Virginia Military Institute, West Point of the South, Lexington Virginia Old Postcards

   This beautiful, though slightly bent postcard shows the Virginia Military Institue in Lexington Virginia- forever linked to Stonewall Jackson.

This postcard was sent in 1944.

New Madrid Historical Museum Missouri

Check out the wonderful New Madrid Historical Museum in Missouri!

Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island Michigan 2024

There is so much to see, and so much history on Mackinac Island....  including a Fort!

New Madrid, the Kentucky Bend, & Island No 10

We took a little road trip to take in some of the history around the Kentucky Bend and New Madrid.

New Madrid Missouri

A very underrated and neglected historic town is New Madrid Missouri.  Make sure you don't pass it up on your road trip!

Brandenburg Kentucky Confederate Monument 2024

The Confederate Monument that used to be in Louisville is now in Brandenburg!

Fort Defiance Clarksville Tennessee 2024

We stopped by Fort Defiance in Clarksville Tennessee recently!

Unknown Confederate Soldier Cemetery with Storm Damage Union City Tennes...

We topped by the "Unknown Confederate Soldier Cemetery" in Union City Tennessee.  Unfortunately, this place had seen some recent storm damage.  

Sue Mundy Grave Franklin Kentucky

If you are interested in the Civil War....  you know Sue Mundy.

"The Civil War at Perryville: Battling for the Bluegrass" by Christopher L. Kolakowski

I wanted to mentioned the cool volume, "The Civil War at Perryville:  Battling for the Bluegrass" by Christopher L. Kolakowski which I picked up recently.

This is another nice little volume from History Press covering a specific moment in the Civil War.  I really like these books because they are just a good starting point for someone new to the Civil War, or just developing an interesting in a specific battle.
 

The author does a nice job of explaining how the battle gets set up....  Both the Union and the Confederacy are kind of hesitant to do much with Kentucky at first, as Kentucky tries to stay neutral.  Leonidas Polk (CSA) ends up being the guy to upset the balance, and kind of get things rolling in the blue grass state.

Kolakowski explains how things evolve (or devolve) from there.  Lots of action in Tennessee bleeds over to this conflict too.  Political manuvering in Frankfort and Bowling Green (nicely explained by the author) contribute to the conflict too.

Hilton Atlanta Marietta Hotel and Conference Center Georgia 2023

We enjoyed our stay at the Hilton Atlanta/Marietta Hotel and Conference Center!

Gone with the Wind Museum Marietta GA 11 14 2023

Here is a quick walk through the "Gone with the Wind" Museum in Marietta Georgia!

Fort McAllister State Park Georgia November 2023

They DID close half an hour early without notice the day we were there, but otherwise we had a really nice visit to Fort McAllister State Park in Georgia!  LOTS of Civil War History here!

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield

Late 2023, we drove around Kennesaw Mountain to see some of the sites from the Civil War Battle!

Chattanooga Battlefield and Lookout Mountain

Here are some Civil War sites around the Lookout Mountain area!

Cotton Exchange Tavern Savannah Georgia

We had a very enjoyable meal at the Cotton Exchange Tavern in Savannah Georgia!

"Civil War Savannah" by Derek Smith

 I have read a few books and magazines on Savannah in the Civil War, but Derek Smith's "Civil War Savannah" seemed like a interesting book to check out, so I picked up a copy before going back to the wonderful Georgia town.

I was glad I did.  The book lays out Savannah's involvement before, during, and after the Civil War.  There is more to the town and it's Civil War involvement than Sherman presenting it, mostly unscathed, to Lincoln for Christmas.

The book has a nice flow....  going through the years, and the town and its players involvement in the War.  

I think most know that the Confederate army evacuated Savannah right before Sherman started his invasion.  Lucky for admirers of the city NOW.  Savannah avoided the fate of other towns Sherman visited in the South not getting the torch.

Of course, there was still some action.  Several forts did see some back and forth fighting, though, in general, not much.

There are ironclads, blockades, blockade runners and other action on the waters around Savannah and Tybee Island.

I took note of several facts that I was unaware of, or that Smith drew in a new light, and made me think about in a different way......

CSA VP Alexander Stephens delivered his "Corner Stone" speech in Savannah.  It is...  well, the speech was heavy on stressing the "inequality of the races."  

Savannah was building ironclads in 1862.  With limited resources, and a rush to deliver, they weren't exactly built to last.

Grant OK'd Sherman's "March to the Sea", but, being Lincoln supporters, they postponed it until after the election for political reasons.

The Davis family, minus the imprisoned Jefferson, live in Savannah for some time.  

Jefferson Davis, Lee, Sherman and other Civil War heavy weights all make postwar visits to Savannah.

I could go on and on.....  But I just really enjoyed this book.

New York State Monument, Lookout Mountain, Tenn. Postcard

This great postcard was sent in the mail From Lookout Mountain in 1935!  It was sent to a friend in New Philadelphia Ohio to let the friend know that the sender would be there soon!

Battle of Atlanta and Cyclorama Postcard from 1950

Here is a fun postcard from my collection that is about 75 years old.  It has a clear postmark on the back from September of 1950 Atlanta.

It was sent to a friend in New Jersey.  The sender tells their friend to see what Sherman did to the Rebels.
 

"The Battle of Lookout Mountain" 1874 by James Walker

Here is a little video from a visit to one of my favorite paintings- the Battle of Lookout Mountain!