Lint In My Pocket – Artillery On the Ridge

Lint In My Pocket – Artillery On the Ridge is a blog maintained by Scott Summers, a poet and teacher in New Jersey.  Here’s how he recently described what he’s doing:

Originally, The Lint in My Pocket was meant to represent the small things that peter from my mind; however, I now see something different. I see the lint that lined the pockets of American Civil War soldiers, generals, colonels, civilians, etc. Like me, each of them carried lint in his/her pocket as well. Each of them was normal folk, as I am. Yet, these normal folk were thrust into incredible situations, situations laced with triumph, tragedy, love, hate, blood, breath, and death; they were forced to experience, in one way or another, the artillery on the ridge.

So, I press on. Hope you enjoy.

Last week, Scott posted this poem for the anniversary of the First Battle of Bull Run:

Stonewall Jackson at Manassas: July 21, 1861

That beard hangs
from his chin
like an anvil.

Ain’t no lie.
Yankee bullets
veer `round his head

so not to smack
against his face.
We should just point

him toward Washington
and shackle up behind
like a chain of geese.

I swear we’d rename
this country Virginia
before it’s cold enough

to tighten your skin
and freeze your breath.

Enjoying!

Letters from Wheat’s Battalion

Stuart Salling has posted these letters from a member of Wheat’s Battalion written before and just after the battle.

Stuart has given me the go-ahead to post these letters to the Bull Run Resources section, which I’ll be doing soon.  In the meantime, check them out on the Louisiana in the Civil War site.