Speaking of Robert Gould Shaw...

You will notice a new tab above in the menu called Notes. It’s a relatively new Substack feature. I’ve been using it quite a bit to share updates, news, etc., as I did with Twitter but without the smell of Musk. I will continue to use the Chat room to post messages/updates that are intended specifically for this community. Please keep in mind that paid subscribers are encouraged to post their own messages as well. Think of the Chat room as a community bulletin board.

---

In a couple of weeks I head down to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania for the Civil War Institute’s annual conference. It’s five days of lectures and battlefield tours that will satisfy any Civil War enthusiast. This is my first visit to Gettysburg since before the pandemic and I am so looking forward to the opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones.

What I am most excited about is the opportunity to share my ongoing research into the life of Robert Gould Shaw and lead a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield with Peter Carmichael and Jill Ogline Titus that focuses specifically on the experiences of enslaved men in the Confederate army.

In regard to the former, I am going to to give a talk on Shaw’s military career leading up to his commission as colonel of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in early 1863.

Back in February I was interviewed by Wes Cline, a senior at Gettysburg College, who has gone through CWI’s program in Civil War studies. It was a pleasure chatting with him to give participants in this year’s conference a little taste of what I plan on talking about.

I am looking forward to meeting Wes in person in June and to hear more about his plans for the future.

As for the Shaw book, I am making steady progress. Expect to see fairly regular posts here in which I share my thoughts about specific subjects and interpretive challenges related to the book project. It’s a sign that I am working steadily to meet my goal of submitting a completed manuscript to the University of North Carolina Press by the end of the year.

Admittedly, it’s been slow going over the past few years. I won’t bore you with an explanation, but needless to say it’s nice to feel as if I’ve finally hitting my stride and once again enjoying the process.

Thanks to all of you for your continued support and encouragement. It means everything.