This week I've been working on a rework of my history of the 3rd Texas Cavalry Regiment. In my spare time I am reading the Book , Those Dam Horse Soldiers, and some of Douglas Hale's book, The  Third Texas Cavalry along with the history section of the 3rd Texas Cavalry web site. In all this I have my first rework of the 3rd. Why? I have links to the 3rd web site. I could tell you where to find Hale's book. My goal is to have all the data available at one site for the whole Texas Brigade. To get more data or indepth coverage, you can read the books. I have spent more time on the 6th Texas Cavalry and more time on Company I. This is due to my kin. From them came the collection of all this data plus the continued improvement.

As I have said I want to have each soldiers official records. Next I would like to develop a way to present them so that research would be easier. I wrote Footnote.com who is in the process of digitizing all the National Archives. They have almost completed the Texas Civil War records, and with much trouble you can view each record, but it is time consuming.  I want something I could sort and manipulate. I love data that can be completely understood and will provide you with what you need. I ask Footnote for a digitized DVD or something on that scale, to work on. They said they were not planning to go in that direction. Using their current system it would take three years to view all the 6500 records plus another year to down load the file and format it so I can use it. I could do better using the microfilm even though it is expensive and slow.  My question to Footnote was why digitize. They said to save and store. Great for the future, but it will continue to be difficult to obtain the data. There are Muster Rosters taken from the National Archives, and I think there are data sources that have been hand copied, but these are held for profit. The National Government is not supose to be in the data business for profit, but after seeing the Mint and Post Office, I wonder.I would like to see a lineal record by unit of each soldier. Once data is place in a lineal format it is easily sorted. Even a layered lineal format for those who want to view specific data quickly. I would like to be able to call out the records of all those men who were wounded on October 4th and 5th. The all those who died from wounds in the next month in that theater, Then all thos that were released due to inability to fight, such as loss of limbs, sight, etc. Even though all, this data is not in the records, it wwould be a start. Then I would know more about the Battle of Corinth than I know now. This is the purpose of data collection and manipulation. From general data is drawn specific.

Maybe, I'm to optimistic. But it would be nice. Some what, its like having big dollar appitite with a penny income. I hope it becomes easier due to digitization. At this point I am not sure.