The Blog Turns One Today

I started this blog one year ago today with a post about the memorial urn in the National Cemetery that honors the dead of the 1st Minnesota. At the time, I didn't have a specific direction for the blog (I'm not completely sure I do now), I just knew that I wanted a creative outlet for pursuing my love of Civil War history. One year later, and I still feel as though it was a great decision. I've enjoyed my nights and weekends spent researching various topics; I feel as though I've learned, and continue to learn, a great deal about the war, and I feel much more connected with Civil War scholarship through blogs and through social media.

I became interested in the Civil War some fifteen years ago, and for some time my passion for exploring the history of the war burned very brightly. That passion has never died out, but I feel as though this blog has allowed me to recover a level of enthusiasm for studying the war that I haven't had since I first picked up a copy of The Killer Angels as a freshman in High School.

I want to thank all of those that have read and commented on my posts over the past year. I look forward to moving into year two, to trying new ideas, and to refining my skills to become a better researcher, a better writer, and a better blogger.

Thanks.