"Seize the Day!" manual is ready

[bill watson]

"Seize the Day! A guide to wringing more satisfaction from your Civil War reenacting experience", is published and can be ordered online.

http://brokenlanceenterprises.com/_wsn/page10.html

It describes in great detail attitudes and activities a reenactor can deploy, by rank, at any event. It is not intended to be encyclopedic like the Columbia Rifles Compendium, and it does not deal much with materials; it is intended to give guys some immediately useful, practical suggestions on how to get right into a soldiering mindset and stay there, for everyone's mutual benefit, for a weekend. It is based on period manuals like "Customs of Service," on research, and on 17 years of doing this thing and seeing how guys who want very badly to do the right thing struggle under layers of bad information and contrived hurdles. If you're a corporal, for instance, it tells you exactly what you should be concerned with and what is really somebody else's problem. It tells you where to go to get more information if you really want to drill deeper. And, as you might expect, none of it has to do with how to hide a cooler or cook beans and franks.

It is definitely aimed at guys who thought Civil War reenacting was going to be about experiencing the things the soldiers experienced. It is within your power to make it happen, just by the things you think about and the things you do. If the things you bought didn't get you where you thought you were going, this might.

It's a hundred pages, $10, and that includes shipping. Profits through June 30 will benefit the McDowell battlefield preservation effort. Profits after that will be directed to other preservation efforts, or to support reenactment efforts of the type envisioned in the "manual." It will be on sale at registration at the rapidly approaching McDowell event, and there the entire $10 will be donated.

I promised long ago to report how this historic preservation/book publishing "hobby" is going. I just finished taxes; reportable donations to historic preservation in 2006 from the sale of "Brother William's War" came to $537, which was less than I'd hoped. That is, however, $537 more than I could contribute in 2005, so I'm happy.

See quite a few of you in McDowell.

[ewtaylor]

Thanks for your efforts Bill. I was wanting to attend McDowell this year but work keeps me away. Just ordered the book and look forward to reading it.
ew taylor

[marcaverill]

Ordered a copy today myself Bill. Looking forward to adding it to my ever growing library. Santa put Brother William's War under the tree, but I have not read it as of yet - one more book ahead of it to be finished.

Kind regards,

[flattop32355]

Bill brought me a copy of Brother William's War at the Bedford Officers' School in March. It was finished well before the end of the week. It will be read again.

Looking forward to picking up the new book at McDowell.

[dedogtent]

Having bought and enjoyed Bill's first book, I just ordered this one. Although I have been reenacting for 11 years, one never stops learning through the reading of a good book and of course, reading the forums almost everynight here. This will be a good book to share with company members.

Bill, if I may ask, may I add your links to the 2nd Delaware web site? It's a pretty active site and may help with sales of your fine books.

[bill watson]

You betcha, John. Many thanks.

[Anders]

Bill,

Mark one for me and bring it to McD.

Pards,

[dedogtent]

Originally Posted by bill watson

You betcha, John. Many thanks.

Bill, I added your books to our Home Page with links to the NCO News page with your post here and the links for buying your books. I hope it will get you some sales and keep the donations going.

I had the link here to just the NCO News page but it's not opening up right. So, hitting the web site link below my signature will take you to the Home page where you can hit the NCO News link.

[wilber6150]

Just ordered mine, can't wait until I get my hands on it

[Micah Trent]

Looking forward to reading here soon!!!