Military History Weblogs
Since the advent of the World Wide Web, people all over the world have found a way to be heard, to share their stories, life experiences, and knowledge with anyone interested. In fact, it is this phenomenon that has brought about the name of our current era to be called The Information (or Internet) Age.
Hundreds and thousands of websites exist with information of whatever one wants to learn about. Many of those sites give obligatory and generally known info, almost belching it out much like the encyclopedias of old. Many military history sites also fall within this category. Military history has traditionally been known as somewhat of a dry and rusty science, conjuring up images of gray-haired old professors and veterans lounging around in a smoke-hazed sequestered room, regurgitating unknown names and forgotten dates of ages past. While that once may have been a fact, it is a quickly fading one nowadays, most especially since the invention of a great layman’s tool on the Internet: weblogs.
{default}Weblogs, more commonly known as ‘blogs in Netspeak, are websites created primarily by individuals, but sometimes by organizations, where they may share and relay information in a personable nature, just about as close to holding a discussion or perhaps giving a speech as is possible in cyberspace. Like the standard websites they are usually tied into, blogs range in as wide a variety of topics as you can possibly think of, each with their own style, agenda, and layout.
Military history is one such topic that I believe is benefitting from the blog craze currently storming through the Internet. Sure one may still look up military history data and find it listed drudgingly in forms by date, topic, battlefield, or whatever. The sensation, or lack thereof, from such base reading is that this is ‘who-what-where-when-why and how’ it happened, and that’s that. This is what blogs are changing, by breathing fresh thought into the study and reading of military history via the Web. Not only do they allow the common person to wax eloquent on a subject, the well-written ones entice readers to respond, to take part in the conversation. It doesn’t matter if you know only a couple of facts about the subject, or can recite entire books from your vast knowledge, blogs are there for the benefit of all.
Of course, this very thing also makes military history blogs a two-edged sword. Because of the anonymity of people on the Internet, seekers of knowledge must tread carefully through websites on any topic, but most especially those concerning military history. So, if you will allow me the pleasure of helping be a guide through this electronic minefield, I want to share a few quality military history blogs that I have been reading for a few months now. Mind you, this is NOT a listing of the top military history blogs to be found, just a few that I think treat military history with respect and honor, and give equal consideration to the good, the bad, and the ugly that all military historians know exist. My hope is that you may find them a treat to read as I do, and that maybe one day we’ll all be reading your own military history blog!
De Re Militari: The Society for Medieval Military History, was created in 1991 as a way to achieve a better understanding and sharing of knowledge and ideas of pre-modern military affairs. The Medieval Warfare Blog is where the organization keeps its’ members updated on what’s happening within the Society, along with general blogging about medieval military history. With both original thoughts and a posting of relevant news, Peter Konieczny, the sites’ webmaster, has what I think is some of the best medieval warfare information to be found on the Internet. Their archives go back to April of 2006, when the blog went live, so peruse through them if you have some time. I bet even professional military historians may learn something.
Blog Them Out of the Stone Age
Mark Grimsley, creator and webmaster of this blog and its parent site, WarHistorian.org, is a Department of History professor at Ohio State University. You know, the same Ohio State University that recently trounced the Michigan State Wolverines in one damn spectacular game of college football. But I digress. Perhaps the most active blog on this list, Grimsley posts at least something regularly and often. And, since I’ve been reading him, he has regularly and often posted something that makes me think he’s a right on dude, or he’s completely nuts. Either way, I keep coming back to read what he has to say, because I just like the way he’s saying it. Check it out and see what you think.
The next two blogs cover the American Civil War. Mike’s Civil War Musings is an elaborate collection of today’s Civil War-related news, books, websites, and more, all posted by one Mike Koepke of Geneva, Illinois. Keopke also has a running list of Civil War books he has, is, or will soon read. I like this site for the wide range of Civil War news found here, and because Keopke has done a lot to link to other Civil War blog sites, sort of a Civil War blog hub, if you will. Which is how I found the next military history blog.
This fantastic blog is ‘penned’ by Maggiemac, a 61-year-old writer from North Fort Myers, Florida. In it, Maggiemac does a superb job of covering biographies, tales, general and specifically detailed histories about women during the Civil War. Her blog has only been online since June of this year, but she already has a wealth of military history published within. For me, this is a rather weak area in my own knowledge of military history, and I have been learning much thanks to this blog. Bravo!
Military History Blog on the Web
This blog is the online ‘town crier’ for news and data happening from HistoryofWar.org. The blog mainly tracks new additions to the organization’s expansive and steadfastly growing Military History Encyclopedia on the Web. While the blog itself doesn’t give over to much conversation, it does a good job at keeping military history alive with the help of their Encyclopedia, and makes it easier to keep up with new articles as they get added to it.
So, there it is. Again, this was not meant to be a countdown or review of these blogs, but merely an online roadsign of sorts to hopefully help point those interested in reading military history blogs (and maybe starting their own) in a right direction. There are just so many out there to read, and not enough hours in the day to read them all, sadly. Gotta start somewhere, right?
Stay Alert, Stay Alive!
Jim H. Moreno
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Hi Jim:
Please visit this eyewitness history blog when you get the chance, involving letters home from a U.S. soldier in the AEF. Published in “real time” as the letters are written.
http://worldwar1letters.wordpress.com