Dec. 7 is an appropriate day to discuss the navy, and so it was this evening at 7 pm ET when I appeared on Civil War Talk Radio with host Gerald Prokopowicz. We spent an hour talking about the history of photography, its impact on the American soldier, and the portraits and personal narratives of the 77 sailors featured in my new book, Faces of the Civil War Navies. The episode began with sadness as Mr. Prokopowicz dedicated the show to Heidi, his standard poodle who recently passed. I did not have the opportunity to tell him about the pugs who have laid at my feet every morning for the last 16 years as I’ve written my books—Charlie, Brutus, Lucy, Missy and Bella. Only Bella is here with us now, though I will always hold the others close to my heart. For those of you who have made it to the acknowledgements section at the back of my books, the pugs are always mentioned.
