by PYRAMIDSCHEME 26 Replies latest jw friends
The 150th anniversary of the start of the American civil war is only a few days away and I was wondering if any civil war nerds like me were hanging out on JWN.
And for you southeners: "The war of Northern Aggression" or "War for southern independence."
He doesn't post on JWN anymore, but Dawg is on Facebook. Want me to introduce you?
Major history buff here. The Civil War is high on my list of interests (along with the Revolution, Constitution etc and WWII). I'm currently reading "Chancellorsville" by Stephen W. Sears; an interesting read about a battle I didn't know that much about. I've previously read his books on Gettysburg and Antitiem. I need to find another one he wrote about the Peninsula Campaign.
The percentage of Americans killed in the civil war is equivalent to 7 million today.
Today's political climate is starting to remind me of what happened in the 1850's. I hope we're careful.
Sears is a brilliant writer. I love his book on Gettysburg. The book on the peninsula is called "To the Gates of Richmond". I just finished Shelby Footes second volume in his civil war trilogy. Those books are beasts bu they are very good.
jamiebowers--yeah, hook us up with Dawg. I have unfriended all my jw friends and would love to get hooked up with some ppl on this site!
Civil War buff checking in.
Ken Burns' PBS masterpiece held me spellbound.
Syl
Pyramid Scheme andLunatic Faith, please check your pm's.
wow...eerie...I'm watching Ken Burns' documentary right now! I wouldn't call myself a buff but it is a really fascinating piece of history to me. I'm also reading Edward Ruthurford's New York and just got through the segment on the New York draft riots. Interesting stuff! I wish people read history more, maybe we wouldn't seem so doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
Yeah big time Civil war buff here.
My favorite personage of the time....StoneWall Jackson.
My favorite battle was the Monitor versus the Merrimack.
It was really amazing about the first ironclad ships and how it shaped the future of all the navy around the world to come.
Right after that battle it became apparent that all the wooden hull ships were obsolete.
Great stuff.
My primary passion is the Revolutionary War and the Federalist Period. I do civil rightsi law so the ratification of the const'n is important to me. Reading biographies of the Founders has helped more than reading texts. The Civil War is another interest along with English history. Our ideas of freedom and rights was determined by English common law and the ever present religious wars. Sometimes I feel I am out of touch with not having the Civil War as my primary interest.
I would love to tour significant sites in the North, South and even the WEst. Gettysburg was very moving. My primary exposure is through C-Span. There are almost too many Civil War programs on C-Span. One would think it was our only history. I catch book titles and perspectives on C-Span. I'm aware that I am only brushing the surface.
I was interested in doing historical re-enactment. Men can do interesting things. Women can be camp followers in rags. I want to be a soldier and an officer. A local site sponsors a re-enactment. It brings history to life in a fresh way. The specifications to do re-enactments is exacting and demanding. Once you strip down to that era, I am certain you have fresh insights that you can't garner from books.
The last book I read was fascinating. It dealt with the animosity between Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney, who penned the worst decision in Supreme Court history, Dredd Scott. Taney saw Lincoln as a tyrant and expected to be imprisoned. Lincoln saw him as a mental midget and the cause of the war.
