150th Anniversary

Fort Brady, VA.  1864.
From Library of Congress

Today marks the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War.  It's amazing that after 150 years, the interest and passion regarding the causes and effects still linger with us.  I'd imagine that many of us, being miniature enthusiasts of various types and degrees, started out with a love of history which slowly transformed into a love of miniatures.

A desire to understand, to know more, to continually immerse ourselves in history is what keeps it "alive" for us.  When you look at the picture above, it's easy to casually dismiss it as "old" and so long ago that it couldn't possibly affect us today.  But it takes a bit more courage to look at pictures such as the one above and relate to them as men just like us; full of emotion, pride, and a sense of self-preservation.

I encourage you to take a moment to browse the photos presented on the Library of Congress Civil War Photographs page.  Look for the bits that you might normally miss, the small details that remind us of the humanity that the black and white prints don't always convey.  It helps us understand the tragedy and the importance of that pivotal time in our nation's history.