Summer 2019 Edition

June 2019

The Summer 2019 issue of Army History features an interesting Civil War article and a thoughtful commentary in response to our staff-ride-themed Winter 2019 edition. We also highlight a unique artifact, the installation of more fascinating exhibits at the National Museum of the U.S. Army (NMUSA), and an extended message from our chief historian on the ongoing production of the series of volumes covering the Vietnam War.

The first article, authored by Matthew T. Pearcy, concludes a story that started in the pages of Army History nearly a decade ago. This piece is the third in what is now a trilogy covering Union general Andrew A. Humphreys. The initial article by Pearcy, titled “‘No Heroism Can Avail’: Andrew A. Humphreys and His Pennsylvania Division at Antietam and Fredericksburg,” appeared in the Summer 2010 (No. 76) issue. The second submission, entitled “Nothing but the Spirit of Heroism: Andrew A. Humphreys at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg,” was published in the Summer 2013 (No. 88) issue. With his third offering, Pearcy brings to a close the epic story of one of the greatest corps commanders in the Union Army.

The next piece, by Temple University history professor Gregory J. W. Urwin, offers a response and a unique perspective concerning our Winter 2019 issue that covered staff rides. As all the contributors featured in that issue were from the Department of Defense, I thought it important that a point of view from civilian academia also be offered. Hopefully readers will find Urwin’s observations of value.

This issue’s artifact spotlight centers on a piece of Army history with religious symbolism and a connection to D-Day. As we commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Normandy landings, it seems fitting to examine a chaplain’s flag that went ashore at Utah Beach and traveled well beyond. The NMUSA feature examines the installation of two important macro artifacts in the Cold War and Army and Society galleries. The UH–1B Iroquois “Huey” and the R–4B “Sikorsky” helicopters on display have interesting histories all their own and tell an important part of the Army aviation story as a whole.

In this edition, the chief historian takes some extra space to explain the genesis and production of the ongoing U.S. Army in the Vietnam War book series, and how the lessons learned from producing these volumes are improving practices in writing the “Tan Books,” as the volumes covering Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom will be known.

As always, I invite your submissions and comments as we strive to publish engaging content and improve this journal.

Bryan J. Hockensmith
Managing Editor