Of history, warfare, leadership, and alcohol
Take heart, all you who grow unsettled at the time of year where the narrative of friendly Pilgrims and American Indians is spread around to make us feel good about a brief moment in American history before everyone started killing each other. Thanksgiving as a national holiday is actually about another time when everyone was …
The other day I went and stood in front of the new section of the World War I memorial in Washington, DC and looked at it. Memorials are meant to make you feel something. I felt nothing. I felt nothing when I looked at the figures. So I looked at the equipment. I looked at …
Continue reading "Thoughts While Visiting the U.S. National World War I Memorial"
I will not apologize for my horrendous title. You deserve it. When the world is a mess, you lean into your reading list. Hard. This month was a solid mix of military history and historical fiction, with author Naomi Novik once again dropping some bangers. She is rapidly turning into one of my favorite authors. …
Continue reading "April Showers Bring May Books"
So there I was the other day, just minding my own business and falling down some social media algorithm-caused rabbit holes of a Saturday night, like ya do, when I came across this image: The Lion of Atlanta, image sourced here. Now, for those of you who are war monument nerds like myself, you may …
Continue reading "Copycats: The American Civil War Lions of Lucerne"
Ever wondered about the history of your Christmas carols? Well, sit tight because this is a wild ride! Famous Christmas carol "Jingle Bells" has a complex backstory involving Bostonian James Pierpont who, despite hailing from an abolitionist family, joined a Georgia militia unit during the Civil War. Similarly, "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, moved by his son's near-death experiences in the Civil War. These carols echo stories of strife, despair, and unflagging hope amidst war.
It was 1866, and the men of the US Army, Navy, and Marines had destroyed the rebellion on the battlefield and ushered in a "new birth of freedom." Their work done, they hoped to return to lives filled with the fruits of their blood and toil. That year, they formed a veterans' organization called "The …
In 1862, the King of Siam offered President Lincoln war elephants for the Civil War. Lincoln politely declined. But what if he hadn't? Artist rendering of guidons and equipment of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Pachyderms, by Dr. Nyri A. Bakkalian, @riversidewings The long, low lines of white pup tents, punctuated by the larger A-frame and …
Continue reading "If the U.S. Army had Elephants at Gettysburg"
Marvel Studios' BLACK PANTHER..L to R: Erik Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) and T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) .Ph: Film Frame..©Marvel Studios 2018 By Matthew Ader In 2016, there was a coup d’état in Wakanda. Using a combination of foreign training and racialist rhetoric, Erik Stevens overthrew the T’Challa administration. Although his regime was destroyed a few …
Continue reading "The Wakandan Civil War: A Profile in State Reconstruction"
On April 1, seven states - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and Virginia - will begin their celebration of Confederate Heritage Month. As a counter to this narrative of southern hegemony, I'd like to take a moment and celebrate those Southerners who remained loyal to the United States and who - if they were …
December 24, 1863 Somewhere south of the North Pole My Dearest Hannah, This latest march has been our longest yet. We left northern Virginia in September, marches of 20 or 30 miles, worse than Gettysburg. I'm sure you have heard that we have been betrayed by the Northern Spheres - how our brave Lincoln calmly …
Continue reading "A Letter Home from the Civil War on Christmas"
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