The newest disc in our series, Volume 3, brings the collection up to the War Between the States. One track tells the story of the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads, between the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia (often called the Merrimac), the first clash of ironclad warships.

This was an interesting story to produce. We’ve used the sounds of waves, seagulls, and ship’s bells before to give the basic nautical flavor to the background. But the Monitor and the Virginia offer unique problems. To start with, what did they sound like when they were underway?

We try to be as authentic as possible with the sound effects in these stories, but sometimes you just have to make your best educated estimate. For instance, we know both these ships were propeller driven, so we can’t use sternwheel riverboat sounds. They were steam powered vessels with engines peculiar to maritime uses. While there’s information online about the different styles of engine they used, I couldn’t find any recordings of that exact machinery. I opted to use the sound of two different narrow gauge steam locomotives, one a little deeper and slower than the other, edited to give the steady beat you would have heard on board.

One of the remarkable features of the battle was the sight of cannonballs bouncing off the ironclad vessels. Did that make a distinctive sound? I think so, and I think it would have been distinct for the two warships. The armor on the two vessels was radically different. The Virginia had four inches of iron on top of 24 inches of solid oak and pine. The Monitor, on the other hand, was all metal – the most exposed thing, the gun turret, had eight 1-inch layers of iron bolted together, with another layer of 1-inch plates bolted inside the turret to dampen the sound of a direct hit (yeah, right). I chose a deep metallic sound for ricochets off the Virginia, sort of a “bong,” and a higher note (“clank”) for hits on the Monitor.

Their guns were different, too. The Monitor had two big 11-inch naval guns, while the Virginia was described as a floating battery – smaller guns, but lots of them. I found a recording of an actual Civil War cannon shot, likely a smaller bore field piece, which I used for the Virginia’s rifled armaments. A deeper “boom” stands in for the Monitor’s big Dahlgrens..

If you listen carefully to the battle sequences, you might be able to track who’s shooting what at whom—and watching it bounce harmlessly off which.

Maybe the best thing is the celebration on the southern shore after the Virginia’s initial success. My son John Calvin found a recording (a film, actually) made at a reunion of Civil War veterans in the 1930’s. The three cheers you hear echoing over Chesapeake Bay on our CD are the genuine Rebel yell – performed by actual Confederate soldiers. How authentic is that?

Sometimes you just can’t find what you need. I’ve already mentioned the creepy Deguello bugle call Santa Anna used to announce “No prisoners” to the defenders of the Alamo. Our army never had need of it, and I couldn’t find another recording suitable for use. Roosevelt didn’t mention the bugle, so I just let that historical detail pass. The shots from Jim Travis’ pistol are a period black-powder revolver, though, and the ticking clock on Gouveneur Morris’ wall in revolutionary Paris is an 18^th-century, Scottish antique  – and the angry mob in the street is shouting in French. That’s in volume 2, by the way.

If you have enjoyed our rendition of Hero Tales, we’ll be glad to answer any questions we can. If you haven’t heard them yet, why not download a sample and try one out? We think you’ll like them!

Bibliography Note:  When the book Hero Tales from American History was first published in 1895, Henry Cabot Lodge got top billing over co-author Theodore Roosevelt. Although both men were Harvard graduates with established records of historical and biographical books, at that time Lodge was the more prominent of the two—a Ph.D serving in the U.S. Senate after three terms in the House. Roosevelt had served short terms in the New York General Assembly and the federal Civil Service Commission, but his meteoric rise from the New York governor’s office to the White House (with a brief visit to San Juan Hill, Puerto Rico) were still in his future. So in 1895, Senator Lodge is credited first.

The Alamo, 1854

When the outnumbered defenders of the Alamo refused the Mexicans’ demand to surrender, General Santa Anna ordered his buglers to play “El Deguello” – a call meaning “no quarter”, a signal that no prisoners would be taken, and anyone surviving the assault would be put to the sword. As everyone knows, that’s precisely what happened – the entire garrison was killed in the battle or executed afterward, with the possible exception of a woman and a servant who were spared. A second and even more ruthless massacre followed at Goliad.

Fall of the Alamo

I was working on an audiobook dramatization of the story and searched in vain for a useable recording of “El Deguello.” There are plenty of American bugle calls in the public domain, but I thought it was indicative that the American military has no need of such a command. It’s been said of the U.S. Marines, for instance, that there is no worse enemy—and no greater friend—to those they encounter. That character of fair play and mercy are characteristic of our troops.

It is true that in the heat of conflict, sometimes passions run over. When the British dragoons under Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton bayoneted American prisoners and wounded at the Waxhaws during the Revolution, it came back on their comrades a few months later. As the Carolina backwoodsmen surrounded British Major Patrick Ferguson’s men atop Kings Mountain, the battle climaxed with spontaneous cries of “Tarleton’s Quarter!” – meaning, the American militia didn’t intend to stop, either. To their credit, the patriot commanders rushed to restrain their men and were mostly successful. But the desire to punish brutality of Tarleton’s sort runs deep in righteous men … and that’s a far cry from the cold-blooded orders of a Santa Anna.

Checkpoint Charlie

When I briefly lived in Germany during the 1980’s, there were marches and protests against America in West Berlin, Frankfurt, and Bonn, over U.S. plans to deploy certain new weapon systems in Europe. Where I was staying, though, we were just a few miles from the border with Communist-controlled Czechoslovakia. There, even we American college students were wildly popular with older Germans, who welcomed us into their homes and paid our bills in the local inns. See, they were thankful: many of them and their  parents had rushed into the advancing American troops rather than risk the mercies of Stalin’s Red Army approaching from the east. They recognized that occupation, or even capture and imprisonment, under the U.S. Army would be tempered with that quality – mercy.

General George C. Marshall

It does make you think. What other nation has spent billions in dollars and thousands of lives to grind a vicious dictatorship to dust, as we have done several times the past century, and then turned and invested still more to rebuild and restore the survivors of our former enemies? Our “nation building” activities in Iraq and Afghanistan are under criticism right now, and there is certainly room for debate, but who remembers the Marshall Plan? The Berlin Airlift? Who rebuilt post-war Japan? It was Americans, the victors, and our generals led each of those efforts. (True, George Marshall was Secretary of State by that time in 1948, but as Chief of Staff he was General Eisenhower’s superior until August of ’45).

It’s easy to forget sometimes that with the strength of a great nation, or a great army, or a great man, the call is not for revenge but restraint. There is a time to exert great and even overwhelming power to protect the weak and turn back evil – our national anthem says, “Then conquer we must, When our cause it is just” – but it must be conditioned by justice and the desire to reconcile when that becomes possible.

The anthem continues, “And this be our motto: In God Is Our Trust”  That last bit makes the difference.  Jesus said we are to “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36)—and that Father says of Himself, “I am merciful … I will not be angry forever.”(Jeremiah 3:12)

Today, Veteran’s Day, as we express our thanks to our soldiers, sailors and airmen of all ranks and ages, let’s take a minute to point out to our sons than along with their courage, discipline, self-sacrifice, and honor, there is a strong tradition of mercy—proving that it is a sign of strength and not weakness, flying in formation with all these other virtues.

Hal & Melanie

You can hear the complete stories of Kings Mountain and the Alamo in Hal’s dramatic audiobook rendering of
Hero Tales from American History
by Theodore Roosevelt & Henry Cabot Lodge

This post originally published at The M.O.B. Society blog.

Scripture quoted from the English Standard Version.

But there is a practical question, quite apart from the trick-or-treat and bags-of-candy aspect. If you leave aside the more grown-up temptation to put don a mask and do anonymous mischief, what prompts our kids and particularly our boys to choose certain types of costumes and identities to put on?

“I think I know,” I said, moving into the turn lane. “I wondered the same thing about grown men wearing a hat with a superhero logo on it, and it’s the same as wearing an NFL jersey. Boys, and men, want respect. They want to be associated with the concept of strength, power, and capability, and if they can’t get respect, they’ll settle for being feared.

“I think the spooky costumes are a way of saying, ‘I’m not afraid of ghosts, but you should be afraid of me—Boo!’”

Working along that line of thought, I realized it has some interesting implications in how we parent our boys.

For one thing, how should we respond to that craving for respect in a boy? First, it’s our sons’ duty to learn obedience toward God-ordained authority. Jesus was the Son of God, but as a young man He submitted Himself to being governed by human parents: “And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them … and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man,” the Gospel of Luke says of the twelve-year-old Jesus (2:51-52). Our sons do need to recognize that they have a place, and it’s not one of equality with their parents.

But even while we do that, we the parents can recognize his desire to be respected, even at a young age. Some people laugh about the “fragile male ego,” but it’s not really a laughing matter. A great deal of a man’s self-identity is wrapped up in his reputation. A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches (Proverbs 22:1).

As a practical matter, we try to be careful how we speak to our sons, especially in front of others—even family members. They need correction and even discipline from time to time—if you are left without discipline, then you are illegitimate children and not sons (Hebrews 12:8)—but as much as possible, we try to administer the correction in private. And when we need to just give them verbal direction, we try not to belittle them. Someone said that a small dog is just as big inside as a big one; I think it applies to boys in some ways, too.

That desire to be associated with strong examples is not a bad thing. Paul tells believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14) and to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1 and several other places). So we try to get our boys really good examples to follow. The world and its media recognizes brute strength and the force of will; do your sons have examples of manly gentleness, humility, duty, and moral as well as physical courage?

This time of year, coincidentally, is the birthday of the Reformation. We always take time to talk about Martin Luther and his willingness to lay down his life for the sake of truth. “My conscience is captive to the Word of God,” he told the Emperor, “and to go against conscience is neither right nor safe … I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand; I can do no other; God help me.” There’s a great B&W movie about him that we’ve probably watched twenty times. (You can also get it streaming on Netflix.)

Another example, not so famous, is the American historian Francis Parkman. He had to overcome incredible, painful illness and disability, to carry out his scholarly work documenting the history of the early American West. Theodore Roosevelt, a man of great character himself, dedicated one of his books to Parkman, and tells his story in Hero Tales from American History, a change from the stories of explorers and soldiers. Roosevelt also talked about John Quincy Adams’ long fight against slavery, serving as a Congressmen after he finished his term as president. (You can hear both of these stories on part 3 of our Hero Tales audiobook – see below!)

So as you see the little goblins in the streets this week, take a minute and think about the children underneath the masks. What are they thinking (besides “Who’s got the best candy,” I mean)? Are they looking for someone to follow? Or making a statement about what they’d like to be? Those can be some very interesting openings for you to follow up as a parent.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR HEROES?  THESE RESOURCES CAN HELP!

Where Is Roy Rogers When You Need Him?  is our workshop about our boys’ need for heroes and role models, and ideas about where to find them. $5 on CD, or $4 for mp3 download.

NEW! Hero Tales from American History – Part 3

The next volume of our popular audiobook series from the book by Theodore Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge. Hear the dramatized stories of the backwoods general who beat the British army – a former president’s fight against slavery – the suffering scholar of the American West – and the opening battles of the War Between The States!  Introductory price only $5 (Regular price $7) To be released in November!

Or you can order the whole set – from the birth of George Washington to the War Between the States – for just $15 (Save $6 and get free shipping, too!)

Read Part One here and Part Three here of our thoughts on the season.

We particularly love “We Gather Together,” because it was a Dutch song of the proper time frame – it is quite likely that our Pilgrim forefathers knew it and sang it! We try to make sure our children understand the rich history of our country’s founding. We try to read books about the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth. It is very encouraging, because they were people we agree with on many different things! They were concerned about living and worshiping as Biblically as possible. They were very concerned that their children be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In fact, the influences on their children in the Netherlands was one of the deciding factors for beginning a colony in the New World. We love to read the real first hand accounts to our children, especially Of Plymouth Plantation. I really like the Plymouth Set available from Vision Forum, which includes it, and it’s on sale for 25% off right now. In fact, they are having a great sale on tools and toys through tomorrow – up to 50% off!

Another thing we like to do is to put up a Thanksgiving tree. We make a tree trunk out of brown paper and tape it to a wall, then cut out lots of construction paper leaves in fall colors. Each of us writes something we are thankful for on a leaf and tapes it to the tree. We keep on adding more and more until the tree and all the “ground” at the base of it is covered in lovely leaves. What a terrific reminder of how blessed we are!

On Thanksgiving Day, we place five kernels of corn on each plate at the table. When we come together at the table, the youngest child who can read well reads aloud the poem “The Five Kernels of Corn” by Hezekiah Butterworth. It reminds us of the famine our forefathers endured the first couple of years in Plymouth and of their endurance and God’s provision. We thank God for those brave believers who endured all that to leave a goldly heritage for our nation.

Five Kernels of Corn

By Hezekiah Butterworth

‘Twas the year of the famine in Plymouth of old,
The ice and the snow from the thatched roofs had rolled;
Through the warm purple skies steered the geese o’er the seas,
And the woodpeckers tapped in the clocks of the trees;
And the boughs on the slopes to the south winds lay bare,
and dreaming of summer, the buds swelled in the air.
The pale Pilgrims welcomed each reddening morn;
There were left but for rations Five Kernels of Corn.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
But to Bradford a feast were Five Kernels of Corn!

“Five Kernels of Corn! Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye people, be glad for Five Kernels of Corn!”
So Bradford cried out on bleak Burial Hill,
And the thin women stood in their doors, white and still.
“Lo, the harbor of Plymouth rolls bright in the Spring,
The maples grow red, and the wood robins sing,
The west wind is blowing, and fading the snow,
And the pleasant pines sing, and arbutuses blow.
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
To each one be given Five Kernels of Corn!”

O Bradford of Austerfield hast on thy way,
The west winds are blowing o’er Provincetown Bay,
The white avens bloom, but the pine domes are chill,
And new graves have furrowed Precisioners’ Hill!
“Give thanks, all ye people, the warm skies have come,
The hilltops are sunny, and green grows the holm,
And the trumpets of winds, and the white March is gone,
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
Ye have for Thanksgiving Five Kernels of Corn!

“The raven’s gift eat and be humble and pray,
A new light is breaking and Truth leads your way;
One taper a thousand shall kindle; rejoice
That to you has been given the wilderness voice!”
O Bradford of Austerfield, daring the wave,
And safe through the sounding blasts leading the brave,
Of deeds such as thine was the free nation born,
And the festal world sings the “Five Kernels of Corn.”
Five Kernels of Corn!
Five Kernels of Corn!
The nation gives thanks for Five Kernels of Corn!

To the Thanksgiving Feast bring Five Kernels of Corn!

Sometimes we also read George Washington’s Thanksgiving Proclamation. This year, I believe we will. I’ll post it tomorrow, along with why I think this is a particularly appropriate time to read this proclamation.

Then we pray and thank God for our feast and for all the blessings of the year.

During the meal, our topic of discussion is “The Blessing of God of this year. ” Each person is expected to share at least five things they are thankful for – one for each of the kernels of corn they received. What a happy time it is to enjoy the wonderful food as we think of all our dear Father in heaven has done for us.

This year, in particular, our family has much to be thankful about. We’ll be sharing that on Thanksgiving Day and we hope you’ll join us and rejoice with us!

Peruvian corn picture courtesy of Jenny Mealing, through WikiMedia Commons, no endorsement of our site intended.

Hero Tales from American History

By Henry Cabot Lodge and Theodore Roosevelt

As read by Hal Young

Part One

You have heard it on our podcast — now you can order it to keep! This series of five stirring accounts from early American history illustrates the values of heroism, courage, patriotism, and perseverance.  We’ve even added music and sound effects to liven up Lodge and Roosevelt’s eloquent prose!

Order your copy today at the introductory price of $5

Or download the mp3 for $4

Free shipping in the U.S.

This week’s episode from Hero Tales is the remarkable story of how George Rogers Clark and a few dozen backwoodsmen captured the Northwest Territory from the British during the Revolutionary War.  Theodore Roosevelt relates how Clark led his men through the icy floodwaters of the Wabash River to surprise the British outpost of Vincennes, among other outstanding acts of courage, persistence, and self-sacrifice.  Without this campaign, the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin might be part of Quebec to this day!

One of my favorite Founders is George Washington. There’s a whole mythology that sprung up around him, sure, but the reality is just as fascinating and more edifying. Two excellent biographies I’ve enjoyed are Joseph P. Ellis’ His Excellency, George Washington and Richard Brookhiser’s Founding Father: Rediscovering George Washington.  He really was a man of strong personal character, overcoming defeat, discouragement, anger and temptation, and becoming the absolutely indispensible man of the Revolution and the years that followed.

Henry Cabot Lodge wrote the chapter on Washington for Hero Tales from American History.  We’re continuing our reading of this book in this week’s podcast, and you get it pretty much as I read it to our children — but with some sound effects added for fun.  You can download it right here!

(Fun Fact:  Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, was saved from bankruptcy when Washington donated $20,000 in canal stock to the tiny school.  Even today, part of the tuition bill for every W&L student is paid from interest on Washington’s original legacy!)

The Battle of Kings Mountain by F.C. Yohn

This week’s edition of the podcast is another reading from Hero Tales From American History.   In 1780 America’s war for independence was going badly.  Georgia and South Carolina had fallen back into British hands, and after defeating General Gates at Camden, Lord Cornwallis proceeded into North Carolina, breathing threats against the homes and families of the patriots who opposed him.   This chapter describes the trek of “the Overmountain Men” who turned the British tide and the decisive battle they fought at Kings Mountain!  Click here to listen!