Blog of the Week, Vol.1, No. 10

     There are a lot of Civil War blogs out there to choose from, but I limit myself to a few. The individuals who maintain these blogs have to meet some of the higher standards I ask of those who study the Civil War. I refer my students to various blogs and I want them to see blogs with factual information, not made up statements. As a result, many Civil War blogs lack credibility and those that do are not on my reference list. One blog that has met high quality standards is Andy Hall's Dead Confederates.

     Andy is from Texas and refuses to buy into the Lost Cause myths and the lies spawned by it. Instead, he requires proof in order for a claim to stand. The Lost Cause fails miserably when held to the light of inquiry. He holds a BA in History and a Master's in museum work. After reading his blog entries for several years, I have to admit that I rarely disagree with Andy on anything CW related. Even when I do it often is just a matter of perspective. Since I will refer something I don't know much about to Andy, I disagree with him very rarely.

     It seems like Andy began this blog on June 15, 2010. I know I've been following it since some time later that year. He has built up a large number of posts and has over 600,000 hits on the blog. He has authored two books, The Galveston-Houston Packet: Steamboats on Buffalo Bayou and his most recent, Civil War Blockade Running on the Texas Coast. Dead Confederates has attracted many readers over the years including some of the usual trolls and neo-confederates, but that only serves to make the forums more interesting.

     You can find the blog here at this link: Dead Confederates.  Depending on what is going on, you may be able to catch Andy giving a talk on the Civil War or one of his books. Just check his speaking schedule. I think this blog looks nice and professional. He uses WordPress and it is relatively easy to comment on the blog. A list of recommended blogs is on the right hand side of the page along with a list of historical sources on the Internet.

     Again, if you are interested in the Civil War and want a blog that is based upon factual evidence, Dead Confederates is a blog you will like. I highly recommend this blog and were I to use ratings would give it my highest one.