Chase, no, I'm not an author. I had always intended to write a book, but when I started doing the research I just couldn't stop. My research became an end in itself. The result is a spare bedroom lined from top to bottom with Civil War books, and a couple of dozen bankers' boxes full of transcribed and photocopied research material.

Even though my great Civil War book will never get written, I have assisted several authors in researching their books, so my research has not been in vain.

Yes, sir, it is a passion with me, and since I retired I finally have the time to indulge that passion to my heart's content. My wife tell her friends she is one of the last surviving Civil War widows.