Upcoming Talks

Things were busy this year. I had the opportunity to give about a dozen talks and several online interviews.  It was fun to visit many interesting places but even better to meet all the great people at these various events.  Many of the CWRT's I visited are thriving - it was really great to see.  

But there is more to come. If you are around for any these upcoming events, please drop by and say hi!

Nov. 9, 2023 - Hanover Tavern, VA

March 23, 2024 - Pamplin Historical Park, Petersburg, VA

June 10, 2024 - Rappahannock Valley CWRT, Fredericksburg, VA

Sept. 12, 2024 - Chattanooga CWRT

Oct 2, 2024 - CWRT of Wilmington, DE

Oct. 9, 2024 - Columbus (OH) CWRT

Nov. 21, 2024 - Hampton Roads CWRT

Feb. 13, 2025 - Milwaukee CRWT

Feb. 14, 2025 - Chicago CWRT

March 10, 2025 - Fort Sumter CWRT, Charleston, SC

Nov. 20, 2025 - Gettysburg CWRT

Interview with Chris Mackowski at Emerging Civil War

Thanks so much to Chris Mackowski from Emerging Civil War for chatting with me about Gettysburg's Southern Front.  As a special bonus, I learned during the interview that the book had received the 2023 Emerging Civil War Book Award.  Check out the podcast or the video interview.

Interview At Bull Runnings

 

Thanks so much to Harry Smeltzer for posting an interview with me about Gettysburg’s Southern Front on his Bull Runnings site.  We covered a lot of ground - my childhood, some of my favorite authors, my writing "process," the U.S. attack at Richmond during the Gettysburg Campaign, and a little about my next project.

Edwin C. Bearss Book Award Goes to Gettysburg's Southern Front

Happy to pass along that Gettysburg's Southern Front received the 2023 Edwin C Bearss Book Award for outstanding scholarship in Civil War History from the Civil War Round Table of Chicago.

Review Excerpts For Gettysburg's Southern Front

 

Just catching up on review excerpts for Gettysburg's Southern Front:

"A monograph infused with meticulous research, probing analysis, and a smooth narrative style that can serve as a model for today’s historians attempting write a modern campaign study."—Civil War Times

"Altogether, Gettysburg’s Southern Front is well written, deeply researched, and provides excellent analysis, breaking new ground in the literature of the war, with its look at what was potentially a decisive moment in the war."—New York Military Affairs Symposium

"This study’s value extends beyond its important connections to the Gettysburg Campaign. While those seeking a broader understanding of the Army of Northern Virginia’s invasion into Pennsylvania and the Union efforts to stop it will find Newsome’s smartly crafted book essential, anyone desirous of deepening their knowledge about the roles African Americans played in Civil War operations, interactions between civilians and the military, or the environment's impact on troops will find Newsome’s study of great worth."—Civil War News

"A masterful campaign narrative of understudied military actions."—Civil War Monitor

"Hampton Newsome has a knack for finding parts of the Civil War that have been either ignored or undercovered and then doing a a great job of researching and writing compelling narratives about those parts. This wonderful book is no exception."—Student of the American Civil War

"Newsome’s new book is a marvelously researched history of five weeks of Union and Confederate maneuvering to control the Confederate capital."—The Reconstruction Era

"Newsome’s account of the Union operations around Richmond during the Gettysburg campaign illumines a host of issues long overlooked."—Rocky Mountain Civil War Round Table

"Newsome marshals all of his prodigious research abilities and writing talents, along with strong map support, to craft yet another masterful microhistory of a lesser-known military operation."—Civil War Books and Authors

Book Review from The Civil War Monitor: Gettysburg's Southern Front

 

"Thousands of books have been written about the Gettysburg Campaign, yet talented scholars with fresh insights continue to prove the last has not been said about our most studied military campaign. In Gettysburg’s Southern Front, Hampton Newsome takes readers beyond the fields of Pennsylvania to examine Union efforts to threaten Richmond and its vital railroads in June and July 1863. In doing so, he offers a masterful campaign narrative of understudied military actions, squarely integrating them in the wider scope of the war." - Jonathan M. Steplyk in The Civil War Monitor 

Full review here.

Interview on Civil War Talk Radio: Gettysburg's Southern Front

Many thanks to Gerald Prokopowicz for having me on his Civil War Talk Radio podcast to talk about Gettysburg's Southern Front from University Press of Kansas.

If you're curious about the book and would like to find out more in a pod format, here is your chance!

Upcoming Speaking Schedule

Several speaking dates coming up. If you can make it to any of these events, please drop by and say hello:

Jan. 25, 2023 - Civil War Talk Radio

Feb. 23, 2023 - Pender CWRT, Rocky Mount, NC  

April 15, 2023 -  "In Great Deeds, On Great Fields: Gettysburg at 160 Years. A Civil War Symposium"; Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 

June 23, 2023 - CSS Neuse Museum, Kinston, NC

July 6, 2023 - Virginia Museum of History & Culture, Richmond, VA  

August 10, 2023 - Rocky Mountain CWRT, Littleton, CO

Sept. 12, 2023 - Charlottesville CWRT

Sept. 21, 2023 - Barringer CWRT, Pinehurst, NC

Sept. 26, 2023 - Williamsburg  (Va.) CWRT

Nov. 7, 2023 - Brunswick, NC CWRT

Nov. 9, 2023 - Hanover Tavern, VA

Jan. 10, 2024 - Lynchburg CWRT

June 10, 2024 - Rappahannock Valley CWRT, Fredericksburg, VA

Aug. 8, 2024 - Rocky Mountain CWRT

Sept. 12, 2024 - Chattanooga CWRT

Oct 2, 2024 - CWRT of Wilmington, DE

Oct. 9, 2024 - Columbus (OH) CWRT

Nov. 21, 2024 - Hampton Roads CWRT

Feb. 13, 2025 - Milwaukee CRWT

Feb. 14, 2025 - Chicago CWRT

Book Review from Student of the American Civil War Blog: Gettysburg's Southern Front

"Hampton Newsome has a knack for finding parts of the Civil War that have been either ignored or undercovered and then doing a great job of researching and writing compelling narratives about those parts. This wonderful book is no exception." - Al Mackey at Student of the American Civil War blog.

Full review is here.

Book Review from Reconstruction Era Blog: Gettysburg's Southern Front

 

"Newsome’s new book is a marvelously researched history of five weeks of Union and Confederate maneuvering to control the Confederate capital. Nearly everything I read in it was new to me, and I am sure it will be so for most readers of Civil War history . . . .  I highly recommend this new work."  - Patrick Young at The Reconstruction Era: Blog Exploring the World the Civil War Created

Full review is here.

Book Review from Rocky Mountain CWRT: Gettysburg's Southern Front

A nice review of Gettysburg's Southern Front from Guy Bowman of the Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable.  I spoke to the group last summer about The Fight For the Old North State and look forward to getting out there this August to talk about the new book.  Here is an excerpt from the review below - the full review can be accessed through the RMCWRT Facebook Page.   

"Newsome’s coverage of this campaign was thorough and well written. I found his narrative compelling! I particularly appreciated his attention to the logistical issues and the operational fine points of the individual raids; specifics which I haven’t the space to address here. His focus on certain details – the routes taken by the various armies, the movement of prisoners, and the complex problems arising from so many runaway slaves and refugees – drew me in. His explication of the political background and operational issues was excellent. He also took time to develop the story behind Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephen’s effort to organize a prisoner exchange convention/peace conference with the Lincoln administration. While complementary to the military campaign, it gave us a clearer picture of the political context of the Gettysburg campaign as viewed from Richmond. I thought Newsome had a good grasp of the key personalities and their idiosyncrasies. While the Blackberry campaign was a sideshow to the main event (Gettysburg), this is the kind of work that enriches our understanding of the character of the war. Earl Hess calls Newsome’s book a model study! I have to agree." 

- Guy Bowman, Rocky Mountain Civil War Roundtable Newsletter, Jan. 5, 2023.