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 …

McClellan and Failure: A Study of Civil War Fear, Incompetence and Worse, Edward Bonekemper’s new book, is introduced in part by the publisher on Amazon, thus:

Promoting his own ideas and career regardless of the consequences, McClellan spent his Civil War command defying his superiors and attempting to avoid battle, eventually becoming a thorn in the side of President Lincoln and the Union cause. Removed from command on November 5, 1862, McClellan’s overly cautious attitude nevertheless permeated the Army of the Potomac for years…

I hope this’ll give us fresh research, new insights, and the definitive answers, but it sure sounds like the same tired dogma. We’ll have to read the book to see.

Thanks to Mike for the pointer.

A ‘special interpretive event’ on Civil War Journalism will be held at the Battlefield Park on Saturday 21 April with a series of exhibits and speaker.

The press release:

The Washington County Free Library has partnered with Antietam National Battlefield [ANB], the Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau and other area organizations to produce a special interpretive event on April 21, 2007 at the Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center. This event will celebrate the completion of the Hagerstown Civil War Newspaper Index. These newspapers were thought to be long lost, but over the past several years have been located in several institutional collections. The Historic Newspaper Indexing Project is funded through grants from the Washington County Historical and Fine Arts Trust.

The on-line index provides a searchable database of subjects and names with corresponding references to newspaper issues on microfilm at the Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, MD. The interpretive event and special exhibits will be held at the Antietam National Battlefield Visitor Center [map] from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Exhibits will be provided by Washington County Rural Heritage Museum, the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the Catoctin Center for Regional Studies, the Fashion Archives at Shippensburg University and the Washington County Free Library.

On Saturday April 21 at 2:00 PM, Mr. Brayton Harris will speak in the Visitor Center Theater on the subject of Civil War Journalism with special emphasis on the Battle of Antietam. Mr. Harris is a retired U.S. Navy Officer and author of eight books and numerous articles on naval and publishing related subjects. For additional information contact Carol Appenzellar, Washington County Free Library at 301-739-3250, ext. 151.

I stumbled upon another Civil War focused blog today in Hardtack and Hard Times by Kingsport (TN) Times-News photographer Ned Jilton II. He writes about his hobby of history with emphasis on the War, and features local places and events.

Photographer & blogger Ned Jilton firing repro 1853 Enfield (photo from Hardtack and Hard Times)

Ned’s been publishing since at least last August, so I have some catching up to do.

I hope you’ll all make him feel t’home.

I’ve been chastened to find General JEB Stuart had a more considerable role at Sharpsburg on 17 September 1862 than I’ve long thought. He was apparently “everywhere” on the field, noticed particularly in directing the Confederate far left flank. His greatest service may have been in placing and leading the artillery on Nicodemus Heights and later on Hauser’s Ridge. A case can easily be made that he and those gunners saved the day for General Lee at Sharpsburg.

But I’ll save that larger story for another day. Today I’m following threads inspired by this illustration of Stuart:

The artist was Frank Vizetelly (1830 – c.1883) of the Illustrated London News. This scene was published in the 4 November 1862 edition, and suggests Vizetelly sketched the General about the time of the Antietam Campaign. I can’t verify that Vizetelly was in Maryland, though. Judging by his sketch history, he’d been “west” until at least July 1862, and can’t be positively placed with the Army of Northern Virginia til October.

In any event, Frank Vizetelly did some superb work during the War, and he’s certainly worthy of further examination …

A glorious Saint Patrick’s Day to you! Let me recommend to you the website of the Wild Geese for some topical reading today.

Thulstrup’s Antietam (1887)

This famous print, from a watercolor by Bror Thure de Thulstrup, is behind a great story sent me by email from a great-granddaughter of the late Gustav August Freudenthal, once Private, Company K, 20th Regiment, New York Volunteer Infantry.

The story is that Freudenthal told his family he is pictured in the painting.

It seemed unlikely on first hearing, but I thought I’d dig about a little to be sure …

A somewhat dramatic presentation for General “Fighting Joe” Hooker, isn’t it? But I think it fits the way many of us think of him today.

This cigar box inner label was produced in 1896–more than 15 years after Hooker’s death, and more than 40 after the War–so that tells you something of how long his name remained a draw. It sold recently at auction among other “Tobacciana” for just over $500, and was made for “Schmidt & Co New Chambers, Cor. Williams St., N.Y.”.

It does make the General look good, though. Better than life.