Jackleg (adj): Lacking training, amateur, (Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S,)
Historian (noun): A writer, student, or scholar of history. A chronicler.
Welcome to the Jackleg Historian blog. This will be a regular posting from the world of a guy who makes his living "doing history" -- chiefly as a television producer. I have produced numerous hours of cable documentaries at venues like The History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, and their ilk -- on topics and time periods ranging from ancient Egypt through the Crusades, from the Old West to the End of the World.
I first heard the word "jackleg" from my father-in-law, who described his own grandfather as a "jackleg veterinarian." During the mid-1940s, when folks in the Shenandoah Valley were so pooor they really couldn't afford a real large-animal vet, they'd call Old Man Lutz, who could do enough animal doctoring to keep the farm running. Well, "jackleg" seemed like not only a great word, but a great calling. Jacklegs are the Great American Amateurs. Jacklegs are the guys who are called on when the "experts" aren't available, are too expensive, or don't care. Jacklegs are the guys who get things done.
I'm a Jackleg Historian. I produce television documentaries about history. I don't have a degree in history, and never took a single college level course in it. Which may make me seem singularly unfit for the job I'm paid to do. But I'm a jackleg historian -- I read an awful lot (an an awful lot of junk and an awful lot of simply crazy stuff). I'm passionate about history and about the great human stories of the past.
I believe I'm just one of an army of Jackleg Historians -- the guys who read True West magazine and Armchair General. The guys who watch The History Channel and write impassioned emails when there's an inaccuracy in the re-enactments. The men and women who read historical novels, who re-enact the Renaissance and the Civil War, who collect guns and books and coins and memorabilia. These are the folks for whom history is a real, palpable, living thing. They may not have a degee in history, but they are often as well-read and sometimes even better-informed than many a tenured professor. They are Jackleg Historians, and I'm proud to call myself one of them.
Right now I'm in the midst of two history projects. One is THE GUNS OF BILLY THE KID, a documentary on the firearms of the West's most famous desperado (available now at www.gunsofbillythekid.com and www.varmintmedia.com). Though the film itself is finished, the marketing of it is a new and fascinating world. And, as usual, now that the film is finished I'm discovering new details and fascinating facts that I wish I could have included.
I suppose one of the best things about the Web is that I can actually "add" material to an already finished project -- or at least add adjuncts and footnotes on the site. So stay tuned for more weird and interesting discoveries about the Guns of William Bonney.
I'm also in the middle of producing a somewhat-large, somewhat-high-budget (for cable TV standards) Civil War documentary. I won't give you the sordid details about which network, nor will I name names -- mostly because there's a news embargo that must be cleared with the front office first -- but I'll check in regularly with Reports from the Front. Working with a major cable network has its own challenges, but this kind of project also has the scope and the budget to do some really cool stuff -- and uncover some really cool angles on unknown pieces of American History.
I can tell you that there's going to be some amazing gunplay in the show. Now that I'm given the opportunity to line up fifty 1861 Springfield Rifles and fire 'em off, I'm not going to let the opportunity slip by. There's going to be lots of shooting and lots of weird guns and a couple of dozen cannons, and our firearms experts are planning to out-do themselves in the amount of black powder burnt off in a single re-enactment. Good times.
So, fellow Jackleg Historians, welcome to my world and my blog. Enjoy the show.
