Six Civil War Tales by a Historian Reenactor
The Minstrel Show — Was minstrelsy racist to the root, or was it just vulgar working-class theater? This essay examines the minstrel show's folk origins, outlines a typical performance, and traces its legacy in American entertainment today.
The Longstreet Controversy — Learn why Confederate General James Longstreet's reputation was destroyed between 1872 and 1890 by two still-alive falsehoods: that Lee's defeat at Gettysburg lost the war for the South, and that Longstreet caused Lee's defeat.
America: War Service of a Racing Yacht — Find out why the world's most famous sailboat, who gave her name to the America’s Cup regatta, became a Confederate blockade-runner in the war, was scuttled, and then re-floated to become a Union blockader.
Yulee's Railroad — Florida's first railroad and the men who built and ran it. For years, the Union held both ends; the Confederates held the middle. The 1864 battle of Olustee was fought over it. The survivors of the 1923 Rosewood massacre owed their lives to it.
The Evolution of Rifle Tactics — Why didn't Civil War soldiers take cover? Learn why it took 65 years for tactics to catch up with technology: Claude Minie's invention of the military rifle.
The Evolution of Indirect Fire — Why didn't Civil War artillery shoot from behind a hill? Learn why cannons deployed in the front line to fire directly at the enemy until technology changed tactics.
From the Publisher
These six essays were originally published in individual pamphlets sold at Florida historical site gift shops.
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