Sep 04, 2021
Dr, Chris Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication, co-edited two hardcovers published this summer by Savas Beatie: "The Summer of ’63: Gettysburg" and "The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg and Tullahoma."
The books, edited with Dan Welch, are the first in a new series of books commemorating the 10th anniversary of Emerging Civil War (ECW), a collective effort of more than 30 public historians who focus on Civil War history. Mackowski is ECW’s co-founder
and editor-in-chief.
The two new books collect the best content of the past decade from ECW’s blog, annual symposium, and podcast, along with a few original pieces and a number of original maps.
Mackowski also published two articles:
- “The Vicksburg Question: Why exactly was Robert E. Lee so opposed to sending help to Mississippi in 1863?” in the September 2021 issue of America’s Civil War magazine. The article looks at Lee’s resistance to sending reinforcements
to the home state of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, setting the stage for the Gettysburg campaign.
- “Four Firsts,” in the summer issue of On the Front Line magazine, published by the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT), a battlefield preservation organization based in Fredericksburg, Virginia, which celebrated its 25th anniversary
this year. Mackowski's article looked at the first piece of ground the organization preserved at the four main battlefields it focuses on: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, and Spotsylvania Court House.
Additionally, Mackowski worked on several projects with the American Battlefield Trust, the nation’s largest battlefield preservation organization:
- With frequent collaborator Kris White, he co-led tours of the Slaughter Pen Farm at Fredericksburg and Payne’s Farm at Mine Run.
- He co-moderated the virtual American Battlefield Trust Teacher Institute, July 12-16. As part of the Teacher Institute, he also presented a workshop, “Tackling Civil War Controversy in the Classroom: Encouraging Critical Thinking” to more
than 300 middle- and high-school teachers.