ABOUT ME

I’m Harry Smeltzer, host of Bull Runnings.  I live just outside Pittsburgh,  and was born and raised here in Southwestern PA.  I earned an undergraduate degree at The Pennsylvania State University and a graduate degree from the Katz School of the University of Pittsburgh.  Neither sheepskin is in history or any art.  Therefore I don’t call myself a historian, just as I don’t call myself a doctor, lawyer, or plumber (though I’m pretty good at certain aspects of those professions).  I’ve been published in Civil War Times and am a contributing writer and book reviewer for America’s Civil War magazine, both part of the Weider History Group, which provided my first paid writing gig in 2006.  I sit on the board of directors of the Save Historic Antietam Foundation and edit our newsletter.  I’ve been hosting Bull Runnings since November 2006.

5 responses

22 04 2009
RON TAMOSCHAT (17:44:48) :

I AM INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT HOW GEN. CORCORAN ESCAPED BEING PROSECUTED FOR THE COLD-BLOODED MURDER OF A FELLOW OFFICER , LT. COLONEL KIMBALL , SIMPLY BECAUSE COL. KIMBALL INSISTED THAT THE COUNTERSIGN BE GIVEN WHEN CORCORAN ATTEMPTED TO ENTER UNION LINES WITH A GROUP OF HIS MEN AT 2 AM IN THE DARK. I AM UNABLE TO FIND AN ANSWER FOR THIS IN MY READINGS AND RESEARCH. RON TAMOSCHAT.

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22 04 2009
Harry Smeltzer (18:13:10) :

Ron,

Thanks for visiting. In the future, please only post comments relative to the post you are commenting on. If you have a general question (like this), send me an email. My address is in the right hand column of this page.

Corcoran requested and faced a court of inquiry over the incident, censure was recommended, and a court martial was ordered. Corcoran died before the court matial convened. The facts of the case are not etched in granite. By many accounts Kimball was not on duty, never identified himself, used abusive language, drew his sword, assaulted Corcoran’s horse, and may have been drunk. I have no dog in the fight, so to speak. There are a number of different accounts available at this site: http://www.dmna.state.ny.us/historic/reghist/civil/infantry/9thInf/9thInfCWN.htm

Good luck with your research.

Harry

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7 05 2009
James Hagy (14:50:11) :

No one seems to be familiar with my “To Take Charleston: The Civil War on Folly Island”, published in 1993 with a second printing in 1997. Copies sold rather quickly and it is out of print. I hope to have it republished in a year or so.
The book deals with the union troops on Folly Island and the invasion of Morris Island.

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7 05 2009
Harry Smeltzer (15:04:34) :

James,

I suggest if you want more exposure for your book, at least on this site, you attach this comment to either Charleston Related Civil War Readings or A Few Charleston Civil War Sites

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29 06 2009
Brandon Samuels (16:44:18) :

Hello Harry,

My name is Brandon Samuels and I really like some of the posts you have on your blog. Since you have an interest in blogging, I thought that you might want to know about a new web site, timelines.com. The idea is to create an interactive historical record of anything and everything, based on specific events that combine to form timelines. We’re trying to achieve a sort of user-created multimedia history, in which no event is too big or too small to record. Feel free to create events using excerpts and/or links from your blog. You will generate traffic and awareness of your blog, and you will be contributing to the recording of history.

With your interest in the American Civil War, you should check out this timeline. So far it is a work in progress and we would definitely love for more people to contribute. http://timelines.com/topics/american-civil-war/page/1.

Give us a try and let me know your thoughts.
Thanks,
Brandon Samuels

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