These include: military, education, banking, financial, legal, historical research, writing and fundraising. Visit our website here.

I am also an exhibit advisor and have been assigned to review the Home Front, Militia, Life in Camp and Field Music exhibits and advise the design consultants. The descriptions of the exhibit spaces are outstanding and although I am not at liberty to share the exact details of this project, I will say that the list of advising experts is quite impressive.

This includes Col. Horace McCaskill Jr., Jeff Campbell, Terry Thomann, Robert Zeller, Daniel S. Goldstein, John Cummings, John Hennessy, Glenn Williams, Dr. Robert R. Mackey, George Wunderlich, Joyce Henry, Robert S. Driscoll, Kevin Hershberger, John H. Thillmann, Al Connor, John Richter, Scott Harper, Dean Levy, David Lenk, Randi Korn, Johanna Jones, Stephanie Downey, and ACE Everett.

Our mission statement says: To operate an inclusive national museum and research center that preserves and interprets the human story of the American Civil War and connects the lives of all people of that era to the Nation today.

Our vision is: We will achieve our mission by building the National Civil War Life Museum in Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia. This facility will be home to The Civil War Life Museum, The War in Photography and The Civil War Remembrance exhibits. The museum will offer excellent Civil War Study Tours to youth and school groups. The facilities will also include a 100-seat theater for our unique Civil War Life in 3-D theater program, a research library and study center, a conference center and a rotating exhibit gallery.

Stay tuned for updates.

For anyone that might be interested, I posted my recent talk on historical writing along with some lessons-learned and writing exercises. READ HERE

As many of you know Eric Wittenberg and I have been working on a HUGE baseball book highlighting the worst teams, players, calls, and moments in the history of Major League Baseball. The title of the book is “You Stink!” and it is already receiving some attention by the sports media.

Over the last few months this project has taken on a life of its own and we are having a tremendous time researching and writing about these terrible teams and pathetic players (in a highly detailed, but respectful manner.)

Between Eric’s unique vision and my background as a baseball historian, the manuscript has evolved far beyond our original expectations. Not only are we providing readers with detailed essays, but we are also including season schedules, team rosters and complete statistics. The addition of rare photos, bonus sidebars, quotes and lists has made this title a complete study.

As you can probably tell by the webpage teaser, Eric and I are very detailed-oriented guys. And the one detail that we did not take into consideration when we started this was a Foreword. As both of us wrote a portion of the Introduction, we felt that IF we were to include a Foreword, it MUST be written from someone as original and unique as the book itself.

You see, this book is not only a light-hearted historical text on really-really bad baseball; it is also a testament to the generations of fans who remained loyal to these futile franchises. In a way it is a tribute to the fanatics.

So… who better to write the preface to this book than THE #1 fanatic is all of baseball?

Yep, you guessed it, Dave Raymond!

Wait. Who is Dave Raymond you ask?

You know him. You just don't know that you know him.

Well friends, THIS IS DAVE RAYMOND.

And he is writing our Foreword with his perspective as THE fan on the front lines. Welcome aboard Dave! It is truly an honor and a privilege to have your participation on this project. No one fits the overall sentiment of this book more than you. For more on Dave, please visit his official website.