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Photo of Scott Mingus's 15mm wargame of the Battle of Monocacy; click on the photo to enlarge it for better viewing.

Gettysburg, for the final time in the foreseeable future, hosted the annual Fall-In wargaming convention at the Eisenhower Resort and Conference Center on Business 15. More than 1000 gamers spend 2-3 days rolling dice and moving tiny model soldiers on model railroad / diorama quality tabletop terrain using rules that loosely simulate the tactics of combat.

The convention is moving from Adams County to Lancaster in November 2010.

For more photos, see my CHARGE! wargaming blog.

NAPLES, Fla./Tuesday, August 18, 2009-- NewsBank, inc., one of the world's premier information providers, announced today the launch of NewsInHistory.com, a subscription service providing easy access to fully-searchable historical U.S. newspapers published from 1800-2000.

Featuring thousands of newspapers from all 50 states, including new content added monthly, NewsInHistory.com provides an exceptional record of the topics, people, issues and events that shaped America's past.

"NewsInHistory.com consolidates two centuries of hard-to-find American historical newspapers into a single database," says website editor Tony Pettinato. "This comprehensive resource makes it easy to find eyewitness accounts of battles, wide-ranging news and editorials, period photographs, advertisements, firsthand perspectives on daily life, and much more."

NewsInHistory.com offers cover-to-cover reproductions of thousands of historical newspapers and millions of articles that capture the civic, political, social and cultural events of American life. This new resource will appeal to a broad spectrum of users, from the serious scholarly researcher to the casual user interested in learning more about the nation's past.

In addition to the extensive newspaper archives, visitors to NewsInHistory.com can also enjoy free, thought-provoking commentaries that explore important events in American history. This week's featured article is Pickett's Charge: Turning Point of the Civil War. For a limited time, new subscribers can save up to 20% on memberships.

Visit NewsInHistory.com to learn more.

As a scientist in the paper and printing industry, I have always had an attraction to colorfully printed vintage examples of the art of lithography. In particular, I used to collect old baseball cards, advertising pieces, sales promotional cards, Sunday school cards, and other collectibles. I have over the last few years turned my attention to collecting old postcards with Civil War images, which have relatively little value and can be obtained cheaply, and are still quite interesting to me as examples of period art and graphic design, as well as history.

I was fortunate enough to be guest keynote speaker at the graduation ceremonies this past Saturday of the Art Institute of York, which is one of the best graphic arts programs in this immediate area. I had a chance to speak with some of the professors, including one that I shared my love of old Civil War lithographs, postcards, and prints.

Civil War postcards are incredibly easy to find for the novice collector, as nearly every antique shop in the area has a selection of postcards. I picked up quite a few at the Black Rose Antiques Mall in Hanover, in particular.

During the latter half of the 19th century, the U.S. cigarmaking industry flourished (including here in York County where more than 100 separate small factories or shops turned out rolled cigars for sale across the region). Competition between brands was significant in many places, and shelf appeal became increasingly important. With color offset lithographic printing coming into prominence, advertising pieces became more important, and the use of colorful graphics to attract attention widely increased.

Among the industries competing for the consumer/buyer's attention was the cigar industry, which took full advantage of lithography for box and lid labels. The topics (and brands) are a dizzying array of diversity, and many of these miniature pieces of artwork have become collectibles in the recent decades. Included among the more popular subject matters is the American Civil War, and the box lid graphics shown here are from a once popular novelty brand known as Gettysburg Commanders.

Cigar boxes and lids, as well as sometimes the unpasted artwork, can be found at times at flea markets and antique malls and shows, usually for only a few bucks. eBay and other on-line markets are also a good source.

Private Calvin Mingus (1827 - 1889), 1st Regiment, Ohio Heavy Artillery

Forty-nine members of the Mingus family fought in the American Civil War, from the four main branches of the family (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and North Carolina). Some of the Buckeyes were my direct ancestors; others were extended family (first cousins, second and third cousins, etc.). On my father's side, three of his grandmother's brothers fought at Gettysburg in the 7th West Virginia Infantry on East Cemetery Hill and my great-great grandfather Aaron Barnhill fought in the Western armies. On my mom's side, my great-great-grandfather William Sisson was at the Wilderness in an Ohio regiment.

There are several resources available to help you learn more about your Civil War ancestor, assuming you know his name. If he was a Pennsylvanian, Samuel Bates' History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers gives a rather complete listing of the soldiers in each formal (and some informal) units, and the corresponding Pennsylvania soldiers index card file at times also lists their height, weight, occupation, place and date of enrollment, etc. The State Archives in Harrisburg has census records, military records, and other pertinent data.

On the national level, the National Park Service's Civil War Soldiers and Sailors System is a computerized resource of more than a million names; simply type in the ancestor's name and a list of people matching that name will soon appear.

Also, the National Archives and Records Administration can provide pension information and other interesting data.

The old Fort Defiance tourist trap at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, is shown in this 1972 photograph provided by Mike Waricher. In the summer of 1968, my parents took my sister and me to Gettysburg for our first overnight trip to Pennsylvania (little did I know then I would be living in the Keystone State as an adult and writing books on Gettysburg!). I remember that trip from southern Ohio with fondness! My sister Peggy and I enjoyed riding through the tunnels, and we stayed in a TraveLodge in Chambersburg. The following morning, we drove eastward on Route 30 to Gettysburg, and I will never forget the mystical experience of seeing the first monuments peering through the morning fog! I think that was the moment that I knew I was hooked.

Among my Christmas gifts I received this year was the latest CD from my favorite Civil War band, the 2nd South Carolina String Band, a Gettysburg-area group that met originally as reenactors who formed an impromptu campfire band. They have since expanded into a more formal group, with five albums and scores of personal appearances at Civil War reenactments, folk music festivals, special events, and other social gatherings.

An image made popular in a later war.

Next Tuesday, November 4, is Election Day. I have exercised my right to vote in nearly every election since I was 18 and in college at Miami of Ohio, missing only a few years when I was unexpectedly on the road and could not cast an absentee ballot or when I was ill. As Americans, I believe it is our civic duty to have our voice heard in the government, and it is a privilege that some in this world do not share.

The presidential election of 1864 occurred during the heart of the Civil War. A string of late summer / autumn victories by the Union army cemented President Lincoln's reelection over the former commander of the Army of the Potomac, George B. McClellan. Little Mac's influence and popularity among the troops had waned, and Lincoln won a solid majority of the military vote, including that of the 24th Michigan of the famed Iron Brigade, a regiment that fought at the Battle of Gettysburg.

With a lineup that includes Pulitzer Prize winning Civil War author James McPherson, The Civil War Network makes its debut today on the network's web site, www.TheCivilWarNetwork.com.

Do you enjoy science fiction? What about writing short stories? If so, perhaps you could come up with a Civil War-themed sci-fi entry in a new contest sponsored by Jim and Pam Lewin of The York Emporium used book store. (Your entry does not have to be Civil War based, but the war is rife with opportunities for creative science fiction writing, and it might be distinctive from the usual outer space themes.)

Parallel universes, time travel, alternate history, fantasy,; there are several possibilities for you to explore in your mind and pen.

For more information and how to enter the contest, read on...