SLICE OF BRYCE

The American Liberty Primer

2011-12-10T22:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wished you knew more about American history but never had the time? In less than 150 pages, the American Liberty Primer will give you a concise, yet profound glimpse at American history from the founding of our country to the Civil War. It is now exclusively available on Kindle, and is offered FREE to Amazon Prime members. Click here to order or view a portion of the book: http://www.amazon.com/The-American-Liberty-Primer-ebook/dp/B006K6QV2O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1323583330&sr=8-3 .

The American Liberty Primer is organized into a series of essays on the following topics that document the course of not just American history, but of American Liberty.

Preface: What is American Liberty?
Chapter 1: How the Revolution was Nearly Lost After it Was Won
Chapter 2: Did America Become More Democratic?
Chapter 3: How the North and South Became Two Separate Cultures
Chapter 4: The Democratization of American Religion
Chapter 5: History of the Baptists and How they Shaped America
Chapter 6: The Truth About Abraham Lincoln
Chapter 7: America's Quest for Liberty
Chapter 8: How the Local Church has been Beheaded

Kindle Books Available

2011-07-28T21:39:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that The Orphan and the Beaten Drum and The Orphan and His Golden Bars are now available in Kindle editions that you can easily download and read on your PC or Kindle. These editions allow us to offer them without the cost of paper and ink! If you are interested, please visit Amazon.com at the link listed below. The cost to download is only $4.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-Beaten-Drum-ebook/dp/B005EOTC9W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1311914056&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Orphan-His-Golden-Bars-ebook/dp/B005EVBXH4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1311914113&sr=1-1

¿Quién tiene razón?

2011-03-08T12:34:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in a previous post about the Mexican-American War. In Mexico, there are still strong feelings against America's alleged aggression of their weaker country. Americans are still being decried for acting as war-like aggressors in areas such as Iraq. Perhaps the insults come with the territory of being one of the most powerful nations in the world.

Well, in our age of diversity and multiculturalism, many don't have a problem with admitting America was wrong. After all, Americans are always wrong, aren't they? Yet, let us not be like the park ranger I met in Brownsville who maintained “my country right or wrong.” Reasonableness requires that we examine the true nature of any conflict and decide who is right or wrong based upon unequivocal laws of right and wrong---the laws nature is governed by. If our country was wrong, we should own up to it. The only problem is that the unequivocal laws become very blurry in the Mexican-American War.

Mexico did not gain independence from Spain until 1821, and this late birthday must be kept in mind when considering that Mexico's government was still very unstable twenty years later. Additionally, the northern state of Tejas y Coahuila, with its sparsely populated and unproductive land, was very different from the Mexican interior. Its residents were American immigrants (mostly Southerners who brought their States' Rights doctrine) and very independent Mexican natives. In 1835, Santa Ana federalized the Constitution and took away the rights of Mexican states, causing the residents of Texas to separate just as Mexico had done from Spain.

The confusion around the end of the Texas War for Independence is what led to the Mexican-American War. Santa Ana, the Mexican dictator, signed the Treaty of Velasco, ending the war and ceding to the Texans all the land they desired. The problem was this: Santa Ana was deposed from power a few months before. Therefore, the Mexican government saw the treaty as void. This is how the “disputed territory” that would fuel the Mexican-American war came about. After Santa Ana signed the dotted line, hostilities stopped. While the Mexicans did not continue to fight, they maintained a spirit of “we will get you later.” The Texans lauded the end of the war. In 1845, however, Mexico arose to dispute the territory granted to the U.S. in Santa Ana's Treaty.

Do you get it? I admit that it is complicated. In the Mexican-American war, both sides fought for what they believed to be their rightful territory. By viewing the above map, you can see just how much territory was disputed by the Treaty of Velasco. Only then will you realize just how big of a deal the war was. In fact, the disputed territory was more than the whole state of Texas originally was!

So, how do we decide who was right and who was wrong? First off, the Texans had a right to do whatever they wanted to do with their state and territory. Did they want to separate to form their own country? Fine. Did they want to join the U.S.? Who can tell them what they can and cannot do? Mexico, however, refused to accept the democratic aspirations of the Texans, and even threatened to invade Texas should they become part of the United States! Even though the Mexicans had just seceded from Spain in a bloody war for racial equality, they denied the Texans the same rights of self-government and self-decision. Sound familiar? Yep, that's exactly what our government did to the South during the Civil War. It was wrong and belligerent for Mexico to forbid a sovereign nation (Texas) from entering the United States. Indeed, Mexico was trying to coerce a small country (Texas) and then complained about being coerced by the U.S. Funny how we are blind to our own faults.

It was, after all, Mexican troops who fired on a small body of men between the Rio Grande and the Nueces. This was disputed territory, after all---not universally accepted Mexican territory. The U.S. soldiers had just enough right to be there as the Mexicans did. It is also fair to say that the Mexican government was short on integrity when it stopped fighting in 1836 but wanted to push the issue again in 1845 after nine years of R&R. Does silence constitute agreement to Santa Ana's treaty terms? The Mexican governments were full of corrupt dictators during these times who rose quickly and fell quickly. Was it America's fault that Santa Ana was declared an illegitimate ruler only a few months before the treaty was signed? You may judge.

Mexican proponents claim that America took advantage of a small nation. My reply is that Mexico holds just as much blame as America did for starting the war. IT WAS NOT AMERICA'S FAULT THAT MEXICO HAD WEAK AND CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS any more than it is America's fault that Mexican governments remain weak and corrupt today. If Mexico was weak, she sure matched her weakness with pride when she refused to see an American diplomat to negotiate terms. When reading many Mexican defenses of the war, one cannot help but think the authors are whining about their own calamities. It was not America's fault that their own Mexican governments had let them down or that the Mexican people suffered because of their own rulers.

That said, the American government was not free from the war-guilt. The Texans back in 1836 should have made sure all their t's were crossed and i's were dotted before they claimed victory. Additionally, the 1840's was a time of romanticism and excitement about obtaining new lands for the U.S. and expanding “democracy.” America believed it had a Manifest Destiny to spread liberty to the rest of North America. This doctrine included taking other people's land, which in reality, is not liberty at all. Many people wanted to make Mexico or portions of it part of the U.S. in order to expand American dominance and Southern slavery. There was much opposition to the war, even in the U.S., because war is never something to be taken lightly. In the end, war could have been avoided if people cared enough to try!

Honduras Story

2011-01-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

It was June 1, the dawning of a new month. I had been out of school for several weeks, but had been looking forward to the trip to Honduras for months. I would travel from Memphis to Atlanta on board Delta flight 1982, switch onto a connecting flight to San Pedro Sula, and from there meet up with missionary Ronnie Doss. You could say that I was a little nervous. Sure, I had been away from home before, but Honduras was more than 1,400 miles away, and I would be staying for two weeks with a missionary I never met.

I awoke early and weighed my over-stuffed U.S. Army bag one last time to make sure it was not over the weight limit. I unlatched it to add a few last minute articles, then made sure the zip-lock bags of candy were on top. The candy was a tactic I learned from my American contact. When my bag arrived in Honduras, the airline workers would hopefully take a bag of candy and not my shoes.

My parents and I loaded up while it was still dark, and they drove me to the airport. After they helped me check-in, I gave them a hug and left them at security. It was invigorating to be up and about at such an early hour. I was full of purpose. I was embarking on the adventure of my life. Even Bro. Ronnie had warned me that Honduras “is another world.” He had warned me not to stay for more than a week, the demarcation line when visitors start craving American hamburgers. Never pushy, I told him I would risk two weeks.

I passed my hiking boots through security. When I put them back on, my tickets fell out of my breast pocket and scattered on the white terrazzo. I looked back to see if my parents could see. It was the start of my trip that I hoped would not prove equally clumsy. Click to see whole article.

Under Protest?

2011-01-11T10:12:00.000-08:00

Baptizing a Baptist in Death

Unaware of their spiritual ancestry, many Baptist Christians believe that they are under protest to the Catholic Church---that they are Protestants. This is due to the influence of Reformed historians who have not represented our people in the history books and have influenced our schools, colleges, and churches. A couple weeks ago, I had the pleasure to listen to James Beller speak about our Baptist history. It was invigorating to hear about people who believed just like us in centuries past.

Why is it that we identify Protestants as heroes of the faith? What happened to the Baptists? In the late nineteenth century, an ex-Confederate chaplain and Southern Baptist Seminary professor named William Whitsitt decided that the Baptists came out of the Protestant Reformation. According to him, the Baptists only began to immerse in England in 1641. The seminary threw Whitsitt out, but after he died, they accepted his unorthodox views.

While many Baptists continue to believe Whitsitt's theory, someone forgot to tell the Catholics. They were killing Baptists for immersing believers way before 1641. Catholic historian Stanislaus Hosius said in 1565, “There shall be no faith more certain and true, than is the Anabaptists, seeing there be none now, nor have been before time for the space of these thousand and two hundred years, who have been more cruelly punished, or that have more stoutly, steadfastly, cheerfully, taken their punishment....” (qtd. in Beller, Sacred Betrayal 3). According to our enemies, we have been around since at least 365. There is other evidence that suggests the early Christians immersed their converts. And how about John who baptized in the Jordan River (Matt. 3:6)?

The Catholic Church, to this day, teaches that baptism washes away the sins of infants and that grace is achieved through communion. The Reformers, such as Luther and Calvin, held similar beliefs. All these religions united with the state in order to crush their adversaries. Baptists, however, always held to the Biblical belief of salvation by grace through faith, that the two ordinances (Baptism and the Lord's Supper) were symbolic, and that the church must remain autonomous and avoid alliances with the government. In short, the Baptists have remained doctrinally pure.

Of course it is sometimes difficult to track Baptists through history. The Catholic church was merciless, not only in burning our people, but also burning our books. It is also hard because our name has never stayed the same nor our people in one place. We have been called Anabaptists, Waldenses, Albigenses, Paulicians. And, we were “called Christians first in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

It's time that Baptists stop being reformed and start becoming informed about their Bible. Christ said, “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). To accept that the true church dissolved for 1400 years and somehow re-appeared is unthinkable.

Beware U.S. Documents in Spanish

2010-12-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a bilingual edition of our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. My purpose was to share these documents with Spanish speakers in hopes to help them understand our form of government.

I was surprised with what I found.

You remember where our Declaration of Independence declares, “...and to assume among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and Nature's God entitle them...”? Well, the Spanish version, translated by the Cato Institute, decides to take God out. Instead, they substitute, “Leyes de la Naturaleza y de la Naturaleza Divina.” A literal translation of Cato's phrase is, “the laws of Nature and of Divine Nature.”

What? Not only does this translation take away the idea that our rights come from God, but it insists that somehow nature is god! This is not what our Declaration of Independence says! And that's not all. In the preamble of our Constitution, the Cato Institute substitutes the word “blessings” (bendiciónes) for the word “benefits” (beneficios). Clearly, the word “blessings” implies a Supreme Power while the word “benefits” does not.

Lastly, let's take a look at Cato's translation of one of my favorite clauses of the Declaration. Our's says, “...that whenever ANY Form of Government becomes destructive of these Ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new Government...” The Cato institute says, “que el Pueblo tiene el derecho de cambiar o abolir CUALQUIER OTRA Forma de Gobierno que tienda a destruir estos Propósitos....” The translation substitutes “any” for “cualquier otra” (any other). According to Cato, it is not our form of government that we can abolish, but another form. This is a dangerous sentiment which will lead us to serving tyranny in our own country while abolishing other people's forms of government. In the light of Mexican public opinion toward the Mexican-American war, this phrase will doubtless be interpreted as a manifest destiny to capriciously invade sovereign nations---a right our Declaration does not give us. The Cato Institute has deceptively left out two of America's foundation stones:

It changes Nature's God into Nature as a god.

It changes the idea that we can abolish ANY form of government destructive of liberty.

What is going on? Who is trying to keep the Hispanic people from understanding our TRUE form of government?

For a better version of the Declaration, see the National Archives: http://www.archives.gov/espanol/la-declaracion-de-independencia.html (It still substitutes "benefits" for "blessings" in the Constitution.)

Immigration and Your Duty to American Liberty

2010-12-25T19:36:00.000-08:00

My hermanos and me behind the new border fence in Brownsville, Texas.

To Southerners who still remember their Second War for Independence, it is understandable that Mexicans still remember their total defeat in the Mexican-American War (1846-48). Of course, Mexicans do not call it the Mexican War. They call it the U.S. Invasion. They claim that America subjugated a weaker country, stole half of Mexico's land, and ravaged its populace with war. Sound familiar to our War of Northern Aggression? Well, it is, and it isn't.

In this post, let's first take a look at what's going on today. Mexicans still want to retake their land, and they are doing a very good job at it. Americans still don't understand that illegal immigration is an invasion of a hostile people on our soil who want to take back the land they lost after their surrender in 1848. Don't believe me? Google the Aztlan project and read more. Why don't our politicians understand this history?

Despite seemingly tranquil relations with Mexico, a 2006 Zogby poll showed that only 36% of Mexicans hold positive views of Americans. On the other hand, 84% of Americans hold positive views towards Mexicans. Some 73% of Mexicans claim that U.S. residents are racist, only 26% view Americans as hard-working, and only 16% view Americans as honest. Does it disturb us that a majority of our largest immigration group holds us in disdain? (http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.cfm?ID=1082).

Yet, Mexican nationals continue to pour across the border. The Department of Homeland Security reported that over 188,000 Mexicans immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 alone (see chart). This does not include illegal aliens. At the same time, the documentation of this growing people group is highly deceptive. Why does the U.S. Census Bureau, for instance, include Hispanics in its count of white Americans? According to the census, 79.6% of the U.S. population is still white. In reality, only about 65.1% are white while 15.8% (and the number is increasing) are of Hispanic origin.

Just how much immigration is taking place? Currently, 10.7% of our population is Spanish-speaking. This means that America has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world! (We are second only to Mexico). America's Latino population is larger than America's black minority, a statistic that is unprecedented in our history. Take a look at some statistics from the CIA World Factbook: The U.S. birthrate is 13.83/1,000. If we subtract the death rate, we have a net gain of 5.45 persons per 1,000 population. Our current immigration rate is 4.25/1,000. (See the CIA Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html). This means that American citizens are barely reproducing as fast as immigrants are coming into our country. Obviously, this is dangerous to maintaining our culture.

In a time when diversity is such a part of our social philosophy and education in America, we seem to have forgotten that we are included in diversity, too. The picture is clear: traditional American whites are quickly becoming an anomaly. Reuters, a respected news service, predicts that white Americans will be a minority in the United States by the year 2050. (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1110177520080212). If white Americans want to maintain their historical identity in the U.S., something is clearly going to have to change. The birthrate must increase, and immigration must decrease.

Perhaps a footnote is in order. I love the Hispanic people to death, and I respect their culture and heritage. But I also respect my own culture and heritage. Today, white Americans have been duped into the belief that if they question other races, then they are racist. They are told that America is a melting pot. This is absurd. Historically, America has never been a melting pot. Our forefathers were very careful to maintain our unique culture. Today, we don't know what our culture is. It is not color we are worried about. It is our culture and way of life.

Anglo-American culture, historically, has held to certain beliefs that other people groups have not. Take, for instance, the black race. When they first arrived, they did not understand such things as free government, individual rights, and Christianity. As they became more Americanized, they understood this American heritage and were eventually made citizens. Even Indian law recognized blood killings---where the family member of a murder victim could murder a member of the perpetrator's family. These laws were tolerated within the bounds of the Indian nations, but they could never be tolerated in American jurisdictions where jury trials were a common right of the people. Ever wonder why blacks and Indians were excluded from the political process? It wasn't always because whites were racist. It was because whites wanted to protect their historical culture.

If you have looked around you, you probably have noticed that not many white Americans can speak Spanish. In fact, many white Americans protest speaking Spanish because they think it is somehow un-American. However, I propose that if Americans do not start learning Spanish and teaching our immigrant populations about our history and culture, our country is doomed.

Mexican politics is extremely socialistic. Ask your Mexican neighbors what their political views are. You'll probably be surprised how friendly they are to socialism. The fight that our fathers fought against the Soviet Union is now being lost through our southern border. Now, perhaps you can understand why the Democratic party wants them here. It is not because these politicians are kind, considerate people. It is because they want to use this new people group as a pawn to swing elections in their favor. The Democratic Party is, today, hardly democratic. The party represents socialist aims such as welfare and socialized medicine. To the Mexican people, who have long been oppressed by “conservative” regimes who pocket the people's money, re-distribution of the wealth seems like a good idea. They don't understand that Americans, historically, have resisted socialism because it flies in the face of American Liberty where the government keeps its hands off the people.

We have a choice. We can sit back and watch a large cultural subgroup grow and grow, or we can learn Spanish and try to get these people informed about our cultural heritage. The government is not going to stop the immigration problem anytime soon. There is too much political and monetary gain at stake. Businesses (who sponsor candidates) can hire illegal workers at cheaper prices. The government allows illegal workers to pay taxes. Above all, the liberal politicians encourage them to bring in their socialist agenda.

That means it is up to you and me to use this as an opportunity. Since the Mexican and Latin American people are here in America, what better way than to share with them about a Savior who died for them? No longer must we pack up and head to Mexico to be missionaries; we can witness right here at home. Additionally, we have the opportunity to teach them about our form of government: less governmental involvement, States' Rights, individual liberties. Who knows? Maybe they will take these beliefs home with them when they leave. Or, if destiny determines that they should stay, maybe they will become a blessing to American Liberty instead of a liability. Perhaps because of you, Responsible American, America's hostile Mexican presence can become her ally.

It won't happen if the Mexican people continue in bondage to a works salvation and believing that the Church is the only way to Heaven. It won't happen if they continue to think government re-distribution of wealth and property is the way to end poverty. Most of all, it won't happen if you don't get busy. It starts with a love in your heart for the Spanish people. You don't have to agree with them; you must love them as human beings and lost souls before God. You must learn Spanish to share with them the Bible story of salvation solely by Christ's work, and not our own. It is up to you to make friends and gain their trust on an individual basis, so that they will listen to you. You have a choice. You're country's fate, absolutely and without question, hangs in the balance.

Facebook

2010-12-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

We are now on Facebook. I just logged into an account that a friend of mine created a while back. I hope you will bookmark our page and send us a friend request. My blog will be syndicated on Facebook for easy perusal, so be watching for our most recent posts. See you on the Web!

Edward Ayers on Slavery

2010-12-15T16:12:00.001-08:00

I came across this conference through a class with school. Thought I would share it with you all since it is a pretty good take on slavery in the early American republic. Ayers takes into consideration how growing evangelicalism in the First Great Awakening originally made people question slavery before it became an accepted way of life. Then, the South experienced a technological revival that encouraged slavery. Railroads grew, the cotton gin and cotton press helped produce more cotton, and the steamboat could carry the bales up north to textile mills. If you believe slavery was a Southern problem in the nineteenth century . . . don't. The North encouraged the institution by its own industrial system.

You will need to create an account to listen at the Gilder Lehrman Institute website. It is free, so don't worry.

Edward Ayers:

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historians/podcasts/podcast.php?podcast_id=507

If you want to listen more, here is a conference from Ira Berlin, a historian who has argued that there is no such thing as studying nineteenth century slavery and getting a full view of the institution. There is more to the story, and it developed through the ages.

Ira Berlin:

http://www.gilderlehrman.org/historians/podcasts/podcast.php?podcast_id=216

What Happened Here?

2010-11-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

(Roger Williams was before his time in his racial views. He was the first missionary to the Indians and was against the contemporary practice of stealing their property; from them, he purchased land for his colony of Rhode Island).

In America, we take religious freedom for granted. Do we realize what a blessing it is to hold church services, worship God in our homes, hand out tracts, and go down to the creek to get baptized? Of what great cost these little freedoms are!

Today, the Puritans of Massachusetts get a lot of credit for being the purest form of Christians our nation has ever seen. Roger Williams, founder of one of the first Baptist churches in America, would beg to differ. He was banished from Massachusetts Bay in 1636 because he preached against unbiblical Puritan practices. One of Williams' disagreements was on government regulation of conscience; another was over infant baptism. While modern textbooks tell us that John Locke, a seventeenth century humanist, was the philosopher from whom Thomas Jefferson received his ideas on religious freedom, they don't tell us that Locke received his ideas from Roger Williams. One historian says “many arguments that Williams made appear almost verbatim in Locke's works” (James C. Davis, On Religious Liberty, 40).

Although we seldom realize it, early Baptists were subjected to the worst of horrors in our country, when all they wanted was to practice their religion freely. Obadiah Holmes was given 30 lashes on his bare back for holding private worship with a dying friend. The Baptists of Ashfield, Massachusetts had their lands confiscated and their preacher jailed after refusing to pay a religious tax. In 1725, even a pregnant woman was whipped for her faith. John Ireland, in Virginia, was placed in jail for preaching the Word of God. Angry sinners tried to suffocate him with smoke, poison his food, and blow him up with gunpowder.

When the Framers decided to write a new Constitution in 1787, it was the Baptists who stopped them short. The Constitution needed a Bill of Rights. James Madison, who essentially wrote the Constitution, did not understand why. Since the Constitution did not give the government the right to infringe upon civil liberties, a Bill of Rights was unnecessary. Nonetheless, Baptists insisted. When Madison campaigned to be sent to the Virginia Ratifying Convention, he almost lost. But he met with prominent Baptists such as John Leland, and after promising to support a Bill of Rights, gained their support. Madison kept his word. Two years later, America finally received her protection of liberty of conscience in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. Not a decade later, when John Adams signed into law the Alien and Sedition Acts to repress free speech, people began to see how important this Bill was.

Today, we have the freedom to believe as we choose, not because that's the way it has always been and always will be, but because our Baptist forebears fought to give us this brief respite from religious persecution. They insisted that God is the only judge over men's consciences. When men get involved, they persecute true Christians. In Christ's parable of the tares, the servants ask if they should root them out. The master replies, “...Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” (Matthew 13:29-30).

Lafayette, TN

2010-09-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, I traveled to my church in Lafayette, Tennessee and filled in for my pastor who was out of town. During the morning service, the Lord gave me much liberty to preach on Colossians chapter 3 and what God expects from the lives of Christians. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (v. 1).

During the evening service, I told the story of the Jewish doctor who came to Christ. It was a blessing to be here and share this story with my church and see how much it affected them. I saw several teary eyes in the congregation. I pray that God continues to use this story for the glory of His Son Jesus Christ.

Events

2010-09-03T17:49:00.000-07:00

  This summer, I traveled to the Searcy and Springdale Homeschool Conferences sponsored by the Education Alliance. This was an excellent opportunity to get to know other homeschoolers in the State, and to talk with them about history and Biblical principles. In both places, I was able to catch up with old friends who opened their homes to me, and the fellowship was sweet. Thank you Melissa Savary for having me come and speak.

  Another exciting aspect of these trips was in Springdale, when I was able to debut as Max Rossvally, a Union surgeon in the Civil War. Rossvally was a devout Jew who hated Jesus with a passion. One day, he met Charley Coulson, a wounded drummer boy who was brought into his field hospital. Charlie's testimony of faith would change Rossvally's life forever. Because of the witness of one young drummer boy, Rossvally became a devoted Christian and a world-wide evangelist!

  I was unable to get many photos at the homeschool conferences (I didn't bring my photographer), but here are some of my trip to the Bartlett Senior Citizen's Center on July 30th, where I met many clever history and genealogy enthusiasts.

  Currently, I am in my second week of school, and am putting my nose back to the grindstone. If all goes well, I will finish this semester. I'm looking forward to dedicating more time presenting the Gospel through living history.

On Historical Fiction

2010-07-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Historical fiction is a great medium to connect with kids in a fun and exciting way while still teaching about historical events and encouraging Christian values. Someone asked me recently, however, if historical fiction will not only confuse our history more than it already is?

The “Civil War,” or War of Northern Aggression, is definitely a confused time in history. Will taking liberties with history or simply writing from a point of view as all authors do, skew the picture even more? I would like to propose that historical fiction clarifies the picture. For example, historical fiction touches on the spirit of the time. It shows how the people felt about what they were experiencing and allows the reader to lose their 21^st century frame of reference. Just as one must understand the culture when he visits a foreign country, one must also understand the culture of a historical time if he hopes to understand it. At best, textbooks recount facts and dates and who did what. Historical fiction should expound on “who felt what” and explain WHY so-and-so did such-and-such. Why did the South believe they were doing the right thing?

If we look back at history, we will find many important writings that employed fictional people to convey real-life lessons. Take, for example, Baron de Montesquieu. He was the same man who wrote Spirit of the Laws in 1748 and was one of the philosophers from which our founding fathers drew the idea of governmental checks and balances. Montesquieu also wrote another work called Persian Letters. This work included fictional letters from two Persians who wrote home about England's constitutional form of government. His readers could learn about his revolutionary ideas of government while not feeling like Montesquieu was giving a lecture. They were reading someone's personal letters. Many of you will doubtless remember Candide, a novel in which the French philosopher Francois Voltaire encouraged the use of Enlightenment principles through the use of a contrived story. Or how about the Civil War-era author Harriet Beecher Stowe who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin? President Lincoln said this novel started the war. While we do not agree with many of these authors, they do represent a good example of writers who taught non-traditionally---who taught without teaching. But perhaps our best example is the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, who frequently utilized fictional parables so that “those that have ears” will hear, and those that don't have ears, will not.

Lastly, we do not write historical fiction with the purpose of taking the place of textbooks or historical documents. We use historical fiction as a persuasive medium, yes. A writer's goal is to persuade. But we also write historical fiction with the hope that it will encourage more people to delve deeper into history---to bring the past to life, to bring an understanding between our culture and theirs. And maybe, if we are successful, our readers will be inspired enough to study further and form their own perspective of the past.

4-H

2010-07-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm finally getting these events loaded up. May 7, I spoke at the BWC 4-H Club meeting at Faith Baptist Church in Germantown, TN. The kids were electing new officers for their club, and I was honored to share with them a little about the history of the War for Southern Independence. Pictured here are some of the young people including my cousins who are part of the group.

The Orphan and His Golden Bars was released last month, and we look forward to seeing the results of this project! We have already received a good response from several home-school meetings we attended. I was also excited to place my books on Amazon.com where they are now available for sale. They are also now as available on my website, www.southerncadencepress.com.

Upcoming Events

2010-05-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

The Orphan and His Golden Bars is at press! After much sweat and toil, I am pleased to announce that the continuing story of Roger Mills the drummer boy will soon be available for sale. Thank you all for your patience in waiting for this project, and I hope you enjoy it!

I also hope to see you at the Searcy Homeschool Conference on May 14 and 15 at the Harding University Campus in Searcy, Arkansas. We will have a booth set up in the vendor area where I will be available to sign books. Also, I will speak at 9:30am on the drummer boy, and again at 2:15pm on "A Passion for Christ," where I talk about my writing experiences and how young people can discover their calling and follow the Lord.

We have two more events this month. I will speak at the BWC 4-H Club meeting in Memphis, and the Education Alliance Homeschool Conference in Springdale, Arkansas on May 14th and 15th. See you there!

Description

2010-03-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

(Illustration from The Orphan and His Golden Bars. That is Stonewall on the left who is directing Roger to stop the troops at Chancellorsville.)

I've been working on the cover for the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Below is the description I have so far. Drop me a line and let me know what you think.

The drummer boy returns in this poignant tale of the Confederacy’s last days. The army has just broken winter camp and is ready to fight. Back in the saddle, Roger Mills is now an officer on Stonewall’s staff, and his sister Jane is recruited into a Richmond hospital governed by an unusual Captain named Sally. On top of it all, Moss Neck hosts a charming wedding for two of Roger’s dearest friends, complete with music, dance, and baseball.

The South seems to stop her enemies at every contest. Yet, several crippling losses cause the army to slacken pace. After watching a slaughter at Gettysburg, Roger learns that his sister is deathly ill from her work at the hospital, and he is confronted with a heart-wrenching test of faith. Then, after a grueling winter when leaders are dead, supplies are down, and food is scarce, everyone knows their final chance is a last-ditch thrust into the enemy’s position. The lot falls to Roger and his corps. This is a story of faith and freedom; love and loyalty. It is the story of an orphan and his golden bars!

“I want to personally thank Bryce for undertaking such a noble project so that future generations will hear the stories of Pendleton and Jackson and their men. Also so that they will understand the true history of the men who wore the gray and fought for the South so long ago!” - W. Danny Honnoll, President of Arkansas Heritage Trails and Former Sons of Confederate Veterans Division Commander (from the Foreword).

Maynard, AR

2010-03-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

It was "Book Character Day" on Tuesday, March 2. I arrived at Maynard Elementary about 1 o'clock and unpacked my gear. The kids were watching a Dr. Seuss video in the cafeteria in honor of the author's birthday. After setting up a table, I sat on the stage sipping a koolaid and watching a video about the Grinch. Not a bad start for the day. I began wondering if I could attend school there until they told me it wasn't always this fun.

I spoke to the K-6th graders. It was enjoyable to speak to this energetic and polite group of young people. When I asked them who liked to write, almost all of them raised their hands. Among the group, I was able to meet a few aspiring writers, including one girl who liked to write books and had been recognized by Williams Baptist College. I also had the opportunity to reunite with some friends who live in the area. My appreciation goes to the school, especially Melinda Harris the GT teacher, for inviting me out.

After I spoke, I left to check on a rental home we have in Pocahontas. I decided to burn a sizable pile of trash and branches that some renters left and that was becoming a real eye-sore. When a nearby tree started to catch fire, however, I decided it wasn't a good idea after all. It was tense moment, but I eventually tamed the fire. Yes, sir, it was a blessed day.

2010-02-05T14:16:00.000-08:00

Below is a paper that I wrote on my family's history since 1891, over 4 generations. At least this will disprove my grandfather's belief that he came over on the Mayflower. Actually, our first ancestor in America was John Chandler who came over to Jamestown, VA with Lord Delaware when he was just a boy. He survived the Jamestown Massacre or we wouldn't be with you today!

Throughout Your Generations

Chandler Family History from 1891 - 2008

By Bryce A. Chandler

Cicero Francis Chandler was born August 30, 1891 in Blackhawk, Caroll County, Mississippi, just outside Greenwood. His wife, Annie Inez Shipp, was born February 8, 1898 in Belzoni, Washington County, which is now Humphreys County. Cicero and Inez were married on December 2, 1917 in Greenwood, Leflore County, Mississippi, and had eight children: Thomas Cicero (T. C.) , Agnes May, Ernestine (Ernie), Walter Frank, James Richard (Jimmy), Llewellyn Arthur (Lou), Annie Frances, and Robert Louis who was born February 12, 1937. Robert was the only child born in a hospital. Cicero fought with the U.S. Army in France during World War I before receiving a medical discharge when he developed double pneumonia and tuberculosis of the lungs. In 1929, the bottom fell out of the stock market and unemployment rose drastically. During this Great Depression era, Cicero moved to Memphis to find better job opportunities where he could use his trade as a carpenter.

Not able to find sustainable employment in Memphis, the Chandler family moved again to Mickie in McNairy County where Cicero helped the Tennessee Valley Authority build the hydroelectric Pickwick Dam that was constructed between 1934 and 1938. While in Mickie, the family lived in a small rental home, and the children attended Mickie Consolidated School. After the completion of Pickwick Dam, Cicero took his family back to Memphis to a house on Douglas Street. Robert remembers how there were no jobs available, but two or three men in the neighborhood would compile their money together in order to purchase food for the other families. With the start of World War II, the economy began to improve.

After Douglas Street, the family moved to a rental at 1057 Springdale. While living there, Robert often attended the Lucianne theater with his brother and sister on Saturdays. The theater showed anything from cowboy and war pictures to Humphrey Bogard and mysteries, but at the time, Robert mainly went to see the cartoons such as Snow White and Pinnochio. Before the pictures, he remembers how they would always play the national anthem, then show an exciting advertisement on war bonds, with flying fighter planes. This was part of an over four million dollar governmental advertising campaign that swept through the nation and rallied Americans to support their country during the war, of which was said “no promotional campaign, commercial, governmental, or Goebbel’s has ever spread its basic message so broadly, so quickly.” In addition to war bonds, there were also other ways to support the war. If one brought a pound of copper for the war effort, he could get into the picture for free; otherwise, the picture costed a dime. “It was something back then,” Robert said about the war fever.

When the family left Springdale, Cicero purchased a house at 614 North 7th. It was a big house, especially for the time, with 17 rooms and 4 bathrooms. They lived here for many years, and Robert remembers that his mother would hang a flag with two stars in the front window. The stars were for Robert’s older brothers Jimmy and Walter who were in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Jimmy helped build the flag pole on Okinawa while serving with the Construction Battalion (called Seabees), who gained respect for their ingenuity in constructing everything from quonset huts to seaports. Walter fought with the U.S. Marines. Two others in the house were also away at war. Both Ernie and Agnes’s husbands were in the navy. Robert remembers when his mother received letters, there would be holes in them. The soldiers were not allowed to tell where they were or what they were doing, or else a censor would take scissors and cut out the jeopardizing information.

The Chandler family’s first car was a 1939 Oldsmobile. Robert remembers his family crossing a railroad track one night and being hit by a train. Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt, but they all spent some days in the hospital.

On Springdale, the Chandlers attended Little Flower Catholic Church, and on 7th Street, they attended Holy Names. At the time, there were not many mission groups, and no one really had time or money to do much besides raise their own family. To save money, Cicero worked a garden and had a flock of chickens at Springdale, besides his regular 6 to 7 day a week job. When he came home from lunch, he gathered the eggs and would sell them for 25-30 cents a dozen. Even so, Robert remarked that he never knew his family suffered financially. His parents never led on about it.

Cicero was a home repairman during the war. Then one day he walked in the house and declared, “Every building they build, they have to tear one down. I’m going to start a wrecking business.” And he made good his promise. He bought three houses for $200 a piece on Crump Boulevard and Somerville to tear down and use for material, and in 1946, started C.F. Chandler Wrecking Company. The company survives today in Memphis as Chandler Demolition and is being carried on by the third generation.

Despite the 1938 Federal Wage and Hour Law, when he was 12, Robert Louis would work the company payroll for 25 cents an hour. “You could do a lot on 25 cents an hour,” he said, in a time when gas was less than 20 cents a gallon. By the time he was 15, he was driving a truck on the job site, even though he didn’t have a license yet. He ran his first crane in 1960 when he was 23 or 24. Robert’s first car was given to him by his father, and he took over the note. It was a sharp Royal Blue 1955 Dodge with a white top. Robert said his parents never wanted to control his future, but if there was something they would have liked him to be, it was a lawyer. He went 3 years to college. When asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he said he never remembered wanting to be anything other than what he was.

Robert met his first real friend, Ronnie Averwater, in 2nd grade. In high school, he met Harry Debandi (now a doctor in Madisonville, Kentucky) who became a life-long friend with whom he still keeps in contact. Once, a friend of his, Eve Bennet, arranged for him to go on a blind date with Marilyn Mills, a Methodist girl who came up from Yazoo City, Mississippi. Her father, also named Robert, ran the Memphis oil refinery that is Valero today. This blind date turned into romance. Robert and Marilyn were married on October 4, 1958 at 7 pm in the chapel behind Grace Saint Luke’s Episcopal Church. Marilyn, who was 19, was too young under state law to marry without parental consent and her mother signed for her. Robert was 21.

(Robert and Marilyn Chandler, circa 1967).

The couple first lived in a small duplex at 1106 N. Garland where their first child, Pamela Diane, was born on July 25, 1959. From here, they moved to a house on 1457 Fox, and later moved to 2972 Estes, where their other three children were born. Dawn Denise was born August 22, 1962 and passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack on June 6, 2005 at the age of 42. Robert said losing a child was the hardest thing he had ever experienced. Robert Louis, Jr. (Robbie), was born December 29, 1963; and Christopher Mills was born April 28, 1969. All the children started school at Fox Meadows Elementary School, and then Grace St. Luke’s Middle School. Dawn went her senior year to Evangelical Christian School (ECS). During his high school years, Robbie attended Christian Brothers High School (CBHS).

(Robbie at 2 1/2 months, March 19, 1964).

Cicero died July 25, 1962 in Memphis from cancer of the lung. He asked to be buried with his feet to the east so that when Christ returned he could rise up and look Him in the eye. On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was staying at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis to support a local strike by black workers. As King stood on the balcony, he was shot and killed by assassin James Earl Ray. At the time, Robert was working on Main and Beale, just two blocks away from the shooting. When Robert’s mother heard of the assassination of Dr. King, she became anxious with worry for her son and suffered a fatal heart-attack. She died April 13.

In the mid-70's, Robbie remembers his Dad breaking out on his own to start an excavating company where he worked on parking lots, tennis courts, and drive ways. For two years, the business flourished, and he received more work than he could perform. Then, the 1970's recession hit when Robbie was in 3rd or 4th grade, and his Dad “lost a lot.” But Robbie proudly told how his Dad did not claim bankruptcy but “worked a deal and paid back every dime he owed.” It wasn’t easy. He worked two and three jobs at a time. In the evenings, he worked at the Pancake House, and he worked maintenance at Grace Saint Luke’s before he went to work at wrecking jobs.

(Chris, Robbie, Pam, and Dawn in December, 1969).

Robbie does not remember his grandparents except for Francis Mills, his mom’s mother whom he saw often. One special memory is that she always kept her Bible on a wooden stand in her house. He never mingled much with his cousins on the Chandler side, and it became a family proverb that “they only got together on weddings and funerals”. On the other side of the family, however, it was a little different. When he lived in Memphis, Uncle Marvin Mills, a cardiologist, and the cousins would all gather at Robbie’s house on Thanksgiving. Later, however, Marvin’s family moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee. Robbie’s dad, Robert, coached his baseball and basketball teams at Grace Saint Luke’s and took him fishing. He worked on cars, even though he hated it. He also did some yard work when he had the time. Robert was good at golfing and bowling, and was very big into the latter. Robbie’s mom never worked outside the home, and was fully occupied raising her four children. She cooked almost every night until the kids got involved in high school sports. Marilyn drove them to all their sport events, “sometimes two or three a day,” Robbie said. She also took care of writing the bills.

They went to church at Grace Saint Luke’s Episcopal where Robert served as an usher. Robbie said he hated going to family weddings because the Chandler side were Catholic and their ceremonies lasted for a long time. Due to this, Robbie and his two sisters vowed never to get married in the Catholic Church. Ironically, they all married Catholic spouses, but not in the Catholic Church. In the 70's, the Chandlers built an addition on the house at Estes, where Robbie’s room would be.

For entertainment, the family had their sporting events. Robbie played baseball, basketball, and soccer. Robbie won his high school’s Athlete of the Year award in1978-79. At 14, his brother Chris won the National Junior Putt Putt competition and he helped his cheerleading squad win the national championship. They also watched the popular TV shows of the day like Happy Days, Dallas, Knott’s Landing, and Mission Impossible.

Robbie remembers neighbors on each side of his house—the Longs and the Walters. He was good friends with Toby Walter until Toby’s parents were transferred and they moved away. Another friend was Bret Leppard who lived in his neighborhood. Robbie would go to his youth group sometimes, and they remained friends until they were 15 or 16 years old when Bret got on drugs. His best friend was Curtis Motley when he was about 12 or 13. When they were young, the duo would do almost everything together—including taking trips to the hospital to get stitches every week after climbing trees or failed attempts at riding their bicycles down a slide. His sister was also Dawn’s best friend. Eventually, Curtis’s parents were transferred to Houston, Texas where they bought a big house with a swimming pool. Robbie and Dawn visited twice, but soon lost contact with them.

(Robbie and his grandmother, Francis Mills, when he graduated college).

Robbie attended Christian Brothers College where he received a Bachelor in Accounting. In 1986, he worked for Motorola, and eventually, he worked many years as a business manager in the building products industry. While working at Putt Putt Golf and Games in Memphis when he was in highschool, Robert met fifteen year-old Tamara Slinkard who had come to Putt Putt with a church youth group. Robbie gave her some free tokens for the machines. “I always liked a bargain,” Tamara said, and she was hooked after that. Five years later, the couple was married at Holy Communion Episcopal Church on August 9, 1986.

(Bryce and Brandon, circa 1990).

Their first child, Brandon Michael, was born at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis on May 26, 1987. Bryce Andrew was born November 22, 1989, also at Baptist. Robbie worked at Amoco and was transferred to St. Louis when Bryce was just a baby. They lived the typical suburban family life at a house on 109 Bonnybridge Court in Ellisville, West County, Missouri. Here, Robbie and Tamara attended Gateway Christian Church, where they made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and were baptized. They also decided to home-school their children, a unique practice at the time that has grown over the years. They met the Billings family who lived in Arnold, became fast friends, and still keep in contact today. Mikey and Jamie would prepare for the annual speech competitions with Brandon and Bryce, and the boys played several years on roller-hockey teams. They also met at each other’s homes or at the park for home-school get-togethers, or attended field-trips. Once at a park, Brandon was attacked by a swarm of yellow jackets, and Mikey came to the rescue by trying to swat them off. They both wound up side by side in the emergency room. On November 4, 2007, Mikey was killed in an automobile accident in San Antonio, Texas. The Chandlers also became the assistant leaders of the West County Christian Home Educators. They became friends with the leaders, the Muller family, and a highlight of their home-school meetings was a visit to Steak-n-Shake afterwards with all the kids.

(Jamie and Mikey Billings with Brandon and Bryce at a Civil War re-enactment in Pilot Knob in 2004).

In 1997, the Chandlers decided to move rurally, and purchased 70 acres on Pike County Road 223, north of Troy. Pike 223 was right down the road from a town called Paynesville with a population of 60. All that was there was a soda machine that people kept robbing. Bryce remembers that the last time he saw the machine it had a note warning people that if it was robbed again, then it would be taken away. The Chandlers bought a small Shetland Pony that they named “Trigger,” after Roy Roger’s Palomino. He was ornery at first, and even threw Tamara when she was pregnant. But Brandon was able to break him into a gentle ride. The Chandlers enjoyed their property, but didn’t know much about living in the country. A neighbor, Carl Brune, who ran a cattle farm, often helped them learn the ropes. During the winter, he would plow them a driveway through the snow, and during the summer, he would help them with fencing. Miss Linda owned a 16 hand Tennessee Walker, and the boys would sometimes ride “Trigger” with her. Carl would also take the boys on inner-tubes on a track he had made in the snow, pulling them behind his 4-wheeler for a wild ride.

The Chandler’s also would hunt on their land, but never shot anything accept chickens. Other friends who came up from St. Louis to hunt would bag a deer, one of them a fifteen-point buck. Once, the Chandlers bought several chickens that turned out to all be roosters. They became wild and would roost in the trees at nights. Eight year-old Bryce asked his mom if he could try and shoot one, and she answered “yes,” not thinking he would hit it. Bryce took his pellet gun and stalked one of the roosters to the creek, took aim, and hit it in the back of the neck with the first shot. Shocked, his mom scrambled for the book to find out how to pluck a chicken; that night, they had chicken soup. Brandon and Bryce enjoyed dressing up and playing guns in the woods. They would climb up the steep hills and wade in the creeks. They also fed the animals, built the corral out front, and did fencing. They helped Carl Brune haul hay in the summer, and they put siding on their double-wide before they moved away. It was here, too, that Bryce accepted Jesus as his Savior.

As the roosters crowed outside, Blake Christopher was born at home September 9, 1998, leaving a nine-year gap between him and Bryce. The day before Blake was born, Mark McGwire had hit his 62nd home run, breaking Roger Maris’s record. The St. Louis area was wild with excitement, and subsequent articles in the Post-Dispatch ran headlines like “Swing King. Amazing! Even the slugger can’t believe he did it!”

In 1999, the Chandlers wanted to get closer to their family in Memphis, so they moved to 803 Leewood Drive in Paragould, Arkansas, where they rented a small house in a neighborhood for a little over a year. Robbie and Tamara’s fourth child, Elizabeth Ann was born July 15, 2000 at St. Bernard’s in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Eventually, they moved to 11 acres at 451 Robinson Road, in Pocahontas, Arkansas right before Christmas and celebrated the holiday at their house with the relatives. Here in Pocahontas, the older boys did 4-H Shooting Sports, and both won many honors. One year, Bryce won 2nd, Brandon 3rd, and their team placed 1st in Pellet Pistol Competition. They also wrote articles for their local newspaper, the Pocahontas Star Herald, and Bryce took up writing the 4-H Limelight column after Brandon started it. On 9/11, Bryce watched the television in horror as the second plane slammed into the Trade Tower, and the country plunged into war. Little did he know that, seven years later, his own brother would join the Marines.

(The Chandler family at their home in Pocahontas, circa 2002. From Left: Bryce, Tamara, Blake, Robbie, Elizabeth, and Brandon).

The family attended Beautiful Gate Baptist Church in Horseshoe Bend, Missouri and became firm in their stance on Bible doctrine, and how a sinner must repent of his sins and trust in the finished work of Christ in order to be saved, and how it is not of any works of his own. For, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us....” Later, they began attending Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church in Walnut Ridge, and Robert and Bryce took classes at Gethsemane Bible Institute. Bryce also published two books on the Civil War and presently travels to schools and libraries to represent the drummer boy’s life. He is pursuing an online degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

America has changed drastically since Cicero Chandler was born in the late 19th century. The new millennium has emerged from a troubled century with a Great Depression, two world wars, and a crisis over civil rights. The new generation has suffered very little of these burdens, but trials of the new century continue to loom overhead. With the continuation of the War in the Middle East, a gathering financial crisis at home, and an African-American in the White House, the 21st Century appears a typical, yet very unique era of the American experience. Just what is in store for this new generation is mere speculation.

2009-12-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been a while since I have posted here. I have a lot to catch up on, and many events to talk about. Unfortunately, I did not take many pictures! However, since I last posted I have made another trip to Fayetteville, as well as one to Kansas City, Missouri and the Robert E. Lee Camp of the SCV in Germantown, TN (April 23). I also spoke at the MHEA Homeschool conference in the summer (June 12-13).

At the MHEA Conference, I was blessed to be able to share a new topic about my experiences as a self-published author. It is easy to try to do good things for God, but it is a lot harder to let God do good things through you! Yielding is the main objective of the Christian life, but it is often overlooked. This is the topic I discussed with the students of Fayetteville Christian school on my return visit in August, and also to the 4-H Honor Society in Memphis on August 8.

In Kansas City in September, it was wonderful to be able to fellowship with another homeschool family who opened their home to us. Although it was only for one night, we had a good time watching their son perform magic tricks, discussing many topics, and of course, eating cinnamon rolls!

I have also been busy finishing up The Orphan and His Golden Bars. It is the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. I hope to get it to the presses sometime in the next couple of months. We are excited to see how God will use this book to minister to hearts and spread His truth. A friend and compatriot of mine, Danny Honnoll, has written a Foreword to the book, drawing from his recent travels to Virginia and the place where Stonewall Jackson died. It is a real honor to have Mr. Honnoll's encouragement in this endeavor. He is the President of Arkansas Civil War Heritage Trails and the former commander of the Arkansas Sons of Confederate Veterans. He is also presently running for the office of commander of the Trans Mississippi Division SCV. You can check out his website at Honnoll.com.

Besides all this, I have been taking online classes from the University of Arkansas, and hope to graduate next year. Also, I have been working at getting some freelance material published. My work was recently published in Nature Friend Magazine, and another article will appear soon in The Storyteller. Hope to see you in Springdale and Searcy, at the Arkansas Homeschool conventions this summer! Drop me a line when you can.

Fayetteville, Arkansas

2009-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

Wednesday (April 22), I visited Northwest Arkansas. I spoke at the Washington County Women's Republicans and talked about the drummer boy's life and the similarities between the War Between the States and the American Revolution. On Thursday, I traveled to Fayetteville Christian School and spoke with the young people in the adjoining auditorium at Mission Boulevard Baptist Church. It was a very productive trip, and we also enjoyed meeting with friends in the area and watching them cut down a hollow cedar tree!

Below, I am playing the fife for the Washington County Republican Women.

Today, I just got back from court where I disputed an expired tag ticket that I got one evening. I always find it fascinating standing before a judge. We had to sit for a long time waiting on him, and then when he appeared, we rose to honor him and waited for him to meet out justice. It is very symbolic of what it is like waiting on Christ, the Righteous Judge, to appear. I have also been studying for final exams, which are nearly over for this semester. I'm looking forward to the summer where I have a lot of fun planned taking CLEP exams.

Watch for us next in Germantown at the meeting of the Sons of Confederate Veterans!

Genealogy Road Show

2009-04-12T19:39:00.000-07:00

The rain did not stop us Saturday (March 28), at the Genealogy Road Show in Paragould. Above, members of the Shaver Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, and I are placing the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance. We all had a great time at the Community Center, where I presented the life of the drummer boy and several others spoke on historical themes. We also manned booths and talked with the public as they came through to view Civil War paraphernalia, arrowheads, and other historical objects. My thanks goes to the Greene County Historical and Genealogy Center who hosted the event!

I will be speaking next in Springdale, Arkansas at the Women's Republican Meeting on April 22 at 11:30am and Fayetteville Christian School on April 23, from 10:55 to 11:47am. Look forward to seeing you there!

Sons of Confederate Veterans

2009-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

Thursday (March 26), I was in Little Rock at the Fletcher Library and attended the meeting of the Newton Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans. I gave a presentation on the drummer boy, and also "If My People" on the similarities between the Revolution and the War Between the States. My appreciation goes out to the commander Corey Dunn (far left) and all the gentlemen of the camp for their Southern hospitality.

Meanwhile, I am finished writing the sequel to The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Now, it will go into the editing/proofing stage. Hopefully, I will have it out this summer, so be looking for that. I'm also excited about making a video on "how to make a drum" to load to my blog. Make sure you view that when it comes out.

See you in Northwest Arkansas on the 22nd!

Germantown, Tennessee

2009-01-12T09:13:00.000-08:00

On Saturday (January 10), I spoke at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center. The Center was holding a history program and Harry Cloyes, a long-time Germantown resident, displayed his paintings of historic buildings. Rick Cohen also spoke about the life of a Civil War soldier. Pictured above is Rick Cohen, me, Jennifer Baker of the Center, and authors Jama and Charles Richardson.

Watch for my demonstration video about A Courier for Stonewall, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum, and my living history presentations. It will soon be available online.

Harlingen, Texas

2008-12-29T06:42:00.000-08:00

It is a sunny December down here in South Texas. I visited the Harlingen Public Library on Saturday, December 20 to give a demonstration to three classes of youngsters at a Christmas event hosted by the library. I was able to share about the drummer boy's life and what a soldier might experience during a Civil War Christmas. I was also able to play "Joy to the World" on my fife, a song we accept as a Christmas carol today, but was originally written about the Second Coming of Christ.

There was no age limit for Civil War drummers. Here I am trying to find recruits.

Also, I showed the kids how to load a musket.

It gets pretty hot in South Texas for Santa impersonators. This one was pretty anxious to shave.

My thanks goes out to Josie Balboa (far left) and the other librarians in Harlingen who made this event possible.

Poplar Bluff, Missouri

2008-12-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

Last Friday, December 5, my family and I traveled to Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Our first stop was at Hasting's Books (above) where we met up with Jamie Billings and her mom. Here, we spoke about the Civil War, and I signed some books. We also had the pleasure of meeting another author who was having a book signing there. Then, we stopped by Eugene Fields Elementary and spoke to the kids about the war. Jamie did an excellent job sharing about the women's role during the war, and the kids all seemed to have a good time. The kids really enjoyed seeing Jamie's hoop-skirt, that she made herself, and hearing the fife and drum.

Here we are in the gymnasium at Eugene Fields.

Jamie talking to the students . . .

. . . and me.

I want to thank the school principal, Jan Arnold, for setting up this event. Also, my appreciation goes to all the teachers, especially the PE teacher who leant us her class time.

2008-11-18T20:53:00.000-08:00

It has been very hectic since August, so I have not posted since then. I am taking courses from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock this semester, and have been focusing on my week to week structure. However, my classes are online, which means I have a lot of flexibility and can still travel and speak. I have done several events lately, but unfortunately did not get many pictures.

On October 9, the Greene County Historical and Genealogical Society had me speak before their meeting. I enjoyed the evening immensely. Thank you Kaye Holmes and everyone at the Historical Society for your kindness.

On October 18, I did a rather informal presentation, and played the fife and drum, at a Music Festival on the square in downtown Pocahontas, my hometown. It was very relaxing to take my nose out of the books that afternoon! Thanks to all of the the librarians in Pocahontas who invited and hosted me.

I am standing on the sidewalk of the Randolph County Library in historic downtown Pocahontas. Below, a young boy is trying his hand at the drum.

On October 21, the Shaver Camp of the Sons of Confederate Veterans had me speak before their monthly meeting. It is always a pleasure to meet with this good group of Southern gentlemen. My thanks goes to Danny Honnoll and Ray Jones for their true Southern hospitality!

On November 7, I traveled to Riverdale Public School in Germantown and spoke for their "I Love America" celebration. The kids did an excellent job singing and performing in this celebration, and it was great to see so many people coming out to honor Veterans Day. After the speeches, etc., the students gathered in front of the school for a picnic, and I was honored to play several tunes on my fife and drum. Also, the kids had a great time trying their hand at the drum, and many of them were quite good! My appreciation is extended to all of the staff at Riverdale, especially Debbie McCoy for asking me to come. I hope to soon have some pictures posted for this event.

2008-08-20T21:19:00.002-07:00

My brother and I stand outside the window at the Randolph County Library.

It has been a busy couple of weeks. On Friday, the 15th, I joined with author Christine Lynxwiler in a book signing at The Bread of Life Bookstore in Melbourne. It was a pleasure to finally meet Christine and talk with her about her publishing experiences. (Unfortunately, I did not get any photos of that event). I would like to thank all those at the bookstore, especially the owner, Phyllis Cowan, for their hard-work.

On the 2nd, I was at my hometown Randolph County Library in Pocahontas, which has almost become my home away from home in downtown Pocahontas. It was great to be there with all of our outstanding librarians. Thanks to Jackie Salyards, Diane Evans, Phyllis Davis, and all of the wonderful ladies at the library, who helped organize this signing, and whose effort has made our library very special.

(Below is pictured one of our unique sites at the library: a soldier blaring away on a fife.)

2008-07-28T18:10:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at the Bartlett Senior Citizens Center Wednesday, July 23. It was a real treat to share with the audience about the drummer boy and our War for Southern Indpendence. Rick Cohen (below), who had joined me at the Germantown Genealogy Center earlier this year, spoke about the life of a soldier during the war.

My thanks goes to Tina Sansone, the Southeast Director of the International Society of Family History Writers and Editors, and Holly Eggenberger (below), the Activities Coordinator of the Senior Citizens Center, for their hard work organizing and hosting this event.

I look forward to seeing you all on August 2 (10 am - 11:30 am), at my hometown library in Pocahontas. Hope you can make it. Punch and cookies will be available, so stop by hungry!

Lookout Mountain

2008-07-13T11:01:00.000-07:00

Above: A view from Lookout Mountain into Chattanooga.

Over the weekend of July 4, we traveled to the Chattanooga area and visited Lookout Mountain. Here are a few pictures from what we saw.

Chris Davidson, a living history interpreter, was dressed in his butternut uniform and told us about the battle of Lookout Mountain.

Ranger Anton Heinlein took us on a tour of the battlesite and described what took place during the Battle of Lookout Mountain and siege of Chattanooga.

This rock is where Generals Bragg and Longstreet stood to overlook the valley in preparation of their strategy.

Part of the battle was fought near Cravens House, which was at different times a headquarters to both a Confederate and Union general.

The dining room at Cravens House appears to be ready for guests.

CHEF Conference

2008-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday and Wednesday I was in St. Louis for the 24th Annual Homeschool CHEF Conference. It was very enjoyable meeting with old and new friends. Above is a picture of Micah Stull playing the drum with me on the fife. Micah is an excellent drummer, and we had a blast entertaining the conference goers with historical tunes. I included a sound byte of our playing.

Our good friends, the Billings, spoke at the conference on ordinary parents raising extraordinary children and again on grieving, which they know about all too well after losing their son, Michael in November. We grew up with Mikey since we were about four years old. Jamie helped proof read The Orphan and the Beaten Drum for several months over the turn of the year and the Billings have been extremely supportive of this endeavor. At the conference, they let me use their table to sell my books, and introduced me after their talk.

The Orphan and the Beaten Drum just arrived in the mail on Wednesday morning for the conference after a stressful few days of tracking the package from Hodgkins, IL, past Pocahontas to Little Rock, and back up again. It's exciting to finally offer it to the public after many years of hard work. Find out more at http://www.southerncadencepress.com/ under Current Books.

I must not end this post without saying thank you to the Bickel family who was very generous in adopting me into their family for a couple days and allowing me to spend the night with them at the hotel there. Also, I want to thank the two boys, Micah Stull and Noah Coad (below in white shirt), who were a big help with promoting my book at the conference, and the many others who showed me many kindnessess also have my endearing gratitude.

Below is a sound byte of Micah and I playing the old Revolutionary tune, Chester.

Words and After Words

2008-06-21T22:11:00.000-07:00

If you run out of books . . . just sign the table!

Actually, it's a tradition. This table was signed by other authors who held signings here. Among them were Christine Lynxwiler and Steve Whistnant who are authors local to Arkansas. Words and After Words is an awesome environment to experience. Not only is it nestled just off the quaint Main Street of Hardy, Arkansas, but it is a place where things are happening. You can nestle down and read a book, or head to the back to enjoy a meal or cold frappucino. Often, you can catch a band playing in the corner of the cafe.

My thanks goes to Greg Bess (left), Clayton Orr (right), and all of them at Words who made me feel welcome and simply at home.

Parker's Crossroads and Brownsville

2008-06-21T21:22:00.000-07:00

Parker's Crossroads was a blast last weekend, despite the sweltering heat. My friend Alex and I drove over on Saturday morning and stayed till Sunday afternoon. During the daytime, our tent was like a greenhouse, but in the evening it turned very cold. It was only a small taste of the hardships our ancestors had to endure.

We took part in three battles Saturday and one on Sunday. I was also able to share about the drummer boy's life and sign some books. Unfortunately, we did not take any pictures at Parker's. However, the Lexington Progress caught me on the fife. View it here: Lexington Progress.

On Sunday evening, we stayed with my grandmother in Arlington then hit the trail again to Brownsville, Tennessee where I demonstrated the drummer boy's life at the Elma Ross Public Library (pictured below). Alex did a great job sharing how to load the musket and cap and ball pistol. Thank you to all the librarians who did an excellent job at organizing this event.

Pictured below is Alex, me, Katherine Horn of the library, and two young history enthusiasts.

In Brownsville we stopped by the monument to the Confederate dead, located in front of the courthouse. In our uniforms, we paused by the monument to play a few songs on the fife and honor our soldiers.

This is my grandmother and me when we stayed at her home.

Video for The Orphan and the Beaten Drum

2008-06-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

The following video is an introduction to my new book, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Although it is not yet in print, you can reserve a copy. To find out how, e-mail bryce@southerncadencepress.com.

2008-06-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

On Friday, Mom and I traveled to Little Rock to the University of Arkansas. I am planning on pursuing an online Liberal Arts degree from UALR with emphasis in Technical Writing, History, and Criminal Justice. My advisor was very informative and helpful in making me feel comfortable with the classes. Over the weekend, we had company from Springdale, Arkansas. Jim Holt, whom my older brother helped run for Lieutenant Governor, came with his family for a visit. We had not seen them for a while and had an enjoyable time catching up. Presently, I'm working with the printers on getting my second book in print. I hope to have it available by the CHEF conference in St. Louis, MO, as some friends have invited me to sell my book at their table. Maybe I'll see you there. . . .

East Tennessee

2008-05-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day Weekend, my family traveled to the Chattanoga area. We visited a church in the area and fellowshipped with like-minded believers. We were also able to visit some battlefields on our trek through the State. Tennessee, I have seen, has national battlefields coming out her ears! We went by Parker's Crossroads, Stones River, and Chickamauga. I hope to visit Parker's Crossroads during the second weekend in June and have a book signing. They are having a living history demo that weekend. The picture above was taken on a tower-like memorial at the Chickamauga battlefield. In this area, Longstreet's attacking troops could not be repulsed, even though the Yankees were cutting them down with 7-shot Spencer repeaters.

2008-05-18T17:47:00.000-07:00

Pictured above are some of the students I spoke to at Veritas Christian School in Germantown, Tennessee. Here on Monday, May 12, I gave the presentation on the drummer boy, and also my "If My People" speech on the similarities of the War Between the States and the Revolutionary War. To read this essay/speech, click here. It was a blast to see the kids so interested in the histroy that, around our house, we usually take for granted.

On Thursday, I visited the Somerville campus of Veritas Christian Schools. Some kids dressed up on both campuses as part of a "History Mystery" class. Pictured above is a young impersonator of George Washington.

The "Assembly" is the drum call that let soldiers know they were to form ranks.

For the kids, I demonstrated how to load a musket like they did during the war.

2008-05-18T17:12:00.000-07:00

At Teacher 2 Teacher Bookstore in Batesville, Arkansas (May 10), I gave a presentation on the drummer boy. My thanks goes to Tammy Cox for hosting the event.

On Sunday (April 27), I spoke at Hasting's Bookstore in Cordova. My appreciation goes out to Michelle Hocker who was very thoughtful and professional; she is doing a great job with this new book store. Sitting is my grandfather, Robert Chandler, who is the genealogy master-mind of the family and has traced our roots back to B.C.

2008-05-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday, April 26---I became a drummer boy at the Germantown Regional History and Genealogy Center in a performance that the kids and adults seemed to enjoy immensely. I demonstrated the life of a drummer boy, then told how Stonewall and many other soldiers could defy death on the battlefield. General Jackson said, "God has affixed the time for my death and I do not concern myself about that---but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me." The soldier on the left, Rick Cohen, a member of the Tennessee Genealogical Society, also gave a talk about the soldier's life during the war.

Me as the drummer boy.

Jennifer Baker was very hospitable at the Germantown Regional History and
Genealogy Center.

Also on Saturday, I visited Just Kidz Books in Bartlett. Phillip and Lori Mashburn went over and above in making me feel at home here. Thank you so much for your generosity and hospitality! Lori is pictured in the blue shirt.

2008-05-18T17:02:00.000-07:00

At Hasting's Book Store in Poplar Bluff, MO, Saturday, April 12, I gave a talk on Stonewall Jackson and the war. I also played a couple tunes on my fife and drum, as well as signed books.

2008-05-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

I signed the author's chair, signed by John Grisham and others, at That Bookstore in Blytheville (April 5). The bookstore has a unique history, and was one of Grisham's old stomping grounds. Thank you Norma Bell, Rebecca Smith, and everyone at the store for your hard-work with the book signing.

2008-05-18T16:56:00.000-07:00

I would like to thank Phyllis Cowan, owner of the Bread of Life Bookstore in Melbourne, for her hard-work organizing a book signing on her Customer Appreciation Day (April 4). Thanks also to Bob Connell, the radio man with KFFB Fairfield Bay, for the interview.

Photos from Brownsville

2008-05-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 7

We are back in Pocahontas after an eventful 1,000 mile drive from Brownsville. View the pictures of our trip.

U.S.-Mexican War re-enactors touch off a cannon at Palo Alto National Battlefield in South Texas.

A re-enactor of a Mexican soldado shows spectators his weapon.

Many of our heroes of the War for Southern Independence had their start in the U.S.-Mexican War and were likely influenced by their tour. For example, why did Stonewall eat lemons and call his wife, "esposita"?

Hands were extended across the border at the International Charro Days Parade in Brownsville, the only international parade in the U.S. Charro is a Mexican word for cowboy.

Spectators watch a vaquero performing rope tricks.

A young Mexican cowboy waves to the crowd during the Charro Days Parade.

A building sports the "Running W" brand at the King Ranch, an over 800,000 acre ranch based in Kingsville, Texas.

Our next-door neighbor in Brownsville was Jian Golder, a Chinese journalist and Editor-in-Chief of Green Light Press. She asked to do an article about our homeschooling and my book. She holds a copy-in-progress of The Orphan and the Beaten Drum.

2008-05-18T15:22:00.000-07:00

Friday, February 29

The finsihing touches are being put upon my second book, The Orphan and the Beaten Drum. Those of you who have waited so long for me to complete it are probably rolling your eyes. Nontheless, I hope to have it finished sometime in March. The publication date is still uncertain.

We attended the Brownsville Charro Days parade the other day. The event has been going on for about 76 years and its spirit enlivens the whole city. In a parade yesterday, which was one of many to come, the ninos y ninas were decked out in their colorful fiesta garb in a display of history and culture that rivaled the War for Independence re-enactments back home. I will upload some pictures of the event when I get back to Pocahontas.

2008-05-18T15:20:00.000-07:00

martes, 26 de Febrero

Beautiful Southern Texas is my home indefinitely. I have been enjoying 70-80 degree weather here in the Rio Grande Valley. Taking a stroll along the Rio Grande while peeling a fresh grapefruit has been my occupation. For the first time, I have tasted the salty ocean air and seen the billowing waves of the Gulf of Mexico. For this land-lubber and son of the Mid-South, it was quite an experience. On the way home tonight, we were stopped by a border patrol who wanted to make sure we were American citizens. He did not ask for I.D., so I guess the hot Texas sun has failed to brown our skin to an unrecognizable degree.

We also visited Palo Alto Battlefield, a controversial National Park that commemorates the first battle of the Mexican-American War. It was an honor to see the flags that marked the places where once battle lines had been drawn. Texas is also not void of Southern Independence history. Brownsville was called the "back door" of the Confederacy during the war. The South smuggled their cotton across the border into Matamoros and shipped the textile unharmed by the Yankee blockade into Europe. Also, the last battle of the war was fought nearby at Palmito Ranch.

It has been a challenge, as well as a learning experience, to try to communicate with the locals. I have learned to order "limonada" instead of lemonade, and have seen that the Tex-Mex of the central-South does not compare with real Mexican food. Taquitoes are sold everywhere. Popular meat choices are pollo, bistek, and fajita, and the frijoles charros (cowboy beans) are out of this world!

While the days have been filled with many sweet hours, the reason that brought us to Brownsville was a bitter one. We are here to sell my grand-father's house after he passed away last November. His love for everything cowboy reverberates from his pictures of Buffalo Bill and Roy Rogers to the historic Chisolm Trail. And somehow, I think his passion for history has passed to the next generation---as a heritage.

Bryce A. Chandler
Brownsville, Texas