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Reading Mary Chesnut's Civil War diary. This is not verbatim but from memory as it's a few chapters back:

The angels came down to retrieve Stonewall Jackson's soul but couldn't find him, they return to heaven crying but there he was... He he had flanked them and gone in the gates ahead of them!

Late Sunday night bump for the Freeper Foxhole.

Meterological update as of 11pm there is one final line of storms moving through Western Missouri. The line is about 75 miles east of the Missouri/Kansas line. A most unusual day in that the storms started about 7am this morning in Eastern Kansas and are just now finishing up. Western Missouri has been hit the hardest. Pettis County, about 90 miles east of Kansas City, had a tornado on the ground for over 20 miles. The twister went just south of Sedalia from the west county line to the east county line.

Lot of straight line wind damage as well. There are as of this time reports of two or three deaths as well as several reports of folks missing. So prayers for those who have been hardeat hit.

One humorous note. My daughter of the T-shirts was walking back to her apartment about 3pm when the Tornadeee sireens went of in Warrensburg. She was just a few minutes from the building when the sireens went off. When sahe got to the building a large numbner of the International Students were out in front of the building, cameras in hand waiting to get a picture of the tornado. She just laughed at 'em and went inside. As I am familar with the area where these student were standing they had almost no chance of getting a picture and being here to show the picture. Fortunately there was no twister there.

My daughter repeorted that Knob Knoster got hit pretty hard. Several houses were destroyed. Knob Knoster is home to Whiteman Air Force Base and the B-2s. Y'all knew I would get airplanes in here some way didn't ya.

Well things are winding down weather wise and I need to get back to work.

See ya tomorrow

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

Chesnut's diary is very useful. War is politics written in blood, hopes, dreams, and suffering, and I find Chesnut the best window into that world we have. Confederate group think, shared illusions, are what really killed them (as is, as far as I know, always the case).

Chesnut thought Joe Johnston horrible for criticizing Davis so sharply, "attacking his president in time of war" sort of thing. Johnston turned out to be correct, though. No room for Chesnut's sentimentality (I sure do understand her viewpoint, though) unless you don't care if you lose.

Shameless plug for Nathan Bedford Forrest and Ulysses Simpson Grant here; both were clear thinking and prompt acting under the greatest pressure and true men of war. Also both were very good with their subordinates. Two men of the very highest quality.

Me, I am more the excitable and irritable type (more like Sherman). With a great boss like Grant Sherman could be careful, accurate, decisive, quick moving, and make few mistakes.

Sherman sure did get mad at Forrest! Emotional storms, rash outbursts! Feelings easily hurt! Urge to kill! Too bloody minded though nothing compared to Sheridan.