About CivilWarTalk

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CivilWarTalk

Lieutenant General
- ★★★ -
Managing Member & Webmaster
Joined
Apr 1, 1999
Location
Martinsburg, WV
Who is the Webmaster and What is the purpose of CivilWarTalk.com?

As the webmaster and founder of this web site I feel that I need to answer this question in a personal way.

This web site was originally intended to bring experts and amateurs who share the desire to learn more about the Civil War together, and to take that shared knowledge and make it available to anyone and everyone on the internet.

Since this web site's founding back in April of 1999, CivilWarTalk has developed a reputation as one of the best Civil War internet communities that can be found. We have a great variety of members who are friendly and knowledgeable about all kinds of Civil War topics.

Now I have to say that things have not always worked to perfection, sometimes things don't work the way they were planned, and sometimes I fail to do things as quickly as I'd like. However, I think that this site will always be a work in progress, and although we may never achieve perfection, we will always strive to be as perfect as possible... as a web site.

I like to think that some of the best and brightest people on the internet use our web site. If you have questions about the Civil War, we have people with answers, or at least they can get you pointed in a direction to get an answer.

Now, I don't pretend to be a historian, I'm a computer tech by trade. I am also an N-SSA member, which means that on the field I may look like a typical reenactor, but I shoot more live ammo with my musket than many reenactors fire blanks each year. I do have a love for the Civil War, Artillery, and facts, figures, and statistics.

So you ask what's the purpose of CivilWarTalk? I think that it's first purpose is to be a friendly community, a proverbial "Cyber-campfire" if you will, for all who wish to post their thoughts or questions, and for all those who wish to listen. It's second purpose is as a powerful research tool, with a wide array of resources for the student of the Civil War.

I hope you enjoy what we've created here, and I hope you find yourself visiting CivilWarTalk again and again!

I am, respectfully, your obedient servant,

mk.JPG


Mike Kendra,
Managing Member
CIVILWARTALK, LLC

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The Staff at CivilWarTalk

Mike Kendra a.k.a. @CivilWarTalk ★★★
Managing Member, Webmaster, Designer, Editor, and Original Founder
From: Clifton, New Jersey, USA
Current Residence: Martinsburg, West Virginia, USA
Member Since: April 1999
Unit Info: 1st NJ Light Artillery, Clark's Battery 'B', N-SSA
AKA: CivilWarTalk, NJArtillery, Bullseye​
Current Forum Moderation Staff:
@ami ★★ Super Moderator
@bdtex ★★ Senior Moderator
@Viper21 ★ Moderator
@lelliott19 ★ Moderator
@Andersonh1 ★ Moderator
@JerseyBart ★ Moderator

@WJC ★★ Judge Advocate General

Current Forum Host Staff:
  1. Men in Ranks - Battlefield Tactics
  2. Fort Sumter - @scooter748driver
  3. First Bull Run & Second Manassas - @Andy Cardinal
  4. Shiloh / Pittsburg Landing @Ole Miss
  5. Antietam / Sharpsburg @ErnieMac
  6. Fredericksburg
  7. Gettysburg @pamc153PA @MRB1863
  8. Siege of Vicksburg @ucvrelics
  9. Eastern Theater @Jamieva
  10. Atlanta Campaign @Luke Freet
  11. South & Western Theaters
  12. Trans Mississippi Theaters
  13. Naval War - At Sea & Along Inland Waterways
  14. The Surrender at Appomattox
Technology & Culture of the Era
  1. Cadets Who Would Go to War
  2. 19th Century Invention & Innovation
  3. Small Arms & Ammunition @ucvrelics
  4. Cannons / Artillery & Crew Served Weapons @drezac
  5. Edged Weapons
  6. Railroads & Steam Locomotives - @Lubliner
  7. Forts, Fortifications, & Other Forgotten Places @A. Roy
  8. Medical Care @lelliott19
  9. Prisons & Prisoners @Gary Morgan
  10. Foods & Recipes @donna
  11. Music & Songs of the 1860's @Claude Bauer
  12. Ranks, Uniforms, Clothing, & Gear @major bill
  13. Currency, Stamps, & other Collectable Papers
People & Personalities of the Civil War
  1. Famous People of the Late Unpleasantness
  2. Other Soldiers, Politicians, & Men @major bill
  3. Ladies Tea - War from a Feminine Perspective @DBF
Exploring Through Time:
  1. Traveler's Companion - Visit Historic Sites - @Buckeye Bill
  2. Civil War Cemeteries: Where Valor Proudly Sleeps- @Virginia Dave @gentlemanrob
  3. Researching Civil War Records & Ancestry - @lupaglupa
  4. Historic Preservation Efforts
  5. Relic Hunting & Collecting - @ucvrelics @major bill
  6. Reenactors Forum - Join, Drill, See the Elephant - @captaindrew
  7. Event Wire: Reenactments, Walks, Shows, & More
  8. Period Photos & Examinations - @Championhilz
  9. Contemporary Photos of Sites & Events
  10. Civil War Games & Miniatures - @rebel brit @Pat Answer @Booner
  11. Civil War Books, Stories, & Media - @Library Lady

A Long Dusty Road
  1. Regimental Histories @Michael C. Hardy
  2. Religion in the Civil War
  3. Soldier's Tales @NH Civil War Gal
  4. Hauntings of the Great Rebellion @NH Civil War Gal
  5. Four Footed Friends @John Hartwell @donna
  6. Immigrants During the Civil War
  7. Mid-19th Century Life
  8. Soldiers who fought on Horseback: Cavalry @Woods-walker
  9. "What if..." Discussions
  10. U of ACW Study Center @JerseyBart
  11. War Between the States Trivia Game
  12. Contests & Activities @ami
*Zoom Presentation Planners*
Retired Moderators:
AUG
Brass Napoleon
chellers
CMWinkler
E_just_E
ErnieMac​
Glorybound
GwilymT
JerseyBart
johan_steele
jpeter
JRJ​
kholland
Lnwlf
M E Wolf
matthew mckeon
MRB1863
Nathanb1​
Ole
Robtweb1
Seduzal
wilber6150
.
.​
Additional Contributors:
Joe Bilby, Bob Sullivan, Paul Calloway, Tom Kelley, Tony Beck, Mike Kotyk, Chris Sullivan, & Rod Ploessl.​

* User is a Host & Moderator
(List Updated 6/14/2022 by Ami)
 
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
UPDATED OCTOBER 2019

How do I use CivilWarTalk?

Anyone can freely read the content at CivilWarTalk.com, at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with or without a membership.​
The full threads at SlaveryTalk, SecessionTalk, & ReconstructionTalk, are for Members Only, but registration is FREE, and very easy!​

If you've never used an internet discussion forum, it may be a little confusing so let's talk about what a forum is, and how it works!​
A forum is a community of like minded people who share a love or passion for a particular subject, in this case it's the American Civil War! They visit the forum to read what others have posted and add their own stories, comments and points of view, as well as photos and videos when they are appropriate.​
A forum has parts, and to use it you'll want to understand those parts.​
A Forum is not unlike a Library.​
A Library has Books, and Forums have Threads.​
A Library Book has Pages, and Forum Threads have Posts.​
However there are major differences! Books can be quite different from Threads.​
Books are typically written by one person and have a single story, or describe a particular subject as a complete project from start to finish. Books are rarely published as "unfinished works" unless the author is no longer alive to complete it.​
Threads are started by a member who is sometimes referred to as the "OP" or Original Poster, someone who chooses a topic to discuss and writes the very first post in the thread and by posting it "Publishes" a new thread.​
Then each post afterwards adds to the discussion, and also immediately adds to the "publication". After that the posts might be between two authors, or hundreds. It's also never easy to tell when a discussion has come to an end unless a thread has been locked. If a thread is open, anyone can add their comments to continue the discussion.​
How Do I Participate?
Register First!

How do I Create a New Thread and Start a New Discussion?
If you want to start a new discussion thread, first find the correct forum page that is appropriate to your new discussion.​
Use this page as an index to all available forums:​
Then find and click the blue button labeled "Post New Thread" at the top right or the bottom right of the forum listing page. This will get you to the page to start a new thread as well as upload an Image Attachment!​
How Do I Reply To a Thread with a Post?
If you want to reply to a thread, just go to the bottom of the thread, and you'll find an empty text box to write your message in.​
Click the "Post Reply" button to save your message!​
How much do I have to pay to use CivilWarTalk.com?

Nothing! CivilWarTalk.com is a completely free web site! Our message board does have a voluntary membership, but you can register to use it for free!​
If you would like to help support CivilWarTalk.com and become a Patron Member, you will help us maintain our server and grow our services for the community! Join as a Patron Member Today! Thanks to all the Patrons of CivilWarTalk.com!​

Why Can't I See All The Threads At CivilWarTalk.com?

The full threads at SlaveryTalk, SecessionTalk, & ReconstructionTalk, are for Members Only, but registration is FREE, and very easy!


Will CivilWarTalk, LLC keep my personal information private?

Absolutely, yes! CivilWarTalk, LLC is committed to keeping your personal information private. We strive to keep your email address spam free, and confidential. We do not require any member's personal information to be publicly displayed. If you require further information please refer to our Privacy Statement.​

What may I do to keep my account safe?
This forum has built-in features that attempt to detect hacking and hijacking. In regards to the latter, a guest may be "locked out" from logging in for several minutes if he fails five times to enter the correct password.​
Speaking of passwords, you would do well to use a strong password, and choose a different one for each website you make an account for. Of course, if someone has the skill and is determined enough, he may compromise your account anyway, but by taking steps to secure your account, you will lessen the probability of heart ache or annoyance.​
Have you made sure your password is secure?​
- Does it contain at least 8 characters?​
- At least 40% of which are numbers?​
- There are no dictionary words at all?​
- Is just a random mix of numbers and letters?​
- You changed it in the last month or two?​
- You haven't told anyone it or written it down where someone else may see it?​
Here is an article that members may find helpful, especially the not-so-computer-savvy among us:

5 Tips For An Unbreakable Password

Despite the current wave of identity theft and corporate security breaches it's amazing how very few people treat their passwords with any level of seriousness. Most computers users, both at home and in the office, see passwords as a nuisance and therefore make them as easy to remember as possible. This can be a catastrophic mistake.​
There are certain specific guidelines you need to follow to choose a safe and secure password. Use the following tips as a "how to" on making your password secure.​
  1. Your password must be alphanumeric. That simply means a mixture of numbers and letters such as xpf2778z. Why? When a hacker tries to break into a system they often use what are called dictionary or brute force hacks. A dictionary hack is an application that simply uses standard words and word combinations in an attempt to guess your password. For example many computer users use the word "password" as their actual password. A dictionary hack would crack that password in a few moments. Using alphanumeric passwords increases the number of possible password combinations by millions.
  2. It should be 8 - 12 characters in length. The longer the password the harder it is for a hacking program to get around. If your password was abc then there are 6 possible password combinations. If your password was abc123 there are now over 720 password combinations possible. If your password was abc1234 there are now almost 6,000 possible combinations. Never, ever use a short password only comprised of letters.
  3. Never use personal details in your password. People often use their home address, their age, husband or wives name, their social security number or their date of birth. These are incredibly easy to get access to by either a fellow employee or potential system hacker. Your password needs to be secure and hard to guess and personal details meet neither of these criteria.
  4. Do not write your password down anywhere. Keeping a record of your password for somebody to find is dangerous. Create a memorable password that you'll have no problem recalling. This is not as hard as it sounds and if you jot some password ideas down you'll quickly come up with some good ones. Obviously burn the piece of paper you jotted your ideas down on.
  5. Do not use the same password for more than 90 days. Create several variants of the same password and recycle them every 60 - 90 days. This adds an extra layer of security to your data. By recycling your password frequently you make your data 1000% more secure. You'll notice that most large corporations force their employees to change their password every month for this exact reason.
Hopefully these tips will help you choose a password that's both safe and secure and that you'll have some fun creating your new passwords too! Have a safe time using the internet!​
What should I do if I forgot my account password?

Use our Password Recovery tool: http://civilwartalk.com/lost-password/

What am I allowed to post on CivilWarTalk.com?

Many things, but not everything. For instance, you may not post copyrighted material on the Forum without the owners permission. You also may not post commercial messages in conversational areas.​

You can find a complete list of rules in our Rules and Proper Etiquette Section.​


What's the rank structure of this forum?

Ranks are determined by your status (Registered Member, Moderator, Webmaster) and how many posts you have made at CivilWarTalk. The forum automatically updates members' ranks (if any need updating) once every hour (specifically, the 25th minute of each hour). You may have to wait until the update script runs to see a new rank.​

  • New Members: Cadet
  • 25 Posts: Private
  • 250 Posts: Corporal
  • 500 Posts: Sergeant
  • 1000 Posts: First Sergeant
  • 1750 Posts: Sergeant Major
  • 2500 Posts: 2nd Lieutenant
  • 3500 Posts: 1st Lieutenant
  • 5000 Posts: Captain
  • 7500 Posts: Major
  • 10,000 Posts: Lt. Colonel
  • 12,500 Posts: Colonel
  • 17,500 Posts: Brevet Brigadier General
  • Moderators: Brigadier General
  • Super Moderator: Major General (Ami) & Other Special Awardees
  • Webmaster: Lieutenant General (CivilWarTalk)
Can I become a moderator?

Possibly, but only when we're in need of them. Don't start a conversation asking to be one prior to that time.​

Who can I contact about Ancestry and/or Genealogical questions?

Please do not ask the webmaster your Ancestry and/or Genealogical questions, unfortunately he does not have the resources to answer such questions.​
These questions are better answered in our community forums "Researching Your Civil War Ancestry".​
 
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STUDENT GUIDE

How do I cite this website as a source?

Articles should be cited in the following manner:

Authors Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." CivilWarTalk.com Online. World Wide Web. (Date page was accessed on the web). Available at http://CivilWarTalk.com.​

If the Author of the document is not identified then use the following format:

"Title of Article." CivilWarTalk.com Online. World Wide Web. (Date page was accessed on the web). Available at http://CivilWarTalk.com.​
 
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USING CIVILWARTALK: THREAD NAVIGATION

In order to Navigate our forums it is best if you understood how to navigate to posts in threads. The figure below is a sample view of a thread on our forum:

FAQ-ViewAThread.png

A: The Thread Title will take you to the first unread post.​

B: The Thread Start Date/Time will take you to the first post of the thread.​

C: The Most Recent Post Date/Time will take you to the last post of the thread.​

This figure is similar to what you would see if you viewed recent threads on the home page, a forum thread listing, the What's New page, or in search results.
 
EMAIL & SUBSCRIPTION PREFERENCES

How do I stop all these emails?!!?

There are four areas you will want to check
  • Stop Watching threads you've set to "Watched".
Un-check the threads you'd like to adjust and use the selection box at the bottom to Disable Email Notification or Stop Watching Threads.​

  • Check your Contact Details, this controls the emails you would get if someone starts a Conversation with you.
Look for: "Receive email when a new conversation message is received"​

  • Check your account preferences, this controls the default settings for new posts and threads you create.
Look for: "Automatically watch threads that you create or when you reply..."​
Also: "and receive email notifications of replies"​

  • To stop emails from the Administrator (Mike), you may adjust the configuration in your Privacy Settings.
For "Receive site mailings" to shut off Admin emails...​
 
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HOW DO I USE CONVERSATIONS

What happened to the Private Message System (PM System)?

In the conversion from our old forum to the new forum PMs became Conversations. The main difference is that conversations can be held between more than just 2 members, and that such discussions are held in a threaded format.

Do I need to worry about my Inbox size?

No! The new system does not require conversation limits, have as many conversations as you like! Also the new threaded format has no Inbox or Outbox, you can find all your conversations here:

http://civilwartalk.com/conversations/

How do I delete a conversation?

In the top right corner of the conversation, click "Leave Conversation". You will have the choice to Leave, but come back if another participant adds another message, or you can leave the conversation permanently. (Note: A conversation is only completely deleted if all parties to the conversation leave the conversation.)
 
HOW TO LINK TO CIVILWARTALK

Looking for a quick and easy way to link to our site? You can copy paste the following HTML codes in your web page. Please feel free to adjust the links as you see fit. Thank you!

Big Text & Link

CivilWarTalk.com is a forum for students and fans of the American Civil War. Our online community of Historians, Skirmishers, Re-enactors, Educators, and Enthusiasts is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information related to the War Between the States. Our goal is to become the leading resource for every researcher seeking historical information and opinions relating to the American Civil War.
HTML:
<p><a href="https://civilwartalk.com">CivilWarTalk.com</A> is a forum for students and fans of the American Civil War. Our online community of Historians, Skirmishers, Re-enactors, Educators, and Enthusiasts is dedicated to the exchange of ideas and information related to the War Between the States. Our goal is to become the leading resource for every researcher seeking historical information and opinions relating to the American Civil War.</p>

Small Text & Link

Discuss the American Civil War at CivilWarTalk.com.
HTML:
<p>Discuss the American Civil War at <a href="https://civilwartalk.com">CivilWarTalk.com</a>.</p>
Simple Link

CivilWarTalk.com
HTML:
<a href="https://civilwartalk.com">CivilWarTalk.com</A>
 
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Why does my Post Count and/or my Like Count sometimes go down?

At CivilWarTalk we pride ourselves in having a quality easy to use web site, and we also make every attempt to keep up with modern technology and support different photo sharing services. We make every effort to protect the data in our forum because we understand the value of being able to view "yesterday's discussions" can have a lot of value.

However, many photo sharing services over the years have closed, or changed their terms of service, and linked images that were once available in our threads are now broken and missing. This is a problem for us because it's not helpful for users searching for information on CivilWarTalk and Search Engines can penalize us for having broken and/or no content on our site.

So to keep our site clean and working we periodically remove broken images and delete posts and threads with no functional content.

In addition, from time to time, low value content, but high storage demand threads such as "share your shares" are also purged from our servers freeing literally Gigabytes of hard disk space.

So, as a side affect of deleting Threads and Posts, your post count and like count may sometimes go down. It's not something we choose to do, but rather an unfortunate side affect to maintaining a quality web site.

We promise to limit the damage of these lost likes and posts to as few areas as possible, we have invested in new tools to import external images from photo sharing services and instead store them on our servers so that even if one day those services shut down we will still have a copy of the data, preserving your posts and likes for the future.

We hope that in the future this will no longer be necessary. But at least for now, we will continue the cleanup, which I believe may take months....

This is the price we pay to keep the educational side of our site working every day.
 
Creating the Best Possible New Thread F.A.Q.

I will be adding to this FAQ as time permits! - Mike@CivilWarTalk

Should I use a period at the end of my thread title?


Periods should only be used for abbreviations. Never add a period at the end of your title, or in a subsection headline. The reason you never see a period or a "full stop" in a title or headline is that full stops, as it's name suggests, are something that tells your mind that you've reached the end, but that's the opposite of what you want your reader to be thinking when they read your title or headline! Titles are all about leading your reader into your post, and anything you can do to help this flow is a bonus. When was the last time you saw a newspaper story title with a period at the end of it?

Should I USE ALL CAPS as part or all of my thread title?

I recommend avoiding typing in all caps in my titles, unless a small part of my title really needs to be SHOUTED! That's not something I do very often. Never ever post your full title in all capital letters, that is against our forum rules. At most, we permit one or two words, in some cases a short phrase in all caps, anytime we see a title in ALL CAPS, it's reverted to Title Case.

Should I post a photo in my new thread? Why would that be important?

Yes, I highly recommend that every important thread has a good quality photo of some kind near the top of the first post. Good quality meaning that it's clear, not blurry, cropped nicely, not weirdly cut into multiple pieces, and be placed either above your text, or shortly after a small introductory paragraph. It's also important that the photo be in some way relevant to the thread you are creating, not just any random photo!

Why? In order to promote a great thread, a webmaster will need a photo to attach a title and description for your thread, this will be what is used on the CivilWarTalk homepage, as well as Social Media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere around the web. If any other sites discover your thread and link to it, there is a good chance that your photo will become the thumbnail photo for your thread, making it the way that people identify your thread in a group of links and articles.
 
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