Prized Possession
I was honored to have my piece on the Reverend James Maury and Patrick Henry published in this year's Journal of the American Revolution. It was a landmark case -- even in Virginia colonial law -- that laid the groundwork…
Memorial Day with Old Town Alexandria Civil War Roundtable
Thanks to Reverend Mark Tooley for inviting me to speak to this wonderful group of people. I talked about Matthew Fontaine Maury's role in the attempted hijacking of a Union warship weeks before First Bull Run [Manassas] that the Confederates…
Don’t Need a Weatherman When You Have Dylan, Forbes
Two years ago yesterday, I delivered a Banner Lecture Series on Matthew Fontaine Maury and his "Last Crusade," the drive for a National Weather Service at the Virginia Historical Society in Richmond. He failed. The next day after the lecture…
Sea History and Blue & Gray on Maury
Two reviews that captured what I wanted to do with Matthew Fontaine Maury, Father of Oceanography: picture him in a way that was similar to that of Hyman Rickover, father of the nuclear Navy. They were naval officers who were…
Whales Tales and the Northwest Passage
Dr. Elisha Kent Kane led the Second Grinnell Expedition to find the remains of the Franklin party and the elusive Northwest Passage. From the end of the Mexican War until 1861, Lieutenant Matthew Fontaine Maury used his international reputation…
Anticipation … Is keepin’ me waitin’ — Big time
Forget the Heinz ketchup commercial using Carly Simon’s waiting for Cat Stevens’ arrival for a date hit Anticipation. But if you’re old enough, remember it from 1971 and being on pins and needles for something big. Well, it was like…
Finding Garibaldi After All These years
Garibaldi holding an Italian flag. Four years ago, I was finishing my research on Matthew Fontaine Maury's propaganda work in Europe and was reading a number of British publications from the American Civil War era to get a feel how…
Wonderful symposium learned much
Spent two wonderful days at the Naval Academy attending the McMullen Naval History Symposium this week. Great seeing so many people who encouraged me to keep going on Maury – Bill Still, Bill Dudley and Bob Browning. Found the Reconsidering…
A Daily Illini Reunion
I was delighted to be invited to speak on Matthew Fontaine Maury at Mary Washington University in Fredericksburg as part of its Great Lives lecture series next year. Maury’s ties to the city and Spotsylvania County were wide and deep.…
On the Road with the Father of Oceanography
Near the entrance of the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond, Va. The end of May and early June are shaping up to be a very busy time. At noon May 27 at the Navy Museum in the Washington Navy…