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| Nick with his Masters Hood |
Today, we are going to begin the first of a series of
interviews with a number of historians, in various stages of their careers. By the time this series concludes
in late April, we will have heard from Nick Kane, Ben Bartgis and Robbie
MacNiven. All of these individuals are broadly interested in the
Kabinettskriege era, and have been selected as a result of recent promotion, career success, entry into graduate school, new scholarly projects, or work recently begun in graduate
school or at a historic site. Today's public historian is Nick Kane, a historian
who researches the British Army in the era of the War of Independence. Nick recently completed his Masters in Public History from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Alexander Burns : What drew you to study the history in this
era? In 2018, much of popular memory of military history in the United States
is focused on World War 1, World War 2, and the Vietnam War. What about the
history of the 1648-1789 era do you find so compelling?
Nick Kane: It might be because it’s where the world as we
know it began. Meaning warfare, culture, geo-political entities, and economies.
I think the fact that I do re-enacting/living history for the eighteenth
century is also a factor. I will say that years ago when I was a kid, I loved
reading WWI and WWII history stuff. Some parts of it still interest me with
that era, mostly entertainment products (movies/games) but not too much on the
military history part. Unless it’s New Military History or something akin to
it. I’m drawn to the social parts of military history, not so much the leaders
and tactics. But if I have to talk about the actual military part of it,
there’s a lot of subjects that the public does not know and it opens the door
for historic dialogue. Things that Matthew Spring talks about in his book With
Zeal and Bayonets Only. Once I discovered Sylvia Frey and Stephen Brumwell, I
knew I wanted to study military history in the “New” school, which ironically
isn’t so new anymore. There’s more to this era of study than linear warfare and
powdered wigs. One of my projects in the future is to do another social history
of the British army.
NK: Mostly the Seven Years War and the American War for
Independence for conflicts but I have been looking at the conflicts tied to
those as well recently. Such as the Anglo-Cherokee war and the Siege of
Gibraltar. Concerning people, I love to find those journals from enlisted
soldiers and junior officers. While it only gives a limited view into their
minds it does display some of the perspectives and thoughts they had. With the
AWI I mostly look at the Southern Campaign since some of the battles happened
near me, such as the Battle of Charlotte (5 minutes from me), Battle of
Waxhaws, Kings Mountain, and Huck’s Defeat. It’s really cool to be in the
literal area of one’s study. While I was up at Fort Ticonderoga, I gained a
bigger appreciation for the Northern battles of the AWI and the French &
Indian War. The South really did not have much in the way of F&I battles.
The Anglo-Cherokee war did happen down here though, which brought down some of
the British army this way. The other aspect of my studies deals with Scots in
the British world. Particularly the Highland regiments, immigrants, and the
music of that era.
AB: How do you plan to continue your research into this era?
You have been employed in a public history setting, and are currently applying
to graduate programs. Why have you chosen your particular path?
NK: The research part is gonna have to be done the old fashion
way of either getting copies or going straight to the archive. However, I am
fortunate to live in this era of technology where the exchange of information
and text can be done so much more conveniently. In addition, many of my
colleagues are willing to share some primary sources they have acquired. I
chose the public history pathway for a variety of reasons. To me it is the best
way to get the information to a larger number of people than academics. I also
enjoy the public interaction and talking history with other interested people.
Working at Fort Ticonderoga this past season really boosted my passion for the
public interaction part. I learned a lot on how the public views history and
how they can engage with it working there. I finished my Master’s last May and
at this point I’m holding off on PhD studies. Maybe in the future I’ll continue
it. I wouldn’t mind being that doctoral student that is middle-aged,
experienced, and knows how to tackle things better. I do hope to get something
published in the future though, just need to get cracking on that.
AB: What challenges have you faced in the historical
profession? What, if any, advice would you give to high school and college
students considering this field?
NK: It’s a small field of study and profession in comparison
to others like STEM. Without sounding bitter, if you are going to enter the
field then I urge you to have a passion for it. I don’t mean “I read David
McCullough and watched Band of Brothers forty million times” but “I don’t have
enough primary sources, help me archive.org!” level. For those thinking about
graduate school I recommend making friends with other historians in the field
you are interested in. The internet is a wonderful place to make history
friends and some might even share stuff with you. The public history field is
also wonderful but be prepared to relocate for a career in it. Lastly, if you
are wanting to be an academic in history, start learning how to get rid of
passive voice in your writing - your professors will love you very much.
AB: What have you been reading, recently? Could you
recommend one book on your topic of interest, or any recent work on the era?
NK: I am going to admit here that I am one of those readers
that has about five books on “reading” status at all times. I have Christopher
Duffy’s The Military Experience in the
Age of Reason, couple fantasy books, and pdfs I have opened up on my
computer. I think the most recent book on my field that I can think of is Ilya
Berkovich’s Motivation in War which
you reviewed a few years ago. It’s a really fascinating read and helped me
quite a bit on my thesis.
AB: Thanks so much Nick! We look forward to following your
career as it continues!
NK: Thank you, Alex for this opportunity. I am watching to
see how your doctoral studies go and what Kabinettskriege will produce next!
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