behind AotW

As hard as it will be for me, I will be taking the next week or so off. Disconnecting from the internets, even. I hope both of you will forgive the brief neglect.

This month the blog passed it’s first anniversary. Also, the author’s birthday is nigh, and it’s a big one ending in a zero. In celebration of one of those two events we’re off to the Texas Gulf Coast (ain’t never been there, they tell me it’s nice) on our first family vacation in years.

See you back here the week of April 8th! And hey … let’s be careful out there.

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Thanks to Lance and Erin for the pointer to Port A. We’ll let you know!

Birthday photo from the Library of Congress

GoogleBooks has the complete 1865 Army Register online. Compiled by the Adjutant-General, this reference volume lists all staff (by corps) and line (by regiment) officers of the Regular Army along with other ranks/commands to which they were assigned and the date they entered service.

Originally published by the US Government Printing Office (1865), this book was digitized from a copy at the University of Michigan on 10 October 2006. Go Wolverines.

With a quick check, complete volumes for 1848, 1850, 1853, 1864 and 1880 were also found, but other editions–like that for 1910–are blocked as if copyrighted (which of course they couldn’t be).

Poor, confused GoogleBooks.

Students of American military history have been referring to the painstaking work of Cullen for many years. I’ve never actually seen a print copy of his Biographical Register of the Officers and Graduates of the United States Military Academy, only bits and pieces derived from it. But last week Harry Smeltzer pointed me to an online copy from West Point [now gone] which–as we commiserated together–may become the biggest time sink for me since the Official Records first went digital. I’m in your debt, Harry.

As is my habit, I did some digging into the life and career of the man behind that massive work and his legacy at the USMA, West Point. As anyone with a Cullum Number already knows, he had quite a ride …