Congratulations Brett Schulte on your Wonderful Website, Beyond the Crater

Anybody starting to write a book about almost any aspect of the Siege of Petersburg would do well to start by looking at Brett Schulte's www.beyondthecrater.com.  This wonderful website puts many, many resources at one's fingertips.  It contains Official Records, newspapers, battle summaries, unit histories, maps, unpublished materials, Battles & Leaders, Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States war papers, National Tribune, Military Papers of the Military Historical Society of Massachusetts, Southern Historical Society Papers, Confederate Veteran, other postwar publications, and orders of battle.  A stop at The Siege of Petersburg Online (another name for the website) will really get you started.  Congratulations Brett!

A Pleasant Time at the Orange County (California) Civil War Round Table

My wife and I had a pleasant time at the Orange County (California) Civil War Round Table last Tuesday night, January 17.  I talked about the fight between around 600 men from Weisiger's Virginia Brigade and about 150 men from Colquitt's Georgia Brigade against approximately 1,120 men from White's division of IX Corps.  The fight took place on August 19, 1864, off by itself on the eastern side of the Globe Tavern battlefield.  A participant called it "The No Name Battle."  David Zieve, a college classmate I had not seen in 45 years showed up for the meeting.

Another Correction to "The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864"

On page 310, I mistakenly wrote that Hampton and his cavalry departed Petersburg for South Carolina in 1864.  Correct of course is that they departed in 1865.

Mea culpa!

More on the Civil War Naval Museum

I took pictures of most of the exhibits at the Civil War Naval Museum December 23.  To see them, click here.  Then click on any of the pictures for a full screen view.  My favorite was the picture of CSS Jackson, a rare photo of a Confederate ironclad in Confederate service.