By Lian Bunny
Assistant News Editor
Chris Mackowski, an associate professor of journalism and mass communication, recently edited “Bloody Autumn: The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864,” published in January.
This book is the 10th book of the “Emerging Civil War” series. Mackowski has authored or co-authored five of the 10 books. They are published by Savas Beatie, the largest commercial publisher of Civil War books. Mackowski also serves as the managing editor and art director for the books.
The series is inspired by a blog Mackowski co-founded called “Emerging Civil War.”
Mackowski first discovered his Civil war interest when he took his daughter to see the battlefield in Manassas, just outside of Washington, D.C. She asked him to do more activities involving the Civil War, and as her interest grew, so did Mackowski’s.
When involving himself with this Civil War series, Mackowski wanted to break history’s stereotype of being dull.
“It’s just an exciting project to create something really worthwhile,” Mackowski said. “I think if we can connect to our history through compelling stories, it’s a way for us to understand how relevant it can be. It doesn’t have to be boring.”
The series was written as a resource for anyone to learn more about history and find the facts to relate to the present, Mackowski said.
“(The book is) something you can pick up,” Mackowski said. “It’s a general introduction to a wide audience, and then if you’re interested, there are suggested readings in the back so you can get into a bit more detail. It’s really intended to hook the interest of the general reader who doesn’t necessarily have a background.”
In addition to editing, Mackowski is currently working on a book about the final year of Ulysses S. Grant’s life titled, “Grant’s Final Battle.”
“It’s a fantastic, compelling, dramatic, interesting story,” Mackowski said. “What’s really at stake is: what did the war mean? And it’s Grant’s opportunity to say, ‘Here’s what it meant,’ and he has to do it before he dies.”
As an editor, art director and author, Mackowski said his experience has helped him as an instructor.
“I think that my entire credibility and authority as a teacher comes from my professional activities as a writer and editor,” Mackowski said. “I would feel like a complete fraud if I went into the classroom to teach feature writing if I wasn’t also writing myself. I try to stay active as a writer and then bring that experience into the classroom.”
With a significant amount of journalism experience, Mackowski instructs his writers to write constantly to improve their skills.
“I think that the most successful writers today aren’t necessarily the most talented,” he said.
They are the most persevering.”
Mackowski said he draws his inspiration from Pulitzer Prize winner and historian David McCullough, who stresses that no harm is done to history by making it engaging and readable. He said he applies the same philosophy to his Civil War series.
“The Civil War is America’s great story and it’s full of smaller great stories. To me, it’s just a privilege to be able to tell the stories well and share them.” Mackowski said.
