Civil War, note card,  calendar, engagement calendar,  Camp Wildcat, battle reenactment, Kentucky history, living history, Laurel County, Rockcastle mountains, Wildcat Mountain, Zollicoffer, Schoepf, Union, Confederate, 33rd Indiana Infantry, 1st Kentucky Cavalry, 3rd Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, 7th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry, 17th Ohio Infantry, 14th Ohio Infantry, 38th Ohio Infantry, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, 1st East Tennessee Infantry, 2nd East Tennessee Infantry, Kentucky Home Guard, Laurel Home Guard, 15th Mississippi Infantry, 11th Tennessee Infantry, 17th Tennessee Infantry, 20th Tennessee Infantry, 29th Tennessee Infantry, 2nd Tennessee Cavalry, Tennessee Artillery Corps

Danna Estridge, LLC, Photographer and Writer

My fascination with the Civil War has its roots in two of my favorite subjects: history and family.

In researching my family tree, I found that many members of my family fought in the Civil War -- on the Union side. But because they lived in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky, their decision of whether to fight for the Union or the Confederacy may have had less to do with their views on either state's rights or human rights than it had to do with economic survival.

In researching my family tree, I found that many members of my family fought in the Civil War.

They may have been against slavery for the simple reason that it cut into the labor market. Slavery in Kentucky meant fewer available jobs for white men who needed to work to support their families.

Of course, I have no letters or other personal records to back up my assumptions. And anyone who might have actually known one of these Civil War veterans is long dead.

But because this was often the prevailing view in Eastern Kentucky, I think it is at least a possibility.

Because of my interest in the Civil War, and especially the Civil War in Kentucky, I became very interested in the Oct. 21, 1861 Battle of Camp Wildcat which took place in my native Laurel County and in which one of my ancestors took part.

I have been photographing the Battle of Camp Wildcat Civil War Reenactment event for more than a decade for the group that hosts the reenactment each year -- the Laurel Home Guard, of which I am a member.

The DVDs and books on this site are a direct result of my involvement in this group and my interest in the Civil War in general and the Battle of Camp Wildcat specifically.

You can order any of these items through PayPal (simply click on the order buttons) or by sending me a check or money order to the address below (printable order form). I hope you enjoy these items as much as I have enjoyed making them!