behind AotW

a companion to Antietam on the Web

Year: 2006

  • Copyright, the public domain, & digital history

    In a mini-rant on one of the ACW boards yesterday, a publisher of an excellent website raged about someone stealing and re-posting his “copyrighted” photographs from the site. The alleged perpetrator was characterized in vulgar terms. All of these online photos, as far as I can tell, were created during the 1860s, and the pictures in question would have been of Civil War general officers.

    Putting aside the moral obligations for crediting sources, or respecting someone’s family pictures, or the sanctity of a private collection, or whatever else might be in play, I have a fundamental problem with his complaint of copyright infringement.

    How can our angry friend claim to own the copyright on these pictures? They are, by my reading of US Copyright law, in the public domain. Public Domain = not copyrightable. (more…)

  • History Channel extravaganza

    Upcoming on the History Channel is a series of ten short films: “10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America”. One of the ten being Wednesday, September 17, 1862. The Battle of Antietam.

    still from History Channel

    I don’t use cable TV, so I won’t see this, but would like to hear what you think if you do. It’s scheduled to air first in the series on Sunday, April 9th, 2006, at 9:00PM (8:00 Central time).

    I received what I first thought was a spam email from the HC a couple of weeks ago touting this series. Offered me $100 in online gift cards to put a banner up on my website. I dumped it. I don’t do ads.

    Then I visited the HC promotional website for the series. It is nicely done, and the films look lush. They may not, strictly speaking, be doing Pure History over there, but it is Art. Lovely.

    Perhaps I shouldn’t have trashed their offer so fast – if only in the spirit of reciprocity. They’ve linked to AotW as a resource on Antietam from their site.

    Good on them!

  • Crampton’s Gap: new feature on AotW

    A new front-page feature with supporting exhibits on the Battle of Crampton’s Gap is now up on AotW. Thanks again to Tim Reese for sharing his expertise and letting us capture the best of his former website.

  • History going private?

    I know this kind of thing goes on every day, but I’m struck by it this evening – there’s something not-quite-right.

    There’s a letter for sale on an upcoming eBay live auction. Written by a soldier of the 90th (later 11th) Pennsylvania Infantry, Nathaniel B. Dilhorn.

    I can make out the first page, but that’s all that’s posted …

    Camp 1 1/2 miles from Sharpsburg, Md.
    Sep 26th 1862

    Dear Victoria,

    I received your letter with one from your Mother yesterday. I’m glad after so long a time to hear from you and Isabella & Watty [?]. You do not say a word about your Father. I suppose he is several years beyond the claim of a draft. In Virginia men have been drafted up to the age of 60. I am glad your Father is not included. It would be felt very much by you should such be the case. As it is I think you do not feel the sad effects of this War as many have. Albert is safe & I trust will go safely through it but how many have suffered and fallen & brought sadness to the door of their dwellings. We trust the Angel of of [sic] Death will pass by your door post. You speak of Bell and Watty going to market and will soon be home with good things for their dinners – how I wish I could sit down by them once more. What [a] glorious meal it would be & how grateful we would be at the thought – but we have much to go through yet. Perhaps a long tramp over Old Virginia again. But I hope not, I have seen as much of it as I desire to see. Mr. Duff gave me a cann [sic] of Tomatoes (a Quart Cann) – I found them very good indeed. I promised to Mr. D a Rebels Gun, but I find those who have them are not disposed to keep them. By & bye I will get one for him. Some one will drop a gun on a march then it will not cost much to pick it up. Another Battle may throw many into our hands and then perhaps I can have a choice … [page ends]

    I’d love to read the whole letter, but can’t buy it. (more…)

  • Keeping Crampton’s Gap alive

    South Mountain on horizon, Crampton's Gap center (photo: T. Reese)

    Back in 2002, Timothy J. Reese launched his Crampton’s Gap website. Before that, the 1862 battle was woefully underrepresented online. Prior to his books (1998, 2004*), the battle was underrepresented in print, as well.

    I believe his crusade to get Crampton’s respect and formal recognition as a battlefield park were the original motives for putting the website up. The political winds strong against him, he has taken the site down. Taking a break. Tired of banging against it.

    I was very sorry to see the work he’d done online disappear, so I asked him to let me pull it over onto AotW and get it back on the air. For the last few days I’ve been importing his page content and illustrations, and formatting them to work with the rest of the AotW site. Assuming Tim approves of what I’ve done, I hope to have it up this weekend.

    [Tim’s Crampton’s Gap material begins here]

    Although the decision to save his stuff was instinctive, I am expecting to hear from people who do not agree with his perspective. (more…)