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Halfway Out Of The Dark: Christmas 1863, John M. Rudy
Halfway Out Of The Dark: Christmas 1863, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
A note received any day letting you know a son is gravely wounded is horrible. Receiving it on the first day of December is particularly horrible. In this month of gathering together, hearing your son is suffering can't be cheering. [excerpt]
Tarnish'd With Ashes And Soot: A Classic Poem’S Dank Corners, John M. Rudy
Tarnish'd With Ashes And Soot: A Classic Poem’S Dank Corners, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
The legend is striking: Clement Clarke Moore, sitting with his children on a Christmas Eve in 1822, reading them a poem he has scrawled out that day, inspired by a winter shopping trip. Little Charity and Mary were likely entranced at six and three. Clement, a one-year-old, and Emily, a newborn, likely weren’t as enrapt by the lilting rhymes.
The poem for Moore’s children found new life a year later, published in a Troy, New York newspaper. And since then, A Visit From Saint Nicholas has been embedded in our culture. [excerpt]
And With The Sound The Carols Drowned: Captives In Bleak December, John M. Rudy
And With The Sound The Carols Drowned: Captives In Bleak December, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Christmas was coming, and a knot of officers of the 87th Pennsylvania suddenly found their December a bit brighter. Nine boxes had been sent along to the officers, packed to the brim with, "all kinds of necessaries and delicacies, such as will be conducive to our comfort and health while in our present condition." And the soldiers were pleased.
Any soldier would be pleased to have a pair of warm socks, a stack of stationary or a can of preserved vegetables from home. But these men were doubly pleased.
The letter of gratitude they wrote to the Gettysburg Compiler was …
Obsessive Digging In Carolina Sand And Baltimore Asphalt, John M. Rudy
Obsessive Digging In Carolina Sand And Baltimore Asphalt, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
My parents moved to Wilmington, North Carolina a couple years ago. I have to admit, I am fascinated when I visit the South, for the sheer fact that it is such a vastly different environment than I'm used to. For one thing, the war happened there. For another, the war got very complex and interesting there. [excerpt]
Buckeye Blood Waters The Longleaf Pines, John M. Rudy
Buckeye Blood Waters The Longleaf Pines, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
In the woods south of Wilmington, men in blue uniforms moved forward in a loose skirmish line. They were probing, trying to find General Hoke's last line of defense. Brig. General Charles Paine sent the men forward to develop the enemy. But in the pine thicket ahead, in a thin, ragged line, the bedraggled rebel troops likely had more to fear than bullets as those skirmishers probed and prodded on a February day in 1865. [excerpt]
Interpretation Is Evolution: Whose History?, John M. Rudy
Interpretation Is Evolution: Whose History?, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
When I try to explain to non-history people what my degree means, I used to hit wall after all. It was so hard explaining exactly what, "Applied History," really means. People understand, "History," but the idea of public history has a certain brand of special sauce added on top.
I used to say something akin to, "doing Park Ranger things," though that never really worked. When I had a group on an historical landscape, I'd often just say, "Public History is this."
It doesn't work. Those definitions aren't clear. [excerpt]
Her Bright Blazon Forever Unstained, John M. Rudy
Her Bright Blazon Forever Unstained, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Just a few lyrics today, nothing more, nothing less. Lyrics of joy. Lyrics of home. Lyrics of who we are as a nation. Might we never forget who we are again. [excerpt]
Ngram 150th: Race, Sex And Big Data, John M. Rudy
Ngram 150th: Race, Sex And Big Data, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Data is powerful in the right hands. Aggregate data is even more powerful. And Google is data.
One of the odder tools in the Google arsenal is the Ngram viewer a search engine which charts trends within the folds of Google Books' database. Punch in anything. I mean it. Try anything in the Ngram search engine and start falling down the historical trends rabbit hole. [excerpt]
Shaw's Backside: The Other Side Of An Icon, John M. Rudy
Shaw's Backside: The Other Side Of An Icon, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
This week I find myself in Boston, one of the couple of American cities which call themselves the cradle of liberty. But I'm not drawn like a moth to the Revolution. It's just not my bean.
Instead, I find myself in the awkward position of standing at a visitor desk and asking a park ranger what will interest a Civil War geek in a Revolutionary-bent city. That dog don't hunt so well. [excerpt]
Plunge Into Shonash Ravine: Thinking 4th Dimensionally In Interpretation, John M. Rudy
Plunge Into Shonash Ravine: Thinking 4th Dimensionally In Interpretation, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
This piece was written for NAI's annual workshop this coming fall, but not everyone will have the chance to be in Reno to hear my presentation come November. So, why not give you a sneak peak of what I'm planning on discussing in Nevada? [excerpt]
Child's Play: War, Toys And Avoiding The Trivial, John M. Rudy
Child's Play: War, Toys And Avoiding The Trivial, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
This past weekend, I let my two hobbies combine. I spend a good chunk of my spare time doing incessant, weird and wild historical research. If you've read along on the blog for any appreciable time, you know the odd corners I've turned finding peculiar and striking stories both here in Gettysburg and beyond.
But I have another hobby.
I am an Adult Fan of LEGO. [excerpt]
Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom: The Easy Sesquicentennial Ends, John M. Rudy
Birthday Party, Cheesecake, Jelly Bean, Boom: The Easy Sesquicentennial Ends, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
There's been a good deal of digital ink spilled recently over whether the sesquicentennial is over. A provocative question can erupt into a torrent of thought.
But those thoughts have been brewing in my mind for a while now, since the whirlwind here in Gettysburg died down to a dull roar from the fever pitch of a few weeks ago. The tourist tide has subsided. The streets are easier to drive.
But most importantly, the press inquiries have died away. Nearly every day of the anniversary week, I had an e-mail or a voice-mail asking me to help a reporter …
Finding The Good: An Emotional Anniversary, John M. Rudy
Finding The Good: An Emotional Anniversary, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
I am an exacting judge of interpretive product. I realize this. My boss and I have had a few discussions about how both of our standards, sometimes, might be just a bit too high.
I still am not convinced that pure and utter excellence is not too much to ask for on every interpretive program. All too often, though, I don't find it.
When I do see amazing moments, it thrills me. I get outrageously excited. Through my entire experience as a visitor at the sesquicentennial celebration at Gettysburg, two programs stand out as verging on that sort of gleaming …
Stewart W. Woods: A Peculiar Casualty At Fort Wagner?, John M. Rudy
Stewart W. Woods: A Peculiar Casualty At Fort Wagner?, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Captured in the darkness of July 18th on a sandy beach in South Carolina was a native of Adams County. Stewart W. Woods, born in Heidlersburg around 1836, found himself in the hands of the rebels, among a handful of his compatriots in the 54th Massachusetts. The fighting of Woods' war was over and his fate was unclear. Stewart was a free man, born under the folds of the same American flag under which he now fought. At some point, he had drifted over the mountain range and called Carlisle home when the war erupted in 1861. [excerpt]
A New Theory For Battle Landscapes - Toward An Interpretive Future, John M. Rudy
A New Theory For Battle Landscapes - Toward An Interpretive Future, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
There's a misunderstanding. The misunderstanding has been long and deep. It goes something like this:
Your crusade to destroy the current practice of military history on battlefields is a form of fundamentalism just like the supposed fundamentalism of military history you aim to change. [excerpt]
Hopkins And Anthony: A Struggle Over Freedom, John M. Rudy
Hopkins And Anthony: A Struggle Over Freedom, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
This piece is the original draft of a piece I wrote for the Philadelphia Inquirer, which appeared last week as part of the paper's Gettysburg sesquicentennial coverage. Here's the full, uncut piece for your perusal.
To My Great Great Grand Uncle - On The Occasion Of The 150th Anniversary Of Your Death, John M. Rudy
To My Great Great Grand Uncle - On The Occasion Of The 150th Anniversary Of Your Death, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Dear William Henry,
I'm writing this standing near the spot where you died, exactly 150 years ago nearly to the second. I'm typing on a tiny screen, a technological marvel that lets me share the stories of men like you with the world instantly.
They've put up a monument to you and the 17 other men who died along with you along the banks of Plum Run creek. We call this place "The Valley of Death" now. I think you among all people who have walked this green earth would understand why.... [excerpt]
Just Fields: 30 June 1863, John M. Rudy
Just Fields: 30 June 1863, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
South of Gettysburg as midnight chimed on June 30th and the calendar flipped over to July, a quiet peach orchard sat at the corner of a narrow lane and the road to Emmitsburg. It was just a peach orchard. [excerpt]
There Is Still Time: Contingency And History, John M. Rudy
There Is Still Time: Contingency And History, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
"...and it's all in the balance, it hasn't happened yet, it hasn't even begun yet, it not only hasn't begun yet but there is still time for it not to begin against that position and those circumstances which made more men than Garnett and Kemper and Armistead and Wilcox look grave..."
William Faulkner's Intruder in the Dust has that beautifully evocative passage that anyone worth their salt contemplating a Pickett's Charge program has considered including in their ebb and flow. Faulkner was a master of language, and his passage about, "every Southern boy fourteen years old," is a particularly artful. …
Stormclouds Gather On The Horizon, John M. Rudy
Stormclouds Gather On The Horizon, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
The first few stanzas of a poem by Howard Glyndon from the folds of The Lutheran and Missionary from late August of 1863:
The days of June were nearly done;The fields, with plenty overrun, Were ripening 'neath the harvest sun In fruitful Pennsylvania!
[excerpt]
Memory And Meaning: Civil Rights In Lee's Backyard, John M. Rudy
Memory And Meaning: Civil Rights In Lee's Backyard, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
I walked up the long winding path named for Mary Custis and her family home. As I ascended the steps I stopped to quickly pay my respects to Robert Todd Lincoln. But he wasn't my quarry for the day. As I came to the top of the steps, Robert E. Lee's home hove into view. I've been inside Lee's house a few times. Each time has been interesting, but relatively hollow. Those four walls lack the raw power that the surrounding acres seem to ooze. [excerpt]
Meanings: Where This Is All Headed, John M. Rudy
Meanings: Where This Is All Headed, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Human tragedy, human triumph and continuing struggle, each of its own epic proportions. One convoluted war holds inside the tripartate meanings of sorrow for 620,000 lost, joy for 4 million saved and the uneasiness that the struggle for freedom would still continue 150 years later. [excerpt]
Born In Slavery: One Grave In Chambersburg, John M. Rudy
Born In Slavery: One Grave In Chambersburg, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
A simple epitaph with amazing impact: "Born in Slavery, Died Feb 15 1908." Those words speak and speak loudly. Thomas Burl wanted it to be known for eternity that he was a slave. And he wanted it to be known that he wasn't when he died. That label defined his whole life. It defined who he was when he had the name "slave" forced on him when he was born. And it again defined him through its absence after 1863. [excerpt]
Fire On The Mountain: A Forest Fire Ignored?, John M. Rudy
Fire On The Mountain: A Forest Fire Ignored?, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
There was a massive forest fire on the South Mountain at the edge of Adams County. It ripped through thousands of acres of woodland along the crest of the ridge. The undergrowth went up like a match. The spring up to this point had been unusually dry. And a fire started. [excerpt]
Rewind: Good Morning To The Night, John M. Rudy
Rewind: Good Morning To The Night, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Today is a special day, a momentous day. It's a day I've thought about for a long time. A day for beginnings and a day for looking back. So I'm looking back for today's blog, to one of my favorite posts. It's simple and meaningful to me. It's about a place that has changed my life so much. And today the ripples from that place are changing it again. And it's wonderful. [excerpt]
Hearing His Voice: What Does "War" Have To Say?, John M. Rudy
Hearing His Voice: What Does "War" Have To Say?, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Lee is formulating his plan to move northward, to invade Federal territory once again and lean on the United States' popular will to fight. And War will see the fruits of that decision. He'll see it all. And we're still working to tell his tale, bit by bit. [excerpt]
From A Place Of Fear: Death, Slavery & Stonewall, John M. Rudy
From A Place Of Fear: Death, Slavery & Stonewall, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
Earlier this spring, I sat in Gettysburg at the "Future of the Civil War" conference and listened to an intern talk about how he had been scared to interpret. He was afraid of his visitors, afraid to tell them about a place. [excerpt]
The Semester Ends, The Semester Begins, John M. Rudy
The Semester Ends, The Semester Begins, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
It's finals week at Gettysburg College, but in another time, it was just the beginning of the oddest session of college just over 100 students would ever experience. Some would join the 26th PEMR, some would run home from the oncoming rebel hordes, and others would remain in Gettysburg, sitting in the cross-hairs of the war as the slowly rested on Adams County. [excerpt]
Virtual Sesquicentennial: #Invasion63 Goes Live, John M. Rudy
Virtual Sesquicentennial: #Invasion63 Goes Live, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
I teased this project a short while ago, and now that May has arrived history has begun coming back to life. Over the next three months, the men and women who walked Gettysburg's streets and crossed the Pennsylvania College campus will reenact their lives in the last few moments before Gettysburg changed irrevocably. As May creeps along, more characters will rise from the grave and begin reliving the past. [excerpt]
Pennsylvania At Chancellorsville, But Headed Back Home, John M. Rudy
Pennsylvania At Chancellorsville, But Headed Back Home, John M. Rudy
Interpreting the Civil War: Connecting the Civil War to the American Public
With the anniversary of the battles around Fredericksburg this week, the Civil War world's eyes seem to be turned toward Chancellorsville and the battles there. Almost as a reflex, my mind has gone there too. I've been thinking about Simon Stein Wolf, the Gettysburgian who faced death at Chancellorsville only to find it terribly displayed in the days after. So today another excerpt from my manuscript, to start re-conceptualizing Chancellorsville through the eyes of a Pennsylvania College dropout. [excerpt]