Civil War Times Illustrated—An By Stephen Davis Bruce Catton, Virgil Carringto Jones, Edwin C. Bearss—all are Civil War authors familiar to many enthusiasts of America’s greatest conflict. They also happen to have contributed articles for Civil War Times in i earliest years. Founded in 1959, its successor, Civil War Times Illustrated (begun in April 1962) recently announced it will no longer publish a print edition bu post its content “online.” This prompted me to haul out all the boxes in which I’ve been storing this venerable magazine and to look through those old issues. It’s been an adventure—and a wellspring of delightful memories, dating from the magazine’s first couple of decades, through which I rummaged for this article. Back in high school I saved money to contact CWTI and buy as many issues as I could. Here’s Bruce Catton—yes, the Bruce Catton—writing on “Glory Road Began in the West” (July 1960): while the war was stalemated in Virginia, Grant, Sherman, and Thomas were winning it beyond the Alleghenies. In November ‘60, Francis A. Lord wrote on the changes that the rifled muske brought in infantry tactics. Toda such lore seems old-school, but back then (I was a seventhgrader), it was an eye-opener. Glenn Tucker, in “Longstreet: Culprit or Scapegoat” (April 1962), notes that “the South could never forgive Longstreet for being right” at Gettysburg. Before he turned to World War Two, Stephen Ambrose could contribute a profile of Dennis Hart Mahan, the military theorist (November 1963). The very next month’s issue (back then, CWTI came out ten times a year!) offered Bud Robertson’s piece
on the Stonewall Brigade, based on his book, which had just com out. (For us bibliophiles, this is akin to time-travel.) The Centennial, of course, sparked lots of cool material for CWTI. The special issue of August 1862 (the magazine did not publish in September) focused on Antietam. Back then, James V. Murfin was the authority on the battle; he wro on Lee’s lost orders. Another Centennial-themed issue was “Hood’s Tennessee Campaign” (December 1964), with its main text by Stanley F. Horn. The magazine was good at selecting its featured writers; Horn was author of The Decisive Battle o Nashville (1956). Similarly, wh CWTI got D. Alexander Brown to write on Grierson’s Raid (January 1965), it was landing the author of the book Grierson Raid (1954). Brown had also served as technical advisor for John Ford’s famous movie The Horse Soldiers (1959), in which John Wayne portrayed Col. John Marlowe. The film foray into Mississippi was inspired b
Grierson’s exploit. (“Inspired” a loose Hollywood term.) Civil War Times Illustrated arguably enjoyed its heyday during the Centennial, though
are hard to come by. A perusal of the magazine’s mastheads, December 1960-April 1965, shows just who was in charge of its successful production. Edit and General Manager during these years was Robert H. Fowle A native North Carolinian, Fowler earned his Bachelor’s degree at the University of Nor Carolina (1950), and a Master’s at Columbia (1954). He started out as a reporter and assistant editor for the Greensboro (N.C. Daily News, then worked for papers in St. Petersburg, Fla. Harrisburg, Pa., before becomin founder of Civil War Times. For CWT he served as vice president and general manager 1960-69, president 1968-80, and chairman of the board 1980-88. The magazine, 1960-62, was also directed by Associate Edit Col. Wilbur S. Nye. In January 1963, Nye shifted from Associat
Editor to Managing Editor, a position he held for another several years. Nye (1898–1970) was a West Point graduate (192 and a World War II veteran. A career army officer (note the in his bylines), he is buried West Point Cemetery. In June 1961, the name of James V. Murfin began to appear in the masthead as Director of Advertising and Promotion. Murfin (19 1987) was a commercial artist who avocationally engaged in historical research and writin His Gleam of Bayonets (1965) details Antietam, and won the New York CWRT’s Fletcher Pratt Award. Even the ads are interesting 24 – American Battlefield Tru 34 – Book Reviews 20 – Central Virginia Battlef 32 – Emerging Civil War
A New York company in 1971 promoted a five-volume set reprinting war articles th run in the New York Times, and Tribune. (I wish I had that!) The following month Edward J. Stackpole wrote “The Day the Rebels Could have Marched into the Whit House,” borrowing from his Sheridan in the Shenandoah which had just come out. The first issue of Civil Times Illustrated appeared April 1962. Editor Robert Fowler explained “there is need for a magazine devote
H CWTI . . . . . . . . . . . . se 30 – The Graphic War 18 – The Unfinished Figh 26 – This And That 10 – Through The Lens