Over the past two weeks you have seen a change in the way in which we close the loop on the Medford Great Photography Hunt. To be frank, it was cumbersome and, with so much else going on, I just fell behind and, before we knew it, we had a long list of photographs that … Read more
The British Are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775–1777 (the Revolution Trilogy) by Rick Atkinson (Henry Holt Press, 2019) $40. I love a single malt scotch and my favorite is GlenFarclas 105. It is hard to come by and I savor every single drink—I could drink it every day, … Read more
Since the day he was born, Scott Williams has known no other home than Virginia—specifically Chesterfield County in the Richmond area. But Williams, a BGES member for nearly a decade, admits that familiarity didn’t necessarily breed appreciation. In fact, in 1996, when he began working for the county as a mapping technician, he came to … Read more
In the age of the Covid-19 pandemic and what many decry as the “cancel culture” era, you might think being an independent bookseller with a focus on military history, particularly the Civil War, would be just about the worst business model to pursue. But as the old saying goes, don’t judge a book by its … Read more
After the Civil War, southerners were faced the challenge of reintegrating back into and moving forward to help rebuild their nation. Award-winning author Stephen M. “Sam” Hood, in his new book Patriots Twice: Former Confederates and the Building of America after the Civil War, dives into the contributions of more than 300 Confederate soldiers, sailors, … Read more
The BGES Blog never misses an opportunity to talk with Paul Severance. An Army veteran, he is an acknowledged expert on Gettysburg and a living history enthusiast. Severance has hosted several BGES tours, and was originally scheduled to lead another, “A Walking Tour of the Battle of Fredericksburg,” in December—thanks to Covid-19 it’s been rescheduled … Read more
Just in the last year, BGES has raised $150 using a very simple tool—AmazonSmile. And that amount came from just six people. What is AmazonSmile? It’s a website operated by Amazon that offers the same shopping experience and same prices as Amazon, but with benefit of donating 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the selected … Read more
Perhaps the most difficult race in track & field is the 400-meter, or quarter-mile. It requires a combination of speed and endurance that pushes the human body to its physical limitations. There also is a psychological component. Competitors do not ease into the 400-meter. They achieve full speed as quickly as possible and then push … Read more
The Last Hurrah, Sterling Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864 by Kyle S. Sinisi (Rowman and Littlefield, 2015 / paperback 2020) More than 20 years ago, the old Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites hired me to execute a National Park Service grant to conduct a preservation plan for Sterling Price’s … Read more
Sometimes it takes a village. That was the case seven years ago when Fort Clinch, located on a peninsula near the northernmost point of Amelia Island in Florida, got a full-scale operating 10-pounder Parrott Rifle artillery piece. Built in 1847, the fort was part of the “Third System Fortifications” that gained prominence after the War … Read more