I agree whole-heartedly with you on that last point. I was told, many, many years ago, never to call oneself, or even imply that one is an expert, as an expert can be brought down with just one unanswerable question, and in this way, look rather foolish. I have always considered myself as an avid student of the subject, and I am still learning more and more.
This English "expert" on the CSS ALABAMA was always boasting and bragging about his prowess on the subject, and putting down many others. I eventually found out that his articles were ALL replete with errors (and I mean dozens of errors, not just one or two), and he deceived many of his colleagues and others about what he knew, and what he had in relation to the subject. His mistakes were so plain to those in the know, but yet his immediate colleagues still believed in him, and tended to excuse his errors by stating that everyone makes mistakes. Fortunately I won't fall for that sort of rubbish, and I firmly believe that if one wants to write an article about the Civil War or any subject at all, one needs to be as accurate as possible, and when mistakes are pointed out (with documentary evidence), it is best to correct them, instead of leaving them for the general public to continue reading, which he has continued to do. He tried to excuse these numerous errors by many diversionary tactics, but in the process, it was becoming more and more clear about the way he worked, and the web of deceit he continued to spin. It is pointless to claim that one is an expert on the CSS ALABAMA, yet to believe that there was more than one vessel, in the Confederate States Navy, that bore that particular name.