Daily Archives: December 1, 2012

My great grandfather, Archibald Van Orden, carried this ribbon with him during the Civil War.

Though the Pledge of Allegiance would not be created until decades after the conflict, he would certainly agree that the USA was destined to be “one nation, under God, indivisible.”

Now, in 2012, Union will continue if we want it with all our hearts and strength, as Archie did.    We must not let the divisive spirit of our times accomplish what war could not. Union must and shall be preserved.

I am an ordinary American. Yet I am blessed by extraordinary ancestors.

Foremost among them is my great-grandfather, Archibald Stark Van Orden. At age 18, Archie was a US Cavalryman in the Civil War. The adventures and dangers he encountered confound the imagination.

Inspired by the exploits of his youth, I am writing a book that tells his tale.

As Archie wrote to his family: “Half the truth hath not yet been told.”

Now, 150 years later, the hidden-half of truth will finally see the light of day.