Donald Trump is Not 'America 250' I know most of you know this, but it is worth emphasizing as our nation continues to make its way through this important milestone.

Donald Trump is Not 'America 250' #CivilWarMemory #publichistory #America250 open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Donald Trump is Not 'America 250' I know most of you know this, but it is worth emphasizing as our nation continues to make its way through this important milestone.

Donald Trump is Not 'America 250' #CivilWarMemory #publichistory #America250 open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Why would you ask me about this book when you don't understand what I 'mean by memory'?

The page proofs for my forthcoming biography of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw just arrived from @uncpress.bsky.social. The overall design looks amazing. I couldn't be more excited for its release in September. uncpress.org/978146969717...

Twenty-four hours later and I am just hooked on playing this bass. It really makes a difference when playing a song on which a P-bass is used. I must have played along with this tune at least ten times today. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfLk...

Thanks for sharing, Adam. Really interested in how ordinary Americans confronted symbols of Union during the war. Great find.

Such an honor to be associated with @uncpress.bsky.social.

It's a good question. For the thousands of body servants, that responsibility largely fell on their enslavers--mainly Confederate officers. As to those attached to supply trains, etc. it is hard to know.

Substack Chooses Andrew Tate Over the Human Race Do I have to pack my Black knives and go once again?

@wkamaubell.bsky.social gets at much of what I've been thinking regarding the most recent Substack controversy surrounding Andrew Tate and whether I will continue to use the platform. wkamaubell.substack.com/p/substack-c...

As Confederate general George Pickett's division moved north toward the town of Gettysburg, he was instructed by James Longstreet to keep the "captured contraband" with him. These were Black men and women captured by Confederates in Pennsylvania and Maryland, who were supposed to be sent back south.

How should we view Shelby Foote and his impact on the Civil War? How did his Nathan Bedford Forrest obsession impact public perspective with the Ken Burns' Civil War series? @ahouckinfrance.bsky.social and I chat with Court Carney. open.spotify.com/episode/2mBU... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

And Bill Blair's book about Arlington. Can't wait for that one.

I saw that as well. Looks interesting.

Thanks so much, Rachel. It's incredibly exciting to see it in book form, but now I am feeling overwhelmed and horrified at the prospect that people will soon be able to read it. 😆

Can't wait for your book as well.

The page proofs for my forthcoming biography of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw just arrived from @uncpress.bsky.social. The overall design looks amazing. I couldn't be more excited for its release in September. uncpress.org/978146969717...

Something to think about next time you are reading a book about Gettysburg or standing on the ground where Pickett's assault took place on July 3, 1863.

There were hundreds of enslaved laborers already attached to Pickett's division as they were throughout the rest of the Army of Northern Virginia. An army that included thousands of slaves kidnapping hundreds of African Americans. These people are the centerpiece of my current book project.

As Confederate general George Pickett's division moved north toward the town of Gettysburg, he was instructed by James Longstreet to keep the "captured contraband" with him. These were Black men and women captured by Confederates in Pennsylvania and Maryland, who were supposed to be sent back south.

The Public Scholar publishes one week from today. Please consider pre-ordering and/or asking your library to order. Authors really need your pre-orders to make a book go.

I think it's a useful book! More importantly, so do real scholars and writers!

www.press.jhu.edu/books/title/...

Gov. Tate Reeves Proclaims April 2026 as Confederate Heritage Month in Mississippi Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves declared April 2026 as Confederate Heritage Month with no mention of slavery, continuing a 33-year tradition.

Thanks to @ashtonpittman.bsky.social for including me in this piece. #CivilWarMemory www.mississippifreepress.org/gov-tate-ree...

Stomping the Confederacy, One Cup at a Time How Kilburn & Mallory Turned Uncle Sam's Boot Into a Brand

Stomping the Confederacy, One Cup at a Time #CivilWarMemory open.substack.com/pub/kevinmle...

Thanks to @ashtonpittman.bsky.social for quoting my recent newsletter post on this subject. #CivilWarMemory

Label for Uncle Sam's coffee, illustrated with Uncle Sam seated on cannon barrel, whittling, with foot on torn rebel flag; he is surrounded by an eagle shield, U.S. flag and cannon, ca. 1863

I take my coffee with milk and sugar and the defeat of the Confederacy.
www.loc.gov/pictures/ite...

Interesting. I am not familiar with this book. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks so much, Sara.

It's so much more interesting. Unfortunately, the NYTs piece presents academics as largely detached from the ongoing commemoration, which is not the case at all. It also misses the work of academics who work in the field of public history.

Read More Books: John Garrison Marks, Thy Will Be Done: George Washington’s Legacy of Slavery and the Fight for American Memory (UNC Press, 2026) - Commonplace If there are two rules about early American history, one is that, no matter how vast, George Washington will always be instructive.

Today we launch Read More Books, a semi-regular Commonplace series featuring @kawulf.bsky.social asking authors five questions about their new book. We kick off with @johngmarks.com and his fascinating study of the long fight over Washington's legacy of slavery.🗄️

commonplace.online/article/read...

I also want to say that the more interesting approach would not have been to interview academic historians about their views on the 250th at a conference, but to explore what they have been up to this year. Historian are actually quite engaged in a wide range of activities.

Great color.

I finally picked out my first Fender Precision bass. I’ve always played a 4 or 5-string jazz bass. It’s exactly what I wanted. Olympic white body with a tortoise shell pick guard is so classic along with a rosewood fingerboard. It plays like a dream.