By Jordan Morey
Staff Writer
Christopher Mackowski walks to the center of the stage, diet Mountain Dew in hand, dressed in black. He speaks with concise diction and masterful emphasis, demonstrating his passion for his subject. The crowd becomes a part of his performance, as he calls them up to act as examples. He dynamically thrusts his arms in the air to recreate the positioning of the Union and Confederate armies at the battle. Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson’s message echoes throughout his speech: “You may be whatever you resolve to be.”
Mackowski, professor of journalism and mass communication, has manifested the immortal words of Stonewall Jackson through pursuing many of his life’s passions.
In his speech at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts Tuesday, Mackowski recounted the battle of Chancellorsville, which happened 150 years ago next month. He argued that Chancellorsville, not Gettysburg, was the turning point of the Civil War. The Army of Northern Virginia pulled off a victory against awe-inspiring odds. The battle exhibited one of the bloodiest panoramas of the war, as more than 100,000 Americans lost their lives.
On top of teaching journalism and mass communication full-time, he also works as a historian for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park. He gives tours at the war battlefields of Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness and Spotsylvania.
If you venture to his bio on the blog Scholars and Rogues, it describes Mackowski as a driven writer who writes because it’s in his nature.
This past year, Mackowski also earned his doctorate in creative writing from Binghamton University as he continued to pursue his education.
Mackowski and Kristopher D. White co-wrote the books “Simply Murder: The Battle of Fredericksburg” and “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson” for the “Emerging Civil War” series. The series will continue to expand as the authors explore various topics on the war. They have also written for “Civil War Times,” “America’s Civil War,” “Hallowed Ground” and “Blue & Gray.”
The Mackowski and White duo also started a blog: emergingcivilwar.com. The site is a community of up-and-coming authors and speakers dedicated to furthering the public’s understanding of the American Civil War. It provides a place where the public can learn about the battles, politics and personalities of the war.
Brett Keegan, a senior philosophy major, attended the presentation.
“I loved how Mackowski was able to tell a story that was based on the facts,” Keegan said. “It was extremely engaging and interesting. At certain points I felt like I was there at the battlefield. I learned a lot about the raw details of the battle.”
As the presentation came to a close, Mackowski challenged the audience to delve into a deeper understating of their own resolves.
“Consider that notion of resolve. Consider Jackson’s motto and what it might mean — because you may be whatever you resolve to be,” Mackowski said. “For Jackson, (resolve) led to him to supreme heights of accomplishment throughout his personal and professional life.”
