Civil wars Books

Book SynopsisExamines the effects of military service, particularly combat, on the psyches and emotional well-being of Civil War soldiers - Black and white, North and South. Invisible Wounds is a sweeping reevaluation of the mental damage inflicted by America’s most tragic conflict.

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Book SynopsisEssays in this collection approach Civil War veterans from oblique angles, including theatre, political, and disability history, as well as borderlands and memory studies. Contributors examine the lives of Union and Confederate veterans, African American veterans, former prisoners of war, amputees, and ex-guerrilla fighters.Trade ReviewThe War Went On: Reconsidering the Lives of Civil War Veterans both encapsulates and extends the recent outpouring of work on Civil War veterans. The veterans analyzed from several creative angles engage in politics, recall their prison experience, build memorial halls, and seek pensions. But they also defend the honor of their service, go to live in veterans' homes, and even seek pensions despite being deserters. This rich collection of essays offers a wide range of veterans' voices, tackles knotty questions about their experiences, and provides direction for future work. The War Went On is a valuable and timely collection, reminding us that Civil War veterans, like all veterans, were not a monolithic group. Their postwar lives were often messy and complicated, and not uniformly defined by their war experience. Readers will further gain an excellent sense of current debates over the Civil War's lasting and significant legacy. Jordan and Rothera's magnificent collection sets a new standard in Civil War studies. Concise, deeply researched, and well written, this volume captures the incredibly diverse homecomings of those who survived America's greatest cataclysm. While each essay makes an invaluable individual contribution to the field, collectively they reflect the absolute best of current scholarship on this important issue.

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Book SynopsisTells the dramatic story of how vigilance committees organised the Underground Railroad and revolutionized the abolitionist movement. Jesse Olsavsky reveals how the committees cultivated a movement of ideas animated by a motley assortment of agitators and intellectuals who shared critical information with one another.

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Book SynopsisOne of the most effective units to fight on either side of the Civil War, the Texas Brigade of the Army of Northern Virginia served under Robert E. Lee from the Seven Days Battles in 1862 to the surrender at Appomattox in 1865. Susannah Ural presents a nontraditional unit history that traces the experiences of these soldiers and their families.

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Book SynopsisUses the lens of the Wild Woman display to explore the growing cultural divisions between the North and the South in 1856, especially the differing gender ideologies of the northern Republican Party and the more southern focused Democrats.

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Book SynopsisOf the thousands of books written about the US Civil War, few mention the environment, and none address the topic as a principal theme. This volume blends traditional and natural history to create a unique text that explores the impact of the Civil War on the environment and the reciprocal influence of plants and animals on the war effort.Trade ReviewIn addition to the natural history material, this volume provides engaging environmental, economic, social, and cultural insights into the lives of the soldiers of this war. Highly recommended."—P. D. Thomas, emeritus, Wichita State University

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Book SynopsisDrawing on the drill manuals available to officers and a close reading of battle reports, Civil War Infantry Tactics demonstrates that linear tactics provided the best formations and maneuvers to use with the single-shot musket, whether rifle or smoothbore.

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Book SynopsisKilled in action at the bloody Battle of Shiloh, Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston stands as the highest-ranking American military officer to die in combat. In The Iron Dice of Battle, noted Civil War historian Timothy Smith reexamines Johnston's life and death, offering remarkable insights into this often-contradictory figure.Trade ReviewEvery Civil War figure should be fortunate enough to have such an important book written about his life and career by such an outstanding scholar." - John F. Marszalek, author of Commander of All Lincoln's Armies: A Life of General Henry W. Halleck"Timothy B. Smith explores a man both flawed and formidable, a chess player by choice yet unafraid to 'roll the iron dice.' This is a much-needed modern view of a man of many contradictions." - Larry J. Daniel, author of Engineering in the Confederate Heartland"Smith undertakes a painstaking analysis of Albert Sidney Johnston as a man and a soldier, illuminating his dual nature as a careful chess player and an impulsive gambler, and how it led him to the disasters of 1862. A truly fresh and perceptive study of perhaps the greatest might-have-been of the western Confederacy." - Sam Davis Elliott, author of Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator

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Book SynopsisSeventeen years after Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, one final, dramatic confrontation occurred between the Lee family and the United States government. In The Last Battle of the Civil War, Anthony Gaughan recounts the fascinating saga of United States v. Lee, known to history as the ‘Arlington Case’.

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Book SynopsisA groundbreaking study that assesses the presidency of Abraham Lincoln through the lenses of governmental power, economic policy, expansion of executive power, and natural rights to show how Lincoln not only believed in the limitations of presidential power but also dedicated his presidency to restraining the scope and range of it.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewTo revisit the proclamation after reading Edna Greene Medford's Lincoln and Emancipation is also a remarkable experience—a revelation of how deliberate, even strategic, its lawyerly ineloquence really was. . . . To understand it better you might want to read Medford's little dynamite stick of a book." —Scott McLemee Inside Higher Ed"Edna Green Medford brings to the task a balanced and well-informed perspective...She thus resolves the longstanding and flawed question of whether Lincoln freed the slaves or the slaves freed themselves; the correct answer is both."—Brian R. Dirck, The Annals of Iowa"Medford marshals an impressive array of voices and vignettes to succinctly demonstrate the codependence of Lincoln and African Americans in the emancipation process." —Glenn David Brasher, Civil War Monitor"Medford provides a nuanced view that both demonstrates Lincoln’s evolution from gradual, compensated emancipation to immediate, universal abolition and incorporates the active role played by African Americans in winning their own freedom." —Mark A. Smith, Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association"Part of the succinct yet illuminating Concise Lincoln Library series, Lincoln and Emancipation is a scholarly examination of the evolution of President Lincoln's perspective on slavery, from the beginning of the Civil War (when he was open to a noninterference compromise if it would save the Union) to championing the cause of abolition before the conflict ended. Lincoln and Emancipation explores not only President Lincoln's words and ideology as they evolved over time, but also the voices of those who clamored for slavery's end: abolitionists and Radical Republicans, War Democrats, and both enslaved and free black people. Thought-provoking and expertly researched, Lincoln and Emancipation is a welcome addition to American History collections." —Midwest Book Review"Edna Greene Medford's new volume achieves a nearly impossible feat: a graceful and elegant synthesis of some of the best new scholarship on Lincoln’s road to emancipation, a compact chronological outline of the political and policy shift highlights during the Civil War, and a narrative enriched with contemporary black voices and African American agency. Her solid and engaging study will prove invaluable to scholars and students alike, as this accessible and authoritative volume fills an important gap." —Catherine Clinton, Denman Chair of American History, University of Texas at San Antonio"Medford presents in this brief volume an understanding of the complexity of emancipation during the Civil War by approaching it from the bottom up rather than the top down, giving African Americans their proper place in the struggle. Neither strident nor patronizing but with judiciousness, Medford brings all the players and factors into this controversial, yet essential, act in an illuminating way. This is a must read for all who are interested in freedom." —Frank J. Williams, founding chair of the Lincoln Forum"Medford’s riveting account of emancipation does justice to the role of President Abraham Lincoln in the freeing of the slaves and to the role of African Americans in their self-emancipation. Her research is thorough, her prose flowing, and her insights cogent. Medford has created a masterpiece in brief that students of Civil War and African American history must read." —John F. Marszalek, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library at Mississippi State University"Today’s reassessment of ‘the central act’ of Lincoln’s administration requires sound, thoughtful analysis, and Medford delivers. Prudently she separates myth from reality. Medford broadens emancipation history to embrace many active participants, including the impatient and fervent African Americans who agitated for freedom even before the United States of America was born. Comprehensively researched and wonderfully readable, this book strikes a fine balance between the traditional narrative of Abraham Lincoln's emancipation proclamation and the essential role of others. Just as emancipation ushered in an expectation of equality and fairness, today’s general and diverse audience will appreciate that this work has something important to say about the construction of America’s new birth of freedom." —Orville Vernon Burton, author of The Age of Lincoln

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Book SynopsisThis sophisticated strategic and operational analysis of General Ulysses S. Grant's command decisions and actions shows how his determined leadership relieved the siege and shattered the enemy, resulting in the creation of a new strategic base of Union operations and Grant's elevation to commander of all the Federal armies.Trade Review“Faced with a crisis at Chattanooga, Abraham Lincoln turned to his most successful general, Ulysses S. Grant, to rescue the Union forces desperately holding on to the strategic little city on the Tennessee River. Employing the impressive body of research he amassed for his well-acclaimed work on the Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaign, David A. Powell concisely and insightfully demonstrates how Grant, with both persistence and flexibility, led troops from three different Union armies to gain a significant victory." —Sam Davis Elliott, author of John C. Brown of Tennessee: Rebel, Redeemer, and Railroader“In this engagingly written account of the Chattanooga campaign, Powell transitions seamlessly between the tactical and strategic levels of war, recounting the mud and blood of the battlefield as well as the rancor and resentment among the commanders. Powell’s narrative reveals how Grant managed his commanders’ egos, foibles, and personalities to prevail in the struggle over the vital rail center of Chattanooga. The Impulse of Victory is a good introduction to the battles for Chattanooga and Grant’s contributions to Union victory." —Harry S. Laver, U.S. Army Command and General Staff School, author of A General Who Will Fight: The Leadership of Ulysses S. GrantTable of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue 1. “Some Western General of High Rank” 2. “Wet, Dirty, and Well” 3. “They Looked upon the Garrison as Prisoners of War” 4. “Recollect That East Tennessee Is My Horror” 5. “We Went in a Zigzag” 6. “The Elements Were against Us” 7. “It Is All Poetry” 8. “We Shall Have a Battle on Mission Ridge” 9. “Inspired by the Impulse of Victory” 10. “A Most Important Position” 11. “A Very Dangerous Defile” 12.The Best-Planned Battle? Appendix: Order of Battle, Chattanooga Campaign Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Battle Lines should be read by every scholar of nineteenth-century American literature and culture as well as by any interested reader who enjoys American poetry. The book packs a lot of information in relatively short compass and it is a jargon-free and non-technical joy to read. Richards has established a heretofore relatively neglected field in American literature that deserves further thoughtful and astute attention that she pioneers in her own work." * American Literary Realism *"Battle Lines is exciting and groundbreaking. Eliza Richards argues that the poetry of the Civil War was distinctive for its intimate relationship to new, and newly networked, forms of media. Her ingenious interpretations show how the war's mediated events fundamentally shaped both the form and content of its poems." * Elizabeth Young, Mount Holyoke College *"Eliza Richards has written a tight, elegant book that demonstrates how pervasively the poetry of the Civil War reflects on its technologically mediated conditions, composition, and circulation." * Mary Loeffelholz, Northeastern University *"A prolific essayist, Richards has honed her ability to connect poems and the circumstances framing their creation to good effect…Richards deserves praise for teasing out in elegant fashion the impacts of the Civil War on American poetry and its production and consumption." * American Nineteenth Century Histoy *Table of ContentsIntroduction. "How News Must Feel When Traveling" Chapter 1. "Strange Analogies": Weathering the War Chapter 2. The "Ghastly Harvest" Chapter 3. "To Signalize the Hour": Memorialization and the Massachusetts 54th Chapter 4. Poetry Under Siege: Charleston Harbor's Talking Guns Chapter 5. Poetry at Sea: Naval Ballads and the Battle of Mobile Bay Epilogue. Writing's Wars: Stephen Crane's Poetry and the Postbellum Turn to the Page Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisIn the 1840s, Philadelphia was poised to join the ranks of the world''s great cities, as its population grew, its manufacturing prospered, and its railroads reached outward to the West. Yet epidemics of riot, disease, and labor conflict led some to wonder whether growth would lead to disintegration. As slavery and territorial conquest forced Americans to ponder a similar looming disunion at the national level, Philadelphians searched for ways to hold their city together across internal social and sectional divisions—a project of consolidation that reshaped their city into the boundaries we know today.A bold new interpretation of a crucial period in Philadelphia''s history, In Union There Is Strength examines the social and spatial reconstruction of an American city in the decades on either side of the American Civil War. Andrew Heath follows Philadelphia''s fortunes over the course of forty years as industrialization, immigration, and natural population growth turTrade Review"As Andrew Heath determinedly reminds us, nineteenth-century urban 'consolidators,' like their better-known 'progressive' progeny, took on a gargantuan task of economic and political development. Characters as diverse as conservative Morton McMichael and radical George Lippard recognized that a city's health was intricately bound up with that of the nation and the larger world: even a utopia of private homes would need direction and continuing steerage from above. Treating Philadelphia's Consolidation Plan of 1854 as a kind of municipal bourgeois revolution, Heath turns a local conflict into an instant, urban history classic." * Leon Fink, University of Illinois, Chicago *"Cities don't expand automatically. Certainly Philadelphia's nineteenth-century 'consolidation' of surrounding suburbs was neither automatic nor simple. Andrew Heath's dense and intriguing study demonstrates the complex, often contested, story of a major U.S. city's acquisition of adjoining communities-and the broad import of that story. For Heath skillfully links Philadelphia's evolution to both narratives of contemporary national consolidation and the saga of Paris recast under Baron Haussmann. This is urban history with heft and sweep: a valuable and an important read." * Jonathan Prude, Emory University *"In Union There Is Strength is an impressive work that tells both the story of one of the most important events in the history of Philadelphia-the 1854 consolidation that has defined the city's geographical boundaries to this day-and a story of the United States in the mid-nineteenth century. Andrew Heath brings together an impressive blend of primary and secondary sources, emphasizing deep research, compelling narrative, and original argument." * Zachary M. Schrag, George Mason University *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Introduction. Philadelphia in an Age of Consolidation Chapter 1. "A Great City Is a Great Study" Chapter 2. "The Guilty and Blood-Stained City": Radicals and the Second American Republic Chapter 3. "The Manifest Destiny of Philadelphia": Making Antebellum Growth Politics Chapter 4. "To Give Shape to the Destinies of Our City": Molding the Metropolis Chapter 5. Out of Many, One: Remaking the Polity Chapter 6. Consolidating City and Nation: Philadelphia in Civil War and Reconstruction Chapter 7. Philadelphia Redeemed Conclusion Notes Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis compact, lively book offers a fresh angle on religion and the U.S. Civil War...Using the tools of cultural history, War Is All Hell connects Americans' beliefs about supernatural evil to how they made personal and collective sense of the violence and dehumanization of warfare...Whatever its underlying meaning, 'evil' was no doubt key to how many experienced the Civil War, making this book a worthy addition to the history of religion and conflict during those years and beyond. It is also a timely one, as claims about supernatural evil are once again resurgent in American politics. * Journal of Southern History *Other historians have examined the Civil War for invocations of the divine. This book instead looks for references to the devil. Blum and Matsui weave a compelling narrative that shows how, before the war, satanic imagery and language were relatively rare, especially in reference to battlefield comportment. * The Christian Century *From the hellishness of slavery, to the horrors of warfare, to the terrorism of the Klan, images of the demonic suffused American culture and confounded Abraham Lincoln's appeals to our 'better angels.' In this fascinating study of how Americans conceptualized evil, Blum and Matsui make a banner contribution to Civil War studies. * Elizabeth R. Varon, author of Armies of Deliverance: A New History of the Civil War *As no other generation has, Civil War era Americans confronted the evil within. Blum and Matsui offer a remarkably original and graceful meditation on how Americans traced their descent into civil war to the ascendance of evil and Satan. Every page is sprinkled with fascinating and unexpected discoveries. War Is All Hell is a reminder of how much gifted historians and writers can teach us about the Civil War. * W. Fitzhugh Brundage, author of Civilizing Torture: An American Tradition *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Kiser's expansive history of borderlands diplomacy and intrigue fills important gaps in the historiographies of the Civil War era, U.S. foreign relations, North American imperialism, and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. It will be a valuable read for scholars in all these fields, particularly those with transnational and continental interests. Perhaps most important, Kiser goes beyond simply linking or comparing events in the United States and Mexico to recover the deep entanglement of the Civil War and the French Intervention, while also showing the critical importance of events in the border region to both conflicts and to the broader geopolitical history of North America." * The Journal of Southern History *"William S. Kiser continues to burnish his reputation as a prodigious researcher, productive writer, and keen analyst of the mid-nineteenth century southwestern borderlands from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. Using an impressive variety of manuscripts, official documents, English-and Spanish-language newspapers, and secondary books and articles, Kiser demonstrates the oftenoverlooked significance of northern Mexico to the American Civil War and Greater Reconstruction...llusions of Empire makes the strongest case in print for the importance of Mexican diplomacy to the United States during the Civil War era. Furthermore, it offers important analytical opportunities for Texas historians beyond the southwestern borderlands." * Southwestern Historical Quarterly *"In his most recent book, William Kiser has taken on the long-overdue task of tracing the inextricable connections between the American Civil War, Napoleon III’s 'Grand Scheme' of a new American empire, and Mexico’s second war of independence. Adding to his formidable list of publications on the US-Mexico borderlands,Kiser argues for the centrality of this region in shaping Civil War diplomacy and military strategy. Showcasing his fine-grain analyses of governmental correspondence and congressional records, Kiser both informs and entertains with his surprising stories of the US borderlands’ most pivotal political players and what he calls their 'irregular' and often illicit venues of diplomacy and alliance." * Hispanic American Historical Review *"Kiser provides a succinct and engaging narrative of the complex relations between the US and Mexico during the Civil War and Reconstruction, when both nations experienced dramatic internal conflicts...This engaging book makes a convincing case for a 'Greater Reconstruction' that encompasses the US West and the borderlands, and makes insightful comparisons between similar processes of national consolidation in the US and Mexico" * Choice *

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Book SynopsisThe USS Saginaw was a Civil War gunboat that served in Pacific and Asian waters between 1860 and 1870. In 1870, the ship sank at one of the world’s most remote coral reefs. This narrative provides fresh insights and a vivid retelling of a classic naval shipwreck.Trade ReviewAn epic shipwreck tale. Sacrifice and heroism are recounted in a comprehensive study of a ship that embodied America's role in the nineteenth-century Pacific as Yankee enterprise helped open Asia to trade. Well-researched, well-written, this book also takes readers for the first time intoSaginaw's long-lost grave beneath the sea." - James P. Delgado, president, The Institute of Nautical Archaeology"An impressive study of a naval vessel from construction to destruction." - William Still Jr., author of Crisis at Sea

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Book SynopsisThe Young Americans were a nationalist movement within the Democratic Party made up of writers and politicians associated with the Democratic Review. In this revealing book, Mark Power Smith explores the ways in which the movement forged contrasting visions of American nationalism in the decades leading up to the Civil War.Trade ReviewPower Smith does an exceptionally good job of braiding intellectual with political history. The result is a highly sophisticated interpretation of Young Americans’ views on nationalism, freedom, race, slavery, expansion, and democracy, as well as a finely grained view of antebellum politics. This book promises to make an original, insightful, and provocative contribution to the vast literature on antebellum American political and intellectual history."- Michael E. Woods, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, author of Arguing until Doomsday: Stephen Douglas, Jefferson Davis, and the Struggle for American Democracy

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Book SynopsisIn 1856, when Preston Smith Brooks viciously beat the abolitionist Charles Sumner on the Senate floor, the ideology of righteous honour reached its apogee and took national centre stage. Welborn analyses the birth of this peculiar moral ethic and traces its increasing dominance across the American South in the build-up to the Civil War.Trade Review“In this book James Welborn makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the intersection of religion and honor culture in the antebellum South. While other scholars have often painted with a broad brush, Welborn’s rich account of the inner lives of two generations of white men in Edgefield is the first to study this relationship as lived by particular people in a particular place.” - Robert Elder, Baylor University, author of Calhoun: American Heretic“Perhaps no person epitomized the violence of the Civil War era South more than Edgefield, South Carolina’s most famous resident: Preston Brooks. In this compelling and gracefully written study, Welborn dives into the peculiar world of Brooks’s hometown to reveal a form of toxic masculinity that alternately exposed and resolved the tensions between Christian piety and Southern honor. This pervasive sense of 'righteous honor,' Welborn explains, consumed the minds and actions of elite white men far beyond Edgefield, leading them to commit acts of violence in the name of God. The prevalence of 'righteous honor' in today’s world should come as no surprise, as Welborn explains how this ethos survived the Civil War and continues to flourish in the present.” - Lisa Tendrich Frank, author of The Civilian War: Confederate Women and Union Soldiers during Sherman's MarchTable of Contents Introduction: Edgefield, S.C. as the Birthplace of Southern Righteous Honor 1. Honor: From Colonial Virility to Antebellum Refinement 2. Piety: The Ascent of Evangelical Protestantism 3. Righteous Honor: Merging the Ethics of Honor & Piety in the Early Antebellum Period 4. Moral Failings: Exorcising Inner Demons During the Sectional Crisis 5. The Conundrum of Slavery: Sanctioning Violence on Moral Grounds 6. 1856: Righteous Honor Triumphant 7. The Civil War & Reconstruction: Violent Conflict as Divine Contest Epilogue: The Damnable Legacies of Righteous Honor

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisExamining the presidencies of John Quincy Adams, Ulysses S. Grant, and William Howard Taft, Stephen Rockwell traces emerging connections between presidential action and a robust state over the course of the nineteenth century and the Progressive Era.Table of Contents Introduction 1. Choices Within the State, 1776-1930: Process, Principled Innovation, and Synthesis 2. President John Quincy Adams and the American State in the 1820s 3. Presidential Decision Making and the Administrative State: Process and Procedure in the 1820s 4. President Grant and the American State After the Civil War 5. Presidential Decision Making and the Evolving State: Grant, Reconstruction, and Indian Affairs 6. President Taft and the 125-Year-Old American State 7. Taft the Builder Conclusion: The Non-Development of the American Presidency and the New Scholarship of the American State

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Trade Review“Opposing the Second Corps at Antietam is an excellent companion to Unfurl Those Colors. Armstrong masterfully recounts the key engagements of the battle at a level of detail no other scholar has done, a task made difficult by the scarcity of Confederate sources. Historians, battlefield trampers, and enthusiasts will welcome his deep analysis.” —Thomas G. Clemens, editor of The Maryland Campaign of September 1862: Volume 1, South Mountain and The Maryland Campaign of September 1862: Volume II, Antietam“Marion V. Armstrong's Opposing The Second Corps At Antietam: The Fight For The Confederate Left And Center On America’s Bloodiest Day is a masterful tactical study as only he can do. This is an essential book for any Antietam library.” —Ted Alexander, author Antietam: The Bloodiest Day and Historian, Antietam National Battlefield

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Book SynopsisPresents the minutes of early legislative sessions from daily press reports published in newspapers in Richmond, Virginia; Montgomery, Alabama; Charleston, South Carolina; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Savannah and Augusta, Georgia, in the process assembling a complete set of transcriptions documenting the creation of the Confederate government.Trade Review“Congress of States is an impressive undertaking, recovering a crucial and complex year in the history of the United States. Unfolding in time, the documents show a would-be nation taking shape before our eyes, one symbolic and substantive step at a time.” —Edward L. Ayers, founding chair of the board of the American Civil War Museum and executive director of New American History

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Trade ReviewWilliams's writings are quite compelling and interesting. The author not only tells us what happened but includes his own personal feelings at the time. It also fills a void in our knowledge of the duties of the Pioneer units in the Southern Armies. - Confederate Veteran

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Charles Patrick’s quest for justice in segregated Alabama on the eve of the civil rights movement, and represents a telling instance of the growing determination of African Americans to be treated fairly, part of the broadening and deepening stream of resolve that led to the widespread activism of the civil rights movement.

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Trade ReviewCaptain Scheibert's [book] was available only in German until W. S. Hoole edited the present version. A member of the Prussian army since 1849, and 'well known as an authority on fortifications,' Scheibert was sent to America 'to study the effect of rifled cannon fire on earth, masonry, and iron, and the operation of armor on land and at sea.' The captain preferred to observe the South rather than the North at war. 'If there ever was a foreign Rebel,' Mr. Hoole asserts, 'he was one.' Scheibert, impressed with the South's 'enormous energy' and 'amazed at the industry of a patriotic people,' was cordially received by President Davis and generals Lee, Jackson, Beauregard, and Stuart. The vivid impressions, observations, and characterizations of a Prussian captain are a significant commentary on the engagements at Chancellorsville, Brandy Station, and Gettysburg, on blockade running, and on the spirit of the people and their military genius. - Wendell Holmes Stephenson, Journal of Southern History

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Book SynopsisGeorge W. Nichols's aptly titled Soldier's Story is one of the classic narratives of frontline infantry service in the Army of Northern Virginia. Nichols framed his account without sentimental hindsight; in addition to reporting great battles and dramatic moments, he told the story of two cousins killing each other in a quarrel about cooking duties and described maggot-infested corpses.

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Book SynopsisMost surviving correspondence of the Civil War period was written by members of a literate, elite class; few collections exist in which the woman's letters to her soldier husband have been preserved. Here, in the exchange between William and Emily Moxley, a working-class farm couple from Coffee County, Alabama, we see vividly an often-neglected aspect of the Civil War experience: the hardships of civilian life on the home front.

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Book SynopsisMajor General William Tecumseh Sherman set out from Vicksburg on February 3, 1864, with an army of some 25,000 infantry and a battalion of cavalry. Though not a particularly effective campaign in terms of enemy soldiers captured or killed, it offers a rich opportunity to observe how this large-scale raid presaged Sherman's Atlanta and Carolina campaigns.Trade ReviewWilliam T. Sherman’s March to the Sea is the stuff legends are made of: huge armies, eccentric generals, and epic battles. . . . Sherman’s Mississippi Campaign is the first modern study of not only Sherman’s battlefield tactics in Mississippi but also their philosophical underpinnings. Additionally, the book assesses the expedition in terms of its immediate impact on the western theater of war and its effect on Sherman’s long-term military thinking. . . . Buck T. Foster’s Sherman’s Mississippi Campaign is a noteworthy addition to the historiography of the Civil War’s western campaigns and to the military life of William T. Sherman."" - Civil War History""With Sherman’s Mississippi Campaign Foster has contributed significantly to the literature on the Civil War’s western theater. He engages notable Civil War historians . . . arguing that the Meridian campaign holds a greater significance in the development of Sherman’s ‘hard war’ strategy than has been previously admitted. Although focused on Sherman’s strategy, Foster also provides a thorough analysis of the Confederate military’s strategic and tactical mistakes. . . . The book has useful and well-placed maps that help the reader follow the detail-oriented narrative."" - Journal of Southern History""This book fills a gap in Sherman's military life that has heretofore been overlooked by his biographers as well as students of strategy and tactics. The Mississippi Campaign dramatically affected Sherman's evolution of policy; Foster explains how Sherman came to formulate the strategy that he used so successfully in the Confederate Southeast."" - Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War: Sherman and Hood int he Autumn Campaigns of 1864""This book is the first modern analytical study of the Mississippi Campaign. It should appeal to readers interested in the Western Theater of the American Civil War, the generalship of William Tecumseh Sherman, and the evolution of what many historians term 'total war' by Union armies."" - Arthur W. Bergeron Jr., author of Confederate Mobile""Those who look to the Georgia campaign as Sherman's coming-out party (to be followed by the Carolinas campaign) would do well to consider the working assumption of this book: Sherman's strategic thinking had been evolving toward a more destructive brand of warfare since early 1862, to be tested first in the Mississippi campaign."" - Daniel E. Sutherland, author of Seasons of War: The Ordeal of a Confederate Community, 1861-1865

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Trade ReviewSpencer…remains true to his purpose to produce a balanced biography explaining more of Semmes’ humanity rather than just recounting high-seas adventures of the hard-bitten Confederate “pirate.”"" - The Florida Historical Quarterly""[Spencer’s] admiration for Semmes as a naval officer is fully justified…[Semmes] was the first commerce raider to operate in the age of steam, and—here I am in full agreement with Spencer—he may have been the best of all time."" - American History magazine""The best biography of Semmes to date. A well-balanced study with new insight on his pre-Civil War career as well as his exploits during that conflict."" - William N. Still Jr., East Carolina University

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Book SynopsisOffers a narrative of Zachary Taylor’s Mexican War campaign, from the formation of his army in 1844 to his last battle in 1847, with emphasis on the 163 men in his “Army of Occupation” who became Confederate or Union generals in the Civil War. It clarifies what being a Mexican War veteran meant to them, how they interacted, how they performed their duties, and how they reacted under fire.Trade ReviewTrailing Clouds of Glory is an essential addition to any Mexican War library because of its focus on Taylor. It is also a useful addition to the growing effort to move beyond generalizations and determine the specifics of the influence Mexico had on Civil War leadership."" — Civil War Book Review“This study of Zachary Taylor’s campaign in northern Mexico makes a significant contribution to the history of this often forgotten war. The work reads well, is organized logically, is argued effectively, and is rooted in extensive primary research.” —Timothy D. Johnson, author of Winfield Scott: The Quest for Military Glory and A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign“Readers who enjoy a more traditional approach . . . will delight in Lewis's volume. By design, the narrative emphasizes regulars and officers. She details the dated arrival and departure of various companies and regiments, along with the deployment, command, retirement, injury, and death among officers ranked from general to lieutenant. Her research is most impressive, the footnotes rich in primary sources, congressional and War Department documents, but especially the personal papers and diaries of the participants. She is also aware of and engaged with current scholarship, a point reflected in her extensive bibliography and throughout the volume where she parries thrusts against the military reputation of Old Zach.” — H-Net Reviews

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Book SynopsisAnalyses Jefferson Davis's public discourse, arguing that throughout his time as president of the Confederacy, Davis settled for short-term rhetorical successes at the expense of creating more substantive and meaningful messages for himself and his constituents.Trade ReviewAtchison . . . reviews the possible role Jefferson Davis played in the failure of the Confederates. . . . The depth and complexity of this research is a remarkable achievement for a single author. . . . This book will be highly useful for scholars interested in the Civil War era and those who study American public discourse. Highly recommended."" - CHOICE""If you study Civil War Era politics, A War of Words deserves a place on your bookshelf."" - Civil War Book Review""A War of Words explores an under-studied aspect of Jefferson Davis's leadership, his ability (or lack thereof) to inspire and mobilize audiences through his crafting of rhetorical appeals. This book should be valuable to students of the history of American public discourse, scholars of the Civil War era, advanced rhetorical critics, and those interested in Southern rhetoric and public address."" - David Zarefsky, author of Lincoln, Douglas, and Slavery: In the Crucible of Public Debate ""Atchison does an excellent job of delving into how and why Davis's speeches often failed to achieve their goals - and why Davis's rhetorical aims were often off the mark and unsuccessful. Many of the author's insights and evaluation of Davis's rhetoric will help students of the Civil War era understand more about the context and history of the time, and, indeed, more about Davis himself."" - W. Stuart Towns, author of Enduring Legacy: Rhetoric and Ritual of the Lost CauseTable of Contents Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Decorum in Davis's Resignation from the Senate Chapter 2. Civic Republicanism in Davis's Inaugural Address Chapter 3. Amplification in Davis's Defense of Conscription Chapter 4. Conspiracy Rhetoric in Davis's Response to the Emancipation Proclamation Chapter 5. Pragmatism and Desperation in Davis's Push for Conditional Emancipation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisOffers original conclusions explaining why Jackson County became the bloodiest region in Reconstruction Florida. The Jackson County War focuses on the role of the Freedmen’s Bureau, the emergence of white ‘Regulators’, and the development of African American political consciousness and leadership.Trade Review“Weinfeld’s work adds to our understanding of the period because it is the first book-length examination of Floridians’ use of terror to restrict the freedom enjoyed by African Americans. Moreover, the work illustrates the forces the reader to confront the extreme lengths many white Jackson County residents went to ensure the continuance of their privileged status after the South’s defeat in the Civil War.”—Civil War History“Weinfeld demonstrates the relevance of this history through his scholarship and writings, while reintroducing the Jackson County War to a new generation of students, lay and professional historians. Those interested in Florida politics, Reconstruction, race relations, racial violence, Southern history and the Civil War will enjoy this work.”— Florida Historical Quarterly“ . . . The Jackson County War represents the best in local history, providing students as well as scholars with a meaningful examination of violence during the turbulent post-Civil War era. This book is a must-read for everyone who is interested in learning more about grassroots Reconstruction in Florida.”— Journal of Southern History".... Weinfeld skillfully and colorfully tells the dramatic story of a place that plunged into a nightmare of terrorism and bloodshed." -- Paul Searles, Lyndon State Univ. Vermont History winter/spring 2013”As exciting as combat was during the war, the postwar Reconstruction era in the panhandle of Florida was a hard struggle for both races with the occasional murder of a freedman keeping blacks and white suspicious of each other. And then the Klan came along…. This book is a finely detailed account of everyday life under Reconstruction….The Jackson County War does not dwell on the politics of Reconstruction, but it is rich in the daily details of what life was like for several years after the war. White planters did not like the growing independence of their former slaves, and the former slaves were often unable to leave those same plantations because they had nowhere to go. Still, they wanted to make a better, more independent life for themselves. This is a sad but informative tale of Reconstruction at the grassroots level. - Civil War News“Daniel Weinfeld’s The Jackson County War is a superbly written account of the violence that rocked this county in the Florida panhandle between early 1869 and the end of 1871, as neighbors murdered neighbors in a killing spree that took between 100 and 200 lives. Weinberg traces the events and looks at why Reconstruction violence was so much worse in this one county than in the rest of Florida. Highly recommended for anyone interested in the immediate aftermath of the Civil War--indeed, in a very real sense, the continuation of the war--including the activities of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the abortive struggle of the former slaves and their white allies to maintain the gains they had made.”—North & South magazine“Researched in-depth and written in an articulate, straightforward manner, The Jackson County War by far represents the single best available source for information on crucial events of Florida’s Reconstruction experience as well as a provocative analysis of the realities of southern post–Civil War violence and the dynamics of partisan expression as an underlying factor in molding southern historiography.”—Canter Brown Jr., author of Florida’s Black Public Officials, 1867-1924

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Book SynopsisExamines the lives of North Carolina chief justice Richmond Pearson (1805-1878) and South Carolina chief justice John Belton O’Neall (1793-1863) and their impact on the South’s transition from a slave to a free society.

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Book SynopsisContributors explore how the end of the Civil War continued the trauma of the conflict and also enhanced the potential for the new birth of freedom that Lincoln promised in the Gettysburg Address, particularly when it came to the Fourteenth Amendment.

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Book SynopsisThis study analyzes the effects of the Civil War on northern black families as they sacrificed for a Union victory. This book especially studies the effects of the war on these families as they and their soldiers fully supported the Union war effort and strived to gain full American citizenship.Table of ContentsList of Figures xi List of Abbreviations xiii Introduction | 1 1 Life in the North: Before the War | 11 2 A Grand Opportunity: 1861 and 1862 | 19 3 The Forming of Black Regiments and Success in Battle | 28 4 The Unequal Pay Issue | 44 5 Violence on Two Fronts | 81 6 Information Requests | 98 7 Discharge Requests | 120 8 The Conclusion of the War | 130 9 After the War: A Different Kind of Battle | 135 10 Even Farther Away from Home: Occupation Duty Continues | 156 11 Home Again | 178 Appendix: Northern Black Regiments 185 Acknowledgments 187 Notes 189 Cited Literature 237 Index 249

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Book SynopsisThis study analyzes the effects of the Civil War on northern black families as they sacrificed for a Union victory. This book especially studies the effects of the war on these families as they and their soldiers fully supported the Union war effort and strived to gain full American citizenship.Table of ContentsList of Figures xi List of Abbreviations xiii Introduction | 1 1 Life in the North: Before the War | 11 2 A Grand Opportunity: 1861 and 1862 | 19 3 The Forming of Black Regiments and Success in Battle | 28 4 The Unequal Pay Issue | 44 5 Violence on Two Fronts | 81 6 Information Requests | 98 7 Discharge Requests | 120 8 The Conclusion of the War | 130 9 After the War: A Different Kind of Battle | 135 10 Even Farther Away from Home: Occupation Duty Continues | 156 11 Home Again | 178 Appendix: Northern Black Regiments 185 Acknowledgments 187 Notes 189 Cited Literature 237 Index 249

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays is a compendium of Hattaway's writings spanning his career of more than 40 years. He has made many important scholarly contributions to the understanding of the Civil War, including the nature of good (and bad) military leadership.Trade ReviewAll of Hattaway's work... is characterized by great scholarship with a kind of charming quirkiness. - George Rable

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Book SynopsisPresents the first comprehensive look at relations between Spain and the two antagonists of the American Civil War. Using Spanish, US and Confederate sources, Bowen provides multiple perspectives of critical events during the Civil War, including Confederate attempts to bring Spain and other European nations into the war; reactions to those attempts; and Spain's revived imperial fortunes.

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Book SynopsisJohn Potts Slough, the Union commander at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, lived a life of relentless pursuit for success that entangled him in the turbulent events of mid-nineteenth-century America. Recounting Slough's timeless story of rise and fall during America's most tumultuous decades, Richard Miller brings to life this extraordinary figure.

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Book SynopsisTo Tilt at Windmills is the memoir of Briton Fred Thomas who served with the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War (July 1936-March 1939).

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Book SynopsisThe chief nurse of the Union Hospital in Washington, D.C., describes life and stress in the hospital and comments on notable persons of power.

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