Appearing On Another Blogroll! And Thank You!

I would like to thank Steve Light, the author of the “Battlefield Back Stories” blog for adding The Picket to his blogroll. I am honored to be listed on such a fine site!

I actually found “Battlefield Back Stories” about six weeks ago and immediately placed it on my blogroll. It usually takes me a while to “size up” a blog but this one took no time at all!

For those of you who have not found it yet, I encourage you to click his link in my blogroll, especially if you enjoy reading and studying the Battle of Gettysburg. Mr. Light focuses on the battle, and as the name implies, the Back Stories of the men who fought there. It tells their story in relation to the larger scheme of the battle, and they are the focal point of the story. It is quite a refreshing change to see the individual brought to the fore, and the generals, strategies, and statistics are pushed to the background. That does not mean it will be of little interest to the hard core aficionado or scholar. The stories are always set in context which enables the reader to follow the battle in the larger sense if they so desire. Mr. Light also gives news of events that are happening today, but this is a secondary concern. I would also like to say that it is not a “morning coffee” blog. It does get involved at times, so with this one you should allow yourself some time to enjoy it. Lunch, perhaps?

Since I found this blog too late for inclusion on my last Blogroll Update post, I hereby give official notice and review of this fine blog. Longtime readers will know that this is not a “trade” just because I was added to the Battlefield Back Stories list. I

regularly call attention to the blogs on my roll and this is nothing unusual. It will be a while before the next update though so to thank him I bumped it up a few months.

 

Here at The Picket, plans are in the works for quite a major undertaking. I am going to try and highlight some of the Indiana regiments service, infantry and cavalry, during the Civil War. If anyone knows of good sources for the artillery, please let me know. I would like to include them as well. I have been working on the Third Cavalry, Sixth and Twenty- fifth infantry. There is a lot of work finding sources so this project may never see the light of day. You never know. I am also going to focus in on the Carolina's for a post or two especially late '62 early '63. And the usual stuff will continue. Monthly installments of Other News, poetry, and interesting individuals will still make an appearance. And Adam Rankin Johnson is about due for another post!

Writing for school tends to take time away from the blog, and I work for a living, so the frequency of posts is slipping somewhat. I am still here though, so bear with me and stay tuned!

Check out Battlefield Back Stories!

The Picket

First Anniversary

This day in History- The blog “The Picket” came into being.

Yes, loyal reader, one year ago today, I launched this blog. Starting out with trying to come up with a title for it, then posting my first story, and on through the year, it has been quite a pleasure bringing some of the old stories to light. I hope those of you that stop in from time to time have enjoyed the content delivered to you.

Beginning today, as you may have noticed, The Picket has a new name, sort of. I decided to incorporate the blog description into the name, and I changed the description to better match the mission of the blog. I have been toying with the idea for several months and decided to do it now. I am hoping it will help it show up better in general searches. At least get it away from picket fences and Shepherd University's blog also called the Picket. I suppose I should have researched the Web before settling on a name. Generally speaking though, it will always be The Picket!

I would like to share some accomplishments from the year that make this effort worthwhile to me. I am proud of my work here and it does not hurt to “toot my own horn” once in a while although it rarely happens. It is my anniversary after all. So here is my year in a rather large nutshell!

As of today:

The Picket has had 62 posts added to it not including this one. That is not bad for an amateur do you think? Although my unstated goal was to have 100 posts up, I am not disappointed to terribly. 100 is a reasonable target and it gives me incentive to try a little harder for the coming year!

It has had 732 visits prior to this post. The best month was August 2012 with 109 visits. Again I am not to disappointed. I had hoped for 1,000 visits over the year, but I look at it as another reason to try harder. Eventually the readership will grow and I will have more views than I can count?

The Picket has had 194 page views. This number is based on each time a post has been viewed as an individual page. I tend to look at it the most. It lets me know with a reasonable amount of certainty that a real human being has been here and that I have not been invaded by web crawlers and nuisance sites. I must admit I am disappointed in this number. I had hoped to show up in the search engines a little more often. But that will also come in time.

My top page view earner was “A Small Thing But...” posted on January 21, 2012, the story of how the twist drill aided the Confederacy in constructing the ironclad CSS Albemarle.

Google is the top referring site, and Civil War Saga (a great blog!) is the top URL that sends readers my way.

 

My page background

I have gained two Followers. A little disappointing, but more will come eventually. I hope anyway! This only reflects the Google followers. I think I have a couple of people following by email also.

The Picket appears on one blog roll. Thanks Meg Thompson! (First Fallen: The Life and Times of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth) More will follow someday, when more bloggers actually find me. I do not ask to be on other lists. I feel I need to earn a spot on them. I won't be mad if someone suggests this blog to other bloggers, or shares it to Facebook, a favorite forum, Tweets, Stumbles, Diggs, Pins, or whatever social network you engage in, feel free! (Yes, that is a hint!) That way others can make a judgment as to this blogs worth and include it on their blog rolls if they feel it has enough quality content. Just make sure you think it is worth mentioning before you share it.

My first post was “Forgotten” posted December 17, 2011. It tells of a group of unknown Confederate soldiers buried in a small cemetery in Southern Indiana.

My favorite post did not see the light of day as far as page views. Someone may have seen it, but it did not show up in the search engines to be read as its own page. Titled “Not So Friendly Fire” it was posted June 23, 2012, and highlights the “battle” of Columbus, Ohio. Men of the Ninth Corps were passing through Columbus while transferring to the west in 1863, and clashed with the very raw soldiers of the 115^th Ohio Infantry who were on Provost Guard duty there. Shots were fired and men died in a truly senseless episode that many may have never heard of. That post was a true accident as far as writing it went. I had been researching something else when I found a soldiers death listed as “Murdered in Columbus Ohio”. Further digging produced the story.

 

So there you have it. A year in the life of one blog; my blog, The Picket. The only real disappointment I have is that I did not start sooner! I have enjoyed it as it couples my love of writing with my love of history, in particular the American Civil War era.

My mission for the coming year will be more of the same. I will strive to improve both the content and my writing. I will need your feedback from time to time though. Tell me how I am doing! Good, bad, or indifferent, another opinion can only help me improve. Suggestions for stories are welcome also!

Here comes YEAR 2 and maybe this will be the year I get discovered! (I can dream can't I?)

Lord willing there will be more years to follow!

 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO M-E-E-E-E!!!!!

And thanks for stopping by!

The Picket

Cupcake from http://www.mycutegraphics.com/graphics/cupcake/first-birthday-cupcake.html   created by Laura Strickland

“Army of the Potomac. Our Outlying Pickets in the Woods” Winslow Homer

Latest Blog Roll Additions

School is out! I will not return to class until early January so hopefully I will get some things accomplished here at The Picket.

With this post I am going to take care of updating my Blog Roll. This is something that I have overlooked far to long. You may have already noticed these additions but I would like to share my thoughts with you.

I would also like to point out that if a blog appears here I do read and enjoy it. Some of them I do “follow” if they have that application. However, I do not troll the Internet “following” blogs in order to draw traffic to mine. It is my way of letting them know their work is appreciated. Besides, not all blogs have the “follow” option. My blog roll is intended to showcase the talents of lesser known writers. Most of the blogs do not show up on any radar although a couple do appear on one or two other lists.

Now, the additions...

History by Zim- Beyond the Textbooks

This is not really a blog, but kinda sorta is. It is an eclectic mix of social, political, and military history. It mostly deals with United States History but it is not limited to this country. It is heavy with photographs which I find fascinating. I have always loved old photos especially clothing and machinery. You can also find old letters there, another thing I really enjoy. The compiler of this site is Jessica Zimmerman and she does a remarkable job of gathering all of this stuff to put into one place. The site is frequently updated so a daily peek at it will will not hurt. This is good place to start trips down memory lane or explore what was happening when your Dad was younger.

Zim also has a blog called “Zim's Ramblings” where she, as the title implies, rambles about things. It is not as frequent, but it is a fun read.

Our Country's Fiery Ordeal

Written by Dan Vermilya, this blog focuses on the Battle of Antietam, but has a good mix of content. Mr. Vermilya is a park ranger at the Antietam National Battlefield. He earned a Master of Arts Degree in American History. You can find book and movie reviews there from time to time as well as the main content relating to the American Civil War. He has posted things about U.S. Grant, Shiloh, and of course, Antietam.

This is not strictly a retelling of the battle, but also encompasses things that lead up to the battle away from the field, before and after the fact. It is well written and updated regularly, usually weekly. Bookmark it and enjoy!

 

Civil War Saga

Last but certainly not least is Civil War Saga brought to us by Rebekah Brooks. This one rapidly became my favorite. Ms. Brooks has recently focused her talents on civil war prisons and lady spies. I enjoy her writing style and the fact that she uses a “serial” method of posting the information. By that I mean she may write two or three posts on the same topic, then move to a different story. It allows the reader to keep up with the information. I have found that she never is truly finished with a subject. A topic might disappear for a while but will return later. It never gets dull that way! She writes with an easy to read style that gets the point across very well. To show the range of subjects she covers, Dinosaurs In Gettysburg, is an interesting read so click on this link http://civilwarsaga.com/dinosaurs-in-gettysburg/ or copy and paste it in your browser. This post actually cemented her position on my blog roll. The blog is not regularly updated and time between posts can be about 2 weeks. Sometimes she sneaks them in more frequently. The reason it takes so long I imagine is the fact she also produces two other blogs! (amazing) She is also a freelance writer so time may be at a premium for her. Nevertheless, it is well worth the wait. She also has a “Picture of the Day” gallery in the sidebar so you will always have a reason to visit!

Please check these blogs out, I am sure they would appreciate the visit!

And thanks for stopping by!

The Picket