General News

I accompanied Susan to see the orthopedist this morning. I am pretty sure that we are single-handedly funding either his retirement or the education of his children. This fellow has done both of her prior reconstructions, he did the arthroscopic procedure on my left shoulder, and treated my achilles tendinitis, among other things. I often wonder whether he cringes or smiles when he sees one of us coming.

Today, there was good news, bad news, and unwelcome news.

The good news: The MCL, LCL, and PCL are intact and undamaged. There was much less damage than any of us expected, which is a very good thing.

The bad news: The ACL is toast. She also has a torn meniscus. She will require reconstructive surgery to repair the ACL again.

The unwelcome news: He wants to wait two to four weeks to do the surgery. Rationally, the reason makes sense, which is to permit the rest of the swelling to go down and to allow the inflammation in the joint to go down. However, it means two to four weeks of more atrophy to her leg and delays the rehab process by that much longer. We’d both prefer to just get it over with and start moving back toward some semblance of normalcy in our lives and routines.

She sees him again in two weeks. Hopefully, the surgery will be scheduled then.

Stay tuned.

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A couple of times per year, I just have to go to Gettysburg.  I’m drawn by the place, and I have to go there to re-charge my batteries.  I’ve only been there once this year, in June, and I’ve been hearing the call.

I’m outta here in about 90 minutes for a weekend in Gettysburg.  Should be two-and-a-half days of good battlefield stomping.  Even though it will be chilly, the worst day of battlefield stomping is still better than that best day of work.  🙂

See y’all on Sunday night.

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Several months ago, thanks to Joe Bilby, the authority on all things New Jersey Civil War, I learned that Ulric Dahlgren’s colonel’s dress uniform was in the collection of the Historical Society of Princeton.

Ulric’s oldest brother was named Charles Bunker Dahlgren. Charlie Dahlgren named his first son Ulric in honor of his slain brother. The second Ulric Dahlgren, born six years after his namesake was killed in action, became one of the world’s most famous scientists. He was a world-renowned biologist and zoologist, and was an award-winning and long-tenured professor at Princeton University. Somewhere along the line, Charlie Dahlgren came into possession of his brother’s last dress uniform. That uniform ended up in a trunk in the attic of the second Ulric Dahlgren’s son, and a purchaser of the house eventually discovered it. It was then donated to the Historical Society of Princeton.

The Society recently kicked off an exhibit on New Jersey in the Civil war, and for the first time ever, the uniform is on exhibit. This photo was forwarded to me by the Historical Society so I can include it in the book. There’s also a CDV of Dahlgren wearing this uniform posted here. The CDV was taken in Philadelphia in November 1863, shortly before Ulric went to visit his father in Charleston, SC for the next couple of months.

I find a couple of things remarkable about it.

Dahlgren stood over 6 feet tall, but I doubt that that uniform jacket is bigger than a size 40 or so. Now, I’m not a slender fellow, but I was once. When I was 18, I was 6’3″ and weighed about 170 pounds. Even then, I wore a size 44 suit coat. Although Dahlgren was tall and very athletic, he obviously never filled out.

The other striking thing about it is the condition. The thing is in absolutely immaculate condition. It obviously was not worn often by Dahlgren before his fatal mission. It also was obviously well cared for by its subsequent stewards.

It will make a great addition to the book.

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I’m sad to report that, after 48 years of marriage, Margie Bearss, the wife of Ed Bearss and distinguished Civil War historian in her own right, passed away on October 7 after a very lengthy illness.

I did a program with Ed at the end of July, and I asked him then how Margie was doing. He told me then that he had nearly lost her a week or so earlier, so I figured it was just a matter of time. I’m sad to report that Margie finally lost her battle.

Condolences to Ed and his family.

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For tonight, there IS joy in Mudville–the mighty Yankees have been blown out. 🙂

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This from today’s edition of the San Jose Mercury News:

Google seeks rivals’ data for lawsuit over libraries
YAHOO, MICROSOFT BACK OTHER BOOK PROJECTS
By Elise Ackerman
Mercury News
Google is subpoenaing documents from its two biggest competitors, Microsoft and Yahoo, in an effort to defend itself in copyright lawsuits filed against it by publishers and authors.

“Is the library of the future going to be open?” Kahle said. “Or will it be controlled by a couple of big corporate players?”

Precisely.

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I’ve told you previously that music plays an important part in my life and always has.  This is a music post, so those of you looking for Civil War stuff won’t find it here.

I’ve also lamented the apparent lack of musical talent in many of today’s popular acts.  Finally, there’s been the “bimboizing” of pop music with the proliferation of air headed morons like Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson, both of whom appear to have the overwhelming majority of their talent in their bras.  Most recently, the ultimate air headed bimbo, Paris Hilton, has released an album, as somebody persuaded her that (a) she can sing and (b) anyone gives a damn. 

To borrow a line once used to describe Bruce Springsteen, I have seen the future, and her name is KT Tunstall.

I am one of those people who can’t concentrate in a silent room.  Consequently, I listen to the radio streaming via the web all day while at work.  On a visit to Susan’s brother a couple of years ago, I discovered KFOG, a terrific Bay Area station.  I was even more pleased to find that KFOG streams on the web, so I listen to it pretty much all day (although there are times when I listen to Jimmy Buffett’s Radio Margaritaville). 

Back in January, KFOG started playing a song called “Big Black Horse and a Cherry Tree” by some unknown singer.  I really liked the song, so I started paying attention.  The artist who wrote and performed it is named KT Tunstall.  Since then, her first album was released in the U. S., and a second song, titled “Suddenly I See” was released as a single, and has gotten a lot of airplay.  It was the song played during the opening scenes of the recent movie The Devil Wears Prada. 

KT is from Scotland.  She plays the guitar, the piano, and the drums.  She’s been known to be a one-woman band–her performance on the Today show back in the early spring proved that. She writes all of her own stuff, and she can REALLY sing.  Imagine Sheryl Crow with a Scots accent and a big attitude, and you get a very good idea of what we’re talking about here.

Susan and I went to see her in concert  last night.  It’s her first true U. S. tour, and she played in a real dump.  However, we were there for the music and not for the venue.  And let me tell you–I can’t say enough good things about her or her performance.  She played four different guitars over the course of the show, including a beautiful Les Paul that was as big as she is, the piano, and the drums.  She has a fabulous band behind her–her bass player also played the cello on a couple of songs, and it was a great show.

For me, a real indicator of how good a performer is is whether they sound as good live as they do in the studio–and no, I don’t mean lipsynching like Ashlee Simpson, either–and KT sounds EXACTLY the same live as she does in the studio, meaning that her voice is that good that she requires no mixing.  It was very impressive.  She did several songs from her new upcoming acoustic album, and they were all terrific.  She told the crowd that the entire album was recorded in a single day, which is quite impressive.

She is the anti-Britney, to say the very least.  I just can’t say enough good things about her and her music.  If you get the chance to enjoy her and her music, please indulge yourself.  You won’t be disappointed.   

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Reader Jack Dempsey posted this comment to my discussion of my trip to Detroit last week:

For someone who tries to read your blog regularly, and would have enjoyed attending this event, I regret there was no prior notice on this blogsite as in other cases, at least to the best of my knowledge. Perhaps this could serve as a suggestion that authors attempt consistently to inform their readership of upcoming appearances. Thanks.

Point taken. It just never occurred to me to announce the date here, and I apologize for not doing so. Jack, I apologize. It would have been nice to meet you.

Consequently, I think that I will see about adding a section to this site which contains my scheduled appearances/talks. In the meantime, the only other even that I have scheduled at present is a joint appearance with J. D. at the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable on October 26, where we will be discussing Plenty of Blame to Go Around.

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Civil Warriors is a joint blog run by some of the best of the younger generation of Civil War historians, including Mark Grimsley, Brooks Simpson, and Steven Woodworth.

Ethan Rafuse has also joined the Civil Warriors team. For those not familiar with Ethan, he’s written several excellent books on the war, including an outstanding book on George B. McClellan’s role in the Civil War. Ethan is an Army historian whose work I really admire. He will make an excellent addition to the team, and I look forward to his contributions to the team blog.

Welcome to the blogosphere, Ethan.

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Sundown today marked the arrival of the Jewish High Holy Days, and specifically, the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana. L’Shana Tova–happy new year–to all.

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