Colin E. Woodward's Official Site

Nelson Lankford is the author of several books about the Civil War, including Richmond Burning and Cry Havoc!: The Crooked Road to Civil War, 1861. A Virginia native who received his Ph.D. at Indiana, he was the editor of the Virginia Magazine of History and Biography at the Virginia Historical…

Colin discusses his visit to Montpelier, the home of James Madison, which has some interesting artwork. The Rambler also talks about his visit to the eternal resting place (or is it?) of Stonewall Jackson’s left arm.

  A brief talk about what just happened in Orlando. Stay safe, everybody.  

By Colin Woodward I am a historian of the American South. I am also an archivist. In August of 2013, I took the certification exam for archivists that’s administered by the Academy of Certified Archivists. For me, it was not an easy exam. I never went to library school,an d…

With no guests available, Colin opts to take matters into his own hands in the garage. In “Bill Hicks wanna-be” mode, he discusses his first visit to a geek show, why he’s not especially afraid of clowns, wikipedia rabbit holes, and his “beef” with Steven Spielberg. Speaking of clowns, Colinsays…

You may know Wes Freed for the inspired artwork he has done for the Alabama southern rock band Drive-By Truckers. But Wes is a Virginia native, who has lived in Richmond for decades, where he’s played with the bands Mudd Helmet, Dirtball, and the Shiners. His latest outfit is Mag…

James McPherson is the Dean of Civil War historians. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his 1988 book Battle Cry of Freedom. He has also won the Lincoln Prize twice, for For Cause and Comrades:Why Men Fought in the Civil War and Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in…

Jon Bachman is Public Events Manager at Stratford Hall, the home of two signers of the Declaration of Independence and the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. Jon is a true raconteur, who talks about being a principal in the public school system, music, and growing up as the son of…

It’s Graham Dozier Day on Amerikan Rambler! Graham is the author and editor of A Gunner in Lee’s Army: The Civil War Letters of Thomas Henry Carter, which is available through University of North Carolina Press. The book contains 100 letters written by Carter, an artillery officer in Lee’s Army…

The Rambler finally does a music show, which is part one of two episodes. And for his first music podcast, Colin talks about Johnny Cash. Colin is writing a book about J.R. (aka the Man in Black, aka Johnny), Country Boy: The Roots of Johnny Cash, which began as a…