Cultural Diversity....Civil War Style

OK, you're thinking, "Nice painting of a Civil War Soldier but, Pete, that dude looks Chinese!" Well, he is. I was inspired to do this one after reading about a resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives recently.

Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA) spearheaded the effort to pass resolution 415 which posthumously honors Asian Americans who served in our Civil War. Some of you may be rolling your eyes. Big deal, so a couple of Chinese men fought in the Civil War. Actually it kinda is a big deal.

This little gouache study is my best shot at a portrait of Joseph L. Pierce. No one knows how Pierce (he picked the name after the President), got into the country but he ended up in the care of a sea captain from Connecticut. The captain's mother raised him as part of the family and he eventually became a farmer.

When the war broke out he enlisted in the 14th Conn. Volunteers and fought at Antietam, MD and Gettysburg, PA. Joseph L. Pierce is specifically named by H. Res. 415. The other name mentioned is Edward Day Cohota. Cohota was a stowaway on a clipper ship named "Cohota" and, like Pierce, was raised by the captain's family. He served in the 23rd Mass. Volunteers until the end of the war. Then, he rejoined the army where he had a 30 career. Astonishingly, he was denied US citizenship due to the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act which was an attempt to stop Chinese immigration. Shameful.

It goes to show you how ethnically diverse America was during the Industrial Revolution era. I've always known that African-Americans, Irish, Germans, Poles, Scandinavians and Italians participated in our Civil War and now I know to add Chinese to that list. If you want to find out more, as always, there's a website. I suggest you take a peek. It's made me look at that period in our history just a little differently.

We, as Americans, have always struggled with immigration issues and how to deal with our diverse culture. We probably always will.

Historicon - History Geek City!

Last weekend I made the trek (actually only a 2 hour drive) to Lancaster, PA which is the site of the annual Historicon odyssey. What is it you say? I guess the easy answer is that it's the biggest convention of war game players in the free world. Maybe the universe. When I pulled up to the convention center, I had to park on the lawn like it was Woodstock or something. Crazy!

I don't play war games (God knows I don't need another hobby) and I had no idea how big of an industry it is. I was enticed by my friend Keith Rocco to make the trip, meet him there and check it out. Keith is a great guy and I knew that regardless of how the show went, it would be worth the drive just to hang out with him and have dinner. So, off I went.

My first impression was absolutely overwhelming. I mean every nook and cranny of that convention center had gaming tables crammed in. The games ranged from simple board games to huge, elaborate affairs complete with realistic terrain (think model railroading) and thousands of tiny hand painted figurines (which may cost in the 10's of $K) . Some required only measuring sticks and dice to play, while others used more sophisticated computer software. The games continued far into the night.

Then there was the vendor area. Cavernous. Most of the vendors were geared toward gaming supplies but one could also find tons of books, movies, artwork....you name it. I had a great chat with the folks at Casemate Publishing who do mostly military titles. Their marketing guru, Simone Drinkwater, did a short seminar on the history book publishing industry. That was especially interesting to me since I'm contemplating writing a book myself. We may be reviewing some of their titles right here at History Geek soon, so stay tuned! By the way, if you are interested in doing a review, drop me an email.

I also had the pleasure to meet with Gerald Swick, online editor of Armchair General and History.net. Unfortunately I missed his seminar on How to Write History (without putting people to sleep!. I know, I could probably use a few pointers. Anyway, I may get the chance to practice by being a monthly contributor for them. Stay tuned on that too!

Oh yeah, and I did get to have dinner with Keith and the convention's guest of honor, Rene Chartrand. You can check out his full bio here. He's the editor for the Company of Military Historians series of plates. They will be using one of my paintings for a color plate next year and I was eager to meet him in person. Basically, he's a French Canadian with an encyclopedia for a brain, a quick wit and a million stories. It was a great evening.

OK, so let's face it; when someone mentions "wargamers" you get a not-too-flattering image in your head. It's prejudice, I know. What I found was a cadre of very intelligent people who are serious historians and, to be honest, just plain fun.

Even if you aren't a gamer, there is a tremendous educational experience to be had. The list of seminars alone is worth the price of admission.

The New Face of an Ancient Art Form

The fellow at the left is miniature sculpture I did a few years ago. It's only about 2 1/4 inches high and has been painted in a realistic manner, with shading and highlighting to enhance the form. As you can see, this is no toy soldier, though, the art form did develop from them.

Going back to the 1950's or 60's modelers have developed the notion of realistically painting these mini-sculptures to the point where it has become art. Yeah, I saw The 40 Year Old Virgin. You're thinking, "Art? No way. That's just the ultimate geek hobby." Maybe so, but before you pass judgement take a look at these photos from the recent World Expo event held in Spain a few weeks ago. There are even more here. Collectors are buying these works as they would an original painting or bronze sculpture.

Ok, so where's the Ancient part? 1960 is not exactly antiquity now is it? Well, remember all of those gleaming white marble sculptures that typify ancient Greek art? According to archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann, they were painted. Time has erased almost all traces of paint - at least those visible to the naked eye. He's employed high-intensity lamps, ultraviolet light, and cameras to re-evaluate these ancient sculptures for color. Then he reproduced some of them in living color! Vivid color:

According to an in depth Smithsonian article, he has even found evidence that techniques for painting the statues developed over time. After a while, the ancient Greeks may have used subtle shading and highlighting or cross hatching to enhance the forms and volumes. You have to wonder how sophisticated they got with their paint jobs. Maybe that flat painting style like the one reproduced in the photo above is only the under-painting. One thing for sure, it certainly changes the image of those austere, white Greek temples into one of dazzling color!

So, there is real historic precedent in the ultimate history geek hobby! And, we all know that those ancient Greek dudes were pretty cool too.

A History Geek's Day Out

You've heard of a Golf widow, right? Well, last Sunday poor Debbie was a History Geek Widow. I joined my friend Kevin on a tour of the final resting places of many of his dead relatives. Crazy? Perhaps. But so is spending 5 hours knocking the devil's pellet around a course with a bunch sticks trying to get it to fall into a hole. Eighteen times.

It also just so happened that the annual reenactment of The Battle of Monmouth was that same weekend. It also just so happens that Kevin lives only a few miles from the site. Coincidence? It's possible.

Ok, so who's the dude in the painting you ask? Well, he was the main focus of our boneyard jaunt. He is my reconstruction (based on old photo's of other relations) of Asher Hart. Asher, who is Kevin's great great great(there's probably a couple more greats in there)-grandfather, served in the 1st Hunterdon County Militia during the Revolutionary War. He was at every major battle that took place in New Jersey during the war, including Trenton, Monmouth and Springfield. According to his detailed pension records, he was "drafted" in July of 1776 at Pennytown (now, Pennington). In all, he was called up 3 times in 1776, 4 in 1777, 4 in 1778, 2 in 1779, 2 in 1780, and 2 times in 1781. It's an impressive record and a testament to the amount of activity there was in New Jersey (or, the Jersey's as it was referred to) during that conflict.

Kevin has certainly done his homework. The pension records are full of detail because, sadly, the government gave Asher such a hard time in granting a pension. He didn't apply for one until 1832 because of, "his being in comfortable circumstances and unwilling to accept the bounty of the government until his advancing years and declining health induced him...". The government finally came through...in 1846. He was given a wooping $30 a year, but they at least backdated his claim to 1831.

Ok, so back to the cemetery shuffle. After a brief stop at the reenactment - you know, to get into that Revolutionary groove - I met Kevin at his house and he drove us out to Pennington, NJ to visit Asher. That's Kevin by the grave site . As I mentioned, Kevin does his homework. Doing the genealogy is one thing, but finding the grave is legwork too. Literally. He tramped around a few graveyards before he found it; almost by accident. It takes patience, a sharp eye and good light. Thanks to Kevin though, Asher Hart will be easier to find for future generations. He petitioned the government for a veterans headstone which you see on the ground in front of the old upright stone. Kevin even installed it himself.

We also visited ancestors in Hopewell and Ewing. Along the way we saw markers for other soldiers of Asher's regiment thanks to like minded families who obtained new markers. In Hopewell, there's a small monument to John Hart (distant relation) who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Our final stop was the Old Tennant Church just outside of Freehold. It is the home of more of Kevin's dead relatives and it served as a hospital following the Battle of Monmouth in 1778.

So, after leaving the house at 8am, and arriving home around 5-ish, I'd covered quite a bit of history. Strolling around graveyards looking at someone else's family history may not scream "fun" to most folks but I enjoyed it. It was natural that, after recreating that long gone soldier, I should see his final resting place and visit the site where he was mustered that first time in July of 1776. He was a young lad of 16 with many adventures ahead of him. Did he have any inkling that the events for which he was about to take part in would be remembered 242 years later? He certainly wouldn't have guessed some history geek artist would try to bring him back to life with brushes and paint.

I'll never know how close (or how far) I got to his true likeness. I don't suppose it matters. 242 years is a long way. Through this whole process I was able to bring it tantalizingly close. My minds eye flashes images of him trudging to Pennytown for yet another muster. I can almost hear his voice and even sense his emotions. Excitement, fear, and weariness.

For me history isn't about a fading name on an old, crumbling gravestone. It's the flesh and blood that ancient stone represents.

And, it's much more fun than golf.

They said it....or did they?

Just in case you're wondering, "what the heck is that?"...it's not a clam, or gum stuck to the side walk. It's an ear. I was brushing up on my anatomy and started sketching an ear. It got me thinking what a wonderful piece of engineering it is. Feeling very philosophical and being a history geek, I started to ponder the importance of the ear in history.

Quotes! Yes, wonderful utterings made at momentous occasions of grand historical stature! It seems like there's always someone around to hear them, and record them. Geeks love quotes like, "to err is human...". Well, an ear is human and can certainly "err". Far more interesting than what was actually said, is what we think was said, or could have been said or what is just plain old BS. Here's some classic quotes debunked. Enjoy!

"The British are coming, the British are coming"
The classic quote by Paul Revere as he warned the Massachusetts countryside about the approaching British army. Too bad the only time Revere uttered those words was in the Longfellow poem (actually, not even there) . Think about it. The Revolutionary War hadn't even started yet, and American independence from Great Britain was neither declared nor won at that point. Far from it. Paul Revere and the Minute Men he called upon that night were still British themselves. He would have referred to the British army as the "Regulars" or something of that nature. In fact, he didn't really ride through towns yelling at the top of his lungs either. But, that's another story. More information about that period is found here.

"Nice guys finish last."
A classic from that crotchety Brooklyn Dodgers manager, Leo Durocher. Yeah,.....but no. The real quote: "The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place." That quote, aimed at the rival Giants, is quite a bit different and a lot less nasty that what was eventually credited to him. Never the less, the misquote followed Durocher around and ended up as the title on his autobiography.

"Anything that can go wrong, will." (Murphy's Law)
OK, I have to admit that I had no idea that Murphy was a real guy. I just thought it was some ephemeral drunken Irishman who stammered the famous line after 14 pints of Guiness and everyone yelled, Brilliant! Nope. Edward Murphy was an US Air Force engineer and what he said was, "If there's more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way." Much more funny in my opinion. Genius in fact. Check here for more of the story.

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."
No, I'm not going to tell you that Neil Armstrong's famous moon walk was filmed on a Hollywood Set. Armstrong did flubb the line though. His actual words were: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Huh? Isn't that the same quote? Almost. He forgot the article "a" before the word "man". Without that single letter word, the sentence doesn't quite make sense. In the famous audio clip, you can almost hear him pause before the second part of the line as if he's thinking, "Oh, sh#t, can we do a re-take?".

"I fear that all we have done is awaken a sleeping giant and filled him with terrible resolve."
This one broke my heart. I've always loved the incredible insight Admiral Yamamoto shows in that poignant scene in "Tora, Tora, Tora". The Japs have just scored a big victory in the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and yet in this moment of triumph the wise Admiral knows the grave consequences of their actions. Great drama! It's a shame that's all it is....drama. Admiral Y never said it, except on a Hollywood sound stage.

Those are just a few misquotes, but there are many, many more. For instance, my cousin claims that Admiral Farragutt's victory at Mobile Bay was really due to a mis-heard command. His research shows that Farragutt made odd culinary decision the night before the battle that would come back to haunt him. So, when Farragutt was lashed to the rigging amid the thunder of cannon fire he called out to his helmsman:

"Damn those Tostitos, I need the head!"


I'm really, really sorry about that one. If you have a great misquote to share, leave a comment!

Allen House Massacre

Sounds ominous, huh? At left is a thumbnail sketch I did for the cover of the book that I haven't written yet. It's a true event that happened close to where I grew up and I have been intrigued with it since I was a kid. Back in December, I introduced some of my initial theories here. Susan's post on American History in One Year reminded me that I should do an update to the story. As we head into Memorial Day weekend, maybe it's fitting that we remember some nameless Americans who died in a vicious little civil war.

Civil War? If you read the December post, you may think I'm losing it. That would imply I had it to begin with. No, the American Revolution was very much a civil war too. In Monmouth County New Jersey, the appearance of the King's troops and the soldiers of the American Continental line were almost an intrusion to the local's private little war. Shrewsbury, New Jersey was a hotbed of Patriot activity. 40 estates in that town alone where seized by the revolutionary government and auctioned off. Talk about your Eminent Domain issues! The loyalists, or Refugee's as they were called, ended up in a rough camp on a spit of land known as Sandy Hook where the Shrewsbury River protected them on one side and the Atlantic Ocean (and the King's Navy) protected the other.

Over the winter, I spent some time at the Monmouth County Historical Society's library and found a wonderful article by Michael S. Adelberg (if anyone knows how to find him, I would love to get in touch: email). He cleared up some fuzzy points for me. The raid on the Allen House, which was a tavern known as the Blue Ball at the time, occured in the summer of 1779. It was led by local tory refugees, Joseph Price and Richard Lippincott (who later hung Joshua Huddy) and three others. 12 ill-disciplined Virginia Continentals were cozied up inside the tavern with their muskets stacked when the tories struck. In 1846, Lyttleton White recounted the details as he had heard them from Joseph Price years later:

"....a scuffle took place being 12 to 5 of the Refugees. The Man who held fast on the guns of the American troops was thrown but held fast and they put the Bayonet through one of the 12 and he fell down on the floor-and run two more of them through. The lieutenant surrendered-one of the two last killed got out into the Road, his Bowels coming out. He soon died. The other one got some what farther off and fell likewise and Died...."

Fairly gruesome stuff, huh? Lyttleton went on to relate that he himself had tried to plane out the blood stains decades later, but they still kept coming up fresh. What story is complete without a touch of the supernatural? In fact, there are many more twists and intrigues to this story, as my original post suggests...the Quaker's role, the counterfeiting connection, why was the Blue Ball a target?, what about the ex-slave who we now know didn't lead the raid? Too many to address in one post. So, stay tuned as I try to unravel this story.

In the meantime, on Monday at 3pm, try to remember that it is, in fact, memorial day. Lyttleton White couldn't erase the stain of war from that old tavern and in 2008, neither can we. 229 years later, Americans you never heard of are still losing their lives in places far from home.

T'was ever thus.

Remember them.

A Different Homer...

Ok, so my attempt at a watercolor painting of Currituck Light might look more like a Homer Simpson than a Winslow Homer, Winslow is the topic today. Specifically, his mastery of watercolor. In the annals of American Art History, there are few more important painters than Homer. Winslow, that is.





In his early days as an illustrator, he chronicled the American Civil War and later on as fine artist he covered everyday rural American life with a simplicity and honesty unrivaled. Originally trained as a realist, he eventually became one the first (the first?) unofficial American Impressionists. His most famous works are those done in oil although he is widely recognized for his mastery of water colors as well. He himself believed that his watercolors would pay the bills while the oil paintings he produced - and he thought of his art a "product"- would gain him notoriety. That's kind of how it worked out.



I'd always thought that Winslow Homer's watercolors looked as though they were dashed off in mere moments by a confident master as recreation between major oil paintings. It seems like his watercolors got to the point quickly and with few strokes. Effortlessly. Well, the Art Institute of Chicago decided to take a closer look. It turns out this history geek doesn't know squat about one of America's most famous historic painters.



The AIC took 25 of Homer's watercolors and turned loose infrared cameras, microscopes and color analyzing thingys on them. It turns out that it takes a lot of effort to make those paintings look effortless. In the conservation section of the website you can see the results of their findings. He scraped the paper with pen knives, employed sand paper to dried color and even used chalk to mask certain areas. The infrared camera reveals details that were drawn in and later painted out to completely change the painting's meaning. They've effectively turned back clock 100+ years and given us a peak over Winslow's should while he works. I can now look at these watercolors with a brand new appreciation. The painting below is not part of the study, but I can see where he used many of the techniques uncovered.

Although the Art Institute of Chicago's show, entitled "Winslow Homer, The Color of Light" is now over, you can check out the website for more information. Even if you aren't an art history buff, the scientific analysis is very cool.

Heck, I might even try my hand at watercolors again. Thanks for the tips Mr. Homer!