Birthday Gift

Ed Bearss, the Chief Historian Emeritus of the National Park Service and America's foremost authority on the Civil War (many know him from the Ken Burns series), returned an edited copy of my manuscript last week. I received it on my birthday, along with these words:

“Ronald S. Coddington has scored a masterpiece again. As a follow-up to his much applauded Faces of the Civil War featuring Union soldiers and sailors, he has authored a sequel. This time Confederates are center sage as they proudly pose for the all-important cartes de visite that are as treasured today by collectors and buffs as by their home folks and comrades of long ago. Complementing these are biographical profiles that inform but do not overwhelm, reminding us that each haunting face is a real person who lived, served and died many years ago.”

I owe Mr. Bearss a debt that cannot be repaid. In addition to these kind words, he meticulously reviewed the manuscript, including the 600-plus endnotes, and made a number of valuable suggestions. I revised the manuscript to reflect almost every one, and the text is now stronger and more focused thanks to his efforts.