Okay readers, the wait is over! So, who did I get to meet today? None other than Dr. James M. McPherson. You read right, I said James McPherson, author of numerous books on the Civil War, including Battle Cry of Freedom. Dr. McPherson was in Fargo, ND (about 80 miles south of where I live) to visit his birth state (he spent the first few years of his life in ND) and talk about his latest book as part of the Read ND program and in early commemoration for the Lincoln bicentennial.
I attended two events today. The first was a seminar at the studio for Prairie Public Television, which is the local PBS station here. This was an invite only event and myself, several of my colleagues at UND, and students and staff from NDSU and Concordia College were able to ask questions of Dr. McPherson. It was an aweome event and I was able to get two of my books signed by him. I also was able to be pictured with him and will post it when I am emailed it. The program will be webcast and I will post the link as soon as it is available.
The second event was an evening lecture by him at the historic Fargo Theater. At this, McPherson lectured about Lincoln as commander-in-chief, which is the subject of his newest book Tried by Fire. I only wish that more of my friends could have attended, as this was an incredible event and quite an honor for me to meet a legend in Civil War history.
Sorry for all the anticipation, but I wanted this to be an awesome surprise for you all. Again, when I get the picture and the link to the program I was a part of, I will post them here. Well, it’s late, I am tired, so I am going to relax and prepare for tomorrow, so have a great night.
Since WordPress is now allowing polls with posts, I thought I would take a try at it, so here is the first of hopefully many more polls. So, go ahead and vote.
Civil War History 
Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. should be a choice.
James I. Robertson Jr. is the recipient of every major award given in the field of Civil War history.
Best,
RGW
Great point. How could I forget him? I will see if I can add him to the poll.
No T. Harry Williams? Also, I am curious as to if you told McPherson that you blog and whether he is aware of this aspect of the Civil War world. I can’t help but wonder, if so, what he thinks of Dimitri.
Ethan,
Alas, no T. Harry Williams, but I must confess that I am not as familiar with him as I maybe should be. As for my question to McPherson (not sure if you had a chance to watch the video), I did indicate to him that I blogged. He is not that familiar with it, being more old-school, but is aware of Civil War blogs. He somewhat viewed them as a waste of time, which made me chuckle, as it sometimes can be seen as a waste of time, but I see it as my non-academic outlet. He did not mention Dimitri. I wonder if he would answer an email regarding his thoughts on Dimitri. Thanks for your comment and I hope I answered your question.