Some historians believe that the Emancipation Proclamation never freed a single slave and that it was a political ploy to garner support for the war by rebranding it as a moral fight. Information found in the National Archives seems to support their argument. According to the article entitled " Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 ": "Although the Emancipation Proclamation did not immediately free a single slave, it captured the hearts and imagination of millions of African Americans, and fundamentally transformed the character of the war from a war for the Union into a war for freedom." The transformation was a success politically but in reality the "emancipated" slaves were labeled as "contraband".  Their fate was not freedom but rather a new type of slavery through exploitation. Information found in a paper entitled " Civil War in the Delta: Environment, Race and the 1863 Helena Campaign " states: "By early June

In this week's episode of The Dixie Heritage Hour, Dr. Ed DeVries interviews Gary Ayres about his new book "A Forgotten Few".  Dr. Ed and Gary have an in depth discussion about slavery and early settlement of Missouri as well as the history of St. Clair County. Also discussed were the legendary heritage dinners that Gary organized as an Sons of Confederate Veterans camp commander which drew attendance from across the United States. I used to be a member of Gary's SCV camp during those days and can vouch for the validity of the statements. Relevant links: Dixie Heritage website Gary Ayres website

YouTube personality "Sage Wanderer" recently posted a video questioning a  report by Alex Jones which states: "President Trump is planning to carry out mass arrests of deep state traitors, including Andrew McCabe, Peter Strzok, James Comey and even Barack Obama.This is fully covered, with accompanying documentation from the U.S. Federal Register." The Jones' report also states: " The confirmation of Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court is the key to getting this done in a timely manner, which explains why the deranged Left is going to such outrageous extremes to fabricate false allegations against Kavanaugh and stage coordinated, well-funded protests to try to block the U.S. Senate from confirming him. Once Kavanaugh is on the court, it will add the necessary support for constitutional “emergency powers” that concentrate power in the executive branch of government (currently headed by President Trump) during times of war and national emergencies."

In my second interview with the Dixie Heritage Hour, Dr. Ed DeVries and I discuss the history of the Ozark Baldknobbers.  Commonly described as a vigilante group that simply got out of hand, most people don't know that the original "Baldknobbers" were actually Unionists who bought seized land and cattle that were taken from Southern sympathizers during the war. The term "Baldknobbers" stemmed from the fact that the group met on treeless hill or mountain tops known as "bald knobs".

YouTuber Ozarks Brother Jerry explains why America is already in a Civil War , how Democrats refuse to honor election results, undermine the elected government through bureaucrats and Donald Trump's exposure of the Deep State.

In 2015 my book Blood in the Ozarks, was published. It was ten years worth of research and accumulating information to prove that Union militia members massacred Confederate soldiers and their families at a Christmas gathering held at one of Colonel Timothy Reeves camps in the Southeast Missouri Ozarks near the Arkansas- Missouri border. It was known locally and passed on through generations in the Doniphan, Missouri area. Local writers past and present have wrote about the event.  There were, of course , some skeptics in the early 2000's that conducted a campaign to rewrite history, with some success. They literally rewrote the history of Ripley County, Missouri. One of their arguments was that the Christmas season was too cold for a Confederate officer to hold a gathering for his men and their families in such an isolated location. To the historian, information comes in months and years, rather than weeks. An invaluable tool form me has been archive.go v. It is at this int

I was doing some research on the August, 1863 capture of General M. Jeff Thompson while he was at Pocahontas and stumbled upon a blog operated by a local guest house. This particular post focuses on Confederate officers Reeves and Carter and states: "This episode of Pocahontas and the Civil War tells of a fascinating deception by which southern sympathizers tricked men in southern Missouri into entering the war on the side of the south, just as men used to “Shanghai” sailors, using force, liquor or drugs to fill ships’ crews by unscrupulous means" The basis for the belief of the blog post is a letter sent to General Davidson in Pilot Knob , Missouri from Lt. Colonel Theo Harmann who was commander at Fort Barnesville. The Confederate government passed a conscription act on April 30th, 1862. The United States conscription act was not passed until March 3, 1863.  The fact that Reeves' and Carter's men were wearing Union jackets was most likely done n