Tag: Author Interview

Longstreet – Elizabeth Varon Interview

Published on by Robert Van NessLeave a comment

General James A. Longstreet is one of the most interesting figures emerging from the Civil War. He was Robert E. Lee’s “Warhorse” turned Gettysburg scapegoat. Longstreet was a staunch defender of the southern cause, who seemingly turned against the South after the War’s end. Because of his changed viewpoint, Longstreet was frowned upon by most of the South after the War.

Dr. Varon’s new book, Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South, focuses upon the important General’s life after the Civil War. She briefly illustrates Longstreet’s foundational years through his illustrious military career. Most Longstreet biographies tend to center most of their attention upon his four years serving as a General in the Confederate Army, understandably so. But as Dr. Varon mentions in our discussion, he had forty more years of life after the War’s end. What did he do with that time?

I trust you’ll find Dr. Varon’s answers to be as interesting as Longstreet’s life.

LINKS TO THE PODCAST:

Elizabeth Varon Books:

  • Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South. New York: Simon and Schuster, 2023.
  • Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Union Agent in the Heart of the Confederacy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
  • Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.
  • Disunion!: The Coming of the American Civil War, 1789-1859 (Littlefield History of the Civil War Era). Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press, 2008.
  • Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.
  • We Mean to Be Counted: White Women and Politics in Antebellum Virginia (Gender and American Culture). Chapel Hill, NC: UNC Press, 1998.


All photography used on this site is owned and copyrighted by the author unless otherwise noted. The Featured Image is of Longstreet: The Confederate General Who Defied the South.

Music used for this episode – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers,”Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” available on Apple Music, and Selections from Symphony No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 93: II. Allegro by Dmitri Schostakovich performed by London Symphony Orchestra & Mstislav Rostropovich, also on Apple Music.

Robert E. Lee on Leadership – H.W. Crocker III Interview

Published on by Robert Van Ness3 Comments

Arguably, the War Between the States might have ended much sooner than it did had men like Robert E. Lee not fought for the Confederacy.

For at least a century Lee’s position in the Pantheon of great American leaders went unchallenged, but that position has been increasingly questioned in more contemporary times. Historians, most notably Douglas Southall Freeman, did much to document Lee’s character and managerial style. But some have begun arguing that Freeman went too far to memorialize the Army of Northern Virginia general.

H.W. Crocker III is not one of those who worships the great leader as an untouchable figure, but he does argue that Lee’s leadership and personal discipline are worthy of study and emulation. As such, Mr. Crocker penned a fascinating work using Lee’s history in an effort to highlight leadership principles that may be used by anyone in any business. At it’s heart, the book is not so much a history book, though it uses historical events to illustrate key points. It’s more of a business/management work in that it uses history to offer insight to organization and team-building. For that reason, this book stands out among other business/management works, because the history is so captivating the reader wants to know and learn from each successive example.

After listening to this episode, get the book for the history, and enjoy the leadership education Mr. Crocker articulates from the life of one of America’s most interesting figures. You won’t be disappointed.

LINKS TO THE PODCAST:

H.W. Crocker III Books:



All photography used on this site is owned and copyrighted by the author unless otherwise noted. The Featured Image is of Robert E. Lee on Leadership: Lessons in Character, Courage, and Vision.

Music used for this episode – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers,”Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” available on Apple Music, and Selections from the “The Planets: Op. 32 – Mars: The Bringer of War” by Gustav Holst, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sir Colin Davis.

Virginians and their Histories – Brent Tarter Interview, Part 2

Published on by Robert Van Ness2 Comments

Writing Virginia’s history has a long history itself reaching back to the 17th century. Telling those stories has evolved and expanded in various ways during the past 400 years reflecting differing angles, viewpoints, and ideologies. Brent Tarter’s work is part of that long history, and he adds a new volume in which he attempts to give voice to those differing angles and viewpoints.

The volume in focus is entitled Virginians and Their Histories, a title meant to highlight the people who make Virginia’s story what it is. Tarter draws from decades worth of research work to bring this book together. It’s such a work that when Mr. Tarter and I discussed doing an interview, it soon became apparent that one recording wouldn’t do his work justice. To that end, here is the second installment, which covers the beginning of the 18th Century to the events leading up to the Civil War.

LINKS TO THE PODCAST:

MORE FROM BRENT TARTER:

  1. Batson, Barbara C., Julienne, Marianne E., and Tarter, J. Brent. The Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia (American Heritage). Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020.
  2. Tarter, J. Brent.Virginians and Their Histories.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2020.
  3. Tarter, J. Brent.Gerrymanders: How Redistricting Has Protected Slavery, White Supremacy, and Partisan Minorities in Virginia.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2019
  4. Tarter, J. Brent. The Grandees of Government: The Origins and Persistence of Undemocratic Politics in Virginia. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2013.
  5. Tarter, J. Brent ed. and Billings, Warren M. ed.  “Esteemed Bookes of Lawe” and the Legal Culture of Early Virginia (Early American Histories. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2017.
  6. Tarter, J. Brent. A Saga of the New South: Race, Law, and Public Debt in Virginia.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2016.
  7. Tarter, J. Brent. Daydreams and Nightmares: A Virginia Family Faces Secession and War (A Nation Divided: Studies in the Civil War Era). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2017.
  8. The Dictionary of Virginia Biography at the Library of Virginia.

PREVIOUS EPISODE:

 

 

 

All photography used on this site is owned and copyrighted by the author. The Featured Image is of Brent Tarter’s Virginians and Their Histories.

Music used for this episode – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers,”Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” available on iTunes, and Six Gnossiennes: Gnossienne No. 3 by Erik Satie, performed by Roland Pöntinen, also available on iTunes.

Virginians and their Histories – Brent Tarter Interview, Part 1

Published on by Robert Van NessLeave a comment

Writing Virginia’s history has a long history itself reaching back to the 17th century. Telling those stories has evolved and expanded in various ways during the past 400 years reflecting differing angles, viewpoints, and ideologies. Brent Tarter’s work is part of that long history, and he adds a new volume in which he attempts to give voice to those differing angles and viewpoints.

The volume in focus is entitled Virginians and Their Histories, a title meant to highlight the people who make Virginia’s story what it is. Tarter draws from decades worth of research work to bring this book together. It’s such a work that when Mr. Tarter and I discussed doing an interview, it soon became apparent that one recording wouldn’t do his work justice. That being said, this is the first installment of 3 episodes, so stay tuned, there’s more to come.

LINKS TO THE PODCAST:

MORE FROM BRENT TARTER:

  1. Batson, Barbara C., Julienne, Marianne E., and Tarter, J. Brent. The Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia (American Heritage). Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020.
  2. Tarter, J. Brent.Virginians and Their Histories.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2020.
  3. Tarter, J. Brent.Gerrymanders: How Redistricting Has Protected Slavery, White Supremacy, and Partisan Minorities in Virginia.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2019
  4. Tarter, J. Brent. The Grandees of Government: The Origins and Persistence of Undemocratic Politics in Virginia. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2013.
  5. Tarter, J. Brent ed. and Billings, Warren M. ed.  “Esteemed Bookes of Lawe” and the Legal Culture of Early Virginia (Early American Histories. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2017.
  6. Tarter, J. Brent. A Saga of the New South: Race, Law, and Public Debt in Virginia.Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2016.
  7. Tarter, J. Brent. Daydreams and Nightmares: A Virginia Family Faces Secession and War (A Nation Divided: Studies in the Civil War Era). Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2017.
  8. The Dictionary of Virginia Biography at the Library of Virginia.

 

 

 

All photography used on this site is owned and copyrighted by the author. The Featured Image is of Brent Tarter’s Virginians and Their Histories.

Music used for this episode – Louis Armstrong and the Mills Brothers,”Carry Me Back to Old Virginia” available on iTunes, and Six Gnossiennes: Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie, performed by Roland Pöntinen, also available on iTunes.