No Talk, More Action

We’ve decided to end the CAMP TALK column and bring you more action. Unless you’re brand new to Blue & Gray, you know that CAMP TALK was our news column. When it debuted in 1985 there was no Internet, which today can keep you almost up-to-the-minute on news in the Civil War community.

Furthermore, it takes 3-4 weeks from when we go to press until you get Blue & Gray in your mailbox. By that time much of the material in CAMP TALK is stale. But don’t worry, when there’s a major ongoing news story that demands coverage and maybe some editorial analysis, such as a preservation battle, we’ll present it to you in an article format, or talk about it here on the RESPONSE page. For news and upcoming events, we recommend Civil War News, published monthly.

Another reason for our decision to end CAMP TALK is probably even more significant for fans of what we do here. We know what sets Blue & Gray apart from the others. It’s the in-depth General’s Tour feature and our battlefield tramper approach to the War. The pages generally devoted to CAMP TALK will be used to add more variety to each issue, or sometimes for an extra map or two, a side-bar, or additional photographs to support the feature.

As for variety, we want to publish more reader submissions in the ON THE BACK ROADS column. For those unfamiliar with that column, we have included one in this issue, and I encourage all of you “trampers” to share your local Civil War sites with the rest of us. It’s also a good way to alert readers to endangered sites and to publicize your preservation efforts.

editor