In our Spring 2024 issue, we include a cartoon from the April 13, 1861 edition of Harper's Weekly. At that time, news of the firing on Fort Sumter had not yet been carried to press, but the headlines were alarming: "The Evacuation of Fort Sumter!" and "Fort Sumter to be Reinforced at all Costs!" These conflicting narratives left many people confused about the state of the country. The cartoon depicts someone who is overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the times and has given up trying to make sense of it all. 
   Fast forward eight score and three years (that's 163 years in modern speak), and it seems like we are once again in a period of division and conflict. The country is deeply divided along partisan lines, and neither of the presidential candidates are popular with the other half of the electorate. According to a recent Washington Post survey, a sizable fraction of Americans support secession. Treason is discussed openly, and it feels like we have been transported back in time; back to a place where, if one believes the recent opinion polls, half of us want to go. 
   Are we condemned to repeat the past? Or as the bard from Germany may suggest, our first attempt at a national divorce ended in tragedy of the Civil War with the loss of three-quarters of a million, and this second one is just a bad imitation of the first. Caution and patience are the watchwords here, a second national divorce is unthinkable. In Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address delivered on March 4, 1861 he echoed that, "physically speaking, we can not separate. We cannot remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them. A husband and wife may be divorced and go out of the presence and beyond the reach of each other; but the different parts of our country cannot do this." I think what Lincoln was telling us is that we are connected physically in a way that cannot be easily undone; it can be attempted but those sinews of  "mystic chords of memory," will pull and tug in resistance. Let's keep the memory of the Lincoln's word alive as we once again strain our democratic muscles in the upcoming presidential election season. "Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government," recalled Winston Churchill, "except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time." 
   In this our second edition of Hardtack Illustrated, readers find once again three featured articles. Our reissue of George Alfred Townsend's memoir Campaigns of a Non-Combatant was released in March and we couldn't be happier with some of the early feedback. In the article "This is No Place for a Civilian: GATH Reports on the War," we showcase some of the gripping scenes included in the memoir. The article is just a small slice of the extensive memoir.  Our cover feature is an excerpt from the ten-volume 1911 classic work edited by Francis Trevelyan Miller The Photographic History of the Civil War.   We have included the introductory chapter of the series entitled "Photographing the Civil War" by Henry Wysham Lanier. The article serves as a primer for anyone interested in Civil War photography and the early war photographer's efforts to achieve that perfect shot. We have included the original photographs and captions, which make the series such a wonderful piece of history.  In the second half of 2024, Hardtack Books will be releasing its own version of John D. Billing's classic memoir Hardtack and Coffee.  The original work was published in 1888; we hope to do justice by adding a modern style and typography while still including all the original illustrations by Charles Reed and several additional ones not included in the original.  In this edition of Hardtack Illustrated, we have included a sample chapter titled "Life in Log Huts." In this chapter, Billings gives readers a glimpse of the day-to-day life while living in the cramped confines of a Civil War camp.     
   In our "Quotes and Incidents" column, we examine one of the most well-known phrases uttered at a death bedside: "Now he Belongs to the Ages," spoken by Edwin Stanton at President Lincoln's passing. Some may find it surprising how the famous quote became part of Lincoln's mythology. Finally, in our "Civil War Ancestors" feature, we explore the life of Brigadier General Judson Kilpatrick, the great-great-grandfather of Anderson Cooper. 
   I would like to extend to readers the opportunity to contact me in case you come across Civil War-era material that you think would be great to include in future editions, or if you can think of ways to improve.  I can be reached at jbiggs@hardtackbooks.com.