Michael, David and Cal discuss their readings from 2024 and goals for 2025.
2024 Year End Review
A. Lincoln
"If I saw a venomous snake crawling in the road, any man would say I may seize the nearest stick and kill it. But if I found that snake in bed with my children that would be another question. I might hurt the children more than the snake, and it might bite them. But if there was a bed newly made up, to which the children were to be taken, and it was proposed to take a batch of young snakes and put them there with them, I take it no man would say there was any question how I ought to decide."
Ba’alzevuv
“Fancy thinking the Beast was something you could hunt and kill.. You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? I’m the reason why… things are what they are.”
The Lion of Little Round Top
As my year of studying the Civil War draws to a close, I wanted to share my thoughts on my favorite figure: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. My first encounter with Chamberlain was through a reference in Ken Burns' PBS documentary series. Although not a primary figure, his contributions and background immediately appealed to me. He was... Continue Reading →
Historical Fiction: The Civil War
"Buford's role in securing the high ground at Gettysburg was crucial. Bringing that to life on screen, especially in such a detailed and respectful manner, was a deeply moving experience"
That Devil Forrest
"He must be hunted down and killed if it costs 10,000 men and bankrupts the treasury.” -General Sherman
The Union Forever!
“The crimes of this guilty land can never be purged away but with blood.” -John Brown
Oh Captain! My Captain!
"The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, while follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring."
Rage, Achilles
This year I decided to fill in a gaping gap in my liberal arts knowledge of antiquity by committing to sitting down and reading one of the most influential works in the Western cannon – Homer’s Iliad. The Iliad is a collection of books in the style of a poem; it contains 24 books arranged... Continue Reading →
His Terrible Swift Sword: Civil War Podcast #2
"It was imperative to strike before we were struck by this overwhelming force in a hand-to-hand fight, which we could not probably have withstood or survived. At that crisis, I ordered the bayonet. The word was enough. It ran like fire along the line, from man to man; and rose into a shout, with which they sprang forward upon the enemy, now not 30 yards away."
Brains and Brawn 