Horn Herald

Cruise to the Bahamas

2012-01-18T16:40:00.000-05:00

A week ago today Dan and Kendra went kayaking in the Bahamas, where is was in the low 80's. We were on a cruise, without the children, to spend some time recreating, enjoying each other, and doing some planning for the coming year. Our last port was Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian Cruise Line's private island. We were on an eco-tour, which means we got to see some sea creatures. The first was an iguana on the rocks we paddled next to.

One of our guides found this starfish, which they said was the largest they had ever found in this bay.


	Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing, and obtaineth favour of the LORD. Proverbs 18:22 (KJV)

The next creature we got to experience is a sea cucumber, which Kendra passed on. Dan said it would alternate between feeling like a rotten cucumber and a wet stick. We walked on some beautiful beaches, ate well, and our favorite part was ordering room service for tea to drink on our private balcony while we sailed away each evening. The Lord truly blessed us with wonderful weather, and even more wonderful companionship.

Scott vs Amundsen: A Study in Polar Exploration

2011-12-31T10:42:00.002-05:00

Two of the greatest expeditions in the history of Polar exploration was the race between Amundsen and Scott to reach the South Pole, 100 years ago during the winter of 1911/1912. Although there were similarities between these expeditions, there were also many fundamental differences.

Captain Robert Falcon Scott

Captain Robert Falcon Scott was an English navy officer and explorer. His first expedition was on the Discovery, which included setting a new point of the Farthest South ever reached by man. He returned on the Terra Nova in an attempt to reach the South Pole.

Roald Amundsen

Roald Amundsen was an explorer from Norway. While growing up he desired to become an explorer, and after participating in the first expedition to spend the winter in Antarctica, he led his own expedition to be the first to sail the Northwest Passage. While he was planning a journey to sail over the North Pole, the news was announced that two other explorers claimed to have already reached it. So he secretly changed his plans and sailed south to race Scott to be the first to reach the South Pole.

Similarities

1. Trust in God
Although it appears that neither Scott or Amundsen were Christians, both frequently mentioned in their writings the workings of Providence. Scott's men wrote saying they were willing to die if it was their time. Edward Wilson wrote, “[I]f the end comes to me here or hereabout … All will be as it is meant to be.” Henry Bowers wrote this to his mother just before dying next to Scott, “my trust is still in Him and in the abounding Grace of my Lord and Savior whom you brought me to trust in...” There is a saying that there are no atheists in foxholes, and there were no atheists in Antarctica either. When men are constantly faced with danger and death, they recognize their dependence on God, even if they do not follow Him fully.

2. Courage
Both men were very courageous, although in different ways. It took courage to even venture into Antarctica, far from hope of relief in case anything went wrong. When faced with hard decisions along his journey, Amundsen boldly took the hard course, not faltering or wasting time attempting to find an easier course. Scott, on his fateful journey, set an example of courage that the English would look up to for years. In one of his last letters he wrote, “We are showing that Englishmen can still die with a bold spirit, fighting it out to the end... I think this makes an example for Englishmen of the future.”

The Terra Nova

Differences

1. Motives
Amundsen explored because he loved exploration, but Scott explored because he wanted promotion. As a young man Amundsen heard of the stories of the explorers like Sir John Franklin and Fridtjof Nansen, and wished to follow their footsteps and become an explorer. Scott, a mediocre navy officer, heard of the planning of the Discovery expedition and saw it as a way to gain promotion and riches.

Nansen, Amundsen's hero and supporter

2. Preparation
The different motives of these two men resulted in vastly different methods of preparation. Amundsen gradually worked up to leading an expedition over a decade, first taking long ski trips in his native country of Norway, working on whaling ships which navigate the icy northern seas, and finally participating in someone else's expedition. Scott, on the other hand, was appointed directly to command a large expedition, and only spent a few weeks hearing about what Amundsen had learned first hand for years. On his Discovery expedition Scott admitted this, saying, "Our ignorance was deplorable."

Additionally, Amundsen spent many hours reading the works of previous explorers and analyzing everything to see what he could learn. Scott did not learn from his own experiences, much less those of others. He kept repeating the same mistakes over and over again. On previous journeys he had suffered from not bringing enough provisions, but he made the same mistake in this trip. In his ill fated expedition to reach the pole, he basically followed in the path of Shackleton, but he did not even bring a copy of Shackleton's book. He had to borrow one from another member of the expedition. Amundsen, on the other hand brought along a large polar library to study.

Scott's expedition to the South Pole had scientific aims as well, while Amundsen really did not, but this in no way excuses a lack of preparation.

One of Amundsen's dog sled teams

3. Technology
One of the biggest differences in Scott and Amundsen's journeys was the method of travel they used. Amundsen used dogsleds, while Scott used man hauling. Scott was biased against dog sleds because on the Discovery expedition they were a failure because no one knew how to use them. In the end, Scott did recognize that dog sleds were much quicker and more efficient, but he objected to them because at times the dogs had to be killed. So instead of killing a few dogs, he ended up killing himself because he could not reach his supply depots. He tried horses, but they were completely unsuited for the polar conditions, which he could have learned from the experiences of others. In England some, such as Scott's champion Sir Clements Markham, thought that it was more glorious to march without the assistance of dogs, saying, “People do not understand the greatness of [Scott's] achievement. The sledge journeys without dogs are quite unequalled. It is a very much easier matter when Peary or Nansen or Sverdrup make dogs drag their things, while they stroll along.”

Scott manhauling

The effort required to travel is demonstrated by two quotes. When Amundsen's party arrived, Bjalland, one of the best skiers in the world, wrote, “the skiing was brilliant.” When Scott arrived he said, “Great – God this is an awful place and terrible enough for us to have laboured to it without the reward of priority…Now for the run home and a desperate struggle to get the news through first. I wonder if we can do it.”

Amundsen carefully laying a depot

4. Planning
Amundsen made detailed plans far in advance of setting out on the journey, giving himself plenty of extra provisions in case he hit bad weather. Scott made complicated, last minute plans, making many mistakes in small details that cost him much time and labor. For example, an important element of both of their plans was to leave supply depots on the journey to the South Pole which they would pick up on the way back. Amundsen, having read of other men having problems finding the depots they had left, put markers to the left and right of his depots, giving himself a several mile range to hit. He also built markers at intervals along his route so he could always see one, so he would not have trouble following his tracks. Scott, on the other hand, built only depots, making the same mistake that others had before him, wasting time and effort.

Scott's worst mistake in planning was his provisions. He made allowance for only four days of bad weather in a four month journey, an amount which the journals of previous explorers would have told him was far too low. He ended up dying because of lack of supplies because he hit a blizzard. He was only eleven miles from the next supply depot. Nansen, an explorer himself and Amundsen's mentor, said, “Let no one come and prate about luck. Amundsen's triumph is that of the strong and far seeing.”

One of Scott's depots

5. Leadership
The two men had very different leadership styles. Scott was a naval officer, and a mediocre one at that. He led by enforcing the fact that his word was law, being secretive about his plans, and refusing to listen to suggestions from others. Amundsen, although it was still very clear that he was the leader, was open about his plans, allowed suggestions to be made, intermingled with the men, and shared the worst chores with them. However, both men did have good leadership qualities and both made leadership mistakes.

Amundsen's party at the Pole

6. Popularity
Amundsen ended up reaching the pole first, and returning successfully, with little suffering besides. But when he returned to Europe he was quickly forgotten in favor of Scott, who had died after losing the race to the pole. Although Amundsen was a better explorer, Scott was a better writer. Amundsen's stories did not have the drama which Scott was able to convey. One historian said, “Amundsen had made the conquest of the Pole into something between an art and a sport. Scott had turned Polar exploration into an affair of heroism for heroism's sake.” Scott's popularity in England was much helped by the fact that he did not come back. He had been defeated by Amundsen, and England preferred a dead lion to a live donkey. Even today, Scott remains much more popular than Amundsen, remaining for many the iconic British hero.

Scott finding he had been beaten by Amundsen

Sound Doctrine Conference

2011-12-31T10:19:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago NCFIC had a week long Sound Doctrine Conference which we went to. It was an intense study of the Second London Baptism Confession, the doctrinal statement used by our church. Doctrine is important because it defines the way we view all of life. My father was one of the speakers. It was a really good conference, and many people said it was the best they had ever been to. I would recommend getting the audio when it comes out. Here are some pictures.

Listening to Messages

My father speaking

Most of the speakers of the Conference

70th Anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor

2011-12-07T08:40:00.001-05:00

Pearl Harbor before the attack

70 years ago today the Japanese attacked the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, plunging United States into World War II. President Obama said this in a proclamation yesterday:

On National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, we honor the more than 3,500 Americans killed or wounded during that deadly attack and pay tribute to the heroes whose courage ensured our Nation would recover from this vicious blow. Their tenacity helped define the Greatest Generation and their valor fortified all who served during World War II. As a Nation, we look to December 7, 1941, to draw strength from the example set by these patriots and to honor all who have sacrificed for our freedoms.

West Virginia sinking

The attack on Pearl Harbor was a major mistake for the Axis. I wrote this in a post about the Mistakes of World War II a few years ago:

Hitler’s policy before and during WW2 was “one at a time.” He would only attack one nation at a time, thus preventing other nations from banding together with them. In this way he was able to easily defeat nations that would have been much more difficult if they had been able to band together. This was what he did to the United States. Eventually he would have attacked them, but he did not want to declare war on them until he had defeated the British Empire and the Soviet Union. Since the US Constitution requires that the President get the Congress to declare war, President Roosevelt was not able to get the Congress to declare war on the Axis until they were actually attacked. Even though they were supposed to be neutral, the USA still helped the British massively by giving them huge amounts of munitions. Germany, however, just ignored this because they did not want to fight the United States until they were done with Britain and the Soviet Union. As Churchill said, “[Hitler] always dreaded the consequences of war with the United States, and insisted that German forces should avoid provocative action.”²

Japanese battleships

But then in 1941 Japan decided that the Axis was going to win the war, so they wanted to join on their side. Japan’s targets were the eastern holdings of Britain, the Netherlands and also the United States. Japan decided that it needed to strike the United States pacific fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor so that they would not be able to resist Japanese conquests. They wrongly thought that if they attacked Britain’s colonies in the east the American fleet would attack them. This would probably not have happened. Hitler disagreed with Japan’s decision to attack the US. He thought that they should first attack and capture the British and Dutch colonies, then attack the United States. “[Germany] urged the Japanese Government to strike without delay at Malaya and Singapore and not to bother about the United States. Hitler had already enough on his shoulders without drawing them in.”³ Winston Churchill, the leader of the English Empire said, “My deepest fear was that the Japanese would attack us or the Dutch, and that constitutional difficulties would prevent the United States from declaring war.”⁴

Compared to the United States, Japan was nothing. Bringing in Japan on their side and the United States on the other would hurt the Axis greatly. Japan was temporarily in a better position because they were ready for war and closer to where the battles would be fought, but ultimately their strength was not even close to America’s. Churchill said this before Japan attacked,

Viewing the vast, sombre scene as dispassionately as possible, it would seem a very hazardous adventure for the Japanese people to plunge quite needlessly into a world struggle in which they may well find themselves opposed in the Pacific by States whose populations comprise nearly three-quarters of the human race. If steel is the basic foundation of modern war, it would be rather dangerous for a Power like Japan, whose steel production is only about seven million tons a year, to provoke quite gratuitously a struggle with the United states, whose steel production is now about ninety millions; and this would take no account of the powerful contribution which the British Empire can make.⁵

The Japanese did not listen to Hitler, and continued to prepare their attack on Pearl Harbor. They struck without warning on December 7th, 1941. Their attack was mostly successful. Four American battleships were sunk, the other four were disabled. Almost 200 aircraft were destroyed, and 150 more damaged. But even though America’s navy was severally damaged, it still had many more resources than the Japanese. After the attack Germany, Japan and Italy declared war on the United States; Britain declared war on Japan and the United States declared war on Japan, Germany and Italy.

Japanese Planes attack Pearl Harbor

When Churchill heard of the attack on Pearl Harbor he was actually glad. He wrote this later,

[N]ow at this very moment I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all! … We had won the war. England would live; Britain would live; the Commonwealth of Nations and the Empire would live. How long the war would last or in what fashion it would end no man could tell, nor did I at this moment care. … Hitler’s fate was sealed. Mussolini’s fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. All the rest was merely the proper application of overwhelming force. The British Empire, the Soviet Union, and now the United States, … were, according to my lights, twice or even thrice the force of their antagonists. No doubt it would take a long time. … [B]ut all this would be merely a passing phase. United we could subdue everybody else in the world. May disasters, immeasurable cost and tribulation lay ahead, but there was no more doubt about the end.⁶

Winston Churchill turned out to be correct. The Axis was not able to defeat the combined strength of the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. Japan’s attack on the United States combined with Germany’s failed attack on Russia destroyed the Axis’ chances for final victory.

USS Arizona burns after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

2 Churchill, Winston. The Second World War. (London: Cassell & Co. Ltd 1948) volume 3, p. 126
3 Ibid, p. 1604 Ibid, p. 5345 Ibid, p. 528-5296 Ibid, p. 539-540

Interview with Dr. Dilorenzo

2011-12-01T11:43:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we drove up to Maryland for an interview with Thomas Dilorenzo, an economics professor and historian for our video series, Discerning History. He wrote the Real Lincoln, a very interesting book on whether Lincoln was actually the great man that almost everyone sees him as today. We interviewed him on the economics and states rights issues leading up to the Civil War.

South Carolina Filming Day 3

2011-11-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Early Morning on a Charleston Street

On Friday we got up early to film at the Old Exchange and Provost building, which was used as the custom house in Charleston. From there we moved on to St. Philips Church, were we visited the grave of John C. Calhoun, a very important politician from South Carolina. We filmed at the Old Slave Mart where the slaves were auctioned for a few years. We got through these scenes so quickly we were able to move on to the ones I had planned for the next day at Fort Moultrie.

St. Phillips

Calhoun's grave

Me running the teleprompter

Carrying equipment

Stephen Breagy

South Carolina Filming Day 2

2011-11-10T22:31:00.001-05:00

The inlet on the way to Charleston Harbor

On the second day we rented a deck boat to do some filming in Charleston Harbor. We started at Castle Pinckney, the first fort captured by the Confederate forces in the Civil War. There we hit an underwater pillar when we were backing up to leave. Next we went to Fort Sumter, which was fired on by the Confederates to start the war. As we were trying to dock the water was rough. I grabbed the ladder, and at that moment my father decided to back the boat up to try again. I fell off, and the bottom of my legs got wet. While we filmed at Sumter, my mother and Stephen waited in the boat, fell asleep and got sun burnt. Our trip back to the boat rental place took three times longer than going out. We assumed it was because the tide was going the opposite way, but when we finally got to the rental place we found out that when we hit the pillar at Pinckney, we had bent the propeller. Before sunset we were also able to film a few scenes at Fort Moultrie, where we also saw a very nice sunset.

Castle Pinckney

Getting ready to shoot

Filming Fort Sumter from the boat

Glidecam at Sumter

The Stephens on the ride back

Sunset at Fort Moultrie

South Carolina Filming Day 1

2011-11-10T21:50:00.001-05:00

South Carolina State House

Last week we did our last major filming trip for our video series, Discerning History. We started out our first day of shooting on Wednesday at the South Carolina State House in Columbia. We were there to film some scenes about what caused the secession of South Carolina. We had some technical difficulties, but thankfully they happened the first day because it had the loosest schedule. After finishing up all the shots we could before dark, we headed down to Charleston, South Caroline where we stayed for the rest of the weekend.

Filming Trip Blowout

2011-10-22T00:09:00.001-05:00

We have been way too busy to write blog posts recently, but here is a quick one from our filming trip to Richmond, VA and Washington, DC last weekend. Just a few minutes from home, I was driving, and we had a blowout. It had rained a lot in the last week so I ended up steering into an extremely muddy ditch. Even the four wheel drive could not get it out, since the wheel was completely shredded and popped off the rim, but some nice people pulled us out, and then one of the deacons from our church brought two bigger jacks so we could get the spare on. We were pleasantly surprised at how many people stopped to help us, and one said he had the type of jack at home that he would bring. Here are some pictures:

Filming at Arlington Cemetery

Civil War Tour - Battle of Bloody Lane

2011-09-15T10:18:00.000-05:00

A clip from the traditional yearly "reenactment" from the tour. Here are some pictures as well:

Civil War Tour - Day 6

2011-09-12T17:07:00.000-05:00

On the last day of the tour we went to Federicksburg Battlefield. Our first stop was the Sunken Road/Stone Wall where Burnside's Troops charged fruitlessly against Longstreet, and then we went to Prospect Hill on Jackson's end of the line. There we had another reenactment. We finished off the tour with a closing lunch

Group Picture at Fredericksburg Battlefield
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Charging Prospect Hill

Opening Fire

Closing Lunch

Civil War Tour - Day 5

2011-09-12T12:14:00.002-05:00

On Day 5 we visited Sharpsburg Battlefield in Maryland. Although it was rainy, it was really great to be able to see the landscape and locations that were important in this battle, the bloodiest day in American History. The landscape remains pretty much unchanged from 1862.

One fun part was our small "reenactment" of the boys against the men at the Sunken Road. Check back soon for a video of that.

The boys gathering to march to the Bloody Cornfield

Men prepare for Battle

Leading the troops forward

Burnside's Bridge

Speaking at Burnside's Bridge

Listening to Talks

Civil War Tour - Day 4

2011-09-08T21:20:00.001-05:00

We started off back in Richmond at the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House. At the Museum they had a lot of really neat artifacts from the Civil War. Next we went to Hollywood Cemetery, where many important military & political leaders are buried. We then went to Cedar Mountain Battlefield, where Jackson defeated Banks. We finished up with a dinner from Mrs. Sides.

Museum of the Confederacy

Artifacts from Lee's Tent

A field notebook through which an officer was shot

Grave of Douglas Southall Freeman
Historian of the Civil War

My father at James Madison's Grave

My father at Jefferson Davis's Grave

Me at Cedar Mountain

Cedar Mountain Battlefield

Civil War Tour - Day 3

2011-09-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we started off at the Marinier's Museum, specifically focusing on the first ironclad vs. ironclad battle, the Monitor and the Merrimack. We next went to the Richmond battlefield visitor's center, and Malvern Hill battlefield, the last combat of the Seven Days Battles.

Taking Notes at the Mariner's Museum

Full size replica of the Monitor

Me speaking at Malvern Hill

The Confederate forces attempted to charge up the hill on cannon like these

Civil War Tour - Day 2

2011-09-06T21:36:00.001-05:00

Today we started at Harper's Ferry, an strategically important location in the Civil War. There we talked about John Brown's raid to free to free the slaves. We next went to Manassas battlefield, the first battle of the Civil War where the Confederates routed the Union and Jackson earned the name Stonewall.

Street at Harper's Ferry

My father speaking at Manassas

Audio Recording

Me at the Jackson statue

Exploring the Henry House at Manassas

Civil War Tour - Day 1

2011-09-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

Today we began our tour of the Civil War. We started by talking about the war of 1812, so we visited Fort McHenry, where the Star Spangled Banner was written. Then we visited the USS Constellation, a Civil War era sailing ship. We finished up with Arlington, home of Robert E. Lee and now a national cemetery.

Fort McHenry

Cannon Looking out into Baltimore Harbor

Demonstrating a gun crew

USS Constellation

Fellowshipping in Baltimore

Arlington, Home of Robert E. Lee

Arlington surrounded by the cemetery

Sunset Over the Ohio

2011-08-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

Last week while traveling to Ohio for a filming trip (check back soon for a post on that) we were able to see a great sunset over the Ohio river.

New England Filming Trip

2011-08-06T11:45:00.000-05:00

Last month, we went up to New England to film part of our Civil War DVD series, which will be on the antebellum period leading up to the Civil War. Stephen Breagy, one of our friends, came with us to help, and also Erik Woodard, a video producer who is staying with us. On July 7, we drove up to New England, and spent the night at Princeton. The next morning we filmed at Princeton University:


Nassau Hall at Princeton University

The Cathedral at Princeton

The shoot took longer than we were planning, and also there was traffic, so we did not get to one of the places we were planning on going to. We drove to one of our friends' houses, and spent the next three nights there. On Saturday morning, we drove to Plymouth, MA and filmed in the Church of the Pilgrimage and at Burial Hill, the cemetery on the hill next to it:

The Church of the Pilgrimage

The Church of the Pilgrimage from Burial Hill

On Sunday Daddy preached at our friend's church, and we spent the day fellowshiping with them. On Monday we drove to Boston, and filmed at the First Church of Boston and Park Street Church:

Park Street Church

We then filmed in Cambridge at two of the graves of the Secret Six, men that were influential in the abolitionist movement, and the funders of John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry. We also filmed at Harvard University:

The grave of Samuel Gridley Howe, one of the Secret Six, and the husband of Julia Ward Howe, who wrote the Battle Hymn of the Republic

Harvard University

On Tuesday morning, a couple of the guys got up early and filmed at Faneuil Hall in Boston. We then drove 5 hours to John Brown's Farm in North Elba, New York:

John Brown's Farmhouse

On Wednesday we went to the Old South Church in Newburyport, MA and interviewed the pastor.

The Old South Church

Interior of Old South Church

George Whitefield's Crypt in the Old South Church

Then we went to the replica of the Friendship of Salem. We don't have any pictures because it was raining and we were busy. On Thursday we went to Concord, MA and filmed at the North Bridge, and the Wayside, a house on the underground railroad that Louisa May Alcott lived in at one point:

North Bridge (from when we went a few years ago)

We went to the grave of another of the Secret Six:

Sanborn, one of the Secret Six

We also went to Walden Pond, were Henry David Thoreau lived for a period of time:

Thoreau's Cabin

On Friday we drove to Philadelphia and filmed at Independence Hall, Congress Hall, The 1st and 2nd National Banks, the President's House, and the Declaration House:

Second National Bank

President's House

On Saturday we drove back to NC.

Panorama from the Bell Tower of the Old South church. (Click on image for larger version.)

150th Manassas Battle Reenactment

2011-07-26T15:14:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday we traveled to Virginia to attend the 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Manassas/Bull Run. With over 8,000 reenactors, it was the biggest reenactment I have ever been to, and one of the largest there is. Although it was very hot, it was amazing to be able to get an idea of what a battle of that size would have looked like. Above is a short video of some of the footage we shot there. Here are some pictures as well. The complete album is here.

The Confederates Prepare for Battle

A Regiment Advances

The Federal line through the smoke of battle

The Confederate line advances

Part of the Confederate Battery

Memorial Day 2011

2011-06-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our last Memorial Day celebration. Although Mr. Brown was in Europe with Vision Forum, there were still a lot of people there. My father gave a few short messages. This year we had some really neat speakers. There was Woody Williams, the last surviving Iwo Jima Medal of Honor winner. You can read about his story here. and Mr. Glass, a Holocaust survivor. Here are a few pictures:

My father speaking

Col. Henderson, Iwo Jima Veteran

Buck Bunn, WWII bomber pilot

Vietnam Veteran

Mr. Glass, Holocaust Survivor

Woody Williams, last surviving Iwo Jima Medal of Honor winner

Bill Brown, WWII fighter pilot

New Market Reenactment

2011-05-17T17:03:00.000-05:00

New Market Reenactment from Joshua Horn on Vimeo.

Last Saturday we went to the reenactment of the battle of New Market. Above is a short clip of some video we took there.

Living History

Historic House in New Market

Plymouth Civil War Reenactment

2011-05-06T21:17:00.097-05:00

On April 30th we drove to Plymouth, NC to film a Civil War Reenactment, which included a 3/8 scale replica of an ironclad ship, the C.S.S. Albemarle. In the original battle, the Confederate troops were trying to capture the Union forts, with the aid of the Albemarle. At first the land attack was failing because the troops were being bombarded from Union gunboats in the river. They sent the C.S.S. Albemarle down the river to drive off the gunboats and help to capture the forts. The Unions tried to trap the Albemarle by tying chains between the U.S.S. Miami and the U.S.S. Southfield. The Confederate ram turned and rammed the U.S.S. Southfield. The Southfield began to sink, and the Albemarle began to sink too because her bow stuck into the side of the Southfield. When the Southfield struck the bottom, providentially she rolled, which released the bow of the Albemarle, just as the water began pouring in. The Miami fired a point blank shell round at the Albemarle, but it bounced of her iron plating and exploded, killing the Miami's commander, Captain Charles Flusser. The Miami's crew attempted to board the Albemarle, but were driven back by musket fire. The Miami then untangled herself from the Southfield and escaped into the Albemarle Sound. With the river cleared of enemy ships, the Albemarle helped to bombard the forts,which were captured by the Confederates. Six months later, the Albemarle was sunk at night in her dock by a steam launch armed with a spar torpedo.

The C.S.S. Albemarle

A replica of one of the launches armed with torpedoes that sunk the C.S.S. Albemarle

The Albemarle firing one of her cannons

Union reenactors

Union Reenactors firing

Confederate reenactors firing

A Cannon

Joshua filming with our camera

A Confederate Battle flag in front of a tent

Charleston Trip

2011-04-26T20:42:00.000-05:00

Fort Sumter from Fort Moultrie

A little over a week ago we visited Charleston, South Carolina, to do some filming at the 150th anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumter. We left Friday morning, and after picking up Stephen Breagy arrived there in the afternoon. We started by visiting Fort Moultrie while we were waiting for the ferry. The boat ride is about 15 minutes out to the small island from which the fort guarded the harbor. Fort Sumter was destroyed by bombardment when the North was attempting to retake Charleston later in the Civil War. Of the original three stories only one remains. A gun position was also built on the spot during a later war, which now has a museum. Many of the fort's original cannon remain in position. At the fort there were several reenactors who demonstrated musket firings and a cannon loading drill. We returned after getting a lot of good footage.

Fort Sumter

Gun at Fort Sumter

Saturday we got up early to go to Fort Moultrie again. Moultrie was originally a log fort built during the American Revolution, and was rebuilt after the War of 1812. When South Carolina seceded, the Federal troops in the area were in Fort Moultrie, but later moved to Sumter because it was more defensible, even though it was uncompleted. Later the fort was improved and modernized at several other times. Today, different parts of the fort are restored to represent different times in its history.

Fort Moultri

Before returning home we stopped by the H. L. Hunley. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink a ship, and was built during the Civil War by the Confederates to break the Union blockade. It sank on the way back to shore after its successful attack, and the cause is unknown to this day. A few years ago the wreck was discovered and raised along with many artifacts. Unfortunately we were not able to see the actual ship, but we hope to at a later time.

Full scale replica of the Hunley

View more pictures here.

Flowers

2011-04-13T11:32:00.000-05:00

Last fall Mommy and I planted over 100 tulip and daffodil bulbs in front of the white fence in front of our house, which runs along the road. We love enjoying the spring flowers that God created, and they remind us of the new life we have in Christ each spring. Joshua took the photos and edited them a bit.

Cocoa & Diesel

2011-04-13T11:28:00.000-05:00

Recently we got two dogs, Cocoa and Diesel. We haven't had dogs for a long time, and we were planning on getting a dog after we moved. They are a German Shepherd, Collie, and Labrador mix. They are a brother and sister from the same litter, and they are three years old. The black and chocolate dog is the male named Diesel, and the tan and white one is the female named Cocoa. They are both very sweet dogs, and love attention. Right now they are on our back porch, but we are going to set up a trolley soon.

Diesel

Diesel again

Cocoa

Cocoa again