Tweet
Hello,
This is my first post. Been enjoying reading the forum; your discussion of Civil War photographs in particular is the most in-depth discourse I've encountered on the subject, at times going even deeper than William Frassanito.
I'm a longtime Civil War buff, former member of the Fairfield County (CT) Civil War Roundtable, and current MFA writing student at Naropa University. Over the past year, I've been working on a series of poetry and prose (tentatively titled "No Talons at his Heels") focused on the fall of Petersburg, particularly Confederate soldiers stationed in and around Ft Mahone on April 2, 1865. Most of my writing has had the 53rd North Carolina in mind; as such, I've been researching western North Carolina during the war to get some perspective, also been listening to old folk songs & ballads (Dillard Chandler, Hobart Smith, Roscoe Holcomb, etc), and studying Thomas Roche's series of photographs around Ft Mahone.
I've noticed that one thing poets have in common with good CW reenactors is attention to detail.
I was therefore wondering if any of you could help direct me to any good sources on the 53rd, Ft Mahone, soldier slang, or any snippets of seemingly minute details or bits of wisdom that might serve well in a poetic context. I've read John Inscoe's Heart of Confederate Appalachia, Trudeau's Last Citadel, and numerous books on camp life. But a lot of you guys here don't seem to just read and write about this stuff--you live it.
I have a million questions but I figure I've already dumped a great deal on yall as it is. Thank you so much for your anticipated help.
-Brendan Hamilton
This is my first post. Been enjoying reading the forum; your discussion of Civil War photographs in particular is the most in-depth discourse I've encountered on the subject, at times going even deeper than William Frassanito.
I'm a longtime Civil War buff, former member of the Fairfield County (CT) Civil War Roundtable, and current MFA writing student at Naropa University. Over the past year, I've been working on a series of poetry and prose (tentatively titled "No Talons at his Heels") focused on the fall of Petersburg, particularly Confederate soldiers stationed in and around Ft Mahone on April 2, 1865. Most of my writing has had the 53rd North Carolina in mind; as such, I've been researching western North Carolina during the war to get some perspective, also been listening to old folk songs & ballads (Dillard Chandler, Hobart Smith, Roscoe Holcomb, etc), and studying Thomas Roche's series of photographs around Ft Mahone.
I've noticed that one thing poets have in common with good CW reenactors is attention to detail.
I was therefore wondering if any of you could help direct me to any good sources on the 53rd, Ft Mahone, soldier slang, or any snippets of seemingly minute details or bits of wisdom that might serve well in a poetic context. I've read John Inscoe's Heart of Confederate Appalachia, Trudeau's Last Citadel, and numerous books on camp life. But a lot of you guys here don't seem to just read and write about this stuff--you live it.
I have a million questions but I figure I've already dumped a great deal on yall as it is. Thank you so much for your anticipated help.
-Brendan Hamilton
Comment