The following conversation occurred in Washington in early 1861 between fellow West Point alumni Irvin McDowell and William T. Sherman, both seeking commands in the newly-forming Union Army: McDowell: "Hello, Sherman, what [rank] did you ask for?"Sherman: "A colonelcy."McDowell: "What? You should have asked for a brigadier general's rank. You're just as fit for it … Continue reading A Telling Exchange
History
Friday Flotsam: Lincoln, Civil War, and More Manga
1. This week for my US History class I learned why most people only quote the first paragraph or so of Lincoln's 'house divided' speech; because after that it kind of devolves into a paranoid rant of how the Democrats want to impose slavery upon all the states, including speculation that Stephen Douglass etc. were … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Lincoln, Civil War, and More Manga
Vote Lincoln: Resistance is Futile
Prepping for my pre-Civil War lessons this week, this came to mind: For the record, I'm pretty neutral when it comes to the Late Unpleasantness, in that I think both sides had a pretty good argument as far as it went, and both did a lot really stupid or immoral things. But I do tend … Continue reading Vote Lincoln: Resistance is Futile
A Touch of Grim Historical Irony
Everyone knows that Francis Scott Key wrote our beloved national anthem The Star Spangled Banner while observing the bombardment of Fort McHenry from the deck of a British ship while a guest of his Majesty's. Turns out there is a little-known, unhappy sequel to the story. Key's grandson, Frank Key Howard, became a newspaper editor … Continue reading A Touch of Grim Historical Irony
Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
1. Auto-play videos on web pages are one of the worst ideas of the internet age. Every single time you go to a web page you have to rush to pause the thing before it starts, as likely as not hearing the first second or so over and over and over. Even if I'm going … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
Wednesday Political Thoughts
I've decided to try to restrict my political musings to Wednesday, that being a day well-suited for such a woeful child as this. "We the People...." I happen this morning to have thought of that famous John Adams quote: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to … Continue reading Wednesday Political Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: Federalist Papers Again (Sorry)
1. The past few months have felt strangely repetitive and empty. I seem to have fallen onto a psychological cycle wherein little is done, but the same patterns repeat. I haven't written much lately, though constantly intending to. I find myself unable to relax into any kind of work, that is, to let go of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Federalist Papers Again (Sorry)
Friday Flotsam: Teaching Stuff and a Couple Federalist Papers
1. I'm generally not very fond of the lesson plans I'm given, or the readings. That is, a lot of the readings are fine in themselves, but odd choices for the subject. In US History and Literature class, for instance, my students are reading a book about the Carmelite martyrs of Compiegne, written by a … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching Stuff and a Couple Federalist Papers
Friday Flotsam: O’Connor, FNAF, and History
1. This week's personal reading was largely Flannery O'Connor, in all her dense, opaquely-grotesque images of grace. She operates on a high, inaccessible plateau of authorship in which the reader is required to make a firm commitment to not only follow her often intense prose and plots, but also to take the time afterwards to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: O’Connor, FNAF, and History
Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Grammar, and Historical Tangents
1. Teaching's still going pretty well. I don't like grading papers at all, since it's hard to gauge how much of high school papers I should correct and how much I should let slide since they're high schoolers. But I got a very positive evaluation from a visiting administrator, who was impressed that I actually … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Teaching, Grammar, and Historical Tangents
Serpent's Den 