Various notes and updates

• I am pleased to announce that on February 2, 2011, I will be leading a ceremony to honor the 147th anniversary of the Battle of Newport Barracks. The ceremony will begin at 3pm at the Civil War Trails Marker at the corner of East Railroad and Main Street in Newport. I am hoping this can become an annual event in the town to honor the sacrifices of the men on both sides who fought on February 2, 1864.

• On January 20, 2011, I had the honor to be invited to speak to the Hershey Civil War Round Table. My topic for the evening was The 26th North Carolina Infantry at Gettysburg. The presentation was around an hour and a half and was attended by over 30 people, despite the threat of snow that evening. It was truly a wonderful evening and I want to thank the Hershey Civil War Round Table for inviting me and being very hospitable hosts. I recorded on video my presentation and I hope to add those clips on the blog in the very near future. I am still booking speaking engagements for 2011 and 2012 so if you are a part of a group or know of one who might be interested in having me speak please feel free to contact me.

• I want to also officially announce the title and expected release date of my next book. It is entitled The 26th North Carolina Infantry, 1861-1865 and the expected release date is June 2013. It will be a socio-military profile of the 26th North Carolina along with being a full regimental history of their role in the Civil War. So far the research has progressed wonderfully and I am well into the writing process. While the 26th was composed of men from the Piedmont and Mountains of North Carolina the first assignment of the war for the regiment was in Carteret County from September of 1861-February 1862. During this period they spent time on Bogue Banks helping to support the garrison of Fort Macon and their winter camp was in Carolina City (what is today Carteret Community College).