Eric Mills is the author of Chesapeake Bay in the Civil War and Chesapeake Rumrunners of the Roaring Twenties. His articles have appeared in Naval History, Proceedings, Chesapeake Bay Magazine, and other publications. He lives near Easton, MD.

Articles by Eric Mills

Pieces of the Past

Pieces of the Past

By Eric Mills
December 2020
If you’re a naval-oriented collector, perhaps you own a battleship model, be it a plastic Revell or a handcrafted beauty worth hundreds of dollars.
Postcard of the USS Connecticut (BB-18)

Pieces of the Past

By Eric Mills
December 2019
Samples from a massive accumulation of nautical postcards donated to the U.S. Naval Institute Photo Archive offer evocative glimpses of early U.S. battleships.
Joe Hunt playing tennis

Remembering a Champion

By Eric Mills
October 2019
The U.S. Tennis Association honors Lieutenant Joe Hunt, the World War II–era tennis wunderkind who died in the service of his country.
Edison Record #5078 Vernon Dalhart: The Wreck of the Shenandoah

Pieces of the Past

By Eric Mills
June 2019
When the USS Shenandoah (ZR-1) crashed in Ohio on 3 September 1925, the tragedy inspired a song—and created a moment when U.S. naval history and American folk-music trends converged.
U.S. NAVAL INSTITUTE PHOTO ARCHIVE

Pieces of the Past

By Eric Mills
June 2017
This particular piece of the past has a distinct resonance for the U.S. Naval Institute; it ties us to a landmark chapter in the long saga of the Navy’s oldest ...