The Army of the Potomac went into camp shortly after the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg. The enlisted men managed to remain relatively comfortable through that winter of 1862-1863. We recreate a typical camp to better understand their experiences. First part of a series to run through April 2021 covering the experiences of four months spent in an army winter camp of the Civil War. Part II will be released in December. For early and some exclusive access to content, follow us over on Odysee using this link: https://odysee.com/$/invite/@Historic-Resurgency:6 ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A193WdPNvL4

Continuing our search of the Big Elk Creek in northeastern Maryland, we find the remains of a 200(at least!) year old gristmill and a 19th Century home site, an 18th Century property marker, and the site of an ancient Indian village. As a bonus, I go off on a rant against cat ladies and their tendency to wreck history. To find these sorts of sites in your own community, search for your County under “maps” at www.loc.gov If you find an old map showing historic buildings, find landmarks that still exist(churches and waterways are usually best), and see what you can locate. Preserve, restore, protect! ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2R8QrJwLKk

Thoughtlessly, we have thrown away one of the greatest building materials, tons and tons of it every year, due to our misunderstanding of its chemical properties. Lime mortars and plasters can be used and reused over and over again with very little effort. It is not only good for the environment but, historically, there are few tasks as satisfying as repairing old plaster and stone work using the original plaster and mortar. Our corporate overlords, their political puppets, and “green technology” in general seem to ignore this. Why? Simply put, most so-called “environmentalists” are ultimately more concerned with profit and control than with actually conserving the environment. Since there is little profit to be had in environmentally-sound lime construction, these people avoid the subject altogether. Next time you have to repair some plaster or repoint historic masonry, remember that you can do it with the same materials you remove. Cost? Just some muriatic acid and a bit of common sense. Word of caution: wear gloves and safety glasses. I’ve gotten muriatic acid in my eyes quite often and can say from hard experience: it BURNS! Badly. My tolerance for pain and suffering has been much increased through years of working with this harsh material. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aFrYAuglrs

Log cabins. There is no building type that captures the imagination of an American quite like a home rough hewn from the wilderness. Two centuries and more after being built, a log building needs periodic maintenance. With regular maintenance, however, there is no reason these buildings couldn't last another two centuries with no problem. It was a real pleasure working in Salem, New Jersey. Relatively speaking, though, I spent very little time on the actual job. Most of my time was spent in the woods working up timbers, in the shop splitting shingles, or standing a lonely vigil at the lime kiln. Even so, I've enjoyed every bit of it and can't wait to do it all over again! ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZnZmGAXZso