Welcome to the official website for the Owning History Series, and the first of many works that are forthcoming on the Civil War.

Collecting Civil War artifacts and memorabilia has been a passion of mine for the past thirty years. Countless visits to battlefields such as Gettysburg, Antietam and Fredericksburg have given me an indescribable admiration of the hallowed ground that witnessed the bloodshed of brother against brother. Gallant soldiers, following commands of generals of both the Union and Confederate armies like Robert E. Lee, U. S. Grant and George Gordon Meade, have consecrated these battlefields as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg in 1863. Left on these fields of honor was a collection of relics waiting to be unearthed generations later, excavated timepieces worthy of the finest museums.

This book offers a modern approach to collecting treasures of the American Civil War. It features items used by the famous and not so famous, artifacts in both dug and non dug condition, reanimating once muted stories of Yankee and Rebel soldiers through the military items they actually used in the War.

For the new collector, seasoned dealer and the thousands of reenactors who keep history alive, within the pages of this book one will find a fresh look at this fascinating hobby, maximizing full enjoyment of the Civil War's authentic collectibles, and providing the reader with knowledge on acquisition, preservation and display of the items for years to come. This book unites us with American history through the personal artifacts used by the men who gave their last full measure of devotion--the men who fought and died in the American Civil War.