“Brookhaven” and the Battle of Shiloh

For a very long time, no one in my father’s family – father, aunts, uncles, grandmother, or cousins – knew why the family Bible contained a death notice. The name was Jarvis Seale; the only thing the listing had was the date of his death. Who was this person? Why was he considered so important that my great-grandfather, who’d penned every entry in the records, had included him. My father guessed Jarvis might have been a distant cousin, or a close friend. 

It was only in the years I’d been doing reading and research for my historical novel Brookhaven that I discovered the answer, and then it was simply by happenstance. The key was the date of his death.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Dancing Priest.

Some Wednesday Readings

 

What Pullman gets wrong about Narnia – Caleb Woodbridge at The Critic Magazine.

 

The Liberalism of George Smiley – Jake Meador at Mere Orthodoxy.

 

Chesterton’s Radical Sanity – Rachel Lu at Law & Liberty.

Some Readings for Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend is upon us. While it's customary to enjoy a holiday, a barbecue, a get-together with friends, neighbors, or family, it's also important to remember why we recognize this day: to remember the people who died for our country and us. 

The idea of national cemeteries started during the Civil War, still the most murderous war America has ever been involved in. Emerging Civil War has been posting short articles about some of the cemeteries associated with the war, and I've added Gettysburg.

Memorial Day and National Cemeteries – Bert Dunkerly at Emerging Civil War.

 

Shiloh National Cemetery – Gregory Metz at Emerging Civil War.

 

Winchester National Cemetery – Jon Tracey at Emerging Civil War.

 

City Point National Cemetery – Tim Talbott at Emerging Civil War.

 

Fredericksburg National Cemetery – Chris Mackowski at Emerging Civil War.

 

Culpepper National Cemetery – Emerging Civil War.

 

The Gettysburg Address – Abraham Lincoln Online.

 

Gettysburg National Cemetery – American Battlefield Trust.

Santa Fe's Easily Forgotten Ties to the Civil War - Patrick Kelly-Fischer at Emerging Civil War.

Contrasting National and Local Cemeteries at Camp Parapet in New Orleans - Neil Chatelain at Emerging Civil War. 

Stones River National Cemetery - Bert Dunkerly at Emerging Civil War.

Glendale National Cemetery - Doug Crenshaw at Emerging Civil War.

Gettysburg National Cemetery - Brian Swartz at Emerging Civil War.

Chalmette National Cemetery and Nashville National Cemetery - Sean Michael Chick at Emerging Civil War.

New Bern National Cemetery - Tim Talbot at Emerging Civil War.

Andersonville National Cemetery - Derek Mayfield at Emerging Civil War.

 

Photograph: Gettysburg National Military Park by Danaisa Rodriguez via Unsplash. Used with permission.