Pay dirt!

I struck pay dirt today. On a scouting mission for materials for my tentative thesis topic, I found some pictures that were all labeled "unknown". They looked familiar, the people, the background, the pose--it hit me that they could be the "candid" shots of the regiment getting their "group" picture taken.

After doing some comparison (via the phone), I was skeptical because from the comparison some of the items didn't match up. It was later in the day that I saw the group shot and realized that I had found the pictures of the regiment but what I was comparing them to was the group shot of the BRIGADE!

I was floored--I had found a cache of pictures that NO one has, and they had gone "unknown" for 45 years and I had solved the puzzle. Oh wow, I was so excited. I still am. I am going to go back tomorrow and take digital shots of them and see if I can get them scanned for me.

Another gold mine today was the personal memoir (unpublished) of an enlisted man serving with the brigade--nearly a day by day blow of doings! AND I ran into the ONE person who knew about a "Giant" who served with the brigade and low-and-behold, the giant did an oral history! Oh man, I can't wait to dig into THAT tomorrow.

This is why I love my type of history--the research. These nuggets are gold to me. I love this, and I can't find the words to tell you why or how much. Just take my word for it :)

~Cheers!!!