Morrison House Presents: William S. Connery, Author
In the mid-nineteenth century, Alexandria was a peaceful port across from the Nation’s Capital, Arlington was an eleven-hundred-acre estate managed by U.S. Colonel and Mrs. Robert E. Lee, and Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun Counties consisted of rolling farmland and tiny villages. This peaceful region was thrown into chaos as South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, and other slave states followed until Virginia finally joined the Confederacy in April and May of 1861. The "invasion" of Northern Virginia on May 24, 1861 created a no-man's land between Yankee and Rebel armies. Some citizens joined Confederate forces, while others stayed to face uncertainty.
Author William S. Connery offers new insights into this most important time in American history in his book Civil War Northern Virginia 1861, which he was asked by The History Press to produce for their series commemorating the 150th anniversary, or sesquicentennial, of the Civil War. In this next Morrison House presentation, Mr. Connery will give the background skinny on his book and discuss his experience in producing it, including his background in writing, the pros and cons of writing for an established publisher versus self publishing, his production process from start to end, and ordering books and marketing to the public.
William S. Connery grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, considered to be 'neutral' or even 'Southern' territory in the Civil War / War Between the States. As a young boy, his family visited the battlefields of Gettysburg, Antietam, Harpers Ferry and other local history sites. He has a degree in History from the University of Maryland, College Park. Since 1989, Mr. Connery has lived in the Brookland-Bush Hill section of Fairfax County, near Old Town Alexandria. He has contributed to The World & I magazine, the Civil War Courier, the Washington Times Civil War page, and other publications. Mr. Connery is a member of the Company of Military Historians, the Capitol Hill Civil War Round Table, the Sloop of War Constellation Museum and the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore. As a frequently requested speaker on Civil War and American History topics of that period, he speaks often in the Washington, DC, Metro area.
