Now that we’re working on wrapping up our retreat manuscript for publication (we’ve been adding some incredibly good new material to it), I’m once again focused on the issue of decision-making by the Union high command during the latter phases of the Gettysburg Campaign.

Let’s assume for a moment that Jeb Stuart, in fact, did something inappropriate during the early stages of the Gettysburg Campaign, although I don’t believe he did. If Stuart somehow disappointed Lee during the days just before the battle, Stuart’s performance during the retreat was nothing short of spectacular. His horsemen pretty much kept the Army of the Potomac at bay with almost no help from the infantry until Lee’s defensive line was ready and Lee …

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At the beginning of June 1863, the Army of Northern Virginia held the southern bank of the Rappahannock River, while the Army of the Potomac held the northern bank. The armies stared at each other across the river.

Most historians say that the Gettysburg Campaign began on June 9, 1863, when 12,000 horsemen of the Army of the Potomac’s Cavalry Corps splashed across the Rappahannock and pitched into the Confederate cavalry near Brandy Station. It was a fourteen hour slugging match that accomplished little; it delayed the beginning of Robert E. Lee’s movement north by a single day.

Most histories of the Gettysburg Campaign state that the campaign ended with the Confederate crossings of the Potomac on July 14, since …

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I want to take a moment to give kudos to Laurie Chambliss of Civil War Interactive. Each week, Laurie reviews the multitude of Civil War blogs and posts a summary of that person’s postings for the week. It’s got to be a huge job–there are plenty of Civil War blogs out there any more–but Laurie covers each one of them each week. It takes dedication and it takes a lot of patience. Personally, I really appreciate everything that Laurie does to make sure that the blogosphere is a good place to be. Thanks for what you do, Laurie.

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I had some clown by the name of William Michael Kemp, a self-professed neo-Confederate who likes to post on white supremacist sites (which should tell you everything you need to know about him), leave an incredibly rude and abusive comment on one of my very early posts on this blog about Nathan Bedford Forrest. I get an e-mail every time someone leaves a comment here (even when I leave the comment), so I know almost immediately whenever one is left. When I read this one, I was genuinely offended, and that takes some doing. He didn’t like my take on Forrest. It’s no secret that I’m no fan of Forrest, and my neo-Confederate “friend” decided to launch a pretty vicious …

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I have been working on the Dahlgren manuscript for more than 18 months now. For most of the last seven months, it’s been more off than on, but I have periodically worked on it. I was fortunate enough to get some good feedback and editorial suggestions from friends like Scott Patchan, and much of the last few months entailed edits based on suggestions from folks like Scott.

In part, I’ve been a little afraid to pull the trigger on this thing, largely because it’s not placed with a publisher. While I find the story terribly compelling (I had better find it compelling to have invested so much time, money and effort in it, right?), I recognize that the market for …

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I want to welcome my friend Duane Siskey to the blogosphere. Duane lives in Gettysburg and is a Civil War cavalry reenactor. J. D. and I stayed at Duane’s place the last time we were in Gettysburg. Duane has started a new blog that discusses what it’s like to live in the ‘burg. I’ve added a link to Duane’s blog. Welcome to the blogosphere, Duane.

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I’ve been suffering from a severe case of motivational deficit for months now. I just haven’t felt like writing all year so far this year. So far this year, I’ve written about 15 pages worth of new material all year. We’ve had so much disruption in our lives that I just haven’t had the motivation to write. I’d come home from work with the best of intentions, and then, when it came time to pull the trigger and try to be productive, I just haven’t been able to do it. I’ve been content to post here, read a bit, and then just hang out.

Making a deal with Ted Savas for the publication of our retreat book finally got me …

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I would be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge the 10,000th loss in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies, which occurred on Sunday afternoon while we were driving back to Columbus. Number 10,001 then occurred on Monday night.

As some of you may know, I was born in Philadelphia and raised in the area. My father is a lifelong Philadelphia sports nut (although he was primarily an A’s fan while they were there), and some of my very earliest memories are of watching Richie Allen hit long home runs at Connie Mack Stadium with my dad. I’m a diehard Phillies fan and have been for my entire life. Perhaps it explains why I am such a glutton for punishment.…

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No, Michael Aubrecht, the number 500 in this post has nothing to do with Alex Rodriguez and his pursuit of 500 home runs. 🙂

Actually, this is blog post number 500 for me. I started this blog on a whim in September 2005, and it’s very much taken on a life of its own over the course of those nearly two years. I’m genuinely surprised that it’s lasted this long and that I continue to find things to rant about without becoming too redundant. Along the way, I’ve made some wonderful new friends, re-connected with some old ones, and have had some excellent company as we’ve traveled this road we call life.

I can only say that I am humbled …

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