Well, I seem to have come down with either a really bad cold, or, potentially worse, a sinus infection. I feel atrocious as I write this. My head feels like it’s in a vice, and my sinuses are pounding. So, please forgive me if I don’t write much for the next few days until I get to feeling better. Thanks for understanding.

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I need to take a moment to rant about people abusing the privilege of posting comments to this blog. I had an episode today that requires a response by me.

Note to the Nathan Bedford Forrest fan who apparently doesn’t like my take on his boy: you do NOT get to insult me on my own web site and expect me to approve your comments so that they are posted for the world to see.

Feel free to disagree with me. I welcome the challenge. Feel free to use facts to demonstrate to me where I’m wrong. I’m usually the first to admit that I’m wrong and tip my hat to the person who points it out. However, if you really expected me to approve comments where you personally insulted me, you clearly are smoking something less than legal.

For the rest of my regular readers: this particular individual, whom I have never heard of before today, doesn’t like my take on Forrest and attempted to post some really personally insulting stuff in the comments section to this blog. Stuff to the gist of “you don’t agree with me, so you must be an idiot,” only more insulting and far more snide. The beauty of this, of course, is that this is my web site. I pay for it, so I get to make the rules. One the most basic, most fundamental rules is: people who are not related to me do NOT get the privilege of insulting me on my own web site. If that somehow infringes upon First Amendment free speech rights, sorry about your luck. Consequently, I exercised my prerogative and deleted the guy’s comments.

Those of you who’ve been around here for a while know that I welcome dialogue and that I readily admit it when I’m wrong. I find the give and take fascinating, and I really enjoy it. That sort of exchange will always be welcome here. However, please use some common sense. If you’re going to launch a personal attack on me, you can reasonably expect that I won’t appreciate it, welcome it, or react very well to it. Call me crazy if you like, but those are the rules on MY web site.

The comments are set so that anyone who hasn’t posted a comment previously must have their comment approved by me before it will be seen by anyone but me. Once you’ve passed that muster, they post automatically, but you have to earn that privilege. And it is just that–a privilege. It’s not a right. Needless to say NBF Boy won’t be getting that privilege.

There is only one thing that pisses me off more: people spamming my blog. There’s this lovely little trend of companies trying to insert spam in the comments section of blogs using spam bots, and I get several every day (three today). I’ve taken to reporting the spamming to their Internet service providers as their reward for wasting my time. Just my little way of returning the favors.

Sorry for the rant, but people abusing the comments section to this blog really anger me.

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Dimitri Rotov astutely points out that I have two books being published by Savas-Beatie Publishing in a period of about ninety days. While that’s certainly a true statement, it was never intended to be that way. I thought I would take a moment and explain how it happened.

My own publishing company, Ironclad Publishing, was originally going to publish the Monroe’s Crossroads book. However, a little over a year ago, we, the owners of Ironclad, made a unanimous group business decision to publish only those books that are a part of our The Discovering Civil War America Series for the time being. Because the Monroe’s Crossroads battlefield is stuck in the middle of the drop zones at Fort Bragg, it definitely does not lend itself well to the history/tourguide format of The Discovering Civil War America Series, so I volunteered to withdraw it from consideration, and it fell out of the publishing queue. I approached old pal Ted Savas about it, since Ted has had a lot of success with Carolinas Campaign stuff, and he readily agreed to take it on.

The book was originally supposed to be published last October, but when Ted got into laying it out, he determined that the series of nearly 30 maps for it were unacceptable. They all had to be re-done. When the cartographer had health issues, the whole damned thing got thrown off track, and what should have taken a few weeks ended up taking nearly three months, and perhaps even a little longer (I’ve lost track). Ted then scheduled it for the end of January, and we missed that date also as a result of the cartographer’s health issues. So, what this means is that instead of an October 2005 release date, we’re now looking at March 21, 2006 (which cannot come soon enough).

In the interim, JD Petruzzi and I were plugging away at our book on Stuart’s Ride during the Gettysburg Campaign, and it was rapidly coming to its conclusion. It was originally intended for inclusion in The Discovering Civil War America Series, and was originally planned as a volume in the series. However, the farther we got into the project, the more aware we became that in order to do this the way we wanted to, it needed to address the controversy over the ride, too. Once we got into that, we realized it needed to be a hardcover book, and that took it off the radar screen for Ironclad for the reasons stated above. Hence, we took it to Ted, and he grabbed it up, too. We decided to push to get it out in time for the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, so that meant a short time frame in which to edit it and lay it out, and we are on track to meet the projected release date early, due to an event in Westminster, Maryland the third weekend in June (we have a detailed treatment of Corbit’s Charge at Westminster on June 29, 1863 in the book, and the organizers of the annual re-enactment have invited us for a booksigning that weekend).

There was supposed to be a nine-month gap between the two books. Obviously, that’s no longer going to be the case. It is an interesting scenario, and we will have to see how it plays out.

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This morning, legendary martial arts star Chuck Norris was on the morning radio show that I listen to on a daily basis. Norris was promoting his new novel, The Justice Riders, set against the backdrop of the Civil War.

Here’s the description of the book from Amazon.com: “The Justice Riders offers action-packed historical fiction from America’s favorite action hero Chuck Norris. Book one in the series takes place as the Civil War ends and the Old West begins. General William T. Sherman commissions Ezra Justice to form a secret band of cavaliers who will help end the war between North and South, and Justice complies with a pro-Union posse of diverse multinationals second to none in their fighting abilities. From dusty canyon shootouts against Confederates to the horrors faced aboard the doomed Sultana steamship, these dynamic men shine as good-hearted heroes who need each other just as much as so many others need them.”

From what Norris was saying on the radio interview, the protagonist is an abolitionist Southerner whose childhood best friend was a slave. He gets this commission from Sherman, and he and the now-freed slave form a band of secret scouts that includes an Englishman who’s a member of Her Majesty’s Coldstream Guards (Lt. Col. Sir Arthur Fremantle, I wonder?), an Irish immigrant, and twin brothers of gypsy descent.

Let’s see: we’re politically correct, that’s for sure. Never mind that there is absolutely no connection with reality to be found here. The story is preposterous. These guys are all martial arts experts, too. Again, never mind that nobody had ever heard of Tang Su Do (the Korean martial art studied and taught by Norris) in the 1860’s. Never mind, also, that the only one of these guys with any military training is the Englishman. Apparently, the six of them go out and win the war. Give me a break. The only good thing about this whole thing is that Norris said that the proceeds from the book would go to his foundation to teach at-risk children the martial arts, something that I definitely can support.

I wonder who persuaded Chuck Norris that he was a writer. Now, I understand that this is entertainment, but I get worried that people who read this sort of pap will actually believe that it’s the truth or that this has some credibility. Why is it that just because someone is a celebrity, they suddenly think that they’re authors (see that airheaded bimbo Paris Hilton, if you need an example of what I mean here)? This garbage gets published and sells, but legitimate folks who spend large portions of their lives trying to get it right have to struggle to get published at all. What’s wrong with this picture?

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There are times when people amaze me. I can think of a number of instances when I have published something, and then somebody turns up and presents me with something pertinent that makes me say, “Damn! Where was this when I REALLY needed it?” Two good examples come to mind. One was a few months after the publication of my first book, someone gave me a letter by Williams Wells that is the only known account of Farnsworth’s Charge written by Wells himself. I wish that I could have had the letter when I wrote the book, as it definitely would have changed my interpretation of things. Likewise, a couple of weeks after my book on the Battle of Trevilian Station was published, I spoke to the Greater Pittsburgh Civil War Roundtable. A fellow came up to me and handed me a copy of his ancestor’s letter about the battle, which was a terrific letter. Again, the thought that went through my mind was, “Where were you when I needed you?”

Today, the fates smiled upon me. This morning, I got a phone call from a woman who is working on editing the letters of a trooper of the 6th Michigan Cavalry. Knowing of my work on the regiment, she called to see if I would be willing to read her work and comment upon it. I said sure, and she e-mailed me the manuscript. When I went to see what was there on the Gettysburg Campaign, sure enough, there was some REALLY good material on the June 30, 1863 Battle of Hanover. As I think I have mentioned here before, J. D. Petruzzi and I have written a book on Jeb Stuart’s controversial ride in the Gettysburg Campaign that includes the most detailed treatment of the Battle of Hanover yet written. The book, which is scheduled for release at the end of June, is in final preparation as I write this. Fortunately, Ted Savas understands, and gave us permission to hastily plug this new material into the manuscript, which we’re doing tonight. This new material, previously unknown, as it’s been in private hands, allows us to put additional meat on a portion of the discussion that was a bit thin due to lack of source material. We’re very fortunate that the timing worked out the way it did, and we’re even more fortunate that Ted is understanding and willing to be flexible, as it’s in his interests, as the publisher, to bring out the best possible book, just as doing so is also in our best interest.

It’s nice that this material surfaced when it did; another couple of days, and it would have been too late.

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Hat tip to Dimitri Rotov for first pointing this out.

Richard F. Miller, the author of an excellent recent regimental history of the so-called “Harvard Regiment”, also known as the 20th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and who is a regular reader of this blog, works in radio news.

Richard will shortly be leaving for the hellhole of Iraq, where he will be serving as an embedded reporter with U. S. Army forces. As Dimitri points out, Richard will begin podcasting stories from the front soon. This will not be Richard’s first trip, and I can only hope that he will return to us safely and soundly, and that he stays out of harm’s way. Keep your head down, and your kevlar on, Richard. And please drop us a line from time to time while you’re over there and let us know that you’re safe and sound. We’ll miss you, and you will be in all of our prayers.

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In an earlier post, I noted that when Brian Pohanka’s estate announced that substantial gifts had been left to two battlefield preservation groups, the Civil War Preservation Trust was missing from that list, and I wondered aloud whether that absence was a sign that perhaps Brian was unhappy with the way things had gone with the CWPT. It turns out that there was much more to it than met the eye.

Yesterday, Jim Campi of the CWPT called to discuss a variety of things with me, most notably the incident a couple of weeks ago when someone from the Morris Island Coalition used the comments to this blog to launch personal attacks on Dimitri Rotov because the poster does not agree with Dimitri’s opinions about the CWPT. However, in the course of that conversation with Jim, he let me know that there was going to be a public announcement today regarding Brian’s gifts to the CWPT.

Here is that press release, which was provided to me by Jim yesterday:

“(Washington, D.C.) – In a statement released today, the Civil War Preservation Trust (CWPT) announced a major gift from the estate of historian and ardent preservationist Brian C. Pohanka, who passed away in June 2005. In his will, Pohanka left CWPT – with whom he has been associated since its earliest days – a bequest totaling $1 million earmarked for land acquisition.

In acknowledging the gift, CWPT President James Lighthizer said that the donation is telling of the innumerable contributions Pohanka made to the cause of historic preservation over the years.

‘From the very beginnings of the Civil War battlefield preservation movement, Brian Pohanka led the charge. He not only gave of his time and talents, but frequently and generously reached into his wallet as well. We at Civil War Preservation Trust are proud to carry on the work he began nearly two decades ago.’

Pohanka’s generosity to battlefield preservation was unequalled. In addition to the $1 million bequest, he and his wife Cricket quietly donated an equal amount to CWPT in 2004. Over the years, Pohanka gave generously to both CWPT and countless other local battlefield preservation groups – in his will, he also set aside money for the Central Virginia Battlegrounds Trust ($500,000), the Richmond Battlefields Association ($500,000), and the Save Historic Antietam Foundation ($200,000).

In recognition for Pohanka’s outstanding contributions to battlefield preservation, in 2004 he was named CWPT’s Preservationist of the Year during ceremonies in Nashville, Tenn. At the ceremony, one of Brian’s last public appearances, he urged the preservation community to continue the struggle to save this nation’s irreplaceable hallowed battlegrounds.

Cricket Bauer Pohanka, who recently agreed to join CWPT’s Board of Trustees, said she is confident that the bequest would be used to create a legacy of which he would be proud. ‘Brian placed an immense value on the preservation of our Civil War battlefields,’ she said, ‘and to see the sites he so cared about perpetually protected will be a fitting tribute to his life and his work.’

According to Lighthizer, Brian was frequently quoted as saying the inspiration for his tireless efforts was the idea that a century from now a child might become as interested in the Civil War as Brian was in his own youth. That child, he said, must still have the opportunity to visit our battlefields, our hallowed grounds, and absorb their lessons. ‘With this gift, Brian has truly made that vision a reality, giving us the power to protect more of that ground for generations yet to come.’

Lighthizer concluded his remarks by stating: ‘Author, living historian, preservationist, consultant, friend; Brian touched us and our work in so many ways. He is truly missed, but we will make sure that his dedication and his contributions will not be forgotten.’

With 75,000 members, CWPT is the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States. Its mission is to preserve our nation’s remaining Civil War battlefields. Since 1987, the organization has saved more than 22,000 acres of hallowed ground. CWPT’s website is located at www.civilwar.org.”

A few months before he died, Brian told me that once he was gone, we would learn of steps he had taken with respect to battlefield preservation, but didn’t elaborate. Knowing him as I did, I knew better than to ask; if he had wanted me to know, he would have told me. Given that Brian was one of the three founders of APCWS–the predecessor to the CWPT–I was genuinely surprised to hear that no gift had been announced for the CWPT after Brian’s passing.

Yesterday, Jim Campi told me about the two $1 million gifts, and we both had the same reaction–this was so typical of Brian–unfailingly generous, but unfailingly avoiding ANY hint of publicity about it, as Brian felt that doing so was unseemly. $2 million will buy a lot of land. While it’s difficult to define precisely what Brian’s legacy is, this is probably the most tangible and most important aspect of it.

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Last month, I dealt with the issue of neo-Confederate hooey here. I related the problems I had with a member of the Civil War Discussion Group that I own and operate.

Last week, this clown went off on rant about black Confederates. Although the guy denies that he has a neo-Confederate agenda, he clearly does have one. If you read his posts about black Confederates, it becomes obvious that he’s beating the neo-Confederate drum as loudly as possible. I called him on it. I posted:

“Time for me to put on my moderator/owner hat.

This site does NOT exist for the pushing of any particular group’s agenda. Mr. Tucker has apparently decided that this web site exists to promote the agenda of the SCV, and, in particular, of the radical wing of the SCV that is presently in control.

Here’s the bottom line, folks.

This stuff stops now. I am not interested in seeing another self-serving neo-Confederate post from Mr. Tucker or anyone else. The next time it happens, not only is the post gone, the person who posted it is gone, too.

And, to reiterate what I’ve said before: This is my web site. I own it. I pay for it. Therefore, I also get to make the rules. My rules are what they are. They are neither negotiable, nor are there any exceptions to them. Once a decision is made about whether the rules have been violated, there is no discussion of it, and there most assuredly is no right of appeal. If you don’t like my rules, Mr. Tucker, you are more than welcome to leave on your own.

I am a benevolent despot until pushed. And now, I’ve been pushed. That means it’s time for me to step in and end the problem.

I trust that I have made myself abundantly clear.

Eric”

The guy then posted a lame apology that attempted to explain his conduct. I responded and told him that he would get one more chance, and the nect time he stepped so much as an inch out of line, he was history. He promised to straighten up and fly by my rules. It lasted exactly one week.

Today, he posted yet another neo-Confederate rant, trying to claim that slaves loved their masters and gladly fought for the Confederacy, blah, blah, blah. I dropped the nuclear weapon:

“Mr. Tucker has been warned repeatedly that this web site does not exist for the promotion of his neo-Confederate agenda. The last time that this happened, I informed him that the next time I got even so much as an inkling that he was using this web site for the promotion of his agenda, he would be excommunicated. He agreed to my terms, and I hoped that would be the end of it. Well, it lasted less than a week.

As a result of this post, Mr. Tucker has, in fact, been permanently excommunicated from this web site. We will not be bothered by him and his agenda any longer.

This thread is now being locked.

Let us speak no more of this.

The Management”

The fight against neo-Confederate hooey never ends. And I will always remain vigilant and will always fight that fight. Bring it on. 🙂

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Gettysburg Magazine was Bob Younger’s baby. He started it, and he made the rules. Bob believed that the honor of being published in his magazine should be reward enough; if you wanted to be paid you had to ask for it. Those checks would come, but I always got the sense I was imposing on him to even ask. However, I have always insisted on being paid simply because of the principle of the thing.

One of Bob’s primary rules was no advertising. If you look at an issue of the magazine, you will find nary a single advertisement. This meant that either (a) the issue had to be paid for in full by subscription and bookstore sales or (b) it lost money regularly. Mix in Bob’s irascible nature and the fact that there was no national distributor, and it’s no surprise that this magazine was never a moneymaker for Morningside. Bob once told me that he and his wife Mary regularly had to subsidize the thing.

Also, Bob alienated enough of his authors that people stopped writing for him. I certainly did. When he decided that I was the enemy because we couldn’t get a bank to finance the deal, that was the end of my efforts to write for him, even though I have had lots of ideas of things that would have made for good articles for the magazine. I am far from alone in this. Consequently, in the past several years, the overall quality of the articles that have been published in the magazine has dropped significantly. For one good example, one of the licensed battlefield guides has propounded a bizarre theory that because the monument to the 5th New York Cavalry was moved, the rest of the monuments to Farnsworth’s brigade also were going to be moved. This person, in fact, contended that the veterans had been PROMISED that their monuments would be moved. The problem with this is that it was entirely and completely fabricated. There is no footnote for this proposition; there can’t be one–the records of the Gettysburg Battlefield Monument Association do not reflect any such thing. Yet, this nonsense crept through and was published.

Now, I’m all for theories that push the envelope. However, my support for and tolerance of these theories ends when they depend on material that is completely and totally fabricated. Had someone bothered to read this festering pile of garbage and hold it to the sorts of standards that marked the early years of the magazine, it never would have been published and put out there to intentionally mislead the public, as the author has set out to do. There is no quality control or consistency, and I have heard this complaint many, many times from many people.

This magazine has offered a great deal, and was once great. It can be great again. While Bob Younger’s passing was a tragedy, it nevertheless offers an opportunity to rejuvenate the magazine and make it great again now that it’s no longer under his thumb. With him gone, I would be willing to write for it again. Let’s hope that whoever is now in charge recognizes this opportunity and seizes it and does something good with it. Time will tell.

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I wanted to let everyone know that I have an incredibly busy week doing lawyer stuff this week–something significant every day this week–and hence may not have time to post much this week. I hope I will be forgiven for permitting my job to get in the way of my hobby. I hate it when that happens.

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