Mike Mussina is not yet a Baseball Hall of Famer, and it may take him awhile to get into Cooperstown as there are a bunch of players no doubt ahead of him coming along when he will be eligible. However, using Baseball-Reference.com as a guide, Mussina is somewhere around the 23th best pitcher in the history of baseball. That puts him just below Pedro Martinez and just above Nolan Ryan. Now you get it. He would be well ahead of HOFer's like Drysdale and Marichal.

Two new appearances for me in 2013. Check them out here.

I've done a lot of updated work on the New York Mets. You can check it out here.

Hello there. I just want to let everyone know that I am making four appearances on four consecutive days in November. I will be at the Christmas at the Old Courthouse Craft Show in downtown Evansville, Indiana on November 10 & 11 from 9 AM to 4 PM. On November 12, I will be speaking at the Oaklyn Library branch of the Evansville Public Library System at 6:30 PM. And on November 13, I'll be the guest speaker at the Monroe County Civil War Roundtable in Bloomington, Indiana at 7 PM. Come on out and say hello! I love to talk about local history.

Mariano Rivera will be a first year election to the Baseball Hall of Fame somewhere around 2018. I added his autograph to Book III of my HOF autograph project. Check it out here.

Ed Bearss earned the title of Chief Historian of the United States Park Service and is perhaps the most well-known, well-respected Civil War historian alive today. Many people know him from his appearances on the History Channel, A & E network, TLC, and, of course, his compelling appearance in Ken Burns' seminal Civil War series shown on PBS in 1990.
       On July 19, 2012, it was my pleasure to tour Mr. Bearss through the old downtown area of Newburgh, Indiana, and to discuss with him the events of Johnson's Newburgh Raid. Mr. Bearss didn't know that much about the raid and it was a joy and a privilege to tour a man through a Civil War site who himself is known as being a consummate Civil War tour guide. A real thrill for me. I don't mind telling you that I was a bit nervous.

I have added a new button on the left of the website to include some of the radio spots, TV, and interviews done by and on me over the years. Look here. Enjoy!

The Newburgh walking tour of May 19, 2012 was a great success with approximately 200 people attending. To see a few pictures please go here. It was a fantastic event and a day I’ll never forget.

This year’s (2012) Baseball Hall of Fame inductee is Barry Larkin, famed shortstop of the Reds in the 1990s. I added his autograph to my project here.

I will be commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Confederate Raid on Newburgh, Indiana on May 19, 2012 by offering a free walking tour of Newburgh to the public. The tour will gather outside the Edgewater Grill at 10:45 AM and will begin at 11:00 AM. We will walk to several places in the old downtown of Newburgh and visit sites that played a part in the rebel raid. The tour will last approximately one hour. I will take questions after the tour and I will be signing copies of Thunder From a Clear Sky in front of the Book Nook for the rest of the day. The tour is free and open to the public. Just come and join me at the Edgewater at 10:45 AM on Saturday, May 19. Bring your copy of Thunder From a Clear Sky and follow along. See you there!!

I have accepted an invitation to appear at the Monroe County Civil War Roundtable on Tuesday, November 14, 7PM at the Monroe County History Center in Bloomington, Indiana. I look forward to it.

Just added Pedro Martinez to the HOF project here. Also noted the recent death of HOF catcher, and former New York Met, Gary Carter. I met Gary at the HOF induction weekend in 2009 and had my picture taken with him. He was bright and cheerful as always. It seems strange to say that he is gone now. He’ll be missed.

I will be appearing to sign books at the 2011 Fall Book Fair at the Vanderburgh/ Evansville, IN 4H center on Highway 41. I’ll be there all day Saturday, Oct 29 and Sunday, Oct 30. Hope to see you there!

Big News! Thunder From a Clear Sky and Kentuckians in Gray have gone digital. Both books are now available as E-books. Check out Thunder and Kentuckians on Amazon Kindle. Check out Thunder and Kentuckians on the Barnes & Noble Nook. Of course, both books are much cheaper when obtained as an E-book.

Everything still available the old fashioned way, hardcover and softcover, as well.

Chipper Jones will be a first year election to the Baseball Hall of Fame somewhere around 2017. I added his autograph to Book II of my HOF autograph project. Check it out here.

Finally added Tom Lasorda to my HOF project. See here.

After a long wait I received my copy of the 50th Anniversary of the Baseball Hall of Fame back safely from MLBPAA. It now has the scribble of Greg Maddux affixed. Check it out here.

I just posted another letter from Albert Pancake, this one to his sweetheart and future wife Elizabeth J. Huffman. To see and read the letter, go here. The letter is dated May 1, 1864.

An article appeared on the Newburgh Raid and your’s truly on April 7, 2011. To see the article click here

New book review of Thunder From a Clear Sky from Reader’s Favorite. For the review, go here.

Hello All, I will be appearing at the Henderson Historical and Genealogical Society’s “Depot” Headquarter on April 7 at 6 PM to give a talk on Adam Johnson and the Newburgh Raid. I intend to focus as much as possible on new info unearth since the 2005 publication of Thunder From a Clear Sky.

Just got the book back from Chris Potter with Blyleven, Alomar, and Marvin Miller (future HOF), on book III (for those following along at home). Check here to see it. The book is already on the road again to Matt Hazzard for Greg Maddux.

I have accepted an invitation from Ms. Patricia Lodato, Executive-in-Residence, School of Business Administration, Academic Director, The Writing Center at the University of Evansville to appear for a discussion on writing Tuesday, April 5, 4PM. This should be interesting.

I went to the Cardinals Winter Warm-up event on January 16, 2011, and, after a very long wait, obtained Tony LaRussa’s autograph on Book II of my HOF project. LaRussa is a cinch for election at the first opportunity after his post-career waiting period. He is second all-time in games managed and third all-time in victories. He is also only the second manager to win a World Series title in both the American League and National League. Check here to view the LaRussa autograph.

I have agreed to present a short talk at the Giant City, IL school event planned for April 29, 2011. Come back for more details later.

My baseball HOF autograph collection now updates with Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Frank Thomas. All certain future Hall of Famers. Look here for more.

I have decided to appear at the December 11, 2010 Almost Famous Authors’ Faire event in Clifton Center, Louisville Kentucky. This is a first for me and I’m not sure what to expect. It will be fun either way for me. For more, go here.

I have gratefully accepted an invitation to attend the 3 rd Annual Princeton, Indiana, Civil War Days. I will be in attendance Saturday, Sept 11 and Sunday, Sept 12. For more on the event, please go here. Please come visit me in Princeton, Indiana.

I will be speaking at the Southern Indiana Civil War Roundtable in March 2011. Details to follow.

Frank Hijuelos, Newburgh, Indiana, Director of Planning and Development, has invited me to speak at Newburgh in honor of History Preservation week on Saturday, May 8, 6 PM, at the Old Abshire Ice House downtown next to the Newburgh Town Hall. I am preparing a completely new speech for the event titled, The Newburgh Civil War Home Guard before, during, and after the Confederate Raid of July 18, 1862. I have done extensive research on the Newburgh Home Guard and it is a subject that I love to get into. So, although I will be talking about the Confederate Raid detailed in Thunder From a Clear Sky, most of the information that I'll be talking about will be new to any audience and not covered in any book. I invite everyone to come.

I have accepted an invitation to attend the Billie Creek Village Civil War Days event in Rockville, Indiana, on Saturday, June 12, 2010. I will be attending all day signing books and will give a speech on the Thunder From a Clear Sky about mid-day. I have never attended this event so I'm excited about being there this year. For more on the event go here.

I updated the scan of my 2nd copy of the 50th Anniversary of the Hall of Fame. It now includes Nolan Ryan, Joe Torre, Randy Johnson, Cal Ripken, Jr., Phil Niekro, Whitey Herzog, and Andre Dawson in ddition to the other players present. Look here for more.

Chris Potter just came through seemlessly with my Bob Doerr autograph. He was visiting family in Oregon and Bobby lives there. Bob Doerr is 91 and doesn't get around much any more so I am grateful to have been able to add him to my project. Check here for more.

PS- Keeps me busy while I'm writing my next book.

I will be appearing at the Lincoln Heritage Library in Dale, Indiana, on Decmber 8, 2009. In general, I have limited my appearances this year, but the folks at the Lincoln Library have been welcoming and persistant. It will be my pleasure to introduce a new speech on Southern Indiana's Civil War heritage on December 8. My books will be for sale at the library for about a month before my appearance date.

I really enjoyed my appearance at the Wabash County Museum in Mount Carmel, Illinois. The museum had a Lincoln-Douglas debate featured and it was very good. To learn more about what happened, click here.

I have accepted an invitation to be part of a Civil War history event at the Wabash County Museum in Mount Carmel, Illinois, on April 19, 2009 from 2 - 5 PM. I've reduced my appearance schedule significantly while I'm in writing mode, but Mount Carmel is less than an hour away and it fit into my schedule easily. I look forward to it!

I have removed my audio clips for the moment for some editing. I will repost in the future.

I have just posted my new book review of Edward T. Cotham, Jr.'s Sabine Pass: The Confederacy's Thermopylae. This is a fascinating book about a little know battle in the far southeastern corner of the Texas gulf coast. If you've read dozens of books about the Civil War in the East, or even about the big battles in the Western theater, I highly recommend this little gold nugget from Texas. It is the first book I've read about the Civil War in Texas and I'll soon be reading Mr. Cotham's book on the battle of Galveston next. My thanks to Mr. Cotham for his participation in a short e-mail interview for my book review. For the full review go here.

John Davis of the Louisville Civil War Roundtable digitally recorded my December 6, 2008, speech for his Roundtable membership and he has shared the recording with me. I post it here with his permission. This is the best recording of one of my speeches that I have (and it was the last regularly scheduled speech I'm making - go figure).

I was invited to come to Evansville's North High School to share a lesson with my son's history class. I really enjoyed it. As usual, I wasn't sure what I going to say, but also as usual, I came up with something and before I knew it 50 minutes had come and gone. My thanks to Mr. Kohlmeyer for sharing his class for the day. For more, go here.

Well, the weather was pretty bad the night of my presentation- icy. Nevertheless, I had a great time and 25 or so die hard members came out to here me speak. The speech was recorded and I'm going to try to post it in the future. Look here for more.

It seems ironic. I haven't posted a new book review in a long while and then I go ahead and post one on Christmas Day. Anyway, I have posted a new book review on a book that I have studied almost line-by-line, Partisan Rangers of the Confederate States Army. This is CSA General Adam Rankin Johnson's 1904 autobiography. I recommend it to anyone, but particularly if you are interested in pre-Civil War Texas, Civil War Kentucky, and post-war Texas history. Check it out here.

I have developed the beginning of a new slideshow covering some the places I've been over the last four years talking about the Civil War. Please check it out here. Basically, just wait until the show begins and enjoy.

I have posted the second in a series of Civil War letters written by Albert Pancake, Company H, 80th Indiana Volunteer Infantry. This is a letter Albert wrote to his brother William Henry Harrison Pancake on May 29, 1863. William H. H. remained at home during the war. The letter has some interesting references and you can go here to see it and learn more.

Kentuckians in Gray: Confederate Generals and Field Officers of the Bluegrass State was published November 1, 2008. I am proud to say that I am one of the co-authors of this terrific new book. My website will be undergoing modifications to include Kentuckians in Gray in my offerings. The book is published by University Press of Kentucky and is edited by Lawrence Lee Hewitt and Bruce Allardice. For the first time, a large number of Kentucky-born Confederate Generals are profiled in one place. A total of 39 generals and field officers are discussed. The book contains pieces by some of the most respected Civil War authors writing today.

My son and I were discussing various Civil War topics at home one evening and to my surprise he invited me to speak to his history class at Evansville's North High School. So, on December 12, 2008, for the first time ever, I gave an impromptu talk to an audience comprised exclusively of 17-year old students. I wasn't sure which aspects of local Civil War History would be of interest so I discussed various issues. Of course, I discussed the Newburg raid, but I also discussed Adam Johnson's role in Morgan's Raid into Indiana and Johnson's role in the Great Northwest Conspiracy, which I hardly ever mention in my talks. I really enjoyed myself and I think the kids did too. My thanks to Mr. Kohlmeyer for the invitation to his classroom to discuss local Civil War history. We discussed making myself and the book available for future classroom study and discussion.

I've just accepted my first 2009 appearance date for July 16, 2009. I will be speaking at the Southern Indiana Civil War Roundtable Annual Dinner. I won't be speaking on Thunder, but rather updating newly uncovered facts about the Newburg Raid, updating my upcoming work on Albert Pancake, Sergeant of Company H, 80th Indiana Infantry, and also discussing my new contributions in Kentuckians in Gray: Confederate Generals and Field Officers of the Bluegrass State.

I've just added a very quick update on my April 2008 appearance at the Cincy Civil War Roundtable. My thanks to David Mowery for the invitation. I had a great time and it was a memorable meeting. Go here for a bit more on the Cincy meeting.

I have updated the web site to include a new section on my upcoming work on the Civil War letters of Sergeant Albert Pancake of the 80th Indiana Infantry Regiment. Go here for more on this exciting project.

I appeared for my fourth time at the Evansville Barnes & Noble and still sold 70 books on my farewell appearance. For more look here. My thanks to the tireless proprietor of the Evansville Barnes & Noble, Mariana Mudd.

Once again I was guest as the home of Greg Biggs on the evening before the Nashville Civil War Show. It was a great time and my thanks to Greg and his wife Karel. for more go here.

My last speech in the tri-state area surrounding Evansville, Indiana, on the topic of Thunder From a Clear Sky: Stovepipe Johnson's Confederate Raid on Newburgh, Indiana was given at the historic Reitz Home in Evansville on November 29, 2007. It was a bittersweet night. For more go here.

Click here for the link to the Evansville Courier article on me of November 20. Thank you Rich Davis!

It was a real pleasure to give my last Thunder From a Clear Sky speech in Newburgh to the Newburgh Kiwanis Club. It was an extremely receptive and appreciative crowd and I was very greatful to have the opportunity to share the story with folks living in Newburgh. For more go here.

I just posted my update on my talk at the Working Man's Institute at New Harmony, Indiana. It was the first time that I did a talk outdoors. The weather was just too nice. To read more about my appearance, look here.

It is with much sadness that I communicate the recent passing of Miss Mana Jo Hammond of Burnet, Texas, Adam Johnson's granddaughter. She was the last living person who remembered Adam Johnson when he was alive. I met her when I did my Texas book tour in October, 2005. She was extremely vital, sharp, and full of life and humor at age 90. She was a sweet, sweet lady. In many ways the last link to the founding fathers of central Texas has passed. I remember her telling me that she used to walk the blind General Johnson around the square when she was a young girl. She will be missed and I will never forget her.

I have just posted my update of my appearance at the Tippecanoe Civil War Roundtable at Lafayette, Indiana, on September 11, 2007. My thanks to Mark Jaeger for his invitation to speak. For more on this appearance look here.

I received a wonderful new review comment from USAF veteran Captain William T. Lohman (retired). For more on his comments look here.

It is my pleasure to accept an invitation to give a talk at this year's New Harmony Kunstfest at New Harmony, Indiana, on September 15, 2007. My talk is tentatively scheduled for 2:00 PM (but I will be there a little earlier). I will be at the New Harmony Working Man's Institute. I look forward to it!

It is my pleasure to announce two new retail locations where you can pick up signed copies of Thunder From a Clear Sky: the Book Nook in Newburgh, Indiana and the Historic Newburgh Visitors Center also in Newburgh, Indiana.

I donated part of the proceeds from my June 26 appearance to The Friends of the Lincoln Heritage Library.

I had the opportunity to do a short speech to the Warrick County Rotary Club on June 28. To learn more, click here.

Marsha Hicks helped organize a wonderful event at the Lincoln Heritage Library in Dale, indiana. I had a great time and a large crowd showed up for the talk. If you want to learn more about what happened, click here.

I have accepted a new appointment with the Newburgh Kiwanis Club for November 15, 2007, at the Newburgh Library. It will be my last scheduled speaking engagement in Newburgh on Thunder From a Clear Sky. It's likely to be an emotional good-bye. I intend to take the opportunity to thank everyone in Newburgh for their fabulous support.

I had a great time selling books and enjoying the day at the 2nd Annual Newburgh Winefest. I wanted to do one last appearance supporting Thunder From a Clear Sky in Newburgh and this was a great event to ponder all that had happen to me as a result of this great little town.

I think it was in February when I was contaced by Andrew Coil who guides the Bosse High School Community Link film program. It is an award winning program that engages students in all different aspects of reporting and film-making. Its a great program and the students appear to love the experience. As a result of working with Andrew and his students I made my first substantive television apperance on local Evansville channel 9, WNIN - Public Broadcasting. It was an 18-minute clip for EVSC Community Link, which premiered on May 19, at 5:30 PM. The piece was set in Newburgh, Indiana, and we walked through town talking about different aspects of the rebel raid. Unfortunately, a technical hiccup obliterated the first 4 minutes of the broadcast. The program will be repeated often in the future and, for the sake of the students, I hope things can get fixed. They put a lot of work into it and did a great job. My grateful thanks to Andrew Coil and his Bosse students for a fantastic experience and a professionally rendered television piece.

The McHenry County folks in the suburbs of Chicago put on a great Civil War Symposium. I was one of the featured speakers this year and I had a great time. The event was a great success and a good pile of books was sold. Look here for the entire write-up on the May 12 event.

The short write-up of my short PEO Group appearance is here. I had a great time and I wish the PEO good luck in the future. The PEO Group also appears as a new charity I am donating to.

I apologize for having to cancel my planned appearance in Frankfort at the Annual Kentucky Genealogical Society Meeting. Up to this point I had only cancelled one previous planned engagement - the same annual meeting last year. Bad luck. I promise I'll be there after my new book comes out.

I am extremely grateful to Michael Campese for inviting me to speak at North Park LIbrary on May 1. He offered me a great rocking chair to sit in during my presentation and it changed the whole tone. I felt completely relaxed and had a great time talking about Adam Johnson and answering questions. Click here for more on my North Park appearance.

For the second time, I am cancelling the Newburgh walking tour - I just didn't have time to promote it properly. I'll still be selling books at the Newburgh Winefest on May 19, but no tour. It's still on my radar, and I will do it someday. When? I'm not sure

I appeared at the Tell City/ Perry County LIbrary on April 21 for a talk in association with a mini-Civil War event. I had a great time. Check out the write-up here.

It is my privilege to accept an invitation to speak to the Warrick County Rotary Club on June 21 at the Rolling Hills County Club in Warrick County, Indiana. I look forward to it!

The Henderson County Historical Society has always been one of my favorite places to be during the research and selling of Thunder From a Clear Sky. I have set the Historical Society up with some of my books and they get to keep the profit on any books sold. I wanted to say thanks and this was the best way I knew how.

I am grateful to be invited to speak at the Cincinati Civil War Roundtable on April 17, 2008.

I had a great time at the Midwest Writers Guild Book Fair. I sat next to Linda Bruckhiemer and Margaret McCullough - which was great fun. If you want to know more about what happened at the Fair, click here.

My thanks to Joe Whelan for giving me the opportunity to speak before the Evansville Morning Rotarty Club on March 15, 2007. It was one of the most unique appearances I have had during the two years of supporting Thunder From a Clear Sky. For more on what happened at the meeting, click here.

I was mentioned in the Evansville Courier & Press of March 15 as being one of the featured authors to appear at the upcoming Midwest Writers Guild Spring Book Festival on Saturday, March 17, at the Washington Square Mall in Evansville, Indiana.

I am extremely grateful that the Indianapolis Civil War Roundtable invited me to speak at their monthly meeting on March 12, 2007. Giving a speech at the Indiana Historical Society on a stage in front of 75 people can be a bit unnerving, but once I got rolling Adam Johnson brought me home, as he always does. To learn more about what happened at the meeting, click here.

I met Don Meyer at the Kentucky Book Festival in November 2006 and we discussed the unique story of General Adam Rankin Johnson. At that time we talked about the possibility of me coming to the Louisville Civil War Roundtable to do a talk on Thunder From a Clear Sky. It is my privilege to say that I will be appearing at the Louisville Civil War Roundtable December 2008. I look forward to it and thank you Don Meyer!

Please check out the brand new full-length book review of Thunder From a Clear Sky written by noted Civil War blogger, Andrew Waggenhoffer. Click here for the full review by Mr. Wagenhoffer. Andrew specializes in finding that rare, little known Civil War story and does a terrific job of it on his Civil War book review blog. I highly recommend it. I have also posted an excerpt of his review on my Praise for Thunder page here.

As of Christmas 2006 I have started donating to the Friends of the Henderson County Library, Henderson, KY. I supply them with books and they get to sell them and keep all the profits. If you are in Western Kentucky and you are looking to pick up a copy of Thunder From a Clear Sky, drop by the Henderson County Library in Henderson, Kentucky. They have some great folks there.

I've just posted the write-up of my appearance at the Southwest Indiana Historical Society. I had a great time and felt welcomed. I finally made it to the famous Weinbach's Cafeteria after 21 years in Evansville. It was great. Look here for more.

I have ten brand new hardcover copies of Thunder From a Clear Sky that I am selling for the lowest price available anywhere. I am selling these books for $22 each, delivered. Yes, I pay the sales tax and the delivery cost and the book is still $1 below retail price. This sale will continue until all ten books are gone. When they are gone, that's it. Check here for more on the Thunder hardcover sale.

In honor of National Library week, I will be appearing at the Tell City - Perry County, Indiana, Library on Saturday, April 21, 2007, from 10 AM to about 4 PM. I will be signing books and talking to folks all day. I will be appearing with Perry County historian Michael Rutherford, author of Perry County Then and Now. Come and see us!

I had a great time speaking at the Corpus Christi Senior Club. It was my first talk after a three month lay-off and I was a little nervous. Everything worked out fine. Go here for more.

I've added a new button for my publisher's press release on Thunder From a Clear Sky, issued August 2006. Click here to see the release.

It has been my intention to post a first quarter book review of Gary Robert Matthews's Basil Wilson Duke, CSA: The Right Man in the Right Place. I have the book review complete, but I will not be posting it. Why? The book review will be held for future publication. I will provide more details as soon as I am able. Sounds mysterious! Anyway, I look forward to working on Richard Nation's At Home in the Hoosier Hills which will be posted during the second quarter, 2007.

I am happy to announce that I have accepted an invitation to appear at the Corpus Christi Senior Club, Evansville, Indiana, on February 15, 2007. I'm looking forward to it!

I just purchased a copy of the Indiana Legion: A Civil War Militia by John P. Etter. As far as I know, it is the first book on the Indiana Legion. It is an overview book and has about 7 pages on the Newburgh Raid. As far as I can tell, no new information on the raid, but every little bit is welcome. I have decided to pick up the book as a future book review selection. I will announce later when my review of this new work will be posted. If you want to check the book out look here. I have also posted a link to John Etter's website on my links page and here.

I am very pleased to announce a brand new book review notice from the January issue of Midwest Book Review. The five-star review comment for Thunder From a Clear Sky was very positive and I am grateful that Midwest Book Review chose to take a look at Thunder and then provided a wonderful notice for the book. To read the review please go here.

For National Library Week I will be appearing at the Tell City- Perry County LIbrary on Saturday, April 21, 2007, from about 10 AM to 4 PM or so. I will be signing books and talking to folks all day long. I will also be appearing with Perry County historian Michael Rutherford, author of Perry County Then and Now. Come out and see us!

A donation has been made to the Green River Kiwanis Club to support youth literacy causes in Evansville, Indiana. Go here to see all the charities supported by profits from Thunder From a Clear Sky.

I have just made my last entry of 2006, describing my appearance at the Evansville Barnes & Noble on the afternoon of December 16. It was a surprisingly busy event. It was probably the most surprising event of 2006. I had made two previous appearances at Barnes & Noble in 2005, so I had low expectations about how many books I could sell this time around. Read here to find out how things went. I don't have another appearance for 8 weeks and I can use the rest. However, I will be posting new information on the site during that time- so come back in January 2007!

It is my privilege to post a new book review of Thunder From a Clear Sky written by Greg Biggs of the Clarksville, Tennessee Civil War Roundtable. Greg Biggs is one of America's foremost military historians. His knowledge of all military matters is encyclopedic and his analysis is incisive. Everyone in the Civil War Roundtable community knows and respects Greg and his enormous contributions to teaching and research in this field. He needs no introduction to Civil War enthusiasts. See his review here.

An exciting new review comment came to me recently. It was a wonderful comment from Dr. James A. Ramage, author of Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan and Gray Ghost: The Life of Colonel John Singleton Mosby. Go here to check out Dr. Ramage's thoughts.

I had so much fun with Greg and Karel Biggs and my appearance at the 20th Annual Civil War Show and Sale in Nashville that I'm going to attend again next year on December 1 and maybe December 2, 2007. Check my 2007 schedule here.

My previously announced appearance as a speaker in the Reitz Home series in downtown Evansville, Indiana, is now set for November 29, 2007. I look forward to it!nCheck my 2007 schedule here.

I just added the write-up of my November 29 appearance at the Green River Kiwanis Club. It was a great time, but way too short. It seemed like I blinked and it was over. I guess time flies when you're having a good time. Check the write-up here. My thanks to Bryan Trible for his invitation.

The book review lineup is set for 2007. For the first quarter, Gary Matthews's Basil Wilson Duke, CSA: The Right Man in the Right Place; for the second quarter, Richard Nation's At Home In The Hoosier Hills: Agriculture, Politics, And Religion In Southern Indiana, 1810-1870; third quarter, Jon Musgrave's Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw: The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground R.R.; fourth quarter, Kenneth Hafendorfer's Battle of Richmond, Kentucky. I'm also going to do Dr. Cimprich's Fort Pillow, A Civil War Massacre, And Public Memory somewhere during 2007. That should keep me busy.

This is one of the longest entries of the year. The Kentucky Book Fair was one of the most enjoyable experiences of 2006. Connie Crow knows how to run a book fair. You've got to check out the pictures (yes, I remembered to bring my camera) and the write-up here.

I have just accepted an invitation to the Crystal Lake Symposium in Crystal Lake, Illinois (just west of Chicago). This is a big event and I am very grateful for the invitation. I will be speaking and selling books at the event on May 12, 2007. Check out my 2007 schedule here.

Through the holiday season Thunder From a Clear Sky will be available at the Henderson County Public Library in the town of Henderson, Kentucky. The library gets to keep all the profits from books sold as this will be a fundraiser for the Friends of the Henderson County Library. The Henderson County Library has been a big supporter of my work and I want to continue to show my appreciation.

I've just posted my final book review of 2006, Lester Horwitz's The Longest Raid of the Civil War. Check out the review here. It is the fascinating story of Morgan's Great Raid through Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. The review includes a lengthy interview with the author, Mr. Horwitz. If you want to know how a book can change someone's life, I suggest you read the review of The Longest Raid. My thanks to Mr. Horwitz and I look forward to his new works coming out soon.

A new donation has just been made to the Friends of Fort Defiance, Tennessee. This is on behalf of the folks who purchased books from me at the Clarksville Civil War Roundtable meeting on October 18. Thank you Greg Biggs and the Clarksville CWRT.

I've just posted the update of my appearance at the Western Kentucky Book Expo in Sturgis, Kentucky. It was a fun event. I got to sit next to Rick Reed, author of Blood Trail. I like Rick and we had a great time. Check out the write up here.

As an unexpected choice I will be reviewing Richard Nation's At Home in the Hoosier Hills: Agriculture, Politics, and Religion in Southern Indiana, 1810-1870 as my second quarter book review selection. Mr. Nation's book sheds light on the cultural development of the men and women of southern Indiana in the pre-Civil War era. Mr. Nation has agreed to be interviewed for the second quarter book review. My thanks to Mr. Nation.

It is my pleasure to announce a new personal appearance at the Tippecanoe Civil War Roundtable in Lafayette, Indiana, on September 11, 2007. I wonder if the folks at Lafayette know that their town plays a role in the aftermath of the Newburg raid? If not, they will.

Borders Books & Music in Clarksville, Tennessee, is now carrying Thunder From a Clear Sky. Thank you, Borders.

I switched around my first and second quarter 2007 book review choices. Gary Robert Matthews's Basil Wilson Duke CSA will now be reviewed during the first quarter of 2007.

I just added the update of my Clarksville, Tennessee, Civil War Roundtable appearance. I met one of the most incredible military historians in America in Clarksville- Greg Biggs. Read all about it here.

I've just updated the 2006 Schedule & Diary button with a new entry for my October 12 bus tour and training session with a group of Evansville teachers. It was a fun and exhausting event. Check out the write-up.

I have two new 2007 appearances to announce. First, a new appearance on February 20 for the Southern Indiana Historical Society at the Weinbach Cafeteria in Evansville, Indiana, and, second, a new 2007 appearance for the Reitz Home speaker series in either October or November of 2007. I am extremely happy to bring Thunder From a Clear Sky to audiences in Evansville and I look forward to both appearances. Check out my 2007 schedule here.

A feature newspaper article in the Madisonville Messenger titled "When Cannons Roared" discusses the Battle of Browning Springs in Madisonville, Adam Johnson's Partisan Rangers, Thunder From a Clear Sky, and yours truly. I was one of the sources for the article as Messenger Lead Reporter Don Perryman interviewed me by phone for 30 minutes a week earlier. The Battle of Browning Springs is recounted in detail in my book. Don used the same imagery to invoke the Browning Springs battle that appears in Thunder.

Author Robert P. Broadwater has read my book and said several nice things about it. I'm very grateful. Broadwater has written at least nine Civil War books including The Battle of Olustee 1864: The Final Union Attempt to Seize Florida (2006), Chickamauga, Andersoville, Fort Sumter and Guard Duty at Home (2005), and Battle of Despair: Bentonville and the North Carolina Campaign (2004). Check out the "Praise for Thunder" button.

I am looking forward to my new November 29 appearance for the Evansville Kiwanis at the Cullen Avenue Church.

Check out the new 2006 Schedule & Diary entry for my appearance at the Vincennes Civil War Days event. It was a wonderful day and a hugely successful event for me. Jon Andrews was an incredible help and made me feel comfortable throughout the entire event. Check out the Sept 06 button under the 2006 schedule.

The publisher of Thunder from a Clear Sky, after a six month makeover, has re-launched the title into bookstores. This is the most significant news surrounding Thunder since its original launch in June 2005. The book has completely new cover text and graphics, a larger font and corresponding increased page count, re-scanned and clearer graphics, an entirely re-edited manuscript, and new praise pages all at a significantly reduced price (20% less for the softcover, 12% less for hardcover).
          Also in this update is a new, full-length book review of Thunder from a Clear Sky by Kirkus Discoveries. Kirkus is a book review outfit. Anyone who knows anything about Kirkus knows that they don't always say nice things about the books they review. Gratefully, they liked my book and the way I write. Check it out under the Thunder Book reviews button.
          Bonus! I have also added a new entry under the Newburgh Home Guard. The NHG was constantly changing over the course of the first two years of the war and my second entry shows some interesting insights into the September 1861 membership.
          I also added a new photo under my August 21 Vincennes write-up.
          By now I'm sure you've also noticed the completely new look for the website banner to integrate with the new Thunder cover. Thanks again to my graphics consultant, Don Johnson.

This entry is in on my August 21 Vincennes appearance. In short, I felt fantastic and it was a well attended event. I sold a nice pile of books and I will be returning to Vincennes for my next appearance on September 9. Profits from both these appearances will be donated to the Civil War monument restoration currently underway in Vincennes. Thank you Brian Spangle and to the community of Vincennes. I'll be adding a picture as soon as I get my hands on some of the pictures that were taken by others at the event.

I am proud to announce that I will be appearing as a guest speaker at the Indianapolis Civil War Roundtable on March 12, 2007. This is very exciting news. The ICWRT has a membership of approximately 175 people and about half that number turn up at the meetings. I really look forward to it and will have more on this in the weeks to come.

The Kentucky Book Fair requires an official submission process to gain entry to the Fair. It is the premier book fair in Kentucky drawing over 3,000 people for the one day event. I submitted Thunder From a Clear Sky back in May and received my acceptance today. I am grateful to be accepted and will be attending the 2006 Kentucky Book Fair in Frankfort, Kentucky, on November 11.

I am looking forward to my new appearance at the Dale, Indiana, Public Library on June 26, 2007. Check out my 2007 schedule here.

Just a quick update to note that I have removed my Photo slideshows for now. They will be replaced with some still photos later and I will be introducing a new section called "A Walking Tour of Newburgh" in the near future. I also missed the August 5 date at Frankfort for the Kentucky Genealogial Society meeting- family related issues prevented me from attending. I hated to miss it but it is on the top of my list for next year.

Awhile back Daniel Moore of WNIN 88.3 FM, National Public Radio, did two short one-minute pieces on me and Thunder From a Clear Sky. Go to the Audio/Radio clips to hear me narrating two one-minute pieces about the Newburgh Raid and my research. Enjoy!

I presented a copy of Thunder From a Clear Sky to Reginald and Shirley Porter, representatives of Newburgh, Indiana's sister city- Newburgh, England. There was a bit more to the story, so if you want the full scoop go to the 2006 Schedule button. Enjoy!

Well, its not exactly about Adam Johnson, but he is mentioned in the song. Mr. Terry Warren and the Border Ruffian Band have recorded a song called Rebel Partisan that documents the exploits of Jake Bennett's raid on Owensboro late in the war. Bennett was one of Johnson's earliest recruits and a likely member of the Newburgh raiders. I learned about this song from Nancy Hitt who I met at the Sacramento appearance this year. Click the Audio/Radio button. Enjoy!

I posted a .pdf file of my Perryville 1862 book review. If you want to download it for your own personal use just click the .pdf link at the top of the Perryville 1862 Book Review page.

I just posted an account of my appearance at the Sunday Book Club in Newburgh, Indiana. I'm grateful to Diane Sprick for unwittingly putting me on the path toward writing Thunder from a Clear Sky. I'm also grateful that she thought enough of me to invite me to discuss the book at the Sunday Book Club at the new Newburgh Central Library. Check the 2006 Schedule button.

I've just posted my review of Robert P. Broadwater's The Battle of Perryville, 1862: Culmination of the Failed Kentucky Campaign. This is early in the 3rd Quarter, but it was a fairly short book. Mr. Broadwater was very kind to answer a few questions for me to add to the review. Perryville, 1862 is a very nice job, the product of decades in the making. Having attended the 2002 Perryville battle re-enactment, I wanted to know more about the battle and the surrounding events. Broadwater's book has definitely enhanced my understanding of the Civil War experience in Kentucky. See my review for the whole story under the "My CW Book Reviews" button. I now start on The Longest Raid of the Civil War by Lester V. Horwitz for my 4th Quarter review. I'll need the time as the book is 456 pages. Mr. Horwitz has agreed to be interviewed as part of my book review.

I have removed my Sept 16 tour of Henderson and Newburgh from my 2006 schedule. A rare opportunity came up and I just didn't feel ready for the tour. I'm going to give it another shot next year. I apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience.

I was interviewed outdoors on October 8, 2005, at Fort Croghan, Texas, in conjunction with one of my appearances on my Texas tour. Art Dlugach from KBEY 92.5 FM in Texas did the interview. As always, my audio/visual re-mastering consultant is Don Johnson who cleaned up the tape and got it ready to post. My thanks to Art Dlugach. Go here for the interview.

I've just posted my entry for my appearance at the St. Benedict's Silver Club. It was a nice little affair and I had a good time. Check it out under my 2006 Schedule button, June 06.

This event was the most exciting one I have attended this year. It was an extremely special time for me. Press the 2006 Schedule & Diary for the write-up on this Illinois event. My thanks to Bruce Gregory, conference organizer, for giving me such a great experience.

A short article appeared today in the Decatur, Illinois, Herald Review about my upcoming appearance at the Military History Education Forum on June 10. Thunder From a Clear Sky is discussed in the article.

Click on the Map button and you'll see the 1880 map of Henderson, Kentucky. I've noted the important places for Johnson's attack of June 29, 1862, as discussed in Thunder From a Clear Sky.

After I posted my mini book review of James R. Hall's Den of Misery, Mr. Hall contacted me to let me know he'd seen the review. I asked him if he'd like to contribute to a short interview on the piece and Mr. Hall agreed. I've just posted another update to my original Den of Misery book review under the CW Book Review button, then Camp Morton. My thanks to Mr. James R. Hall for his time and the answers to some interesting questions.

I've been busy lately, so I'm just now getting to post my update of my Greencastle, Indiana appearance. It was a wonderful group of people and I really loved the historic town of Greencastle. Check the 2006 Schedule button.

I have just added some notes on my appearance at the Battle of Sacramento, Kentucky. It was a great day. I'll be adding a slide show of the event later, but for now check my 2006 Schedule button.

A new mini-review of Thunder From a Clear Sky is in the "Shelf Life" section of the June 2006 Evansville Living Magazine. Press the PRAISE button.

Under the Camp Morton book review button I have added a quick update at the end of the original review with a few words about Den of Misery. Den of Misery is the new book about the Camp Morton dispute between Dr. John A. Wyeth and the Indiana GAR. It makes a good companion piece to Camp Morton. Check it out at the end of the Camp Morton book review.

I am adding an entire section which shares my research into the Newburgh Home Guards. The home guard unit at Newburgh is of great importance to the story of the Newburgh raid. Had even one guardsman been posted on the riverfront on July 18, 1862, the outcome of the raid would likely have been quite different. Anyway, for the first time, the initial membership of the Newburgh Home Guard is posted. Look for the "Newburgh Home Guards" button.

You've got to read the full account on this one! I was surprised to receive a special Historic Preservation Award from the Newburgh Town Council for my efforts on behalf of historic preservation and for my contribution in writing Thunder From a Clear Sky. WIKY radio recorded my entire speech which will be posted on these pages in the future. Go to the May 06 button for the full account.

Bluegrass Roots is the magazine of the Kentucky Genealogical Society. I have just posted a great review of Thunder From a Clear Sky written in the upcoming issue of Bluegrass Roots- June 2006. Press the "Praise for Thunder" button on this website and enjoy.

I posted a .pdf file of my Camp Morton book review. If you want to download it for your own personal use just click the .pdf link at the top of the page.

The only book signing appearance at a book store this year will be at Barnes & Noble in Evansville. Barnes & Noble has been great to me and I'm thrilled to be closing out 2006 at B & N.

Added an update of my appearance at the Barnes & Noble Author Fest. I finally got to meet Mike Whicker, author of Invitation to Valhalla, the Evansville One Book, One Community selection for 2004. We've phoned and emailed, but never met. He helped me during the publishing process and said some great things about Thunder. The Book Fest was a great time. Check it out!

Great news! Author Robert P. Broadwater has agreed to a short interview to be included with my upcoming book review of The Battle of Perryville, 1862: Culmination of the Failed Kentucky Campaign. The review will be posted during the 3rd Quarter of 2006.

I've added a new appearance date for the Vincennes Genealogical Society meeting in August. I'm looking forward to it.

I've added an update of my April 19 appearance at the Indiana Historical Society. It is under the 2006 Diary of Events button (click April). Traveling seven hours round-trip is a bit of a sacrifice, but it gave me the opportunity to do some research as well as speak to a group from Indianapolis. In all, well worth it.

No sooner had I published my book review on Camp Morton 1861-1865: Indianapolis Prison Camp than the first new, full-length work on Camp Morton in fifty years was announced. The irony of it all! Anyway, I'll pick up a copy of the new Den of Misery: Indiana's Civil War Prison, by James R. Hall. In the future, I may issue a little blurb as an attachment to my Camp Morton review.

I posted my second quarter book review of Camp Morton 1861-1865: Indianapolis Prison Camp. Camp Morton was another of those subjects about which I knew very little. The book painted an informative picture in a fast-paced, story-telling style. I recommend it.

I added some comments about the great time I had with the Tri-State Genealogical Society at their annual dinner meeting. It was a wonderful night with an interesting group of people. Stay tuned next week as I'll be posting my second quarter book review on Camp Morton 1861-1865.

I'm phasing in a new email address: ray@thunderfromaclearsky.com

I added some new entries into the 2006 Diary of Events including my appearance as a book vendor at the Southwest Indiana Book Expo. It was a great event and the book did very well. The Warrick County Museum can be proud of the efforts of everyone involved in the event.
       I also added my new selected book review for the first quarter of 2007- Slaves, Salt, Sex & Mr. Crenshaw; The Real Story of the Old Slave House and America's Reverse Underground Railroad, by Jon Musgrave. Although most all of my reviews will be about books dealing with the Civil War experience of Indiana and Kentucky, I'm making an exception for this fine book on slavery in Illinois.

There was a nice article on Thunder From a Clear Sky in the March 30 Evansville Courier & Press in association with the Southwest Indiana Book Expo coming up tomorrow. It was on page B3 of the Local and Regional News section. Stay tuned for my blog entry after the book expo.

I added a summary of my appearance at the Calhoun UDC on March 23, 2006. It was my first appearance of 2006 and I absolutely enjoyed myself.

I posted a .pdf file of my Camp Nelson book review and interview with author Richard Sears. If you want to download it for your own personal use just click the .pdf link at the top of the page.

I like to change the header on my website. I've got dozens of designs so whenever I get tired of a design I drop a new one in. Enjoy!

I added a July 9 date to my appearance schedule for the Newburgh Library Sunday Book Club. This will be my first book club appearance in Newburgh. I've been to book clubs in Evansville and will be working with the Henderson Library on my big September project- but, up until now, not in Newburgh. I look forward to it.

I just included today's Evansville Courier & Press Book Review of Thunder From a Clear Sky on my Praise page. Pam Locker from the Evansville-Vanderburgh Public Library system did a special feature on books dealing with the history of Southern Indiana and included Thunder in her round-up. I'm grateful that Pam liked the book. As Pam notes, the story of the Newburgh raid was deadly serious business, but also had its share of undeniably ironic moments. Check out the website Praise button to learn more.

I posted my review of Dr. Richard Sears' Camp Nelson, Kentucky: A Civil War History today. This is several days early, but next week will be a busy week for me and I had the time now. Dr. Sears was very kind to answer a few questions for me to add to the review. Camp Nelson is an excellent book, the product of a decade in the making. Being unfamiliar with Camp Nelson's history, almost every word was new information to me. It has greatly broadened my understanding of the Civil War experience in Kentucky. See my review for the whole story under the "My CW Book Reviews" button.

Thunderfromaclearsky.com was re-launched yesterday after 10 weeks of thought, learning, and redesign. Just yesterday, I received 136 hits to the site which tells me that most everyone I sent a note to looked at the page. That's great news. I'm taking a rest this coming week. Starting in March I'll be preparing for my 2006 appearance schedule. Once things start, I'll be busy right through Christmas. March 1st, I post my first Civil War book review.

My method is to tinker with things. I've made dozens of subtle changes since the basic page went up a week ago. Many of the changes are behind the scenes-metatags, page titles, etc. Don also found some photos from the Sturgis bookfair in October, 2005, and I've added a shot from that outing. Tonight I'll write the introductory letter for the website re-launch and send it out tomorrow. I'm sure many people will be on the internet this holiday weekend.

The website is done. I've had a website since last April using Yahoo's Sitebuilder. Sitebuilder is good, but without me knowing HTML I don't think it served be well. I've struggled with Rapidweaver for a good two weeks. Using a template, I suppose you could throw up a simple website in one day with the program. But if you want to do different things (change the headline banner, include links under the button bar, format things as you want), it will take some investment. Now that I've spend tons of time on the RW forum, and have learned a great deal, I think I will enjoy how quickly I can update it as I want. If you have a mac, I can recommend it. On February 22, I will be issuing an email to everyone I know announcing the re-launch of the Thunder From a Clear Sky website. I'll be issuing major updates to the site during the next three months- adding several audio files of my radio interviews, my upcoming book review, and other news as it happens.

I received the exciting news yesterday that Thunder From a Clear Sky has been accepted into the iUniverse Star Book program. This means that the book will be fully returnable for retailers. I'm not excited that the book is returnable, I'm excited that retailers who have a policy of only dealing with returnable books will now willingly stock the book. For example, Books-a-Million only stocks books that are returnable. It also means that the book will receive a thorough once over from the publisher, cleaning up any loose ends and possibly getting a new look. It will also be offered to Barnes & Noble stores nationwide for on-shelf placement. In other words, not just a regional book- now its national. I've put hundreds of hours into this book, and getting this honor is a validation of all the effort I've put in.
       The website is now 90% finished. I have a few more details to see to. I'll also be generating additional pages for podcasts, interviews, etc. Looks like I'm on schedule for a February 22 re-release announcement.

I'm loading a trial run of the site. There is still much to do, but loading the site ahead of the official re-launch allows me to check compatibility with other operating systems and browsers. I work on a mac, but 80% of internet users are Internet Explorer Windows users- so it needs to be checked. I also have a bunch more design work to do over the next two weeks. I'm still hoping for a big announcement on the 22nd regarding the website.

I'm working on the new website for Thunder From a Clear Sky. I liked using Yahoo's Sitebuilder, but I have a mac for myself, and my family has a PC. I switched to Rapidweaver. It's not as flashy, but it updates easy and I want to put more content on faster. I can also bring my laptop on the road and add things to my website while they are fresh in my mind. It's taken me all day, but I think I'm close to finishing my first draft through the site. However, I'm an inveterate tinkerer.