So, I am working on the end of the Civil War, reading a great book about the thirty days of April in 1865, and listing the historic happenings of that era.  It appears that Lowell’s monument to the first slain soldiers ennobled at the Ladd/Whitney Monument was not dedicated on its desired day, which was supposed to have been April 19, 1865, because of the murder of President Lincoln  by, depending on who you read, one man named John Wilkes Booth or a group of men and women supporting John Wilkes Booth.  Lowell not only had the first victims of the war, it also had a tremendous number of persons who were martyred on the battlefields of a poorly run war.  However, we won, and the United States remains united.  Blue and red, maybe, but united nevertheless.

    The goal of the South could have been to maintain a fence on their northern border, but the President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, saw this as a fight to the finish for complete control of the entire country.  Not until he found the likes of General Grant and General William Sherman, who were willing to bring the war to the entire South, was he able to fulfill what ultimately became his destiny.

     It is interesting to note that on April 4, 1865, General Robert E. Lee tried to convince President Jefferson Davis that the war should be a guerilla type exercise fought from the protection of significant mountain ranges throughout Virginia.  At that time, Lee was not a Southerner as much as he was a leader of the nation of Virginia.  Virginia was a nation to him, as it was to others under his command.

    So, that is what I am working on.  It promises to be an incredibly diverse blog.  Hopefully, it will make people see the nation as it was in that day and time.  That is my goal.

    To the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots coming one pass from losing the game.  Mr. Butler, who I believe is the person who intercepted the ball with twenty seconds to change the course of the game, came through.  Today I could imagine the healthy whinings of his agent’s efforts for his contract next year.  I hope he gets the millions he deserves.  And Gronkowski, how can you dislike the guy?  He seems to me to be not only our best Receiver but also our best representative.  He truly seems to like the New England Patriots and hypes our favorite team’s accomplishments every chance he gets.  I must admit that I thought the player who deserved at least one car was Mr. Butler.  However, Chevrolet took the opportunity to recognize the year long effort of Tom Brady.  I must admit that, a few years ago when all of the press was about Peyton Manning that I thought Tom Brady was not rewarded for his consistency and effort.  Well, last night was about Tom Brady, who even cited his one or two bad passes and established his legacy with Joe Montana.  I believe that Mr. Brady is a better player than even Mr. Montana.  But, boy, are they close.

     My good friend Tom Wirtanen is fine after his automobile accident.  That is good because good Republicans who can work both sides of an issue are hard to find.  I wish him well, and hope to be able to fish with him, perhaps off of my boat, this summer.  I hope I spelled his last name correctly but I always have trouble with it.

    I have good shows coming up.  Bill Samaras and Eric Gitshier are both slated to be on.  We might have a fishing show since that is my favorite idle past-time.  Eric must know something about fishing since he is in charge of the Water Works.  Isn’t that a great name for the department?  Go “Monopoly.”

I apologize for having missed my cues as to writing a newer blog.  The last one was good, but I was unable to complete another due to some health issues.  For now, I am back to normal.  So, plan on seeing another one soon.  And, I will be passing along a variety of facts for the one on April 19, 1865.  Hope to hear from alot of you on that one.