Keith,

Make no mistake, I believe the Army of Northern Virginia "may" have been the greatest infantry fighting force ever assembled in American history. I hold the membership and the leadership, generally, of the ANV in the highest regard and respect. Though I have no direct ancestry, I've yet discovered, in the Union or Confederate armies in the Eastern Theater, the vast majority of my lifelong reading and study has been the Eastern Theater and my wife's ancestry is filled with ANV men. I study and honor my wife's family, as I do my own.

I just believe "the Germans" of the Eleventh Corps have been overly maligned as poor soldiers, when their leadership and "being in the wrong place at the wrong time" may have had as much to do with their poor record.

I'm going to be setting up Gettysburg and Vicksburg Campaign discussion sites soon. Keith, I hope you'll take part.

Jim