Civil wars Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA readable and compelling narrative on slaves who sought freedom through the Underground Railroad."" - Florida Historical Quarterly""This slender volume packs a powerful punch. R. J. M. Blackett selects compelling stories that convey the deep and extensive networks essential to the operation of the Underground Railroad, its corrosive effect on the slave system, and role in the ultimate demise of slavery."" - Ohio Valley History""Gracefully written. . . . Clear and supported by evidence."" - The North Carolina Historical Review""[A] riveting book."" - Journal of Southern History""Blackett delivers many vivid accounts of escapes. . . as well as an illuminating discussion of slave catching and the organized kidnapping of free blacks."" - Journal of Interdisciplinary History""Employ[s] memorable microhistories that open[s] the door to . . . big interpretive questions."" - Louisiana History""A must-read for all scholars of American slavery and the [Underground Railroad]"" - West Virginia History""Making Freedom is a well-written and informative volume that provides valuable insights into the thinking undergirding the actions of freedom seekers and their supporters."" - Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography""It deserves its place on the growing shelf of studies of the Underground Railroad."" - The Annals of Iowa""Perceptively demonstrates that although marginalized, oppressed, and persecuted, formerly enslaved African Americans impacted 'the politics of scale' and determined the trajectory of the slavery debate in the United States."" - Journal of African American History""A valuable work of scholarship and an asset among the shelves of libraries both public and personal."" - New York History""The clarity of Blackett's vision make[s] this book suitable for a variety of audiences, including undergraduates, graduate students, and professional historians. Blackett's storytelling makes for compelling writing, while the implications of those stories stimulate thinking."" - Journal of the Civil War Era

Read more less

Book SynopsisMore than 150 years after the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organisations repeat claims that anywhere up to 100,000 African Americans fought in the Confederate army. Kevin Levin explains that imprecise contemporary accounts and poorly understood primary-source material have helped fuel the rise of the black Confederate myth.Trade Review“Levin's timely and telling account should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand the uses and abuses of history and the power and dangers of mythmaking.”--Library Journal, starred review

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn this eye-opening narrative of the efforts to raise, preserve, protest, and remove Confederate monuments, Karen Cox depicts what these statues meant to those who erected them and how a movement arose to force a reckoning.

Read more less

Book SynopsisExamines the threads connecting South and West America during the slaveholding era, and that undermined the radical promise of Reconstruction. Kevin Waite brings to light what contemporaries recognised but historians have described only in part: The struggle over slavery played out on a transcontinental stage.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresents more than 120 letters from African Americans to Abraham Lincoln, most of which have never before been published. They offer unflinching, intimate, and often heart-wrenching portraits of Black soldiers' and civilians' experiences in wartime.

Read more less

Book SynopsisExamining the development of death registration systems in the United States - from the first mortality census in 1850 to the development of the death certificate at the turn of the century - this book argues that mortality data transformed life on Earth, proving critical to the systemization of public health, casualty reporting, and human rights.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBenjamin Franklin Butler was one of the most controversial military and political leaders of the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. Remembered most often for his uncompromising administration of the Federal occupation of New Orleans, Butler reemerges in this narrative as a man whose journey took him from destitution to wealth and influence.

Read more less

Book SynopsisRenowned military historian Jeffry Wert draws on the personal narratives of Union and Confederate troops to offer a gripping story of Civil War combat at its most difficult. Wert’s harrowing tale reminds us that the war’s story, often told through its commanders and campaigns, truly belonged to the common soldier.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTraces the struggles and triumphs of early female federal employees, who were caught between traditional, cultural notions of female dependence and an evolving movement of female autonomy in a new economic reality.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMore than 150 years after the end of the Civil War, scores of websites, articles, and organizations repeat claims that anywhere between 500 and 100,000 African Americans fought willingly as soldiers in the Confederate army. But as Kevin Levin argues, such claims would have shocked anyone who served in the army during the war itself.

Read more less

Book SynopsisOffers the definitive history of how formerly enslaved men and women pursued federal benefits from the Civil War to the New Deal and, in the process, transformed themselves from a stateless people into documented citizens.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn recounting North Carolina Republican state senator John W. Stephens's murder, the subsequent investigation and court proceedings, and the long-delayed confessions that revealed what actually happened at the courthouse in 1870, Drew Swanson tells a story of race, politics, and social power shaped by violence and profit.

Read more less

Book SynopsisMosaic Fictions reveals the tensions between national and global affiliations in Spanish Civil War literature, highlighting writers such as Leonard Cohen, Dorothy Livesay, and Mordecai Richler.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements Introduction A Better Earth: Looking at Spain, Envisioning Canada 1. Love: Impossible War Romances 2. Sympathy: Cosmopolitan Combat and Postcolonial Spain 3. Community: Documenting Female Friendship in Spain 4. Inclusion: Elegizing Lorca Conclusion Remembrance: Envisioning Spain and Canada Now Notes References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn terms of its popularity, as well as its production, chocolate was among the first foods to travel from the New World to Spain. Chocolate: How a New World Commodity Conquered Spanish Literature considers chocolate as an object of collective memory used to bridge the transatlantic gap through Spanish literary works of the early modern period, tracing the mention of chocolate from indigenous legends and early chronicles of the conquistadors to the theatre and literature of Spain. The book considers a variety of perspectives and material cultures, such as the pre-Colombian conception of chocolate, the commercial enterprise surrounding chocolate, and the darker side of chocolate’s connections to witchcraft and sex. Encapsulating both historical and literary interests, Chocolate will appeal to anyone interested in the global history of chocolate.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface 1. Introduction 2. Pre-Columbian Conceptions of Chocolate 3. Encountering Chocolate: What Is It Good For? 4. Chocolate Covered Commerce: How Chocolate Came into Popularity in the Old World 5. Chocolate in the Church: Ecclesiastical Debates on Chocolate and Fasting 6. Chocolate: A Prescription for Health? 7. Sinfully Delicious: The Darker Side of Chocolate 8. Conclusion 9. Epilogue: Chocolate Then and Chocolate Now Appendix Notes Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing multiple languages, numerous archives, press reports, oral histories, letters, and memoirs, Stalin’s Niños investigates the well-resourced boarding schools designed specifically for nearly 3,000 child refugees from the Spanish Civil War.Trade Review"Besides telling an important story, the book raises a key theoretical question concerning the results of the double assimilation: How viable were its hybrid products and did they remain truly hybrid in the long-term perspective rather than eventually choosing just one part of their complex social identity?" -- Zukhra Kasimova * Ab Imperio *"This is a well-researched and insightful book that should find a broad readership among scholars of the Spanish Civil War, refugee movements, and Soviet history." -- Glennys Young, University of Washington * Bulletin of Spanish Studies *"This book is based on rich primary sources, including oral histories, memoirs, official documents from the Spanish archives in Madrid and Barcelona, and Russian archival holdings in Moscow. This broad range of sources creates a balanced, multifaceted narrative that sheds light on the professional dilemmas that children’s mentors and educators faced, as well as the lived experiences of Spanish niños as told in their own words." -- Zukhra Kasimova * Ab Imperio *"Qualls offers a unique perspective on the young Spanish Civil War refugees’ lives, while also shedding light on the connection between Soviet foreign and domestic policy on a larger scale." -- Mirjam Galley * Kritika *“In Stalin’s Niños, Qualls provides an exemplary model of how excellent scholarship can tell memorable stories about extraordinary lives.” -- E. Thomas Ewing Virginia Tech * American Historical Review *“The achievement of this excellent, highly readable, and meticulously researched book should not be understated.” -- Daniel Kowalsky, Queen’s University, Belfast * Journal of Family History *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations, Maps, and Tables Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. “Like Reaching Paradise after Being in Hell": The Turbulent Transition from Spain to the USSR 2. “We, the Spanish, Were like an Island”: Boarding Schools and Personnel as Loci and Models of Care and Soviet Values 3. Obuchenie: Classroom Instruction, Patriotism, and the Instilling of Soviet Values 4. Vospitanie: Kul’turnost’ and Kruzhki as Techniques of Normative Behaviour Training 5. Becoming Soviet in Traumatic Times: Life in War, 1939–1944 6. No Longer Children: Transitioning to Adulthood during War and Reconstruction Conclusion: Life after Stalin Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile historians of medieval Spain have been unanimous in acknowledging the significance of Infante Manuel’s impact on the reign of his brother, Alfonso X, the Wise, and the rise to power of his nephew, Sancho IV, none have attempted a biography of his life, convinced there was insufficient material to justify the endeavour. Systematic and persistent research over many years, however, has uncovered a profusion of facts and figures which, together with the evidence discovered in numerous unedited archival documents, effectively establishes the prince as a major player during Alfonso’s troubled rule. This is the first and only book-length biography of Prince Manuel, the progenitor of the longest ruling dynasty in the history of Spain. In his capacity as the monarch’s closest advisor, Manuel assiduously maintained critical working relationships with the most notable leaders of his age, including James I and Peter III of Aragon, Louis IX and Philippe III of FTrade Review"Kinkade’s archival work and analysis are of undeniable value, and he has woven them into a historical narrative that is clear and at times quite lively. Most importantly, he demonstrates how Infante Manuel exerted diplomatic influence not only in the Iberian kingdoms, but on a larger Mediterranean stage that included the pope, the count of Savoy, and the sovereigns of England, France, Sicily, and Tunis. Ultimately, this book is a worthy capstone to Kinkade’s legacy as a scholar of medieval Iberia." -- Anita Savo, Boston University * Speculum *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. The Early Years: 1234–1252 2. The Royal Court in Seville: 1252–1259 3. The Papal Curia in Anagni: 1259–1260 4. Dominion in Murcia and the “Tierra de Don Manuel”: 1260–1272 5. Revolt of the Nobles and Last Pretense of Empire: 1272–1275 6. The House of Savoy: 1275 7. Problems of Succession: 1276–1282 8. The Rebellion of 1282–1284 Epilogue Documentary Appendix Abbreviations Bibliography Appendices Analytical Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisUsing multiple languages, numerous archives, press reports, oral histories, letters, and memoirs, Stalin’s Niños investigates the well-resourced boarding schools designed specifically for nearly 3,000 child refugees from the Spanish Civil War.Trade Review"Besides telling an important story, the book raises a key theoretical question concerning the results of the double assimilation: How viable were its hybrid products and did they remain truly hybrid in the long-term perspective rather than eventually choosing just one part of their complex social identity?" -- Zukhra Kasimova * Ab Imperio *"This is a well-researched and insightful book that should find a broad readership among scholars of the Spanish Civil War, refugee movements, and Soviet history." -- Glennys Young, University of Washington * Bulletin of Spanish Studies *"This book is based on rich primary sources, including oral histories, memoirs, official documents from the Spanish archives in Madrid and Barcelona, and Russian archival holdings in Moscow. This broad range of sources creates a balanced, multifaceted narrative that sheds light on the professional dilemmas that children’s mentors and educators faced, as well as the lived experiences of Spanish niños as told in their own words." -- Zukhra Kasimova * Ab Imperio *"Qualls offers a unique perspective on the young Spanish Civil War refugees’ lives, while also shedding light on the connection between Soviet foreign and domestic policy on a larger scale." -- Mirjam Galley * Kritika *“The achievement of this excellent, highly readable, and meticulously researched book should not be understated.” -- Daniel Kowalsky, Queen’s University, Belfast * Journal of Family History *“In Stalin’s Niños, Qualls provides an exemplary model of how excellent scholarship can tell memorable stories about extraordinary lives.” -- E. Thomas Ewing Virginia Tech * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations, Maps, and Tables Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. “Like Reaching Paradise after Being in Hell": The Turbulent Transition from Spain to the USSR 2. “We, the Spanish, Were like an Island”: Boarding Schools and Personnel as Loci and Models of Care and Soviet Values 3. Obuchenie: Classroom Instruction, Patriotism, and the Instilling of Soviet Values 4. Vospitanie: Kul’turnost’ and Kruzhki as Techniques of Normative Behaviour Training 5. Becoming Soviet in Traumatic Times: Life in War, 1939–1944 6. No Longer Children: Transitioning to Adulthood during War and Reconstruction Conclusion: Life after Stalin Glossary Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn terms of its popularity, as well as its production, chocolate was among the first foods to travel from the New World to Spain. Chocolate: How a New World Commodity Conquered Spanish Literature considers chocolate as an object of collective memory used to bridge the transatlantic gap through Spanish literary works of the early modern period, tracing the mention of chocolate from indigenous legends and early chronicles of the conquistadors to the theatre and literature of Spain. The book considers a variety of perspectives and material cultures, such as the pre-Colombian conception of chocolate, the commercial enterprise surrounding chocolate, and the darker side of chocolate’s connections to witchcraft and sex. Encapsulating both historical and literary interests, Chocolate will appeal to anyone interested in the global history of chocolate.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface 1. Introduction 2. Pre-Columbian Conceptions of Chocolate 3. Encountering Chocolate: What Is It Good For? 4. Chocolate Covered Commerce: How Chocolate Came into Popularity in the Old World 5. Chocolate in the Church: Ecclesiastical Debates on Chocolate and Fasting 6. Chocolate: A Prescription for Health? 7. Sinfully Delicious: The Darker Side of Chocolate 8. Conclusion 9. Epilogue: Chocolate Then and Chocolate Now Appendix Notes Works Cited Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis is the first graphic novel adaptation of Lazarillo de Tormes, an anonymous sixteenth-century work that is credited with founding the literary genre of the picaresque novel. This genre includes not only works by Spanish authors like Miguel de Cervantes but also famous novels in English and American literature featuring the anti-hero. This translated and modern retelling of Lazarillo de Tormes offers a new approach to old questions about a book that has puzzled readers and critics alike for centuries. Who was its mysterious author? Why did the Inquisition forbid this seemingly harmless book? Who read the book and how was it understood? These and other questions are recreated in the graphic novel, offering a broader vision of the fortunes and adversities of a book that against all odds became a literary classic.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1553 A Brief Note on the English Translation Four Editions The “Case” in Question Chapter One Characters Implicated in Lazarillo’s Editorial History 1599 Chapter Two 2019 Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisEmpire and Emancipation explores how the agency of Scottish and Irish Catholics redefined understandings of Britishness and British imperial identity in colonial landscapes. In highlighting the relationship of Scottish and Irish Catholics with the British Empire, S. Karly Kehoe starts an important and timely debate about Britain’s colonizer constituencies. The colonies of Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Newfoundland, and Trinidad had some of the British Empire’s earliest, largest, and most diverse Catholic populations. These were also colonial spaces where Catholics exerted significant influence. Given the extent to which Scottish and Irish Catholics were constrained at home by crippling legislation, long-established patterns of socio-economic exclusion, and increasing discrimination, the British Empire functioned as the main outlet for their ambition. Kehoe shows how they engaged with and benefitted from the security needs of an expanding empire, the Table of ContentsIntroduction: Catholic Britons at the Atlantic Fringe Part I: Identity, Catholic Relief, and Imperial Security 1. Catholics, Colonies, and the Imperial State 2. Imperial Security and Catholic Relief 3. Colonial Catholics and Constitutional Change: Developments in Nova Scotia and Cape Breton Part II: Service, Education, and Political Influence 4. Engaging with Imperial Traditions: Military Mobilization and Slavery 5. Enabling Ambition through Education 6. The Decline of Lay Authority: Ecclesiastical Reorganization and Imperial Power in Trinidad and Newfoundland Conclusion

Read more less

Book SynopsisMaryland, My Maryland was one of the most popular Confederate songs during the American Civil War, yet its story is full of ironies that draw attention to the often painful and contradictory actions and beliefs that were both cause and effect of the war. James A. Davis illuminates the incongruities underlying this Civil War anthem and what they reveal about patriotism during the war.Trade Review"Maryland, My Maryland is a strong and important contribution to the field of Civil War history and hopefully will inspire others to take up their own microhistory research to shed more light on the most divisive period in US history."—David K. Graham, H-CivWar"Davis gives us some useful and often insightful observations about life, society, and popular culture during the war, and is at times quite amusing. Maryland, My Maryland is a good read for anyone with an interest in the Home Front during the war, or in American musical history, and, of course, in the still unfinished issues that brought about the war."—A. A. Nofi, Strategy Page"Moving chronologically through the Civil War years, Davis's book meticulously explores the song's origins, reception, use, and reuse, detailing the tension between the nation's love of a good melody and its conflicting ideas of what constitutes a good cause."—Stephanie Dunson, Journal of Southern History“James Davis sheds light on a crucial but understudied dimension of the conflict: the role of music in inspiring devotion to the causes for which both sides fought. He demonstrates an impressive command of the historical and musicological sources necessary to make his analysis persuasive.”—Michael W. Schaefer, professor of English at the University of Central Arkansas and author of A Reader’s Guide to the Short Stories of Stephen Crane “Once again Davis has approached the familiar subject of music in the Civil War with a remarkably fresh take on one of the era’s most popular songs. His latest contribution raises the level of academic inquiry and will stimulate new investigations into broader contexts for music that has often been mentioned but seldom taken seriously.”—Candace Bailey, professor of musicology at North Carolina Central University and author of Music and the Southern Belle: From Accomplished Lady to Confederate Composer“Davis’s historical acumen is impressive, and, combined with his knowledge of musicology, style, phrasing, and other numerous features of song-making, the reader is treated to a multidimensional view of the song. Maryland, My Maryland is not only readable; it is very enjoyable, even a page-turner. Davis is able to write to both the layman and the scholar without making either of them feel that they are trespassing on foreign ground. Anyone interested in the Civil War—really anyone who cares about the subject—will find great treasures in it.”—Randal Allred, professor of English at Brigham Young University–HawaiiTable of Contents Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Patriotic Music and the Civil War 1. Maryland and the Coming of War: Bargain Patriotism and the Need for an Anthem 2. Spring 1861: The Pratt Street Riot and the Birth of a Song 3. “Maryland, My Maryland”: Lyrics, Music, and Publication 4. Fall 1861: The Cary Invincibles, Flags, and Symbolic Patriotism 5. Spring 1862: Marylanders, the Military, and Regionalism 6. Summer 1862: Tropes, Class, and the Rise of an Anthem 7. Fall 1862: Antietam and the Battle of Parodies 8. Spring 1863: pows, Civilians, and Military Patriotism 9. Summer 1863: Gettysburg, Slavery, and the Patriotism of Sacrifice 10. Fall 1863: Women, Hospitals, and Diverging Audiences 11. 1864: Monocacy and the Victory of Song over State 12. 1865: Performing Patriotism and Nostalgia after Appomattox Epilogue: “Maryland, My Maryland” after the War Notes Bibliography Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIt's one thing to understand that over twenty-thousand Confederate and Union soldiers died at the Battle of Murfreesboro. It's quite another to study an ambrotype portrait of twenty-year-old private Frank B. Crosthwait, dressed in his Sunday best, looking somberly at the camera. In a tragically short time, he'll be found on the battlefield, mortally wounded, still clutching the knotted pieces of handkerchief he used in a hopeless attempt to stop the bleeding from his injuries. Private Crosthwait's image is one of more than 250 portraits - many never before published - to be found in the highly anticipated ""Portraits of Conflict: A Photographic History of Tennessee in the Civil War"". The eighth in the distinguished ""Portraits of Conflict"" series, this volume joins the personal and the public to provide a uniquely rich portrayal of Tennesseans - in uniforms both blue and gray - who fought and lost their lives in the Civil War. Here is the story of a widow working as a Union spy to support herself and her children. Of a father emerging from his house to find his Confederate soldier son dying at his feet. Of a nine-year-old boy who attached himself to a union regiment after his mother died. Their stories and faces, joined with personal remembrances from recovered letters and diaries and ample historical information on secession, famous battles, surrender and Reconstruction, make this new ""Portraits of Conflict"" a Civil War treasure.Trade ReviewA major contribution and welcome addition to . . . Civil War history." —The Journal of Southern History"A sensibly priced, beautifully produced photographic history." —Civil War History"A splendid addition to the graphic literature of the sectional conflict." —Choice"We now have another window to view America's bloodiest war." —Raleigh News and Observer"A must for the shelves of any serious student of the war." —Arkansas Democrat-Gazette"Destined to become a collector's item . . . first class." —The Civil War News"Authoritative, handsome volumes of this kind are a pure delight." —Southwestern Historical Quarterly

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis visually rich volume presents Harry G. Lang's groundbreaking study of deaf people's experiences in the Civil War. Based on meticulous archival research, Fighting in the Shadows reveals the stories of both ordinary and extraordinary deaf soldiers and civilians who lived during this transformative period in American history. Lang documents the participation of deaf soldiers in the war, whose personal tests of fortitude and perseverance have not been previously explored. There were also many deaf people in noncombat roles whose stories have not yet been told clerks and cooks, nurses and spies, tradespeople supporting the armies, farmers supplying food to soldiers, and landowners who assisted (or resisted) troops during battles. Deaf writers, diarists, and artists documented the war. Even deaf children contributed actively to the war efforts. Lang pieces together hundreds of stories, accompanied by numerous historical images, to reveal a powerful new perspective on the Civil War. These soldiers and civilians were not "disabled" by their deafness. On the contrary, despite the marginalization and paternalism they experienced in society, they were able to apply their skills and knowledge to support the causes in which they ardently believed. Fighting in the Shadows is a story of how deaf civilians and soldiers put aside personal concerns about deafness, in spite of the discrimination they faced daily, in order to pursue a cause larger than themselves. Yet their stories have remained in the shadows, leaving most Americans, hearing and deaf, largely unaware of the deaf people who made significant contributions to the events that changed the course of our nation's history. This book provides new insights into Deaf history as well as into mainstream interpretations of the Civil War.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFew events in American history have been studied more closely than the Civil War, this book is an examination of the effort to chronicle it. Topics covered include battlefield operations and the impact of race and gender.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBrilliant and devout, William Porcher DuBose (1836-1918) considered himself a man of thought rather than of action. During the Civil War, he discovered that he was both, distinguishing himself as an able and courageous Confederate officer in the Holcombe Legion and later as a dedicated chaplain in Kershaw's Brigade. Published for the first time, these previously unknown letters of DuBose chronicle his Civil War actions with these two celebrated South Carolina units and make an important contribution to the literature and history of the war. They also advance our understanding of DuBose's burgeoning religious ideals as a Civil War combatant who would later become one of the foremost theologians of the Episcopal Church and a distinguished professor at the University of the South. A native of Winnsboro, South Carolina, DuBose was studying to enter the Episcopal priesthood when the war began. After struggling with the question of secular and spiritual obligations, he decided to join in the defense of the Confederacy and began a long and varied career as a soldier. After service in the lowcountry during the first year of the war, he was thrust into the thick of combat in Virginia, where he was wounded twice and taken as a prisoner of war. After being exchanged and returned to duty in 1862, DuBose was wounded again at the battle of Kinston in North Carolina, and a year later influential friends arranged for his appointment as chaplain in Kershaw's Brigade. He continued to share in the hazards of combat with the men to whom he ministered as they fought in the battles of Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, and Cedar Creek in 1864. Adroitly edited by W. Eric Emerson and Karen Stokes, the more than 150 letters collected here prove DuBose to be a man of uncompromising duty to his faith, fellows, and the Confederate cause. He references his interactions with prominent figures of the day, including General Nathan ""Shanks"" Evans, John L. Girardeau, John Johnson, Colonel Peter F. Stevens, General Joseph B. Kershaw, Louisa Cheves McCord, and General John Bratton. Also included here are DuBose's wartime courtship letters to his fiancée and later wife, Anne Peronneau DuBose. Collectively these extraordinary documents illustrate the workings of a mind and heart devoted to his religion and dedicated to service in the Confederate ranks.

Read more less

Book Synopsis"Phillip Paludan has combined the findings of the social sciences with an exercise in la petite histoire to create an intriguing study. From his base point, the massacre of thirteen Unionist mountaineers at Shelton Laurel, North Carolina, the author expands the investigation to embrace larger issues, such as the impact of the Civil War on small communities, the causation and characteristics of guerrilla warfare, and the focus underlying human perversity."?Civil War History". . . the definitive history of the Shelton Laurel Massacre, but more important it is a pathbreaking study of a principal theater of the guerrilla aspect of the Civil War. Paludan has succeeded admirably in rooting a historically neglected topic in the lives of ordinary people."?Frank L. Byrne, American Historical Review"The questions Paludan asks about Shelton Laurel in 1863 are appropriate to My Lai in 1968 and Auschwitz in 1944. Victims is not only a good book; it is also an important book. And it is a profoundly disturbing book."?Emory M. Thomas, Georgia Historical Quarterly"Outwardly a superb analysis of the impact of war and war-time atrocity on the life of a remote mountain community, this slim volume harbors far-reaching implications for the study of class conflict and the modernization process in the Appalachian region."?Ron Eller, Appalachian Journal

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisAround the turn of the last century, feelings of patriotism, nationalism, and sectional reconciliation swept the United States and led to a nationwide memorialization of American military history in general and the Civil War in particular. The 1894 establishment of the Shiloh National Military Park, for example, grew out of an effort by veterans themselves to preserve and protect the site of one of the Civil War’s most important engagements.Returning to the Pittsburg Landing battlefield, Shiloh veterans organized themselves to push the Federal government into establishing a park to honor both the living participants in the battle and those who died there. In a larger sense, these veterans also contributed to the contemporaneous reconciliation of the North and the South by focusing on the honor, courage, and bravery of Civil War soldiers instead of continuing divisive debates on slavery and race.This Great Battlefield of Shiloh tells the story of their efforts from the end of the battle to the park’s incorporation within the National Park Service in 1933. The War Department appointed a park commission made up of veterans of the battle. This commission surveyed and mapped the field, purchased land, opened roads, marked troop positions, and established the historical interpretation of the early April 1862 battle. Many aged veterans literally gave the remainder of their lives in the effort to plan, build, and maintain Shiloh National Military Park for all veterans. By studying the establishment and administration of parks such as the one at Shiloh, the modern scholar can learn much about the mindsets of both veterans and their civilian contemporaries regarding the Civil War. This book represents an important addition to the growing body of work on the history of national remembrance.

Read more less

Book SynopsisChimborazo Hospital, just outside Richmond, Virginia, served as the Confederacy’s largest hospital for four years. During this time, it treated nearly eighty thousand patients, boasting a mortality rate of just over 11 percent. This book, the first full-length study of a facility that was vital to the Southern war effort, tells the story of those who lived and worked at Chimborazo.Organized by Dr. James Brown McCaw, Chimborazo was an innovative hospital with well-trained physicians, efficient stewards, and a unique supply system. Physicians had access to the latest medical knowledge and specialists in Richmond. The hospital soon became a model for other facilities. The hospital’s clinical reputation grew as it established connections with the Medical College of Virginia and hosted several drug and treatment trials requested by the Confederate Medical Department.In fascinating detail, Chimborazo recounts the issues, trials, and triumphs of a Civil War hospital. Based on an extensive study of hospital and Confederate Medical Department records found at the National Archives, along with other primary sources, the study includes information on the patients, hospital stewards, matrons, and slaves who served as support staff. Since Chimborazo was designated as an independent army post, the book discusses other features of its organization, staff, and supply system as well. This careful examination describes the challenges facing the hospital and reveals the humanity of those who lived and worked there.

Read more less

Book SynopsisKnown as one of the most aggressive Confederate officers in the Western Theater, Brigadier General Alfred Jefferson Vaughan Jr. is legendary for having had eight horses shot out from under him in battle—more than any other infantry commander, Union or Confederate. Yet despite the exceptional bravery demonstrated by his dubious feat, Vaughan remains a largely overlooked Civil War leader. In Confederate Combat Commander, Lawrence K. Peterson explores the life of this unheralded yet important rebel officer before, during, and after his military service. A graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Vaughan initially commanded the Thirteenth Tennessee Infantry Regiment, and later Vaughan’s Brigade. He served in the hard-fought battles of the western area of operations in such key confrontations as Shiloh, Perryville, Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, and the Atlanta Campaign. Tracing Vaughan’s progress through the war and describing his promotion to general after his commanding officer was mortally wounded, Peterson describes the rise and development of an exemplary military career, and a devoted fighting leader. Although Vaughan was beloved by his troops and roundly praised at the time—in fact, negative criticism of his orders, battlefield decisions, or personality cannot be found in official records, newspaper articles, or the diaries of his men—Vaughan nevertheless served in the much-maligned Army of Tennessee. This book thus assesses what responsibility—if any—Vaughan bore for Confederate failures in the West. While biographies of top-ranking Civil War generals are common, the stories of lower-level senior officers such as Vaughan are seldom told. This volume provides rare insight into the regimental and brigade-level activities of Civil War commanders and their units, drawing on a rich array of privately held family histories, including two written by the general himself.

Read more less

Book SynopsisPresents research on how Texans experienced Civil war. This book takes you from the battlefront to the home front, ranging from inside the walls of a Confederate prison to inside the homes of women and children left to fend for themselves while their husbands and fathers were away on distant battlefields.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTwo Counties in Crisis offers a rare opportunity to observe how local political cultures are transformed by state and national events. Utilizing an interdisciplinary fusion of history and political science, Robert J. Dillard analyzes two disparate Texas counties—traditionalist Harrison County and individualist Collin County—and examines four Reconstruction governors (Hamilton, Throckmorton, Pease, Davis) to aid the narrative and provide additional cultural context. Commercially prosperous and built on slave labor in the mold of Deep South plantation culture, East Texas’s Harrison County strongly supported secession in 1861. West Texas’s Collin County, characterized by individual and family farms with a limited slave population, favored the Union. During Reconstruction, Collin County became increasingly conservative and eventually bore a great resemblance to Harrison County. By 1876 and the ratification of the regressive Texas Constitution, Collin County had become firmly resistant to all aspects of Reconstruction.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAsia Booth Clarke's memoir is an indispensable resource for perceiving the complexities of her ill-fated brother. Indeed, as has been said, she ""turns on the light in the Booth family living room."" Certainly no outsider could give such insights into the turbulent Booth's childhood or share such unique personal knowledge of the gifted actor. Asia portrays him as an enigmatic figure, at once gentle and romantic while passionate and fanatical. She writes with a sister's affection and even with indulgence, but she mingles these with horror as she confronts the calamitous aftermath the assassination of Lincoln brought to Booth and to his family.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWilliam Watson spent two years evading Union gunboats and dealing with the ""sharpers"" who fed off the misfortune of the Civil War. In 1892, using log books, personal papers, and business memoranda, he published this ""plain, blunt,"" account of ""events just as they happened."" The result was a classic adventure tale whose careful description of seafaring in the 1860s gives us a glimpse into a world now closed to us. Watson is the protagonist, but he shares his story with his ship, the Rob Roy, a center-board schooner whose shallow draft and wide beam made it the ideal vessel for slipping over shoals and dashing in and out of blockaded ports. He peoples his account with the good, the bad, and the unlucky, from the likeable and irrepressible Capt. Dave McLusky to the loathsome and dishonest Mr. R. M. He takes his reader from Havana, where land sharks greet incoming sailors, to Galveston, where sharp businessmen and corrupt officials connive to confiscate both profits and ships. His crew braves gales and a hurricane, and he survives plots against his ship and his life. This adventure story is held together by the nuts and bolts of sailing. Watson's discussion of why sail was superior to steam for running blockades is superb; his detailed accounts of outrunning Federal cruisers are fascinating. Through it all, he maintains his honor and guards his profits. For the reader who wants to ply the Gulf of Mexico under sail, play the lottery in Havana, and visit Texas when it was ""a new country,"" Watson is the perfect guide to run the blockade that time imposes on posterity.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAs Charles Frazier's novel Cold Mountain dramatizes, dissenters from the Confederacy lived in mortal danger throughout the South. In scattered pockets from the Carolinas to the frontier in Texas, these dissenters, or ""brush men,"" often died at the hands of their own neighbors as a result of their belief in the Union or an unwillingness to preserve the slaveholding Confederacy. Brush Men and Vigilantes tells the story of how dissent, fear, and economics developed into mob violence in the Sulphur Forks river valley northeast of Dallas. Authors David Pickering and Judy Falls have combed through court records, newspapers, letters, and other primary sources and have collected extended-family lore to relate the details of how vigilantes captured and killed more than a dozen men. Betrayed by links to a well-known Union guerrilla, many dissenters were captured, tried in mock courts, and hanged. Still others met their death by sniper fire or private execution. Their story begins before the Civil War, as the authors describe the particular social and economic conditions that gave rise to such tension and violence. Four more chapters follow, each detailing the horror and hysteria that characterized post-Civil War Texas.Trade Review...a fine example of how, with breadth and depth of research and a good grasp of the historiographical issues, local history can personalize the great events of politics and war. - Journal of Southern History

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn today's Texas, with its growing urban populations and big-city lifestyles, it is worth remembering that in 1850 only 10 percent of Texans lived in towns with as many as 100 people. The rest - of various ethnic and racial groups - lived off the land, which was blessedly suited to a profitable variety of crops and livestock and also provided an abundance of wildlife free for the taking. In Texas Roots, C. Allan Jones reminds us that the economic wealth of modern Texas arose from its agricultural heritage, a rich mixture of practices and traditions including: Caddo hunting, gathering, gardening, and farming; Irrigated agriculture at Spanish missions; Hispanic ranching; Slave-based plantations; Small-scale farmers and ranchers; Through time, people adapted the agricultural technologies, laws, and customs of New Spain, Mexico, Europe, and the South to their own practical, institutional, and legal needs. The result was a particularly Texan system that would serve as the foundation for the state's economic strength after the Civil War. Texas Roots spotlights the connection between Texans and the land, bringing alive an aspect of the state's history that contributed immeasurably to its identity and prosperity.

Read more less

Book Synopsis'I was not willing, but finally agreed...' So wrote Texas pioneer cattle drover William Berry Duncan in his March 1862 diary entry, the day he joined the Confederate Army. Despite his misgivings, Duncan left his prosperous business to lead neighbors and fellow volunteers as commanding officer of cavalry Company F of Spaight's Eleventh Battalion which later became the 21st Texas Infantry in America's Civil War. Philip Caudill's rich account - drawn from Duncan's previously untapped diaries and letters, written by candlelight on the Gulf Coast cattle trail to New Orleans, in Confederate Army camps, and on his southeast Texas farm after the war - reveals the personable Duncan as a man of steadfast integrity and extraordinary leadership. After the war, he returned to his home in Liberty County and battled for survival on the chaotic Reconstruction-era Texas frontier. Supplemented by archival records and complementary accounts, Moss Bluff Rebel paints a picture of everyday life for the Anglo-Texans who settled the Mexican land grants in the early nineteenth century and subsequently became citizens of the proudly independent Texas Republic. "Moss Bluff Rebel" will appeal to history lovers of all ages who are attracted to the drama of the Civil War period and interested in the stories of the men and women who shaped the Texas frontier.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA maverick, unionist district in the heart of the Old South? A notorious county that seceded from the Confederacy? This is how Jones County, Mississippi, is known in myth and legend.Since 1864, the legend has persisted. Differing versions give the name of this new nation as Republic of Jones, Jones County Confederacy, and Free State of Jones. Over the years this story has captured the imaginations of journalists, historians, essayists, novelists, short story writers, and Hollywood filmmakers, although serious scholars long ago questioned the accuracy of local history accounts about a secessionist county led by Newt Knight and a band of renegades.Legend of the Free State of Jones was the first authoritative explanation of just what did happen in Jones County in 1864 to give rise to the legend. This book surveys the facts, the records, and the history of the ""Free State of Jones"" and well may provide the whole story.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Battle of Antietam, fought in Sharpsburg, Maryland, on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day of the Civil War, with 23,000 casualties on both sides. While the battle was tactically inconclusive, it resulted in two significant milestones. First, because Robert E. Lee failed to carry the war successfully into the North, Great Britain was dissuaded from recognising the Confederate States of America diplomatically. Second, the battle gave President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.After the battle, two photographers sent by Mathew Brady--Alexander Gardner and James Gibson--recorded the horror of war with the first-ever images of dead American soldiers. Gardner's and Gibson's legendary photos have been the subject of debate for decades. The lack of information about locations, dates, and times in the thousands of photographs taken during the war has limited any thorough understanding of the photographers' work and led to much speculation.In Shadows of Antietam, Robert J. Kalasky has painstakingly re-created Gardner's and Gibson's output, retracing their footsteps by location, date, and time to chronologically and sequentially place their images. With the help of reenactors and black-and-white photography, Kalasky has assembled a comprehensive study, based on sunlight and shadow, of the 74 known glass plates recorded by Gardner and Gibson at Antietam. Civil War photography historians and buffs will appreciate this groundbreaking research for correcting previous errors and misjudgments made about the photographers' trek across the battlefield and for answering 150-year-old questions about their photographs.

Read more less

Book SynopsisFor sixty years the journal Civil War History has presented the best original scholarship in the study of America’s greatest struggle. The Kent State University Press is pleased to present this third volume in its multivolume series, reintroducing the most influential of more than 500 articles published in the journal. From military command, strategy, and tactics to political leadership, race, abolitionism, the draft, and women’s issues, and from the war’s causes to its aftermath and Reconstruction, Civil War History has published pioneering and provocative analyses of the determining aspects of the Middle Period.In this third volume of the Civil War History Readers, John T. Hubbell has selected ground-breaking essays by Douglas L. Wilson, Mark Neely Jr., Herman Hattaway and Archer Jones, Ludwell Johnson, Allen Guelzo, and other scholars who examine Lincoln’s assertive idealism, leadership, views on slavery, abolitionism, emancipation, and Lincoln as a war president. Hubbell’s introduction assesses the contribution of each article to our understanding of Lincoln and the Civil War era.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Spanish Civil War, a military rebellion supported by Hitler and Mussolini, attracted the greatest writers of the age. Among them were Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, André Malraux, Arthur Koestler, Langston Hughes, and Martha Gellhorn. They returned to their homelands to warn the world about a war of fascist aggression looming on the horizon.Spain’s cause drew 35,000 volunteers from 52 countries, including 2,800 Americans who formed the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Eight hundred Americans lost their lives. Of them, Hemingway wrote, “no men entered earth more honourably than those who died in Spain.” Writers and soldiers alike saw Spain as the first battlefield of World War II. In the title essay of this book, historian Peter N. Carroll traces the war’s legacy, from the shocking bombing of the Basque town of Guernica by German and Italian air forces to the attacks on civilians and displacement of refugees in later wars.Carroll’s work focuses on both the personal and political motives that led seemingly ordinary Americans to risk their lives in a foreign war. Based on extensive oral histories of surviving veterans and original archival work—including material in the once-secret Moscow archives—the essays, some never before published, present forty years of scholarship. A portrait of three American women illustrates the growing awareness of a fascist threat to our home front. Other pieces examine the role of ethnicity, race, and religion in prompting Americans to set off for war.Carroll also examines the lives of war survivors. Novelist Alvah Bessie became a screenwriter and emerged as one of the blacklisted “Hollywood Ten.” Ralph Fasanella went from union organizing to becoming one of the country’s significant “outsider” painters. Hank Rubin won fame as a food connoisseur and wine columnist. And one volunteer, the African American Sgt. Edward Carter, earned a Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in World War II. Most famously, Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell Tolls. His sharp criticism of the film version of the novel, in a series of private letters published here for the first time in book form, reveals his deep commitment to the antifascist cause.For those who witnessed the war in Spain, the defeat of democracy remained, in the words of Albert Camus, “a wound in the heart.” From Guernica to Human Rights is essential reading for anyone interested in the Spanish Civil War and its aftermath.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn May 1863, eighteen-year-old William Brooke Rawle graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and traded a genteel, cultured life of privilege for service as a cavalry officer. Travelling from his home in Philadelphia to Virginia, he joined the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry and soon found himself in command of a company of veterans of two years’ service, some of whom were more than twice his age. Within eight weeks, he had participated in two of the largest cavalry battles of the war at Brandy Station and Gettysburg. Brooke Rawle and the Third Pennsylvania Cavalry would serve with the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac through April 1864, fighting partisans and guerillas in Northern Virginia and also seeing action during the Bristoe Station and Mine Run battles of late 1863. A meticulous diarist and letter writer, Brooke Rawle documented nearly everything that came under his observant eye in 150 well-written letters home to his family. These letters, supplemented by his diary entries, provide a fascinating, richly detailed look into the life of a regimental cavalry officer during the last two years of the Civil War in the East.

Read more less

Book SynopsisA scrupulous analysis of Rodes's conduct during the Battle of Gettysburg Over the years, many top historians have cited Major General Robert E. Rodes as the best division commander in Robert E. Lee's vaunted army. Despite those accolades, Rodes faltered badly at Gettysburg, which stands as the only major blemish on his otherwise sterling record. Although his subordinates were guilty of significant blunders, Rodes shared the blame for the disjointed attack that led to the destruction of Alfred Iverson's brigade on the first day of the battle. His lack of initiative on the following day was regarded by some in the army as much worse. Whether justified or not, they directly faulted him for not supporting Jubal Early's division in a night attack on Cemetery Hill that nearly succeeded in decisively turning the enemy's flank.The reasons behind Rodes's flawed performance at Gettysburg have long proven difficult to decipher with any certainty. Because his personal papers were destroyed, primary sources on his role in battle remain sparse. Other than the official reports on the battle, the record of what occurred there is mostly limited to the letters and diaries of his subordinates. In this new study, however, Robert J. Wynstra draws on sources heretofore unexamined, including rare soldiers' letters published in local newspapers and other firsthand accounts located in small historical societies, to shed light on the reasons behind Rodes's missteps.As a result of this new research and analysis, we are finally able to come to a more detailed understanding of Rodes's division's activities at Gettysburg, an enduring subject of study and interest.Trade ReviewAt the moment of Gettysburg's sesquicentennial, it was estimated that nearly half of the approximately 65,000 books published about the Civil War in some way focused on the war's bloodiest battle. Because such a vast literature already exists about the Gettysburg Campaign, one might easily surmise that it would be impossible for anyone to produce anything original about it. Robert J. Wynstra successfully challenges that assumption with his recent volume, one destined to become a staple for anyone seeking a deeper, more nuanced understanding of the campaign's opening weeks. There is little to criticize about Wynstra's exhaustively researched, skillfully written, and nuanced history. While this book is certainly a necessity for students of the Gettysburg Campaign, those who seek a deeper understanding of the interactions between Confederate soldiers and white civilians, Confederates and African Americans, or how soldiers justified bringing war to people's doorsteps will find Wynstra's volume inestimably valuable."- The Civil War Monitor

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe definitive biography of a Civil War scoundrel and streetwise politico Largely forgotten by historians, Billy Wilson (1822-1874) was a giant in his time, a man well known throughout New York City, a man shaped by the city's immigrant culture, its harsh voting practices, and its efforts to participate in the War for the Union. For decades, Wilson's name made headlines-for many different reasons-in the city's major newspapers.An immigrant who settled in New York in 1842, Wilson found work as a prizefighter, a shoulder hitter, an immigrant runner, and a pawnbroker, before finally entering politics and being elected an alderman. He harnessed his tough persona to good advantage, in 1861 becoming a colonel in command of a regiment of alleged toughs and ex-convicts known as the "Wilson Zouaves." A poor disciplinarian, however, Wilson exercised little control over his soldiers, and in 1863, unable to maintain order, he was jailed for a number of weeks. Nonetheless, Wilson returned home to a hero's welcome that year.Wilson left behind no personal papers, journals, or correspondences, so Robert E. Cray has masterfully woven together a record of Wilson's life using the only available records: newspaper stories. These accounts present Wilson as a fascinating but highly unlikable man. As Cray demonstrates, Wilson bullied his way into New York, bullied his way into fame and politics, and attempted to bully his way into military greatness. His story depicts the New York City and Civil War experience in bolder, darker hues. As Cray shows us, it was not always a pretty tale.Trade Review"This book is clever, well researched, and the subject—Billy Wilson—is unquestionably an interesting one. Immigration historians, historians of 19th-century US politics, historians of New York City, and Civil War historians will all find A Notable Bully: Colonel Billy Wilson, Masculinity, and the Pursuit of Violence in the Civil War Era to be a welcome addition to their bookshelves."—Timothy J. Orr, coauthor of Never Call Me a Hero: A Legendary American Dive-Bomber Pilot Remembers the Battle of Midway"Billy Wilson came straight out of the cauldron of antebellum New York City street life. A boxer and political thug, he was anything but a sensitive soul. In A Notable Bully: Colonel Billy Wilson, Masculinity, and the Pursuit of Violence in the Civil War Era, Robert Cray has ferreted out, in the most creative fashion, details of the fascinating life of this New York tough. A great read that tells us much that is new about Gotham's history."—Shane White, author of Prince of Darkness: The Untold Story of Jeremiah G. Hamilton, Wall Street's First Black Millionaire

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe insightful letters of a Harvard-educated staff officer's experience in the Army of the PotomacaCharles J. Mills, the scion of a wealthy, prominent Boston family, experienced a privileged upbringing and was educated at Harvard University. When the Civil War began, Mills, like many of his college classmates, sought to secure a commission in the army. After a year of unsuccessful attempts, Mills was appointed second lieutenant in the Second Massachusetts Infantry in August 1862; however, he was seriously wounded at Antietam a month later. Following a nearly yearlong recovery, Mills eventually reentered the service as a staff officer, although he remained physically disabled for the rest of his life. He was initially with the Ninth Corps during the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns and later at the Second Corps headquarters.During his time in the army, Mills served under seven different generals and witnessed some of the most intense fighting of the war. Mills's letters to his family offer enlightening insights about the Civil War in the East as seen from the perspective of an educated, impressionable, and opinionated Bostonian Brahmin.Compiled, edited, and privately published in a limited edition in 1982 by the late Gregory A. Coco, Through Blood and Fire did not achieve widespread attention and has been out of print for decades. This new edition of the Mills letters, extensively revised and edited by J. Gregory Acken, incorporates additional letters and source material and provides exhaustive annotations and analysis, revitalizing this important primary source for understanding a crucial era of our history.Trade Review"Few primary sources better inform us about the lives of Civil War soldiers than do their letters. .... With the recent publication of Through Blood and Fire in a "revised and expanded edition," and expertly edited by J. Gregory Acken, bibliophiles now have an opportunity to finally read and own what is widely considered as one of the finest collections of published letters in existence."#8212;Emerging Civil War "This second edition of Through Blood and Fire improves upon the original version by increasing reader understanding of the people, places, and events in Charles J. Mills' letters home. Taken as a whole, Through Blood and Fire is a worthy successor to Greg Coco's rare original and should be on the shelves of anyone interested in the Petersburg Campaign." —The Siege of Petersburg Online "In the many collections of Civil War letters published, those of Charlie Mills stand out. A line officer and, for much of the war, a staff officer, he had a unique perspective of the conflict. Greg Acken has done a superb job of editing and annotating Mills's letters and providing context."—D. Scott Hartwig,author of To Antietam Creek: The Maryland Campaign of 1862 "Charles G. Mills's observations about military affairs, Union commanders, northern politics, and other topics constitute a treasure trove of evidence to be savored by students of the conflict."—Gary W. Gallagher, author of The Enduring Civil War: Reflections on the Great American Crisis "Likeable, smart, articulate, and observant, Charles Mills left behind a written chronicle of an officer's life rarely exceeded in the literature of the Civil War—a close, vivid look at an army in the process of ultimate victory. Mills's Civil War letters are beautifully resurrected, edited, and annotated by Greg Acken and must become a standard source for anyone with an interest in the Army of the Potomac or the human experience of war."—John Hennessy, retired National Park Service historian and author of Return to Bull Run: The Campaign and Battle of Second Manassas

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn in-depth look at of a vitally important but little-known heavy artillery regiment of the Civil WarIn early 1864, many heavy artillery regiments in the Civil War were garrisoning the Washington defenses, including the Fifteenth New York. At the same time, newly minted Union general in chief Ulysses S. Grant sought to replenish the ranks of the Army of the Potomac, and the Fifteenth became one of the first outfits dispatched to Major General George Meade at Brandy Station.Composed of predominantly German immigrants, members of the Fifteenth not only endured the nativist sentiments held by many in the army, but as "heavies" normally stationed to the rear, they were also derided as "band box soldiers." The men were still struggling to adjust to their new roles as infantrymen when they experienced combat for the first time at the Wilderness. Despite lacking infantry training and adequate equipment, they persisted. From the Wilderness to Appomattox describes how the Fifteenth continued to hone their skills and distinguish themselves throughout the Overland, Petersburg, and Appomattox Campaigns, eventually witnessing the surrender of Robert E. Lee's vaunted Army of Northern Virginia.Drawing on a wealth of previously unmined primary sources, Edward A. Altemos pays tribute to the Fifteenth, other heavy artillery regiments, and the thousands of immigrants who contributed to the Union army's victory.Trade Review"The predominantly German American 'heavies' of the 15th New York Heavy Artillery saw some of the toughest fighting of the war, from the tangled thickets of the Wilderness to final confrontation at Appomattox, establishing themselves as a reliable command with a substantial late-war battlefield record. Altemos's thorough research and lively narrative does justice to this largely forgotten regiment." —Patrick A. Schroeder, historian and author of We Came to Fight: The History of the 5th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry, Dury<é<e's Zouaves, 1863–1865 "The heavy artillery units that joined the Army of the Potomac in 1864 played an outsize role during the war's final year, yet few studies examine their experience. Altemos's history of the 15th New York Heavy Artillery fills that gap with exhaustive research and penetrating analysis." —A. Wilson Greene, author of A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg

Read more less

Book SynopsisA governor embraces patriotism over partisanship in a crucial Union stateBefore his election to the state's executive office in 1862, David Tod was widely regarded as Ohio's most popular Democrat. Tod rose to prominence in the old Western Reserve, rejecting the political influence of his well-known father, a former associate justice of Ohio's Supreme Court, a previous member of the Federalist Party, and a new, devoted Whig. As a fierce Democratic Party lion, the younger Tod thrilled followers with his fearless political attacks on Whig adversaries and was considered an unlikely figure in the battle to keep the Union intact.However, the Civil War and the serious consequences of its potential outcome came to outweigh his loyalty to the Democratic Party. Placing the restoration of the Union above all else, Tod eagerly shed his partisan identity to take up the Union cause. As governor, he quickly pledged Ohio's support to the nation's leader, President Abraham Lincoln. Tod rallied Ohioans to support the war and equipped scores of physicians and nurses with medical supplies to tend to Ohio's wounded soldiers. He also had to protect the state's borders from invasion by developing defenses at home.Despite his patriotic service, partisan politics and political intrigue denied Tod a second term. The Political Transformation of David Tod chronicles Tod's unwavering support for the Union and describes the importance of one man's loyalty to country over partisanship.Trade Review"This engagingly written book is a marvelous addition to the political history of the Civil War. By bringing Ohio's governor David Tod out of obscurity, Lambert showcases Tod's ability to rise to the challenge of putting the Union above party to restore the nation, and he places Tod's inspired leadership and the nation-state alliance at the forefront of the war's tumultuous years of 1862 and 1863."—Stephen D. Engle, author of Gathering to Save a Nation: Lincoln and the Union's War Governors"Modern political biographies of Civil War leaders beyond the national and presidential level have been neglected for too long. Joseph Lambert Jr. provides us a study of one of Ohio's war governors, taking us into the experience of politics during the rebellion at the state level with this insightful look at David Tod, a 'War Democrat' whose tenure reflected the deep divisions and political realities of the war years in the Union heartland."—A. James Fuller, University of Indianapolis, author of Oliver P. Morton and the Politics of the Civil War and Reconstruction "Lambert's detailed and concise biography of David Tod provides a long-overdue study of Ohio's most notable Civil War governor. A lifelong Democrat, Tod became a Lincoln ally, and his leadership during the turbulent years of 1862 and 1863 ensured the Buckeye State would be a steadfast supporter of the Union cause."—Thomas Crowl, author of Opdycke's Tigers in the Civil War: A History of the 125th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

Read more less