June 2022 ECW Newsletter

From the Editor

I am an ambitious tourist. For instance, earlier this month, I had the chance to spend a day in Memphis, Tennessee. I mapped out an aggressive schedule, surgical in its precision.


For instance, I wanted to visit the grave site of Shelby Foote, a writer whose work I appreciate and savor. His writing can be challenging, Mississippi Delta-like in its rhythms and wanderings, but rich and textured in its artfulness, too. His methodology as a historian was flawed, but man, can he tell a story!


Foote is buried in Memphis’s Elmwood Cemetery, the oldest active burial ground in the city. Elmwood is filled with notable historical figures, and a visitor could spend a couple hours there poking around. But not me. Nope. No time. It was Foote-and-out for me.


Foote’s grave was one of three primary spots I wanted to visit. I also wanted to hit up the Lorraine Motel, site of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, because I taught a class last semester on the Civil Rights Movement and the Media (a fantastic experience I’ll write about on another occasion). I also wanted to hit up Graceland because, well, Elvis. The King. (Who else, in the history of the world, could write a song called “Big Hunk o’ Love” and not only get away with it but have it go gold?)


Sun Records? Did a drive-by. The city park formerly known as Forrest Park, now known as Health Sciences Park? Grabbed a picture from the car window. Cotton Museum? Maybe next time.


I did get the bonus opportunity to stand on the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River where the naval battle of Memphis took place on June 6, 1862. Wasn’t expecting that. I had my able and awesome tour guide, Curt Fields, to thank for that one. He also took me to an excellent local BBQ place for lunch—mmmm mmmm—and Elvis’s original burial location.


Poor Curt. As a native of Memphis, he had so much of the city he wanted to show and share. He did yeoman’s work, and I am grateful. I promised a return trip at a time when I can move around at a more leisurely pace. As it was, we started early and crammed a lot in.


Foote, King, and The King are all men I admire, each for different reasons. My trip to Memphis was really centered on paying my respects. Curt, too, is someone I admire; his work portraying U.S. Grant has been important and uniquely illuminating. To watch him portray Grant is to watch him pay his own respects.


I was fortunate to spend the day in the company of such men.


— Chris Mackowski, Ph.D.

Editor-in-Chief

Eighth Annual Emerging Civil War Symposium at Stevenson Ridge

June is our busiest month for symposium ticket sales, so if you’re interested in joining us this year for our annual symposium, get ‘em while they last! Join us August 5-7, 2022, at Stevenson Ridge in Spotsylvania Court House, Virginia, for “The Great What Ifs of the Civil War.”


Skeptical about “What Ifs”? We promise, you won’t be disappointed. We’ll help you understand why asking “What if” can help you better understand what really happened—and why you shouldn’t make assumptions when you start trying to answer “What if” questions.


Keynote speaker Garry Adelman tops an all-star line-up that includes Gordon Rhea, Brian Matthew Jordan, and a dozen other historians. You won’t be disappointed! Click here for tickets or for more information.

ECW News & Notes

From Sheritta Bitikofer: “Pretty quiet over here in the way of history things as we're working on finishing up our new house. Hoping to move in sometime next month. Readers can check out my article on the Walton Guards in the latest issue of Civil War Times if they haven't already!”


On June 8, Neil Chatelain spoke for the Civil Warriors Round Table of Canoga Park, California, about his book Defending the Arteries of Rebellion. Members of the round table noted Neil's presentation "was outstanding: informative, well-constructed and presented in the manner of a good teacher. It was definitely top-notch, one of the best we've ever had."


Bert Dunkerly recently spoke on his research about the victims of the Brown's Island Explosion in Richmond at the Gettysburg College Civil War Institute. He also had time to explore the great landscape restoration work on the battlefield.

 

From Meg Groeling: “Getting nice reviews on First Fallen, enjoying life, petting cats. Looking forward to summer!”


Chris Kolakowski just got back from a trip to the Black Hills area, “which was fantastic,” he says. Chris visited Wounded Knee, among other places (pictured, above).

 

Chris Mackowski served as a “scholar in residence” for the Williamson County Heritage Foundation in Franklin, Tennessee. Chris presented a pair of workshops to teachers on how they can engage Civil War history in their classrooms despite modern controversies that may make teaching history more difficult. Also among the line-up of presenters was ECW’s friend Steve Phan.


JoAnna McDonald has been taking a break from the Civil War to focus on her book The Liberation of Pointe Du Hoc. She recently did a YouTube interview/conversation with a British historian, which you can watch here. “And yes,” she says, “I am one of very, very few women D-Day military historians.”

 

Dave Powell’s forthcoming book, Decisions at Shiloh, (UTenn Press) is now available for pre-order on Amazon. The release date has been scheduled for Jan. or Feb. of 2023. 

 

Passing Through the Fire author Brian Swartz spoke about his new book and Joshua L. Chamberlain's wartime adventures at the Veazie (Maine) Historical Society on May 5 and at the Civil War Round Table of New Hampshire in Epping, N.H., on May 20. “Audience interaction was fantastic at both locations,” he says.

 

Kris White and Chris Mackowski spent a few days in Boston for the American Battlefield Trust filming segments for a Trust-sponsored virtual field trip. Stops included the Boston Tea Party Museum, the Old North Church, Lexington and Concord and Minuteman National Park, the Old State House, the USS Constitution, the 54th Massachusetts Memorial and Boston Common, and the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS). Plus, there was a bonus lunch at the historic Union Oyster House! Kris and Chris also shot several videos for the Emerging Revolutionary War and Emerging Civil War YouTube pages, so keep your eyes peeled for those in the coming weeks. (Below, Kris White talks on camera at the MHS.)

5 Questions . . . with Paige Gibbons Backus

We continue our series highlighting the staff work being done by ECW volunteers. This month, we begin a three-part series spotlighting ECW’s social media team, beginning with our social media manager, Paige Gibbons Backus. You can read her full ECW bio here.


ECW readers might not see your name on the blog very often, but you’re actually one of ECW’s most active content creators. Just what exactly is it you’re doing there behind the scenes? 


Hey everyone! I currently serve Emerging Civil War as the social media manager, and so while I do create some original content directly on our social media channels, I think of myself as more of a content curator. I help lead a team of excellent volunteers to make sure that you all get your daily posts of Emerging Civil War on all our channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Many of our posts are sharing the blog articles that you all know and love, but the team is currently working on providing so much more on our social media channels, from sharing news, places to visit, some great images, and more. So, if you don’t already follow us on our social media channels, make sure to find us online and follow us! 

 

How do you define “social media”?  


Social media are places for virtual engagement—places where we can share history and you all can engage, ask questions, and share your thoughts. That’s one of my favorite parts of serving as social media manager!

 

You treat each social media channel a little differently. Can you speak to that a little? 


Each social media channel has its own strengths and weaknesses, and each has its own audience. As a result, we have to tailor each of our posts to our different channels. To do social media right, there is actually a lot of thought and effort that needs to go into curating posts. For example, Twitter is short and sweet. It’s great for sharing news and links for blogs and events. Instagram is very image based. It’s good for sharing images, like travel and history blurbs and sneak peeks for blogs, but not so great for sharing links. With Facebook, you can do it all: share news, sneak peaks for blogs, write short history and travel blurbs, showcase events and more. There is a reason why museums hire social media coordinators!

 

How have you seen social media impact the world of Civil War studies? 

 

Over the past few years of the pandemic, the world has become much more virtual. When the world shut down, people turned to digital platforms for virtual programming, community discussions, and to stay connected. Civil War Roundtables went virtual with speakers presenting online. Learning went online with schools, museums, and historic sites increasing their digital presence with programming and social media posts. This allowed Civil War historians to reach a broader audience throughout the world and for history enthusiasts to engage in digital conversations more easily. Even now with schools and museums opening again and travel increasing, people will continue to use digital avenues to share history. 

 

How might ECW readers engage more actively with ECW through social media?

 

Engaging with Emerging Civil War through social media is easy! First, if you haven’t yet, make sure to like all of our channels: Facebook (at Emerging Civil War), Twitter (at @EmergingCWBlog), Instagram (at EmergingCWBlog), and YouTube (at Emerging Civil War). This way you’ll always stay up to date. Then, our channels are there for you to engage! Like or share our posts, ask questions, make comments, answer our “Question of the Week.” We always enjoy hearing from our followers.

 

And as a bonus question, if people are interested in having you speak to their roundtable or historical society, what areas of expertise do you bring to the podium?


Great question! I love getting out there and sharing history! If you are looking for something a little bit different, my research interests include the more social side of history. My areas of interest range from topics of women’s history to the more morbid side of history such as death, disease, and medicine. My presentations can range from these broad topics to more specific presentations including “The Hospitals of First Manassas,” “The impacts of the Letterman Plan,” and “The Civilian Experience at the Siege of Vicksburg.” Make sure to check out the Speaker’s Bureau to check out all my available presentations!

ECW Multimedia

On the Emerging Civil War Podcast in June:

·     We spoke with Brad Gottfried about all the cool stuff going on with the new Antietam Institute.

·     Sarah Kay Bierle, Doug Crenshaw, and Chris Mackowski talked about Stonewall Jackson of the Valley Campaign vs. Stonewall Jackson of the Seven Days: “A Tale of Two Stonewalls!

 

Check out the Emerging Civil War podcast on places like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.


You can also subscribe to our podcast through Patreon, where we are now also offering exclusive bonus content for subscribers. That’s just $3.99/month, and proceeds go toward defraying the production costs of the podcast. Check us out!


Meanwhile, on our YouTube channel, we offered:


·     a video tour of (parts of) Vicksburg National Military Park

·     a video chat with Darren Rawlings of American Civil War & UK History and Gina Denham of the Monuments for UK Veterans of the American Civil War Association

·     a shout-out to the awesomeness that is Antietam National Battlefield

·     an overview of the battle of Memphis from the banks of the Mississippi

·     a visit to Fraley Field at Shiloh to recount the death of Everett Peabody

·     a trip up Pine Mountain with Kris White to visit the site of Bishop Polk’s death

·     a guest appearance by historian Kyle Carlson to talk about the battle of Kolb’s Farm, the prelude to Kennesaw Mountain


Please don’t forget to like and subscribe! You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Emerging Revolutionary War News

By Phill Greenwalt


June is a month of transition, from spring to summer. It was also a time of transition for the Continental Army under George Washington. On June 19, six months after marching into its winter encampment at Valley Forge, Washington's force moved out in pursuit of the British. Nine days later, in New Jersey, at Monmouth, the two forces collided in the last major battle in the northern theater during the American Revolutionary War.

 

This year, Emerging Revolutionary War will visit the sites of Valley Forge and Monmouth for the Second Annual ERW Bus Tour, November 11-13, 2022. Limited tickets remain.

 

Prior to the anniversary of Monmouth, Emerging Revolutionary War historians will be traveling to the battlefield and doing Facebook Live videos to commemorate the day. 

 

Coming in July, the blog will begin posting the speakers that are part of the one-day symposium in Alexandria, Virginia, on September 24. To secure your spot, head over to the blog for tickets.

 

We hope to see you virtually (as our Rev War Revelries continue every other Sunday night at 7 p.m. EDT), or in person in September and November. To stay current on all that is going on, check out our blog, www.emergingrevolutionarywar.org, or our Facebook and YouTube pages.

You Can Help Support ECW

Emerging Civil War is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. If you’re interested in supporting “emerging voices” by making a tax-deductible donation, you can do so by you can do so by visiting our website: www.emergingcivilwar.com.

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