Thanks H.H. for your explanations; I wish my prof had been as forthcoming. The Southern generals have always intrigued me more than the Northern generals. I've read about Grant and like him – my father refers to him as the “workhorse of the Union Army”. Whether that's a correct assumption or not, I don't know. Personally, Longstreet is my favorite but there again, many would have arguments with my opinion.

H.H. – My history class just finished the Civil War and your opinion about the industrialized North versus the agricultural South is a question that I've had but an answer hasn't been provided until now. Competent generals, or the lack there of, is the most logical answer I've heard, so far. It took awhile for the North to get its “act together”, so to speak.

I realize this is an old post but it caught my attention and I had to post my parents' experience or rather my mother's experience when they lived in Florida during the 1950's…they lived in a small town in the midsection of the state and one day my mom went “uptown” to do a bit of shopping. She stopped in the local dimestore/lunch diner for a bite to eat. Not having any experience with white and no white sections she failed to see the signs posted designating where to sit. She took a seat and waited an eternity for a waitress – none came …eventually, another customer took pity on her and explained that she should move to the white section if she expected to get waited on. Instead of doing so, she got up, gathered her things, left the diner and refused to shop there again. By the early 1960's, my parents were back in the midwest but she never forgot that experience. She said it wasn't the fact she'd sat in the “wrong section” and wasn't served, the entire experience made her realize how ridiculous and humiliating the Jim Crow laws were for African-Americans.

I'm extremely depressed…no Ben Franklin in the icon selections 🙁

Ahhh…the great minds of this forum, good deal! I've been working on family genealogy for a long time. I'm trying to obtain the last bit of info from my mother about her family – she has alzheimers; mid-stage – so, I'm working hard on her family. Fortunately, my father is in good mental condition and has a great deal of knowledge and interest to provide me with. A few years ago, I also began participating in the maintenance of old cementaries in counties near me and assisting with listing those buried in old, forgotten cementaries. Basically, I walk through them recording as many names with corresponding locations as possible. May not sound like fun but those people from the past have a right to be recorded and remembered, in my opinion. 

Without looking, name five figures from the Dark Ages off the top of your head.  Any figures.....who can do it?

...ugh...think I'll go stick my head in the oven... :-[ :-[

If a book is decided upon, please post the title as I'd like to be involved. My classes will be over for the semester and my summer classes didn't pan-out, so I would like to attempt this…

My dream job would be to work in the State Museum. I also admire the librarians who work in the genealogy room of the Historical Society in my city.