Books: April 2008 Archives

The new book is available from Borders in York and at leading retailers in Gettysburg. It's also for sale at Internet retailers such as amazon.com and target.com.

Here is an anecdote from my recent Human Interest Stories of the Gettysburg Campaign, Volume 2, which was published by Colecraft Industries of Ortanna, PA. This is just one of more than two hundred such true stories from Gettysburg. You will not find any ghosts of Gettysburg or other such tales in this book, but rather stories as related directly by the participants themselves about their experiences. Nothing supernatural, just extraordinary in many cases.

Wargamer and Gettysburg buff Billy Ray Wagenseller greets author Scott L. Mingus, Sr. at the 4/19/08 book signing during the History Meets the Arts spring festival. Photo by Curt Daniels taken at the Gettysburg Gift Center.

Gettysburg annually holds a spring festival known as History Meets the Arts, a celebration of historical art, music, literary accomplishments, and other arts. Artists such as Dale Gallon, John Paul Strain, Keith Rocco, and many others were present yesterday, and attendance throughout the town was exceptional. The combination of glorious weather, some big-name artists, the first weekend for the new Visitors Center, and good advertising helped boost attendance versus last year’s wind-blown freeze-fest.

Maryland author Bradley Gottfried and I signed books together in the afternoon. He is quite a gentleman and a very nice guy, not to mention an extremely talented cartographer and writer. His latest book is entitled The Artillery of Gettysburg, and seemed to be selling well, along with his other titles such as The Maps of Gettysburg. I sold quite of few of my three books, and thoroughly enjoyed the conversations with Brad and with many of my friends who stopped by. Brad also agreed to come speak to the York CWRT sometime in 2009; more details to come when next year's schedule comes out.

HMTA continues today in Gettysburg. A French & Indian War reeenactor camp site replete with a small fort are highlights of the main display at the Fire Hall, as well as the impressive array of original painting by a host of talented F&I artists. There is no admission charge for this annual event.

Few events in American history have sparked as much controversy as presidential assassinations. As a papermaker, the industry I work in has been blessed by the dizzying array of books and magazine articles written on the killings of John F. Kennedy and Abraham Lincoln, two events that stunned their generations and created firestorms of opinions and agendas. The CIA. The Mafia. The U.S. government. Cuba. The Illuminati. The Confederate States of America. The U.S. Secretary of War. The Pope. All have been blamed in some fashion for one (or both) of these events.

While some of the public has been fascinated by theories and speculations, Gettysburg Licensed Battlefield Guide Michael Kanazawich has focused his energies and studies on finding and communicating some of the more obscure vignettes and remarkable true stories from the assassination of the 16th President. You won't find long accounts of Edwin Stanton's alleged betrayal of his commander-in-chief, or of Jeff Davis's secret plot to take care of his rival and counterpart. Instead, this new book offers a diverse collection of short accounts and stories that are perfect for light reading.