1861 Becomes 1862

1861 was the first year of the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War--that's a sesquicentennial anniversary. And yes, I had to check my spelling!!

One sad thing, for me, is that the focus will be on the second year of the War, and my "favorite" part of the War (how can anyone have a favorite part of a war??) will pass along and get forgotten, again.

I think the first year of the War--all of 1861, from the election of Lincoln in '60 to McClellan's illness and Lincoln's step toward becoming Commander in Chief for real, is the most dynamic. The change in those 12 months, from peace to war, from union to armed disunion, is tremendous.

Of course, the life of Elmer Ellsworth, and his terrible death, is a mirror of this change. So many "self-made men" answered Lincoln's call--from voting to military service. Much of what we now think of as "American" comes from that time, good and bad, foolish to realistic.

It is the tension between two extremes that I find historically compelling, and 1861 is rife with those instances.

I have finished the main rewrite of First Fallen. I now have to make sure it holds up, chapter to chapter, and that my sourcing is accurate. I will be starting a Master's in Military History, with a Civil War emphasis, in March, at APU. I have done online learning before, and found it very rigorous.

I am looking forward to 2012 with thoughtful excitement--no jumping up and down, but certainly smiling. All I can say is Happy New Year and--

REMEMBER ELLSWORTH!!!