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So, this is not quite "new" in so much that they have been around for a while, but the (American) Civil War Trust has started providing "Battle Apps" that are downloadable on Android and iOS devices.

I had to take a trip back to Mississippi this weekend that took me past Vicksburg and the opportunity to use the app for the site. What was interesting, is that the Visitor Center there actually had a sign outside advertising it as a useful guide to the Park.

I figured I would give a review of the app and it's features.

The overall interface is probably better suited to tablet use and not cell phone since it provides a TON of information, and packs in a lot of features. It essentially is a app driven book with each link working as a separate chapter or indexed page which also links to other pages. Navigation can be a bit counter intuitive at first until you get used to the idea that you are in essence using a guide book and not a standard browser or app.

They tend to break the relevant information down into categories such as "Background" "Campaign" "Battlefield", etc. This allows you to explore the entire saga of a battle and it's background. For Vicksburg it includes the history of the city, its strategic importance, and the events leading up to it.

They include three different "tours" for the battle. One includes the overall Campaign of Grant all the way from Milken's Bend to Jackson, to Champion's Hill, etc. Each one of these includes a summary of the battle's history, links to relevant spots of interest, etc.

The actual "Battle" or Siege of Vicksburg section includes a full map of the park, that has removable unit placements, lines of advance, topographic lines, and the major lines of fortifications. Each section broken down by the major points (Such as Battery De Golyer, Logan's Approach, etc.) has their own page that includes historical illustrations, photographs, audio readings of 1st hand sources from witnesses, and videos from expert guides.

It also includes resources of information to include a timeline, an order of battle for both sides that breaks down to below brigade level. Probably it's most interesting feature is the "Field Glasses" portion. Using your devices camera and GPS, it will point out where certain key points of interest are on your screen as you look at the field in real time, and can click on those links. The only drawback, is that to take anything other than a wide view photo requires you to leave the app and use your regular camera.

Overall, I would recommend the apps as long as you have the available battery life or ability to keep charging as you tour. The issue of data usage is easily overcome with preparation by the availability to download all the relevant media and information to your phone (storage allowing). Hopefully in the future, other organizations will follow suit with their own apps that follow along the same lines for other battlefields around the world, or even for non-military history, such as a mobile app for touring the ruins of Ancient Rome.

Over the weekend I posted a question about new interpretations of Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, and the New Deal. Unfortunately, the only responses were partisan/nonserious, so I will pose the question again here. In brief:

Two "recent" books by Amity Shlaes argue that historians and policymakers have unfairly blamed Coolidge and Hoover for allowing the depression to occur, and failing to stop it (respectively). Shlaes argues that Coolidge was blameless, even praiseworthy ("Coolidge"), and that Hoover's only mistakes in the Depression occurred when he tried to intervene to stop it ("The Forgotten Man").

These arguments have drawn sharp criticisms from the press, but I wonder if Shlaes is on to something, or if she has had an impact on the historiography of the Depression. Basically, what do historians think of her works?