James Garfield in Civil War Washington

Wanted to share the video from a talk I did last month. This was my keynote talk at the James Garfield Symposium at Lakeland Community College, sponsored by the Friends of the James Garfield National Historic Site. The symposium's topic was Garfield in Washington.

While most of the talks focused on Garfield as a Congressman and President, I instead focused on Garfield's introduction to Washington during the Civil War. His time in the capital while he was still in the army aided him in making political connections and emerging on the national political scene in the midst of some of the most harrowing times in American history.

The video is courtesy of Lakeland Community College, which filmed the program for their youtube and television channels.

Garfield Interview

 

Wanted to share an interview I did with the folks at the Mentor Channel in Mentor, Ohio, the home of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. I did a talk and book signing there last week, and Ante Logarusic stopped by before hand to do a short interview on the book.

 

 

 

 



Book Talks November 2015

With the publication date for James Garfield and the Civil War: For Ohio and the Union coming next week (November 2, 2015), I wanted to post some information about talks and book signings that I will be doing in the Cleveland area in the second week of November.

These talks are all focused on the new book and the story of James Garfield's Civil War career. I hope to have copies of both the Garfield book and my book on Kennesaw Mountain available at each place. Follow the links for more information, or send me a message through the blog.

Saturday, November 7th:

James Garfield Symposium 2015: Garfield in Washington, Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, Ohio

Keynote Speaker and Book Signing

Sponsored by the James A. Garfield National Historic Site and the Friends of the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.


Sunday, November 8th:

James A. Garfield National Historic Site, Mentor, Ohio, 2 PM

Author Talk and Book Signing


Monday, November 9th:

Reed Memorial Library, Ravenna, Ohio, 2 PM

Author Talk and Book Signing


Tuesday, November 10th:

Mac's Back-Books, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, 7 PM

Author Talk and Book Signing


Wednesday, November 11th:

Lorain Community College, Elyria, Ohio, 7 PM

Part of the ongoing 1865: Appomattox and Beyond, the Legacy of the Civil War Lecture Series

Author Talk and Book Signing



Hope to see you in Ohio!

James Garfield and the Civil War: For Ohio and the Union

Greetings all!

I am excited to say that a project which I have been working on for a little over a year is now almost finished. With a publication date of November 2, 2015, I am pleased to announce the publication of my second book, James Garfield and the Civil War: For Ohio and the Union. The front and back cover are below:

This project, being published by The History Press, focuses on the Civil War career of native Ohioan and 20th President of the United States James Abram Garfield. I have been fascinated by Garfield for many years, having grown up just a short 20 minute drive from his home in Mentor, Ohio. Over the past few years, I have gotten to know the staff at the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, and have had the pleasure to do some volunteer work there, taking part in the park's Major Battles of the Civil War lecture series. It is a great NPS site, and I encourage you to visit there if you are ever in the Cleveland area.

While other presidents who served in the army during the Civil War have had books written which chronicle their service, no such books exist for the military career of James A. Garfield. From 1861 to the end of 1863, Garfield served in the Union army, raising a regiment of Ohio troops, leading men in combat in Kentucky, taking part in the second day of the Battle of Shiloh, sitting on a court martial of a prominent Union general, and serving as the Chief of Staff for the Army of the Cumberland. His Civil War career was as eclectic as it was important. Garfield had a hand in several of the war's most important battles and campaigns, and his experience shows how hard work and perseverance allowed a man born in a log cabin in the old Western Reserve of Northeast Ohio rise to become a major general in the Union army.


This book tells the story of Garfield's Civil War service, following him through the conflict and examining the role this famous Ohioan played in our nation's most trying hours. While the focus is on his time in the army during the war, I also discuss his early years and career before the war began, as well as his post-war political career, and how the Civil War had a continuing impact for the rest of Garfield's life. Garfield held many titles throughout his life, but none was more meaningful to him than "General Garfield." While Garfield's presidency was tragically cut short by his assassination in 1881, twenty years earlier he bravely donned his country's uniform and took part in the American Civil War. Just as the war changed the United States, it also changed the lives of those who took part in it. James Garfield was among them. His post-war political career and his eventual rise to the presidency were made possible by his heroic service to the Union cause during the Civil War.


I hope to post more on this forum in the coming weeks and months, sharing more regarding the life and Civil War career of James Garfield and the publication of the book. Stay tuned for updates!

Stones River Presentation

For all those in the Cleveland area, or those who are simply interested, I will be leading a program on the Battle of Stones River tomorrow at the Mentor Public Library. The talk begins at noon, and is in the James R. Garfield room on the lower level of the library. It is part of a series on the Major Battles of the Civil War, and is a cooperative effort between the Mentor Public Library and the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. The program is free, and will last about 45 minutes.

If you are in the area and want to learn about Stones River, arguably the most forgotten of the major battles of the war, come on out. We look forward to seeing you.

Stones River National Cemetery

Hazen's Brigade Monument at Stones River

Home Again

It is that time of the year again, when leaves change color, the air becomes cooler, and summer dies out and gives way first to fall, and then to winter. It is also that time of the year which NPS seasonal rangers dread the most. As of a few days ago, I am back home in Ohio once again. My incredible year at Antietam has come to a close. It has been an unbelievable few months, especially the last few weeks with the 150th. In the months ahead, I will be back home, trying to make ends meet and do what I can to continue moving forward as a young ranger and historian. These are tough times for many folks right now, so I am certainly not alone in that regard.

And yet, while I am back home for a few months over the winter, all is not lost. I will be back in Maryland in a few weeks for Antietam's annual luminaries, and I hope to resume my regular ranger duties sometime in the spring months. Being back home affords me the opportunity to continue doing volunteer work for the James A. Garfield NHS, which is a fascinating site with an outstanding ranger staff. I am very fortunate that the folks at the Garfield site have taken me in to give me another park to call home for the winter.

In addition, I have some very exciting projects in the works as well. First, I am in the process of writing articles based on my research for publication. I hope to have news on that front soon. I am looking at a few shorter articles to supplement a larger article encompassing the project in its many facets

 A few days before I left Maryland, I made an early morning trek to Gettysburg to watch the sunrise from Cemetery Ridge. Let these photos remind you, as they remind me, that no matter how difficult things might seem in the short term, the sun will always continue to rise, and God has a plan and a future for all of us. All we have to do is have faith in Him.

James Garfield NHS Major Battles of the Civil War Series

Greetings all, sorry for the paucity of posts on here as of late. I have been working away at quite a few projects, one of which I want to let you all know about. While I am home this winter, I am doing some volunteer work for the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in Mentor, Ohio. The site consists of the house where Garfield and his family lived when he was elected the 20th President of the United States, as well as grounds around the house, a few outbuildings such as Garfield's campaign office, and a visitor center and museum. For those who haven't seen the site, it is worth a trip.


This year, to commemorate the Civil War sesquicentennial, in a partnership with the Mentor public library, the Garfield National Historic Site is conducting a series of public lectures on the major battles of the war, as they occurred 150 years ago. There is one program per month (with the exception of July), and the programs are designed to cover the major battles as they occurred. Thus, in February, the topic will be the battle for Forts Henry and Donelson in Tennessee, and yours truly will be presenting and leading the program. It is at noon on February 8th at the Mentor Public Library, and it is completely free of charge. The program will last from 45 minutes to an hour, and it will be covering Grant's campaign for Forts Henry and Donelson and its implications on the western theater as well as the overall conflict. The program will be on the lower level of the library in the James R. Garfield room. If you know for sure that you will be attending, please call ahead (440-255-8811) or click on this link to make sure there is enough seating for all those in attendance. Again, the program is free of charge.


Here is a link for a page advertising the programs through the rest of the year. I will be working on developing programs for several of these battles, as well as leading a few more myself, including those on Shiloh, the Seven Days, 2nd Manassas, and of course, Antietam. On behalf of the James A. Garfield NHS, we hope you can attend some of these events. I have put a link below to the 2012 special event calendar for the Garfield site. Please look through the events and if you live in the area, stop by to help commemorate the sesquicentennial at a fascinating historic site.


Garfield NHS 2012 Special Event Calendar