Monday, January 18, 2010

I'm Back!!

I hope my faithful readers (two), will forgive my tardy updates. Grad school was more difficult than I had anticipated. I was challenged in new directions that I had never had to face before. I have been informed that the first semester in the roughest one, let us hope so for my sake.
Anyway, back on to the Civil War front. I had the pleasure (and honor) to work at the American Historical Association’s annual conference held for the first time in San Diego, California from January 7 to 10. My hometown displayed its finest January weather while playing host to some of the best historians from around the world and the United States. On Saturday I sat in on a very interesting session on Native American’s involvement in the Civil War and Reconstruction. The papers presented by historians Walter L. Williams, Gary Zellar, and Kendra T. Fields should turn into insightful and groundbreaking works within the next two years. The second session I attended dealt with the wills of slave owners and the distribution of slave property. I have to say that the best part of AHA conference was the book sale. I was able to pick up a number of Civil War histories that I will be reviewing here.