I was contacted the other day by Donald Thompson, one of three Civil War researchers who run a wonderful website and related blog about the Civil War, and specifically the 18th Regiment of Massachusetts. Donald Thompson, Tom Churchill, and Stephen McManus research and collect records, memorabilia, letters, etc. about the men who served in the regiment, and have compiled great biographies of the men.

One of those men from the 18th, my great-great-great uncle Erastus Everson, was recently featured on this blog as the subject of one of my genealogical biographies. He served in three regiments, and sustained head, chest, groin, and leg wounds during his service. But he was dedicated to the cause of the Union, and continued to work for the Freedman’s Bureau and as an army assessor. He later became a newsaper man, as passionate a writer as he was a soldier. The story of Erastus’s colorful life, and his run-in with the Ku Klux Klan after the war, are currently being featured on the blog “Touch the Elbow“.

The phrase “touch the elbow” comes from a popular Union song, “Comrades, Touch the Elbow”, to gather strength and unity before a battle.