Chase,

I'll be interested to hear what you think of Antietam and the Peninsula. I had to take a week off from my reading last week, but I'm about halfway through "His Excellency; George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis. It's a great read, so far, and I'm learning some new things and seeing some others from a little different perspective. You can really see how our the different philosophies of a loose Confederate of States and a strong central government (Federalism) developed. Apparently, the first was the ideal, but the second was a pragmatic move necessary to raise taxes and win wars. The roots of the Civil War go deep.

Jim