My Blog Roll

    As of today I have been writing “The Picket” for two months! This will be my 18^th post, and I hope those who have stopped by here have enjoyed what I have presented. I have made an effort to give a balanced mix of stories relating to the American Civil War, with viewpoints from opposite sides of the conflict and I think I have achieved that pretty well. I hope so.

    Today's post is intended to share some thoughts on my “Blog Roll”. It might be taken by some as a shameless attempt to increase my readership, which is only partly true. The main reason however is a sincere attempt to give credit where credit is due, and to highlight what I consider some of the best blogs on the web. While many blogs may show a whole column of blogs in their sidebar, my Blog Roll is rather short and I intentionally keep a short list to separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were. I do read several blogs and have a couple I am watching closely that may be added later so check my blog roll often.

    For now, begging your indulgence, I would like to recommend the following for your consideration. They are listed in no particular order so do not construe the first one on the list as being the best.

    

1) I have recently added John Banks' Civil War Blog. Mr. Banks focuses on Antietam and Gettysburg with emphasis on Connecticut soldiers that fought there as well as the war as a whole. The photographs are interesting and give views of places that most people may never see. His post of February 15, 2012 gives A short biography of 20 Connecticut soldiers that fell at the Battle of Antietam, and photos of some of their grave markers. The post was a poignant reminder that the war was fought by ordinary men in extraordinary times. It will be a boon to those tracing their ancestry in Connecticut.

 2) First Fallen: The Life and Times of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, by Meg.(I withhold her last name since it does not appear on her blog in order to preserve that wish.) The title of this blog will throw you if you have less than a passing interest in Colonel Elmer Ellsworth but don't be fooled! Meg covers more than the Colonel, and a good portion of the other topics are devoted to day to day life as experienced by the common soldier. Her recent posts of February 10-14, 2012 were devoted to Valentines Day and Valentines cards, with a link to the Colonel of course! That was an aspect of the war I had never, ever thought about and I was thoroughly enlightened on the subject by these posts. Her blog is always entertaining, informative, and on at least one occasion her cat made an appearance by hacking her computer! That darn cat! Her enthusiasm for her subjects clearly shows with each post and she has written a book about Colonel Ellsworth which should be published soon.

3) Emerging Civil War: This one appears on several blog rolls across the web with good reason and is made up of several men and women that are very knowledgeable about the war. The subjects range from politics to battles and are always written in an easy to read style that imparts the information well without being stuffy and boring. Guest posters also frequent this site and are always enjoyable. As their sub title suggests, they truly do give a “voice to the next generation of Civil War historians.” The one thing to be aware of with this site is the posts can at times be rather lengthy so you will need to have a few minutes to spare.

4) My Civil War Obsession: Written by Richard McCormick, the blog draws from old newspapers and is aimed at what was happening in Kentucky during the war. It fills a need in

the history of the war by covering local politics and personalities as related to the war as a whole and is always a good read. Book reviews appear from time to time and Mr. McCormick also covers some recent news of note as with the post of February 13, 2012 sharing news of Civil War Trusts efforts to save parts of the Perryville battlefield. His blog contains history not usually found on the beaten path of study.

    These blogs are the best of the lot in my humble opinion and they all are well presented, regularly updated and interesting. The quality of content and writing contained in them is superb and well worth the time taken to read them. I hope my blog will one day be able to stand among them.

In conclusion I would like to say to all of the above:

Well Done! And Thank You!

The Picket