Coming out of Hibernation!

As you may know, I have not posted any new material for quite some time.  For that I am very sorry! A combination of evolving job responsibilities, my pursuit of a PhD (while working full-time), and the fun of tending to a growing family (one child with another on the way) have kept me away from this page for some time.  However, in the weeks and months ahead I hope to return to posting new material more regularly.  I have been working on a number of new book and article projects lately and look forward to discussing them here.  With all of that being said (or written), thanks for your patience and stay tuned for more updates!

My Upcoming Book!

Tidewater Historian is back after a bit of an unexpected hiatus! Several positive things occurred this Summer and early Fall that kept me from posting as much as I would have liked. For one, I was very busy with writing. A couple of magazine articles that I wrote appeared in leading historical publications (more on that later), and I also spent most of the summer working on a book manuscript with a co-author (more on that later as well). I have also been hard at work completing courses toward my doctorate at William and Mary. However, the biggest event this Summer was the birth of my son, Sean M. Heuvel, Jr. (a.k.a. "S.J.") on July 7th! S.J. is now an active and healthy three-month old who keeps his parents quite busy! We are blessed to have him in our family!

Another major development in recent weeks has been the final tweaking of my upcoming book, Life After J.E.B. Stuart: The Memoirs of His Granddaughter, Marrow Stuart Smith. The cover design for the book was just finalized the other day and I have posted a picture of it here. I am very excited about this work, which tells the story of the Stuart family in the post-Civil War era through the lens of one of its most interesting members, artist and educator Mary Marrow Stuart Smith (1889 - 1985). Marrow was Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart's eldest surviving grandchild as well as the oldest child of J.E.B. Stuart II and his wife, Josephine Phillips Stuart. It is a very neat family history as well as a fascinating life story and I believe that those with an interest in the Stuart family, Southern History, Virginia History, and/or the Civil War will really enjoy reading it. The book will be released early this December - more details to come! If you are interested, the book is currently available for pre-order through such online book vendors as Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. When you get on their websites, just search for "Life After J.E.B. Stuart."

As time permits during this busy semester, I will plan on posting a bit more frequently about my current research projects, ranging from the American Revolution through the Civil War. As always, thanks for your interest and support!

Upcoming W&M Alumni Magazine Article!

I am excited to announce that I will be writing an article for the William and Mary Alumni Magazine about the Civil War service of the College's students, faculty, and alumni. The article is part of a three-part series that explores William and Mary's role in the Civil War. My article (part two of the series) will be released in the magazine's Fall 2011 issue. The Summer 2011 issue (cover shown here) examines what happened on the William and Mary campus before and during the conflict. The text and photography are both very well done and I recommend the piece highly to those who are interested in the topic.

Examinding the role of William and Mary's people during the Civil War is a subject near and dear to my heart. I have spent several years researching the topic and wrote my master's thesis about it when I was a graduate student at the University of Richmond. What fascinates me most is that despite William and Mary's rich Civil War history, the topic is very little known, even to William and Mary alumni. My sense is that there are possibly two reasons for this. First, the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg in the 1920s immersed the community (including the College) deeply in its colonial history. In the opinion of many, that leaves little room to interpret other periods of the community's history, including the Civil War era.

Second, since the Civil War was such a dark time in the College's history (considering all of its physical, emotional, and financial destruction), perhaps people purposely wanted to forget about it. People tend to prefer remembering the "good times," which could also explain the focus on Williamsburg's colonial history (when the College and town were both in their prime).

Whatever the reason, the time has come to better remember and commemorate William and Mary's Civil War history. As the South's oldest college, William and Mary produced several people who played instrumental roles in shaping the course of the Civil War. I hope that my upcoming article can help facilitate interest in the topic. Within the next few months, I also hope to make a big announcement about an ongoing project related to this topic, so stay tuned!

Upcoming Magazine Article on General Heath

Tidewater Historian is back after a bit of a hiatus! For the past several weeks, I have been busy working on a book manuscript, which has consumed a great deal of time. More importantly, my wife and I are expecting our first child to be born within the next few weeks, so we have also been busy preparing for that! Anyways, I wanted to post a quick update about my ongoing research on Maj. Gen. William Heath (1737-1814) - shown here - who was a top commander in the Continental Army during the American Revolution. Since most of his wartime work was done in the administrative and diplomatic realms, he is not nearly as well known as the likes of Nathanael Greene, Henry Knox, and Daniel Morgan. Nevertheless, his wartime service was highly significant and worthy of greater attention and recognition.

My interest in General Heath stems from a family connection I have with him - he and I are distant cousins (third cousins, nine times removed to be exact). As such, I enjoy learning about his Revolutionary War career and his specific contributions to American Independence. Fortunately, an article I wrote on General Heath will appear in the upcoming September/October issue of Patriots of the American Revolution Magazine. I have published a piece with them before (on Maj. Gen. Edward Hand) and really like the magazine's format and commitment to chronicling Revolutionary War history. The article on General Heath will appear in the "My Patriot Ancestor" section of the magazine.

While General Heath is not a well-known Continental Army commander, his battlefield leadership during the Battles of Lexington and Concord, his work lobbying state governments for troops and supplies, and his diplomatic leadership working with the French during the war's later stages certainly played important roles in securing a successful outcome for the Patriot cause. I look forward to seeing the article in print and thank the staff at Patriots of the American Revolution for running it!

William & Mary in the Civil War

I had the pleasure recently of being interviewed for an article in The Flat Hat, The College of William and Mary's student newspaper. Written by W&M student Jill Found, the piece (entitled "War! Forgotten in Williamsburg") explored the College's role during the American Civil War, and why that aspect of its history is not better remembered. The article in its entirety is posted here.

I have spent years researching this era of William and Mary's history and find it to be quite fascinating. Unbeknownst to many, several historically prominent individuals who had a significant impact on the war (Winfield Scott, John Tyler, John C. Crittenden, James Murray Mason, etc.) were all William and Mary alumni. Along with alumni, William and Mary students and faculty served in several different military or political capacities during the war, mostly for the Confederacy.

I wrote my master's thesis about the Civil War service of the College's students, faculty, and alumni when I was a graduate student at the University of Richmond and have written and published at different times on the topic. In the coming months, I will also hope to provide updates about future plans to publish material in this area. In the meantime, thanks to The Flat Hat and to Jill Found for putting together such a great article!

My Long Lost Uncle

I recently purchased a genealogical book that traces my family's history (through my maternal grandmother) back to colonial New England. I already knew a great deal of information, but I wanted this book since it provided sources to validate the various family trees. It was apparently written by one of my distant cousins in the late 1960s after spending nearly twenty years doing research, and traveling throughout New England and England itself.

Anyways, I was excited to get validation for what I already knew, but was even more excited to learn some new things about my family history. One major surprise centers on my seventh great-granduncle, Jonathan Curtis (1708-?) of Roxbury, Massachusetts. He was a twin brother of my seventh great-grandfather, John Curtis. In 1740, Jonathan likely enlisted in the 43rd Regiment of Foot to fight in what was later called the War of Jenkin's Ear, which lasted from 1739 to 1748 - though the major operations largely ended by 1742. The war pitted the British against the Spanish in the Caribbean and was essentially caused by trade disputes and accusations of piracy. New England men like Jonathan Curtis were recruited to serve in the 43rd Regiment based on appeals to their patriotism and promises of extracting great wealth from the Spanish. A drawing of a soldier from the 43rd Regiment of Foot is shown here. Jonathan (who was unmarried) was known to have drawn up his will around 1740 before leaving with the rest of the regiment for the Caribbean.

Unfortunately, according to this genealogy book, Jonathan was never heard from again. He was later declared legally dead on November 25, 1747. I can only imagine how traumatic the experience must have been for his family. After doing some research, my (educated) guess is that Jonathan went with his regiment to modern-day Columbia where a large battle was fought against the Spanish, known as the Battle of Cartagena de Indias between March and May 1741. The battle ended in absolute disaster for the British, and many of their soldiers (including several from the 43rd Regiment of Foot) also died from disease. Therefore, I suspect that Jonathan was either killed in battle or died from yellow fever while he was in Columbia.

Like I wrote earlier, I knew nothing of this before reading it in the genealogy book. I feel fortunate to know at least this much about Jonathan, but wish I knew even more. Anyway, I felt that it was fitting to honor him here with this posting. I look forward to learning more about this conflict, as well as the 43rd Regiment of Foot in the near future!

Ulysses S. Grant's Last Great-Grandson Passes Away

I just saw a reference to this Kansas City Star article that was posted online earlier today by J. David Petruzzi. The last great-grandson of Ulysses. S. Grant (Ulysses S. Grant V) has passed away. I have spent a lot of time researching the namesake descendants of prominent Civil War figures, so to me this is quite significant news.......

Last Great-Grandson of Ulysses S. Grant Dies

By HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH

The Associated Press

The last surviving great-grandson of Ulysses S. Grant has died in a southwest Missouri home brimming with artifacts from the nation's 18th president and commander of the Union forces in the Civil War.

Ulysses S. Grant V spent part of his youth in the home of his grandfather, Jesse Grant, who was the late president's youngest son. Jesse Grant's wife, Elizabeth, is credited with helping to save the artifacts.

As an adult, Grant V became a custodian to the items — including his famous relative's letters, his will, his China and even the flag said to have flown over the Appomattox Court House when Robert E. Lee surrendered. Some of the items have been sold in recent years.

"It was everywhere growing up," said Grant V's grandson, Ulysses S. Grant VI. "It was an everyday part of our life."

Grant VI said his grandfather died Wednesday at age 90 at his home near the Springfield-area town of Battlefield, which received its name for its proximity to a Civil War clash. He had suffered a stroke previously.

Grant VI said Grant V was "proud of his heritage" and "the smartest man I ever met." He said they had a special relationship because he was born on his grandfather's 50th birthday.

Grant V called him Sam — a nickname the late president's West Point classmates gave him because his initials, "U.S.," reminded them of "Uncle Sam." In reality, the general was actually born Hiram Ulysses Grant, but the congressman who submitted his name to West Point mixed it up. Grant adopted the new name.

His great-grandson, Grant V, followed in his great-grandfather's footsteps, serving in World War II and Korea. He later owned an avocado-growing operation in California and designed buildings before moving to Missouri to be closer to family.

Keya Morgan, who collects Grant memorabilia and is writing a book and making a film about the general, struck up a friendship with Grant V. Morgan called his death "the end of an era."

"He was a historian," said Morgan, who also is serving as a spokesman for the family. "He kept his family's history intact."