Camp Lawton Found

Posted on November 17, 2012 by Eireann

It’s amazing to think Camp Lawton – a huge complex that housed 10000 prisoners – is still being rediscovered, but this news item informs us that part of the stockade walls have just been unearthed.

Lawton was an overflow camp for Andersonville, built in mid-1864 when the horror camp was bursting at the seams. The University of Georgia has a nifty website with details about the camp.

Archaeologists say they’ve unearthed timbers hidden since the Civil War which are believed to be from Confederate Camp Lawton, a stockade used to hold more than 10,000 Union prisoners.

The Augusta Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/OXA31U) that the discovery was made last week at the site in Jenkins County, now part of Magnolia Springs State Park.

via Remnants of Civil War lockup unearthed in east Ga. – AP State Wire News – The Sacramento Bee.

Ken Burns on Public – Private Funding

Posted on November 4, 2012 by Eireann

An excellent reminder from Ken Burns that series like his would be counted among the cuts proposed by Mitt Romney. And as the writer of this small piece reminds us, “Leave it up to the private sector only and it morphs into Keeping up with the Kardashians in minutes.” Americans, if you’re on the fence about these electoral candidates, please keep facts like this in mind when casting your vote!

Then he asked me how it was funded. I said I received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (something else Romney has vowed to eliminate) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes this funding. Those funds had, in turn, brought in corporate and foundation monies.

Reagan put both hands on my shoulder and said, “That’s it! We need public-private partnerships. The government primes the pump, and then the private sector has the motivation to get involved…”

via Ken Burns Evokes Reagan’s Support of Public – Private Funding for PBS | Awards Daily.

A Strange and Fearful Interest

Posted on October 22, 2012 by Eireann

If you live in the LA area, and are reading this, you have until January 14th to get yourself to the Huntington. There’s an exhibition of Civil War photos that sounds excellent.

The Strange and Fearful Interest exhibition at The Huntington isn’t just a collection of portraits, it’s a photographic journey through the Civil War, and most especially the aftermath of the Civil War, when the nation struggled to understand what we had done to ourselves and each other.

Key moments captured in the exhibition include scenes of carnage at Antietam — a battle in which 23,000 men died in one day, Lincoln’s assassination, personal grief, collective mourning, and finally, a sense of reconciliation.

The Huntington’s extensive collection of Civil War photography started with Henry Huntington himself, when he purchased three major collections of Abraham Lincoln materials, including work by war photographers Mathew Brady, Timothy O’Sullivan, George Barnard, and others. These form the basis of the 200 images on display at the Boone Gallery.

via A Strange and Fearful Interest : A Unique Look at the Civil War – San Marino, CA Patch.

Questionable Commemorations

Posted on October 20, 2012 by Eireann

Arkansas is the scene of yet another questionable memorial undertaking, this time honoring a “martyred” teenaged spy. I’m all for marking historical spots, but sometimes the motives of these Confederate commemorators seem suspect. As the article notes, the spy, David O. Dodd, already has some plaques and his name on a local school. His story doesn’t contain any bold Nathan Hale-like last words, nor anything of drama about his life nor the information he had procured. It’s a story that was repeated no doubt hundreds of times during the conflict. Surely Arkansas isn’t so starved for state heroes that it needs to keep beating the Dodd drum.

A state commission’s decision, though, to grant approval for yet another tribute to Dodd has revived an age-old question: Should states still look for ways to commemorate historical figures who fought to defend unjust institutions?

"(Dodd) already has a school. I don’t know why anything else would have to be done to honor him," James Lucas Sr., a school bus driver, said near the state Capitol in downtown Little Rock.

Arkansas’ complicated history of race relations plays out on the Capitol grounds. A stone and metal monument that’s stood for over a century pays tribute to the Arkansas men and boys who fought for the Confederacy and the right to own slaves. Not far away, nine bronze statues honor the black children who, in 1957, needed an Army escort to enter what had been an all-white school.

via Plan to honor Confederate spy splits town – TODAY News – TODAY.com.

Lincoln’s Critics

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Eireann

No, I’m not linking to an article about Ben Wade or Clement Vallandigham, but modern day critics viewing the President’s actions on celluloid (or whatever its digital equivalent is called!) The reviews for Spielberg’s Lincoln are looking pretty promising. Yay!

The LA Times praises Day-Lewis – whose other film credentials include My Left Foot and There Will Be Blood – saying: "Judging by both the events on-screen and in the room, Day-Lewis, a longtime Oscar favorite, solidified his status as a lead actor contender. He plays the lead role with an understated quality, often speaking in quiet, lyrical tones instead of the more scenery-chewing moments glimpsed in the trailer."

via Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln reviews – the critics’ reaction | Radio Times.

Looking for Lincoln’s DNA

Posted on October 15, 2012 by Eireann

This is both interesting and yet horrific. A quest for Lincoln’s DNA, which is most easily found in the trail he left from the chair in Ford’s Theatre to the pillow in the Petersen House.

Due to DNA’s fragile nature, she had so far been unable to retrieve any DNA, which meant the project was in limbo until more artefacts could be sourced.

This would not be easy as “bits of dead presidents are hard to come by”, she said.

However, because Lincoln was shot in the head and “head wounds bleed abundantly” he was reported to have bled on “a lot of things” in the nine hours it took him to die, she said.

via Looking for Lincoln’s DNA | Otago Daily Times Online News : Otago, South Island, New Zealand & International News.

New Poet Laureate

Posted on October 14, 2012 by Eireann

A new Poet Laureate has been named, and she’s a Civil War buff (at least insofar as she wrote a collection of war-themed poems). Brava, Natasha Trethewey.

The Library of Congress named Natasha Trethewey yesterday its 19th U.S. poet laureate, with a mission to share the art of poetry with a wider audience. The English and creative writing professor at Emory University in Atlanta distinguished herself early, winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2007…

Part of her work has focused on restoring history that has been erased or forgotten from the official record and the nation’s shared memory. Her research in the library’s Civil War archive informs some of her writings.

Trethewey won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for her collection of poems, “Native Guard.” She wrote of the Louisiana Native Guard, a black regiment assigned to guard white Confederate soldiers on Ship Island, off Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

via Trethewey named new U.S. poet laureate.

National Civil War Photo Contest

Posted on October 11, 2012 by Eireann

I had no idea there was a National Civil War Photo Contest, but I do now! The winner’s a real corker, too.

Buddy Secor of Stafford County has been judged the grand prize winner.of the Civil War Trust’s annual photo competition for his richly colored image of a misty dawn at Fairview on Spotyslvania County’s Chancellorsville battlefield.

via Stafford man wins national Civil War photo contest – Past Is Prologue.

Steven Spielberg’s ‘Gettysburg Address’

Posted on October 9, 2012 by Eireann

Director Steven Spielberg will deliver the keynote address at an observance commemorating the 149th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s "Gettysburg Address."

Park officials in central Pennsylvania noted Tuesday that Spielberg’s remarks will come days after the release of his film "Lincoln," which stars Daniel Day-Lewis in the title role.

My first reaction to this news was a cynical eye roll, knowing Spielberg has a movie to promote. My second was to remember that many people greeted Lincoln’s speech the same way. As Sarah Vowell reminds us in Assassination Vacation, the now-revered words were conceived as a stump speech on the eve of a tough election year.

via Steven Spielberg’s ’Gettysburg Address’? Director To Speak At Commemorative Event.

Civil War in Tennessee iPhone App

Posted on October 7, 2012 by Eireann

Smart move by the Tennessee tourism bureau! As states are strapped for cash with which to fête the sesquicentennial, why not divert some funds into an iPhone app? It’s a useful and engaging way for tourists to investigate the state.

Cool as the app looks, I’m snagging this picture to insert instead: Probably not very cost effective to move to Tennessee to register my car though, right?

Civil War in Tennessee iPhone App – Tennessee Vacation.

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