Jan. 22, 1776: The South Carolina Committee of Safety resolves that “able-bodied negro men be taken into the public service, and enrolled and employed without arms for the defence of the several batteries in Charles-Town, Fort Johnson and other batteries, at the rate of two to each gun.” 1/2

Again... too many RIPs lately. This time it's Tee Turner and Don Switz. Thinking about Lee this evening.

Did the extended bus metaphor lose anyone else? Like, I thought I was following. Obviously the bus is our country and represents our collective action crisis and the dangers of physical confrontation. But who is the 18 year old who doesn't want to leave? Disaffected Zoomers? Needs workshopping

Ask Richard Montgomery how that turned out.

LMAO at this Amazon recommendation that came up while searching for a Billy Graham book.

me after doing something stupid that pisses off my wife

The Guardian interviews museum leaders inside and outside Washington about President Trump's attempts to interfere with the independence of the Smithsonian Institution.

Dumpster fires can be hot, for a minute.

Jan. 18, 1776: A ship anchored off Charleston is searched by South Carolina authorities who find five runaway slaves aboard. The Black men, Daniel, Richard, Jack, Polydore and Sambo, had been “promised £100 a month wages, good usage, clothing and living—and on their arrival in Spain, freedom.” 1/2

Was on site in Columbia last week when notified that an unvaxxed measles shedding kid had come through the museum exposing everyone around him. Did not care for that. Commuting sucks but this makes me happy I live elsewhere.

😳 (laudatory)

Checkitout... mail from @uvapress.bsky.social. Yours truly has two entries and I've already found some things I'd like to have a copy-editing do-over on.

Picard Tips just followed rikergoogling.bsky.social and most certainly DID NOT like what he saw.

My contribution to The Discourse is that whiskey is hard to beat.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: when you say it holds thirty liters, surely you don't fill it with water? CARL MARX: was ist das 'nylon shell'? LUIGI MANGIONE: that snaps over the top, see how it fits a 16" laptop? ME: please put the peak design bag away this isn't what i wanted to discuss

Minnesota wine moms have faster responsive fires than peak WWII American artillery lmfao

John Singleton Copley's extraordinary 1775 portrait of Charlestonians Ralph and Alice Izard now on view at the MFA Boston is about a lot more than the Izards' cultural erudition. It's about justifying enslavement as republicanism advances in colonial North America. www.instagram.com/p/DTaTZkQkYHW/

When my wife asks why I just took $60 out of the ATM:

That makes him 2 for 2 in coup attempts

wine awakes is this anything

No No No No No No

safe travels to bobby weir in the greater weirdness.

Can this week get any worse? Yes. Yes it can. FUCK. Fuck fuck fuck fuck. Goddammit. RIP Bobby Weir

RIP Dan Howe, a great historian of the antebellum United States 🗃️

Q & 26th or M & 26th.

This is how my little varmint of a dog thinks it'll go down when she lunges at the random pit bulls in my neighborhood.

Day spent... >Thinking about Doc Watson >Thinking about Washington Roebling, courtesy of @robhanna.bsky.social >Doing my day job >But mostly wondering if I'll have half the guts as your average Mpls mom when my life is on the line.

That’s not even remotely true… or even within the realm of the historical imagination.

Taking a break to, yet again, think about Doc Watson.

Virginia has a Gadsden Flag license plate and can assure you that it has nothing to do with South Carolinian Christopher Gadsden's promotion of that flag for the US Navy and everything to do with conservative-coded culture war stuff.

As a temporary RevWar historian I’d say yeah, pretty much. (As a temporarily former Civil War historian, I’d say that a little less relevance to current events would be nice on occasion. Much rather talk about how hilarious newspaper editors were.)

Oh goddammit. RIP critter guy Clyde Jones.

Can He hurry up already?

Apparently this fellow made a name for himself by walking around playing his trumpet in the vicinity of Monument and Floyd, ca. 1979-1983.

Jan. 6, 1776: For the first time since last summer, Charleston Harbor is free from the threat of naval attack. Five British vessels, including the flagship Tamar carrying Gov. Lord William Campbell and the armed ship Cherokee, weigh anchor in the channel called Rebellion Road and sail away. 1/3

Happy Richmond Water Crisis Anniversary! Be sure to get your loved one a fresh glass of [filtered] Richmond City tap water in celebration! #RVA

Loved this interview. Can't wait for the book.

In our latest digital history column, Megan VanGorder writes about Sarah R. Johnston, a southern woman who aided Union POWs at Salisbury Prison in the face of severe social backlash. Read it here: tinyurl.com/yc2faedx

Travel overseas? Go to the beach? Hit the big city? No... this is my ideal vacation, preferably in the southern Appalachians. This is all I want in this world.

Ana's words on Bill are the best, so far.

Can someone gift this to me, please?

Oh come on…

Jan. 1, 1776: The South Carolina Council of Safety tells representatives of Georgia they are disturbed by the frequent violations of the Continental Association which have been reported from Savannah, where a robust trade appears to still be taking place with Britain. 1/2

Oh, NOW they’re getting started on safety?

Dammit

"car collision" Cmon, man. He was hit by a car while crossing in a crosswalk.

A beloved RVA figure killed by a driver in broad daylight is a tragedy made worse by how preventable it was. City leaders love touting Vision Zero, but dither on redesigning demonstrably dangerous roads out of incompetence, lack of urgency, fear of inconveniencing drivers, etc. This is the result.