Special on Robert E. Lee airs Monday

According to the Los Angeles Times, PBS' "Robert E. Lee" sidesteps the myths of the Confederate general created by his hero-worshipers, instead finding an ambitious, tormented man reluctant to go to war who went on to cause and sustain major casualties. The 90-minute program airs Monday. A portrait of Ulysses S. Grant comes the following Monday. • Article

Georgia city buys more battlefield land

The Picket wrote in October about a Georgia city's plan to open a Civil War site by acquiring property for a 161-acre park.

This month, Dallas closed on another 66 acres "that contains more discernible earthworks," according to the Georgia Battlefields Association.

The earthworks were likely occupied by the 9th Kentucky (Confederate) Infantry during the ill-fated May 28, 1864, attack by the Orphan Brigade during the Hell Hole battles, the GBA said.

Civil War saluted in new stamps

Stamps including the 150th anniversaries of the beginning of the Civil War and of Kansas statehood and the 50th anniversary of U.S. manned spaceflight will be issued by the U.S. Postal Service in 2011. • Article

Upgrades planned at Atlanta Cyclorama

The Picket plans to follow upcoming changes at the Atlanta Cyclorama. Camille Russell Love, director of the city's Office of Cultural Affairs, writes, "We are in the process of developing plans to commemorate the 150 Anniversary of the Civil War with emphasis on the 2014 anniversary of the Battle of Atlanta. We hope that we will be able to freshen up the interior and exterior of the Atlanta Cyclorama building and hope to be able to refresh the exhibits inside as well." • Previous article

Do you agree with this list?

Glenn W. Lafantasie, a professor of history at Brown University, posts his list of the best 12 Civil War books. Putting together such a list is, of course, a nearly impossible task, he concedes. All of his choices were published after WWII. Do you agree with his choices? Post a comment below or on the Picket Facebook page. • Article