William Jackson Palmer (NAWCC Bulletin Article)

My most recent horological article, “Watch Presented to Brigadier General William Jackson Palmer by the Officers of the 25th Pennsylvania Cavalry” appeared in the May, 2019 issue of the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin.

This 6,600-word article tells the story of a young Quaker from Philadelphia who made a moral choice between pacifism and abolitionism and enlisted in the Union army as a captain to preserve the Union and fight slavery, rising to the rank of brigadier general at age 28, and earning a Medal of Honor. The article goes on to explore the extraordinary character of the man and the broad footprint he left on the history of the American West.

NAWCC members can access the article by logging into NAWCC.org and following these links: PUBLICATIONS / Watch & Clock Bulletin / Past Issues.

The American Civil War Talk (CWT) Website

I am an active participant and a patron of the American Civil War Talk (CWT) website. CWT is a well-moderated message board featuring far-ranging, and often quite scholarly discussions and debates of both historical topics broadly related to the American Civil War, and even some current topics with their roots in the Civil War. (Hey, some folks think the Civil War never ended!)

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Civil War Horology

New Book on the Way:

My new non-fiction book, The Appreciation and Authentication of Civil War Timepieces, has been peer reviewed and will be published by the NAWCC this Spring. Once again, I will be using Saul Bottcher and Indiebooklauncher.com for assistance with production. The book discusses the types of watches that saw service during the American Civil War, and the prevalence of watches in the war, with an emphasis on watches (mostly American, and mostly on the Union side) that are identified to specific Civil War combatants.

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Upcoming Civil War Watch Exhibit at the NAWCC Museum

In the coming months, I will be adding content on the special exhibit on Civil War watches that I will be guest-curating at the NAWCC Headquarters Museum in Columbia, PA, beginning with a one-day scholarly seminar on July 6, 2019.

(July 6, 2019 will be the first Saturday after that year’s anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place just about forty miles away, concluding on July 3, 1863.)