This is one of the “Tales from the Trail” I cannot confirm, but it always makes for a lively discussion.

One of the joys I had managing a couple of local newspapers in the Washington D.C. DMV that had a rich history was to read stories about things like the Civil War through the lens of a contemporary local newspaper.

Reading dispatches from the front lines in a weekly publication was sometimes chilling. Sometimes mesmerizing and always interesting. One day my journey began with a couple of sentences I’d seen posted by the local historical website Peerless Rockville. All it said was, “In 1863, JEB Stuart arrived to a warm reception by townspeople. The Confederates took so long to capture a Union wagon train and to be charmed by local girls that they arrived late to the Battle of Gettysburg.”

I began to think about what that meant. The Battle of Gettysburg is considered the high water mark of the confederacy - symbolized in how far Pickett’s charge penetrated Union lines. It is also, by twist of fate one of the most devastating examples of brothers and friends killing each other. That extended all the up the ranks to Union Major General Winfield Scott Hancock and Confederate Brigadier General Lewis Armistead who’s armies faced each other directly on the third day of the battle.

Both men were injured when Armistead’s brigade assaulted Hancock’s corps. Hancock survived, Armistead died two days later at a field hospital located on a local farm.

One of the reasons why the battle occurred was because General Robert E. Lee was blind to the location of the Union Army without his trusty JEB Stuart’s trusted cavalry. Lee’s favorite general was busy getting a “warm” reception from some local girls in Rockville.

That statement in the public record was an eye-opener to me. Rockville during the Civil War had no more than 800 people I’m told. How many girls were gathered in Rockville to greet 3000-5000 men? Did their parents accompany them? Was this a church social setting? Victorian sensibilities didn’t include groupies.

So, I immediately began looking for who these girls might be and how they managed to keep that many men still. The possibilities were never ending. Rockville has a colorful history in the Civil War. It was small, but a major crossroad for both the Northern and Southern armies during the length of the war.

Rockville, though a small crossroad was a vital one. It was a documented stop on the Underground railroad. One local church still had, 10 years ago, hidden rest stops that were used as abolitionists worked to help slaves get north to their freedom.

It was also rumored to have at least one “bawdy” house in town. The rest of this story is based on facts, but does require some conjecture.

Could Stuart’s army have been held up by a group of randy prostitutes eager to make some money? Hey, if there was a bawdy house in Rockville, that would certainly explain a lot of it - particularly since it is also a rumor that JEB Stuart himself fancied one of the “girls” who frequented that establishment.

Hence, the delay in getting ahead of the Army of Virginia and acting as a scout. When the Confederate infantry stumbled into Gettysburg, On July 1st, 1863, the first resistance they met was from Kentucky born and West Point bred General John Buford and his northern Cavalry.

Stuart stayed in Rockville from June 28 and didn’t make it to the Battle of Gettysburg until July 2. His cavalry didn't see battle until the last day of the campaign on July 3. Capturing 125 wagons is the usual story told as to “why” Stuart was late to get there. But there’s that story about “the girls.”

To take it even a step beyond, at that time there were hundreds if not thousands of women working as spies for the Union Army. If caught they were treated as prostitutes. They routinely worked to gather information, report on troop movement and surveil the Confederate Army. As a Maryland historian told me years ago, “it should surprise no one that a prostitute could be pressed in service for that roll.”

With that said, we might come away with a different view of the turning point in the Civil War. It wasn’t just won by a determined Union, but perhaps one very good at weakening its adversary in a non-traditional manner. The beguiling woman who held Stuart’s attention and her friends who entertained the officers of the Confederate Cavalry for a few days did more than anyone can measure in helping seal the ultimate Union Victory. What if they did it on purpose?

I know I often chuckle when I think of even the possibility that the Civil War was in essence won by the mesmerizing glance of a femme fatale who stole Stuart’s heart and perhaps his pants long enough to change history. She and her crew became known as simply the “girls who charmed” JEB Stuart.

Then there’s her back story . . .

Anyway, just a stray thought and a potential to ponder.

Hey, never let the facts get in the way of a good narrative. Just ask any politician.

Interested in this story? Your adventure begins here: https://peerlessrockville.org/historic-rockville/rockvilles-past/the-civil-war-in-rockville/

“Never forget that your obligation is to the people. It is not, at heart, to those who pay you, or to your editor, or to your sources, or to your friends, or to the advancement of your career. It is to the public.” Bagdikian told us.

Details at 11. Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead.

The headlines scream daily about the incontinence of the president, his delusional manner, his poor decisions and his incapacity for empathy - and of course the fact that he loves to nap during meetings in the Oval Office.

He is seen as the enemy of the people, a blithering idiot and a monster on steroids and Adderall. He’s a racist, narcissist, misogynist, and an indefatigable liar and cheat.

Or, conversely, if you’re a fan of his, he’s the second coming of Jesus, a blessing for the world, the keeper of the holy flame and is seated at the right hand of the father. His flatulence smells like roses and he sweats holy water while he stands for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Pick your extreme. I am of the opinion that, with a nod to Walt Kelly and “Pogo”, we have met the enemy and he is us. Donald Trump is both a cause and a symptom of the times in which we live. His particularly nasty brand of politics, his corruption and his indolent methods found fertile ground in a country that values purchasing power over everything. So, he has caused much misery. His decisions are blatantly self-serving.

From selling fertilizer on the South Lawn in a live commercial that pretended to be an informational “gaggle” of reporters, to stealing Venezuelan oil - Trump is all about the money. On this, he is as transparent as he has always pretended to be.

But he is a symptom of the idea of “supply-side” economics introduced by Ronald Reagan. He is a symptom of the very same corruption that gave us Richard Nixon and he owes a debt of gratitude to both - while the American voters responsible for this mess seem entirely ignorant of how we got into this position. Some love it and want to stay, and others want out - but have no idea how to escape this menagerie of incompetence and corruption.

I was a callow youth during Nixon’s regime. Forced to watch Water Gate Congressional Committee hearings when I came home from school as a teen, I quickly became convinced that Nixon was not only a disaster, but as I was taking American history in the eighth grade at the time, I couldn’t help but recognize how far from The Constitution Nixon had strayed.

It renewed my faith when he was hounded from office. Then came Ford and Carter and suddenly we got Ronald Reagan. He was first elected in 1980 - the first time I could vote. I did not cast my vote for him. His supply-side pitch on economics, his anti-union stances and his Southern Strategy - heavily reliant on Nixon’s same strategy and mixed with the “Born Again” Christian movement was antithetical to everything I was born to respect.

It was Reagan that made Newt Gingrich possible, who made Trump possible. A direct line can be drawn from Nixon to Trump and it includes the most villainous morons ever to hold office. The two questions that we must force ourselves to examine is how and why we allowed this to happen.

The how is answerable with the press. We have profoundly failed the American public. Our job is to hold those in power accountable for their actions - even if we’re fans of the particular president we are covering. As I’ve found fault with every politician I’ve ever covered, it has been rather easy for me to do this - I confess. But Sam Donaldson once told me you’d never know who he voted for because he held all presidents equally accountable for their actions. Indeed, I can happily report that I have never met a press secretary or a president I couldn’t piss off - and some more quickly than others. Trump is the easiest.

Yet there are reporters covering the White House today who have never had my experience. They have grown up in the era of division and a time in which to be heard they must be fans of the president. They don’t know there’s a better way - they don’t even know a better way exists.

Why has this happened is a more delicate factor to consider. There are religious people who think they’ve been made fun of or forgotten. There are poor white people who wonder why they must pay the price for the sins of their fathers. They believe they are struggling as much as minorities who seem to get ahead of them in the line when it comes to employment because of the color of their skin and not the quality of their work. I will forego the irony in that - but the fact remains. Most of those who have voted for Trump - at least once - all share a similar story. We shouldn’t be angry with them - but should listen to them and find common ground with them.

Then there the racists and misogynists and the truly wretched who see in Trump the fulfillment of retribution they’ve long desired against the world at large. Those people we cannot ignore, but I see no reason to equate them with the others who’ve been duped by Trump. And I see no reason to harbor corruption and criminals who would twist the government to give them what they want at the expense of others.

Trump is the empty mirror, the bottomless pit and the pendulum of American politics where - since he actually stands for nothing - anyone with a grievance against their fellow man or the system (i.e. the Deep State) have seen Trump as their deliverance.

Trump cares about nothing but himself, but has happily embraced those with perceived grievances to feed his impudence, petulance and greed.

All of this is made possible by the media ecosystem that excels at telling you what you want to hear instead of what you need to know. The media is here to make money. So are the politicians.

It’s all about the cash.

That, in a nutshell is the problem in the United States and why many embraced Donald Trump.

With the United States in the nascent stages of shaking off Trump we also find ourselves in the most precarious of positions. Trump has made an enemy of our closest neighbor and ally - Canada. He did it for no reason other than he got his butt sore because our Canadian neighbors saw him for what he is and wouldn’t take it.

They didn’t have to and no one capable of cogent thought - including many MAGA members, harbor any resentment against Canada for doing it.

However it may be a long time before the country that gave us Captain Kirk and Deadpool will see us as the close friend we used to be. The entire population of Canada is roughly the same as the population of California. Canada is the second largest country behind Russia and California only has about four percent of the landmass of Canada while having roughly the same population.

What’s the point of this fight? Could it be land? Could it be money? Trump has already tried to pull this off with Greenland. It backfired. He was successful with Venezuela, but he has destabilized our international relations, he has put in jeopardy some of our greatest friendships, and he isn’t above telling us he’s making money off of those conflicts.

How do you tell someone that voted for him three times they are voting against their own self interest? Certainly calling them names hasn’t worked - or else our problems would be solved.

But cool heads must prevail or we will tear asunder the country we’ve been building for 250 years. “United We Stand. Divided We Fall.” That’s the state motto of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and one of the prevailing sentiments from our revolution.

We need to remember that today.

In this episode, Brian, Mark, and Nolan discuss, media monopolies, and the concerns surrounding the further consolidation of the American Media. They analyze the implications of Trump’s actions, the extermination of local media, and the state of American democracy. Plus... Lake America?!?

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We examine this in the latest excerpt from “Just Ask the Press.”