Yes, now you can visit Little Bighorn and Gettysburg without leaving the comfort and safety of your home or office. As much as I love this stuff, these webcams didn’t hold my attention for too long. Now, if they’d had these cameras up during the fighting. . .
Archive for August, 2008
Battlefield Webcams
Posted in Civil War, History on the Web, tagged battlefield webcams, Gettysburg, Little Bighorn Battlefield on August 26, 2008 | 1 Comment »
Shelby Foote: The Writer as Historian
Posted in Civil War, Historiography, tagged Shelby Foote on August 22, 2008 | 2 Comments »
Last night Book TV re-aired a three-hour interview with the late Shelby Foote, filmed in the study of his Memphis home. (It’s available online here.) I’d already seen it and didn’t intend to watch it again, but after a few minutes I was hooked. Of course, Foote made his living by hooking people with his stories, [...]
Wal-Mart Threatens Wilderness Battlefield
Posted in Civil War, Historic Preservation, tagged Civil War Preservation Trust, Wal-Mart, Wilderness Battlefield on August 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
What’s the only thing worse than a new chain store in a rural area? A new chain store in a rural area that’s also the site of a significant battlefield. Wal-Mart has the Wilderness in their sights. John Maass has some of the details. Luckily, the Civil War Preservation Trust is gearing up for the fight. Visit their website and [...]
Traces of Jamestown
Posted in Colonial America, tagged Jamestown archaeology on August 19, 2008 | 2 Comments »
The AP has just released a story about some significant finds at Jamestown, including a rare contemporary depiction of a Powhatan Indian. Check out this Virginia news site for details and a slide show.
The Revolutionary War on film
Posted in American Revolution, History and Memory, tagged 1776, Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor, Francis Marion, John Adams, Nathan Hale, Paul Revere, Revolutionary War movies, The Crossing, The Patriot on August 15, 2008 | 5 Comments »
I’ve been looking up early American course syllabi recently to see if I’m on track with my ideas for teaching a colonial course this fall. Not long ago I ran across a website with teaching resources, including a list of films dealing with early American history.
For reasons I’ve never understood, the Revolution hasn’t fared well on [...]
A Rev War blog casualty
Posted in American Revolution, History on the Web, tagged A Student of History, Camden, John Maass on August 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
John Maass has decided to discontinue his blog, A Student of History. Since Dr. Maass has done some interesting work on the Revolution in the South, I followed his blog with interest and I’m sorry to see it go. One of his projects was a study of the Battle of Camden, and oddly enough, the [...]
The Park Service Strikes Back
Posted in Civil War, Museums and Historic Sites, tagged Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center, Gettysburg Museum of the American Civil War, John Latschar on August 13, 2008 | 5 Comments »
Gettysburg National Military Park Superintendent John Latschar isn’t taking all the uproar over the new Museum and Visitor Center lying down. Check out his thoughtful response to the critics, to which Kevin Levin refers over at his Civil War Memory blog.
Latschar’s remarks underscore the importance of audience and aims. A visitor center at a major site like Gettysburg [...]
More joys of public history
Posted in Museums and Historic Sites, tagged G-Men and Journalists, Newseum, Ted Kaczynski, Unabomber cabin on August 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Let’s assume you’re a convicted mail-bomber who’s currently enjoying the hospitality of the federal government. Imagine your surprise when you open the Washington Post and find that Washington, D.C.’s Newseum has a special exhibit (“G-Men and Journalists”) about the evolving relationship between the media and the FBI–and the centerpiece is the cabin in which you lived.
So what [...]
Ah, the joys of public history
Posted in Civil War, History and Memory, Museums and Historic Sites, tagged American Civil War Center, Jefferson Davis, Jim Limber on August 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
Kevin Levin has been following the story about the SCV’s proposal for a Jefferson Davis monument at Tredegar’s American Civil War Center. According to his latest update, the museum’s board will be juggling this hot potato in a few days.
Whatever the final decision, it’s guaranteed to upset somebody. Either the SCV will condemn the museum for being revisionist, [...]
Sad news from Gettysburg
Posted in Civil War, tagged Gettysburg, witness tree on August 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
A locust tree on Cemetery Hill, one of the few remaining trees that stood on the field in 1863, toppled over during a nasty storm a few days ago. This brief news story has a few details.
