Comments for Phillip M. Bryant

Comment on Visiting Picacho Pass Historic Site by phil1861

phil1861 — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 23:42:49 +0000

There’s a reenactment there once a year – the only full scale reenactment of any skirmish of the war that is observed.

Comment on Visiting Picacho Pass Historic Site by Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:25:31 +0000

Back in 2001/2002 we were on vacation. I was not aware of the site but we pulled over to have lunch. We found a spot to eat and I did what I always do, I headed for to historical marker. M y wife came over and asked what I was reading. “This is a Civil War battle site.” She gave me a look as if to say “you could find a Civil War site in Alaska.”

Comment on The Martial days of ’61 by Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 20:41:47 +0000

Thanks, It is almost forgotten now. It is both family history and local history for me. My great great grand father went through the camp and I grew up two blocks away from it. It would be cool if your photo was my Camp Cameron. As yet I have not been able to confirm any photo or drawing of it. One photo was found by someone else but the person in that project who found it has passed away and the others do not have the source anymore (over a decade has passed. Even though I have no reason to doubt them I can not prove it either. Happy New Years.

Comment on The Martial days of ’61 by phil1861

phil1861 — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:04:49 +0000

Hi Dan, thanks for commenting. Yes, as my friend Robert Gray pointed out, I was a little too quick to jump to some conclusions about the location without conclusive data. I did find your research on the site interesting, that so much history is attached to something that was temporary for the units that passed through.

Comment on The Martial days of ’61 by Dan Sullivan

Dan Sullivan — Tue, 25 Dec 2012 19:57:04 +0000

Hi, Thanks for the link to my Somerville, MA Patch blog. For a more complete one go here. http://campcameron.blogspot.com/
I also agree that the photo is not Camp Cameron in Cambridge/Somerville. First is the date. This camp did not open until the First moved in on June 15, 1861. Your photo is dated “May, 1861″, it also says “Washington”. In my research on Camp Cameron (Mass) I have found no mentions of Brady visiting. My Camp Cameron had 15 barracks for the troops, not tents. It did have cooking tents. It also did not have a fence of any kind. This is mentioned often during the bounty jumping era. Camp Cameron (Mass) was in existence for 20 months. In its final stage it was the main camp in eastern Massachusetts for recruiting replacement troops for “Old regiments” already in the field. During this period the camp became very over crowded on at least one occasion it had double its capacity. Recruits who lived near the camp were furloughed each night to go home and sleep in their own beds to help this problem. I have long suspected that they may have also brought in some temporary tent at this time but that would have been late summer of 1862. The 7th NY was at Camp Cameron DC.

Comment on Author Information by Author Interview with Philip M. Bryant « Marji Laine: Author

Author Interview with Philip M. Bryant « Marji Laine: Author — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 06:57:33 +0000

[...] Philip M. Bryant is my guest this week. His historical novel, They Met At Shiloh is available for only $1.99 at Amazon.com. The following is a description of his book from his website: Pittsburg Landing was a place at peace—one that never expected to be the site for one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Peace is shattered as Confederate and Federal troops meet on the fields and farms surrounding a tiny Methodist church. In the midst of death and destruction, friendships form as four soldiers struggle to survive the battle. Forced to leave his position as minister, Phillip Pearson knows his life is in danger, but not just from the Confederates. The Harper family, incensed at Pearson’s [...]

Comment on Author Information by phil1861

phil1861 — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 13:03:15 +0000

Unfortunately I do not know of any sites that specialize in short stories, my own Kindle short is a hard sell as well. There are those who seem to sell short stories well but I think it is genre dependent somewhat.

Comment on Author Information by Richard Buxton

Richard Buxton — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:49:53 +0000

Thanks Phillip,
Useful advice. I’ve already visited Shiloh, but my novel is mostly in ’65 and touches on Donelson (the later smaller battle), the early occupation of Franklin and later Chickamauga and Missionary Ridge. So I’m provisionally planning a road trip down from Chicago to Chattanooga taking those spots in as well as a few others. I’m just waiting to see what events might get scheduled for the 150 before firming things up.
Slightly unrelated, but do you know of any Website that publish Civil War short stories? I like to dabble in this when the novel hits a slow patch.
kind regards,
Richard

Comment on Author Information by phil1861

phil1861 — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:24:28 +0000

Hi Richard, thanks for the comment and I hope you are able to spend some time here in the states with your research.

I can tell you that Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga is all built up, but the parks department has little islands of federal property where unit markers dot the ridge top from both sides, so you’ll find cannon and monuments amidst private housing. Lookout Mountain has a bit more pristine preservation and plenty of markers. My 5th novel will be about the siege of Chattanooga. I suppose it is a good struggle to balance story with the history otherwise we might overweight story just to get it out and not follow fact as much or the other way around.

Stone’s River is a nice battlefield, but not as heavily marked but if you come out west do not miss Shiloh. Chickamauga is another site that is really well marked and you can spend days at either site just following units around. Do some homework before going to either by knowing what units to trace, they sell marker maps at both locations that will allow you to track down specific units.

Comment on Author Information by Richard Buxton

Richard Buxton — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 09:05:47 +0000

Hi Phillip,
I live in the UK and have begun writing US Civil War fiction for the western theater. I’m enjoying your blog and a lot of the issues of fiction vs history are one’s I’m wrestling with too. I hope next summer to come over to Kentucky and Tennessee for some research and inspiration. I’d be interested in any events planned for Chickamauga of Missionary Ridge or the campaign that led to Rosecrans taking Chattanooga. But mainly I wanted to just say thanks for the blog,
Richard Buxton