Magazine Preview--Civil War Times October 2011

I received the October issue of Civil War Times in the mail this week. Here's a brief rundown of the contents.

In the Civil War Today column there's an article on Sherwood Forest, an 1810 home and 880 acre grounds near the Rappahannock River that was used by Union forces. The house is currently in a state of "tragic disrepair" and the property has been zoned for residential lots. Also included is an article about the hunt for a permanent home for Jefferson Davis's funeral carriage.

In his Blue & Gray column Gary Gallagher discusses Robert E. Lee's conflicted loyalties.

Harry Smeltzer introduces us to Stonewall Jackson's Winchester, VA headquarters in his Collateral Damage column.

Gordon Berg interviews Joseph Balicki, principal archaeologist and project manager for John Milner Associates, a firm that offers historic preservation services.

A field guide to Corinth, Mississippi includes 14 Civil War related sites.

Michael Williams article "Bullets vs. Bricks in Baltimore" discusses a clash between civilians and Union troops on their way to Washington. Williams book City Under the Guns which tells the story of the military occupation of Baltimore will be released soon.

Tom Huntington tells the story of the North-South Skirmish Association in "Commence Firing".

"Faces of an Era" lets the Liljenquist family show some of their favorite photos from the recently donated collection.
An excerpt from Justin Martin's book Genius of Place: The Life of Frederick Law Olmsted is titled "Land of Contradiction". While mostly known for his landscape architecture in 1852 Olmsted was hired by the New York Daily Times to write on slavery and the South.

D. Scott Hartwig has found the original shooting location of photos taken by Alexander Gardner and Timothy O'Sullivan at Gettysburg.

The Union disaster at Ball's Bluff is the subject of William Marvel's "End of the Gentleman's War".

A collection of book reviews and Susannah Ural's "Ural on URLs" column wrap up the issue.

Magazine Preview--Civil War Times

The August 2011 Civil War Times is now available and has some excellent content.
The letters column is heavily slanted toward the June 2011 article dealing with the best and worst Gettysburg monuments.

The Civil War Today column has several interesting items including the release of the first Sesquicentennial stamps being released by the USPS.  Try to guess who the most searched for Civil War General is at the National Archives. Did you guess George Armstrong Custer? If so you are correct. The Virginia Historical Society will soon be releasing a database of Virginia Slave Names. They hope to have the site open in September. Check here for more information. The books and personal papers of Shelby Foote have found a permanent home at Rhodes College. A smartphone app is available for visitors to Fredericksburg. Those of us with droids are out of luck. iPhone only.
Gary Gallagher writes "Did the Fall of Vicksburg Really Matter?"  I haven't read the whole article but it appears Gallagher puts forth that while important it wasn't the end all many attribute to it.

Prominent blogger Harry Smeltzer's Collateral Damage column discusses "Wilderness Woes for the Widows Permelia". Editor Dana Shoaf conducts an interview with Sam Waterson, most famous for his role in Law and Order, but who also portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Gore Vidal's Lincoln. A tour of Civil War sites in Frederick, Maryland is this month's Field Guide location. Dana Shoaf editorializes that the 150th anniversary of the Civil War should not be called a celebration.
Susannah Ural and Rick Eiserman write the lead article this issue: "The Winter that Made the Texas Brigade". If the Texas Infantry interests you this article on John Bell Hood and the winter of 1861 is for you. In "Yankee Super Gun" Craig Swain questions whether the 4.5 inch siege rifles of the 1st Connecticut Heavy Artillery could have prevented Pickett's Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. Historian William Marvel brings new evidence to the question of who was the Civil War's youngest general. Jennifer Murray reminds us that Gettysburg, PA was not only vital to the Civil War but also played a key role for the United States in World War II. John Singleton Mosby's post Civil War life is the subject of an article by Douglas Gibboney.

Reviews are abundant with Harold Holzer kicking it off with his take on The Conspirator. New books by Jeffry Wert, Gary Gallagher, John David Hoptak, Donald A. Clark, and Michael Ballard are reviewed. See my review of Hoptak's book here. Susannah Ural's Ural on URLs discusses the NPS website for First Manassas. Museum exhibit reviews on Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War and When Duty Whispers: Concord and the Civil War wrap up this issue.
Well done and a subscription is recommended to anybody interested in the Civil War.

Civil War Times Index Now Online

Thanks to Brett at TOCWOC for sharing this great piece of news. Civil War Times magazine is now indexed online. It looks like you can search by year and then issue or you can enter a keyword or author name in their search engine. This should prove to be a great help and time saver for researchers or those looking to just read articles by their favorite author.

Magazine Review--Civil War Times December 2009

Civil War Times. Weider History Group. December 2009.

How is it possible that December magazine issues are out already? Well they are.

The cover article this month is titled "A Promise Fulfilled" written by noted Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer. Here Holzer deals with the thorny issue of what did the Emancipation Proclamation really do. While maybe not immediately freeing the slaves Holzer says that Lincoln "...all but guaranteed democracy's life and slavery's death...He not only ended the shame of human bondage in America, but helped guarantee the survival of America itself." We meet up with Holzer again on the last page of this issue for his column "Looking at Lincoln" where he deals with a photograph of President Lincoln. This issue deals with the last photo of Lincoln taken: him lying in his coffin in the New York City City Hall Rotunda. The only known copy, squirreled away by Secretary of War Edwin Stanton was found in the Nicolay Papers in 1952.

Gary Gallagher discusses the ups and downs in the perception of U.S. Grant in his article "Why Doesn't Grant Get the Love?" George Deutsch introduces us to the Weldon Railroad Raid in "Murder and Mayhem Rides the Rails". In "A White Man's War" Michael Fellman discusses William Sherman and his not wanting black troops. Sherman was many times quoted as saying that black troops were inferior and would run at danger. Fellman puts forth the view that Sherman was allowed to go against the wishes of President Lincoln only because Sherman was a fighter whose victories helped push the larger picture that Lincoln was trying to achieve.

In an interesting article noted British historian John Keegan is asked to rate many of the U.S. Civil War generals. The results are probably not a large shock. Union generals U.S. Grant and William T. Sherman are rated as great with Grant being given the nod as the greatest general of the war. Just below these two is Robert E. Lee who Keegan says "...would have shone in any of the contemporary European wars of maneuver." Just below Lee are Philip Sheridan and Stonewall Jackson who Keegan says could "...psychologically dominate his opponents." George McClellan is given the dishonor of being the lowest rated. Keegan believes him to have been "...utterly incapable of overcoming difficulty."

The issue is rounded out with a series of book reviews. Overall this is a nice issue that is accompanied by vintage photos and many maps. Well worth checking out or subscribing to.

Magazine Review--Civil War Times

Here are some quick overviews of recent Civil War Times issues. In the future I hope to discuss these individually and give them more attention. Issued bi-monthly by Weider History Group this magazine is always worth a read. It is filled with contemporary and vinatge photos/art and has maps included to help readers follow the action. Well worth picking up or subscribing to.

Civil War Times. June 2009.

The feature article in this issue is titled "Toward a Better Understanding of George McClellan" written by Ethan Rafuse. Ernest Furgurson tackles Abraham Lincoln's folksy ways in "Oh, that reminds me of a story" where he discusses the President's penchant for humor and colloquial language. What Civil War magazine is complete without a Gettysburg article? In this issue we have an article/letter discussing General John Gibbon and his commentary on the Gettysburg Cyclorama. Gerald Henig introduces us to William H. Carney who was the first black soldier to win the Medal of Honor in his article "Glory at Battery Wagner". Gary Gallagher discusses the film Glory, his favorite Civil War film. Included amongst other articles is a section of book reviews.

Civil War Times. August 2009.

Eric Campbell asks "What was Dan Sickles thinking when he practically destroyed his own corps' at Gettysburg" in his article "Death of the III Corps". Continuing with Gettysburg we have transcripts from letters written by Augustus Hesse of the 9th Massachusetts Battery. These make for interesting reading. This issue also features an interesting photo article titled "Tools of the Trade" which describes the equipment used by Union artillerymen. Ron Soodalter adapts his book by the same name to an article titled "Hanging Captain Gordon.". Gordon was the only American to be executed for transporting slaves under the Piracy Act of 1820. I own this book but have yet to read it. The story does look interesting enough to justify a further investigation. Included are also multiple book reviews including a look at three books dealing with the relationship between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. See my review of one of these titles here. Also included is a review of the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in Frederick, MD.

Civil War Times. October 2009.

Just about everybody knows that General Ulysses S. Grant was known to have a drinking problem. Peter Cozzens attempts to figure out who helped keep him sober in "General Grant's 'Living and Speaking Conscience' ". John Brown continues to be a controversial figure in Civil War studies and Robert E. McGlone attempts to pinpoint Brown's mental state in "The 'Madness' of John Brown". McGlone concludes that Brown showed few signs that modern psychiatrists would identify with a mental disorder. The story of one family's attempt to retrieve a loved one's remains from Gettysburg is detailed in "So Far From Home: The family of a Confederate colonel killed at Gettysburg learned that the dead must sometimes remain truly and forever lost." written by Glenn W. LaFantasie. Gary Gallagher discusses famed historians Bruce Catton and Douglass Southall Freeman in his Blue & Gray column. If you are travelling to Manassas National Battlefield you won't want to miss the field guide "The First Manassas You've Missed" put together by Harry Smeltzer, Craig Swain, and Jim Burgess. Also included are book reviews and the monthly last page column "Looking at Lincoln" where famed historian Harold Holzer takes a look at a photo of Lincoln.