Background on Chicago's Battery Boys

Q: How did you first become interested in the Chicago Mercantile Battery?
A: At a Gettysburg Civil War show in the summer of 1998, I purchased the memorabilia of Capt. Patrick H. White for my personal collection. I showed White's red-leather-bound volume to Ted Savas who was there exhibiting his published books. Ted suggested that this Mercantile Battery story had potential for a book project since White's postwar reminiscences in Mississippi and Louisiana had never been published.

Q: How did you meet your publisher, Ted Savas?
A: Ted and I both lived in the San Francisco area at the time and had become friends as a result of our mutual interest in the Civil War. Ted was then practicing as an attorney and had started a Civil War publishing business. I was working at Genentech, the first commercial medical biotech company, which I had helped to launch as head of marketing.

Q: What was the impetus that led you to research and write about the Mercantile Battery?
A: Ted provided me with some ideas about how to find out more about the Chicago Mercantile Battery and to validate what Capt. White had included in his postwar reminiscences. As I began my research, I obtained a copy of the Mercantile Battery's record of service and the battles in which they fought. Nothing had been published other than a diary from the unit's bugler and several pages in a book on winners of the Medal of Honor. In the latter book, I discovered that Capt. White and five of his men had received the Medal of Honor in recognition for their valor at Vicksburg. I decided to visit Vicksburg National Military Park to ascertain if there was any evidence of the Mercantile Battery's service there.

Q: What were some of your personal highlights in working on Chicago's Battery Boys?
A: There were so many blessings associated with this project that it is hard to elucidate them all. Playing history detective was definitely a wonderful experience. Collecting Mercantile Battery memorabilia was great fun. Working with Ted Savas and his staff to publish this book was an extraordinarily rewarding experience. One thing that I often think about, however, are the friendships that I have made while working on my Chicago Mercantile Battery project. The friends I made in the process have inspired, motivated, and, sometimes, have cajoled me to complete this book. Some of these friends include:

• At the top of my list is Ed Bearss who has become one of the greatest inspirations in my life. I was deeply honored to have Ed write the Foreword for Chicago's Battery Boys and to state that my book is "a masterful unit history." I was deeply moved to have Ed reminisce about the battery from his days as historian for the Vicksburg National Military Park. Especially incredible was Ed's relaying of a story about discussing the war with Stephen Ambrose, a deceased historian and author whose books have inspired me, while they were sitting near Capt. White's monument at Vicksburg.


• I met Ed Urban on my first Vicksburg tour. Ed is a student of Illinois troops in the Civil War and was helpful in directing my early research in his state. His follow-up emails always prompt me to move forward to complete my book.


• I went on my second Vicksburg tour with David Ray from Chicago. David's relative, Michael Graham, was one of the Battery Boys. Due to our busy schedules - David is the head of an art institute - we do not get to see much of each other. Nevertheless, we have a unique bond formed by our common interest in the Mercantile Battery. For Christmas this year, I received special surprise: David purchased two Mercantile Battery letters, one of which he sent to me. What a great gift to receive!


• I met Harriett Condon on my tour of the Red River Campaign. She is a remarkable woman who does a lot of work in Virginia to preserve Civil War sites. Harriett has kept in touch with me during this journey and continues to inspire me to get the Battery Boys' story out.


• Clay Feeter is a friend whom I met during my research for this book. He is a genealogist who is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the Civil War and also collects first-hand accounts. In particular, Clay is a strong proponent of increasing coverage of the war in the West where he had a number of relatives who served. Clay keeps in constant touch with me via email and has been one of the strongest supporters for this project. Besides my family members, Clay was the only person to whom I showed some of my early manuscript drafts. Without his encouragement, I may have dropped the project many times.


• Len Riedel from the Blue and Gray Education Society has been wonderfully supportive of this project, from beginning to end.


• My researcher, Rosanne Butler, has become a good friend. Without her work at the end of this project, I would be way behind my publication deadline. Her husband, Stuart, also worked at the National Archives for many years. His knowledge of the military records there was invaluable.


• There are also a number of people whom I have met on my Civil War tours who have been great sources of encouragement. Thanks!

Q: Are there any other highlights you would like to address?
A: The biggest highlight has been my wife's support of this book project. Most importantly, she agreed for us to move back east from San Francisco, so that I could take a two-year sabbatical to complete my Mercantile Battery research and write the first draft of the manuscript (while we simultaneously took care of terminally ill parents). Without taking that sabbatical, I might never have been able to tell the story of Chicago's Battery Boys.

Working with Ed Bearss

Q: How did Ed Bearss get involved with Chicago's Battery Boys?
A: In the summer of 1998, I attended a Blue and Gray Education Society tour of Vicksburg conducted by Ed Bearss who is the foremost expert on that campaign. From Ed, I learned that the Mercantile Battery had been actively involved in Ulysses S. Grant's campaign. The artillerists participated in the battles of Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Post, Port Gibson, Champion Hill, and Big Black River Bridge. During Grant's May 22, 1863, assault on the Confederate forts protecting Vicksburg, Capt. White and his men were commended for their heroic actions in support of the Union infantry.

Q: Can you please tell me about Ed Bearss' background?
A: Ed Bearss is one of the most remarkable people I've ever met. He is a prolific author and is currently the chief historian emeritus for the National Park Service. Not only is Ed an expert on the Civil War - for both the Eastern and Western Theaters - but he is knowledgeable about almost every aspect of American History. Recently, Ed celebrated his 82nd birthday. He will still be traveling this year about 250 days lecturing and conducting onsite tours for heritage organizations such as the Smithsonian Institute and National Geographic Society. Talk about a "road warrior." Besides visiting historic Civil War sites, Ed also conducts tours of the European and Pacific campaigns for WWII as well as tours of the American Revolution, Indian Wars, Lewis and Clark, the Alamo, etc.

Q: Has Ed Bearss been involved with history-preservation projects?
A: Since Ed started his career 50 years ago at Vicksburg National Military Park, he has been integrally involved in a multitude of projects to preserve America's legacy. Ed started his preservation work as the park historian at Vicksburg. In the Yazoo River nearby, he and his friends discovered the remains of the USS Cairo, which was a Union gunboat that had been sunk by Rebel water mines in December 1862. Ed spearheaded the recovery of the Cairo and raised part of the money by winning a contest on a TV game show. Today's gunboat exhibit at Vicksburg is a vivid reminder of Ed's dedication to preserve and interpret American history.

Q: In addition to working to preserve and interpret Vicksburg, with what other historic preservation efforts has Ed been involved during his career?
A: As the chief historian for the National Park Service, Ed conducted research that led to the formation or expansion of many of the parks we visit today. Frankly, there are very few Civil War preservation efforts that he has not been associated with. For many years, for example, Ed has provided guidance to local preservation groups and he sits on the boards of national organizations such as the Civil War Preservation Trust. What most people do not know is that Ed often donates the honoraria he receives for lecturing and touring to the preservation groups he is trying to help.

Q:How did Ed Bearss help you with your Chicago Battery Boys book?
A: I got to know Ed while attending more than a dozen of his Civil War tours. After a tour of the Shenandoah Valley a couple of years ago, during which I was conducting research on my second book, I asked Ed if he would consider writing the Foreword for Chicago's Battery Boys. Imagine my surprise when Ed said that he first wanted to edit and validate my entire Mercantile Battery manuscript!

Q: Were you anxious about having the leading Vicksburg expert review a manuscript that contained extensive material on this campaign? It seems like that would be especially daunting to someone who had never written a book before.
A: As I drove home I definitely had second thoughts after agreeing to send Ed Bearss my manuscript to review. I started laughing about how ridiculous the situation really was. My initial thought was that it would be like having someone with an amateur interest in science getting Einstein review his or her manuscript on physics. Or, someone painting by the numbers and asking Monet to critique the painting. Yes, I was very worried. But I had already committed myself, so I decided that it was a great way to find out if my work really had any merit or not.

Q: When did you get your manuscript back from Ed?
A: I sent the manuscript to Ed and heard back from him right before Christmas. Ed called me and said that he liked my manuscript and his changes were on the way. What a great Christmas present! It was one of the thrills of my life to get my manuscript back and to see that Ed had taken so much of his personal time to review and edit every single word of the draft. Most importantly, Ed validated the scholarship of my work and concurred with the hypotheses that I had set out to prove. I still have Ed's corrected manuscript in my safe next to my most valuable Civil War memorabilia.

Q: What happened with the Foreword?
A: At the end of last year, Ed reviewed my Epilogue along with some final manuscript changes to the earlier chapters. He then wrote a very complimentary Foreword for the book in which he compared Chicago's Battery Boys to John Pullen's landmark regimental history on Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine Infantry. I consider myself blessed to have had Ed's encouragement and hands-on involvement. Writing is a long, arduous journey - a bit like the Tour de France - and much of my progress has occurred as a result of being inspired by Ed and other friends.

Q: Has Ed Bearss supported your other book projects?
A: Besides helping me to study the Chicago Mercantile Battery, Ed has also provided support for my second book project, which is to edit and publish the journals in my personal collection of Capt. Oscar Hinrichs from Robert E. Lee's Second Army Corps. Capt. Hinrichs worked as a Coast Survey topographical engineer before the war and then served under Stonewall Jackson and made maps with Jed Hotchkiss. On various tours unrelated to the Mercantile Battery, Ed has introduced me to many of the key sites associated with Oscar Hinrichs, whose set of journals is considered to be among the top unpublished Army of Northern Virginia manuscripts. Ed has also been providing me with some valuable insights regarding a third book I am "incubating."

Q: Does Ed Bearss conduct tours himself or in conjunction with other history experts?
A: While Ed conducts most tours himself, he often incorporates local experts into his programs. At the Blue and Gray Education Society program I mentioned, Terry Winschel co-led the tour with Ed Bearss. Terry is the second most knowledgeable person about Vicksburg and has been the park's historian for many years. He first met Ed when the latter was conducting research on his landmark trilogy of the Vicksburg Campaign. Terry is a well-respected Civil War author and lecturer. He is also known for his spine-tingling living history interpretation of an artillery captain whose battery, Company A of the 1st Mississippi Light Artillery, was on the Confederate side of the Chicago Mercantile Battery's cannonades during the Vicksburg Campaign.