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      The drawback to studying things eclectically is the difficulty encountered in the attempt to organize the results.  When I started this site I did not even try.  Then I arranged my essays alphabetically which made little if any sense.  Currently things are hammered into a few broad themes with some overlap. 

       At any rate, what I have written about and posted onto this site are things that interest me.   I'm assuming that you have found this site because something on here interests you, too.  Please e-mail me if you have any questions or comments.  You may click on the links below (or scroll down the page) to see what topics I have been noodling over. 

Click below for:

Ancient History

The U.S. Army in The Civil War & Indian Wars

Angel Island

Regarding Fictional Works

Ancient History

      Ancient history is fun.  Documentation is often scarce and frequently undependable.  Reconstructing these remote periods requires just the right amount of imagination- enough to fill in the missing details without running amok.  Here are some aspects of ancient history that have grabbed my attention. 

- Egyptian Adventures by Olivia E. Coolidge (under topic: Fictional Works)
(A charming but little-known book of short-stories describing daily life in ancient Egypt.) 

- Yuya and Thuyu -An Egyptian Pharaoh's Grandparents
(Who were they?  How did their daughter marry king?  What was contained in their tomb that survived largely intact for over 3,000 years?)

- The Naue Type II Sword ca. 1200-700 b.c.
(This sword is evidence of a shift in military technology and tactics in Europe and the Meditteranean around 1200 b.c.)

- Roman Weapons and Armor
(The Romans develop a true weapon system.)

      The mid to late 1800's were an interesting time for the U.S. Army.  During the 1850's it was a relatively small constabulary force tasked with the enforcement of federal policy regarding Native Americans while simultaneously protecting national borders amidst an ever-widening sectional dispute.  During the Civil War the army expanded exponentially and achieved something like legendary status.  After the war it returned to its duties of frontier policeman subject to the whims of politicians who had come to regard the service with contempt.  In these essays I trace a few of the people, places and things involved in that experience. 

- The U.S. Model 1855 Rifle Musket: An Overview
(The Civil War is often called "the first modern war," but it did not occur in a vacuum.  This article traces the evolution, service and legacy of the prototype of the standard infantry weapon of the war.)

- A Summary of Civil War Strategy and Tactics
(An attempt to abstract the doctrine that governed how the Civil War was fought.)

- California and the Civil War
(Although there were no battles in California, the Golden State still played an important if not vital role in the war.)

- Fort Point News, 1861-1866
(Period newspaper articles concerning a fort on the San Francisco Bay.)

-The Cannon of Angel Island (under topic: Angel Island)
(A description of the cannon mounted on Angel Island in the 1860's as well as that used currently for demonstration firings.) 

- The Angel Island Post Cemetery (under topic: Angel Island)
(A study of a military cemetery founded in 1864.)

- Ordnance Sergeant Charles Mellon (under topic: Angel Island)
(Reconstructing the life of a 19th century career NCO.)

- Angel Island Census Reports for 1870 and 1880 (under topic:Angel Island)
(Analysis and raw data from census returns for this military post.)

- William Tecumseh Sherman and the 1856 San Francisco Committee of Vigilance
(W.T. Sherman's pre-war encounter with civil insurrection.)

- Flour Power: Reuel C. Gridley and His 'Sanitary Sack'
(A Nevada shopkeeper's unique humanitarian contribution to the Civil War.)

      Angel Island has had many uses.  Native American campsite; Spanish base of exploration; Mexican Rancho.  After 1850 the island was used by the United States government as a military base, quarantine facility and immigration station (among other things).  Today it is a California state park.  The articles below focus on the late 1800's military presence on the island.

-The Cannon of Angel Island
(A description of the cannon mounted on Angel Island in the 1860's as well as that used currently for demonstration firings.)

- The Angel Island Post Cemetery
(A study of a military cemetery founded in 1864.)

- Ordnance Sergeant Charles Mellon
(Reconstructing the life of a 19th century career NCO.)

- Angel Island Census Reports for 1870 and 1880
(Analysis and raw data from census returns for this military post.)

Regarding Fictional Works

      This section examines some of the fictional works that have appealed to me over the years.

- Egyptian Adventures by Olivia E. Coolidge
(A charming but little-known book of short-stories describing daily life in ancient Egypt.)

- H.P. Lovecraft's "Nyarlathotep"
(The prose-poem "Nyarlathotep" by H.P. Lovecraft with annotations by the site's author.)

- The Future Simulated: Starship Pilot
(The age of everyday space travel presented in a astounding computer program.  Hopefully some day interstellar exploration will be a part of our history!)