Early modern warfare Books

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Book SynopsisThe American Revolutionary War pitched the newly formed Continental Army against the professional British Redcoats - a highly trained organization manned by long-serving and experienced infantrymen with a formidable reputation forged on European battlefields during the Seven Years' War. This book deals with this war.Table of ContentsIntroduction /The opposing sides /Brandywine: September 11, 1777 /Monmouth Courthouse: June 28, 1778 /Cowpens: January 17, 1781 /Analysis /Aftermath /Works Cited /Index

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Book SynopsisA king beheaded. A monarchy abolished. And a commoner leading a republic by military rule set in their place. The wars that tore through the country in the mid-seventeenth century – splitting government, communities and families alike – were a true watershed in English history. But how, with Queen Elizabeth I’s Golden Age still in living memory, did such a situation arise? Exploring the period’s political disputes, religious conflicts and military battles, Patrick Little scrutinizes the nature and practicalities of conducting a civil war on English soil, as well as the experiences and motivations of key factions and combatants. By assessing how the realities of life in England shaped the conflict –and were torn apart by it – this wonderfully readable Beginner’s Guide gets to the very heart of how a people came to kill their king.Trade Review‘Accessible and expertly written…featuring a skilful use of original documents and images to illustrate key topics.’ * Jackie Eales – President of the Historical Association and Professor of Early Modern History, Canter *‘A wonderful introduction…tells an intricate story with amazing clarity.’ * Jason Peacey – Senior Lecturer in British History, University College London *'This very clear, readable and informative account is now the best starting-point for those coming new to the subject.' * David L. Smith, Lecturer in History, the University of Cambridge *

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Book SynopsisFrance, early summer 1794. The French Revolution has been hijacked by the extreme Jacobins and is in the grip of The Terror. While the guillotine relentlessly takes the heads of innocents, two vast French and British fleets meet in the mid-Atlantic following a week of skirmishing. After fierce fighting, both sides claim victory. In The Glorious First of June Sam Willis not only tells, with thrilling immediacy and masterly clarity, the story of an epic and complex battle, he also places it within the context of The Terror, the survival of the French Revolution and the growth of British sea-power.Trade Review'One of the things that makes Willis such a joy to read is the blazing clarity of his explanations. By the time you've finished his book you'll appreciate every nuance of naval tactics' Mail on Sunday. * Mail on Sunday *'His portrayal [...] serves as a model for future studies' International Journal of Maritime History. * International Journal of Maritime History *'With his great gift for making complex events exceptionally clear, and an authentically salty understanding of the workings of wind, sea, sail and rig, this is a brilliant and subtly nuanced account' Sunday Times. * Sunday Times *'Those who would attempt to explain a great battle at sea in the age of sail need salt water in the veins and a skilled pen. In this marvellous book Dr Sam Willis proves that he has both' BBC History Magazine. * BBC History Magazine *'Willis brings a welcome pace and energy to what might otherwise have been a dry account of a rarely remembered sea battle' Glasgow Sunday Herald. * Glasgow Sunday Herald *'Willis's matchless grasp of historical detail brings it vividly to life' Mail on Sunday. * Mail on Sunday *Table of ContentsList of illustrations. Maps. Prologue: The First Regicide. Introduction. The First Terror. The First Surrender. The First and Greatest Sea Officer. The First War Artist. The First Convoy. The First Contact. The First Blood. The First of June. The First Reaction: Honour and Glory. The Second Reaction: Acrimony and Disgrace. The Second Terror. Epilogue. Appendix I: The Chronology. Appendix II: The Fleets. Appendix III: The Pocock Sketches. Appendix IV: The Biographies. Glossary. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book SynopsisA proverbial cellar find brought to light a remarkable source for Napoleonic uniformology, which due to its artistic design but also high level of detail offers valuable support in the research of the military dress of Napoleonic mounted troops. A total of 56 large-format hand-coloured watercolours depict cavalry, artillery and train troops of the French Imperial period from 1804 to 1812, the Neapolitan army of 1812, and the Polish uprising of 1831. The work itself is introduced with a foreword by art historian Dr. Hans D. Baumann, commenting on the artistic representation and especially the provenance of the portfolio. It turned out that the watercolours by unknown artists were originally part of the library of the Royal Theatre in Berlin and finally reached Kassel via the salt mines of Thuringia in the course of the Second World War. From there they went to a private collector and then disappeared in the afore-mentioned cellar. The reference to the Royal Theatres in Berlin as well as the posture and presentation of some of the depicted cavalrymen quickly led to Richard Knötel‘s famous Große Uniformenkunde. This is because this doyen of German uniformology cited "coloured hand drawings from the library of the Royal Theatre of Berlin" as the source of some of his plates on the French army. His plates on the Neapolitan army are also partly based on the original source presented here for the first time. Even though the artist (or artists) probably did not produce the 56 watercolours until the late 1830s or 1840s, they are captivatingly accurate and have been assessed by Markus Gärtner and Markus Stein for their historical accuracy. Each plate is accompanied by a brief commentary, which usually classifies the depiction as correct - especially the rarer depictions, such as French carabiniers around 1812 in the sky-blue uniforms, underline the artist’s sound knowledge of Napoleonic military costume. As evidence of the painting’s contemporary origins, some plates are accompanied by illustrations by early 19th century military artists such as Martinet or Weiland, which obviously served as sources. Some illustrations are also supplemented by Knötel‘s plates, enabling readers to verify for themselves the impact these watercolours had on the creation of a work of such fundamental nature as the "Große Uniformenkunde". Thus this book spans 19th century uniformology from the early years to its perfection around 1890. In addition to the commentaries, the plates are also accompanied by historic details outlining the development and wartime deployment of the unit depicted, as well as the standards carried. These additions were made on the basis of rarer works of French military history, while modern works by military historians Markus Gärtner and Markus Stein were also consulted. Since the paintings depict mounted units throughout (both of the Guard and the Line), the reader is able to obtain a comprehensive picture of the splendour of Napoleonic cavalry turned out in their colourful uniforms. The artistic charm of a previously unpublished source and the wide range of units represented will surely make this book a highlight of any library.

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Book SynopsisA collection of around 350 letters bound for London from Jamaica reveals much about colonial life in 1756. Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times paints a picture of the daily life of poor and middling whites, free people of colour, and enslaved people against the backdrop of transatlantic slavery in Jamaica and the eighteenth-century British Empire.Trade Review“Sheryllynne Haggerty introduces us to a terrific archive of letters, making brand new insights into colonial Jamaican history and wrangling an incredibly disparate set of sources into a lively examination of the desires, political interests, consumption patterns, family organizations, and restricted options of both free and enslaved people in the Caribbean. While previous scholarship tends to focus on the elite classes, Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times extends our understanding of colonial Jamaican society through an exploration of the everyday.” Daniel Livesay, Claremont McKenna College and author of Children of Uncertain Fortune: Mixed-Race Jamaicans in Britain and the Atlantic Family, 1733–1833

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Book SynopsisPresenting the history of the men who directed and determined the outcome of the mid-seventeenth-century British wars such as Cromwell, Fairfax, and Essex, this title examines how the generals prepared for, fought in, and followed up a battle, and provides an appraisal of the performance of individual commanders set against their peers.

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Book SynopsisThe American Revolution's progress shown in 60 spectacular contemporary maps.Trade Review"This glorious collection-ravishingly beautiful, exquisitely curated, brilliantly annotated-is one of the most graphic and illuminating treatments of the American Revolution ever brought to press. Here is the road to revolution and the war itself, from the opening of the French and Indian War in 1755 to the surrender at Yorktown in 1781 and the Treaty of Paris two years later. Combining the virtues of an historical atlas, a luscious exhibition, and a detailed but concise history of the wars, it is a GPS to the American Revolution." -- Ric Burns, documentary filmmaker, Steeplechase Films "Revolution is a dazzling achievement that casts new light on the imperial wars of the late eighteenth century. These maps-many of them rare manuscripts, reproduced here for the first time-remind us that the battle for (and against) American independence unfolded in space as well as in time. Here the long road to revolution becomes visible as a hard-fought contest over territory as well as clash of ideals. A feast for the eye, Revolution also invites fresh thinking about the founding of the United States and Britain's American War." -- Jane Kamensky, Mary Ann Lippitt Professor of American History, Brown University "This beautiful book, with its superbly reproduced images, brings to life the decades leading to the birth of the U.S.A. The authors have given a highly skilled analysis of the background, contents and significance of the images. The readable style and brilliant use of little-known cartographical works has created a book that anyone with an interest in the interplay between maps and history should buy-and read." -- Peter Barber, head of Map Collections, the British Library

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Book Synopsis* Provides students with an affordable collection of key articles on the English Civil War. * Includes a substantial introduction which contextualises the articles and the issues they raise> * Examines and provides a guide to major recent and current areas of debate on the causes, course and consequences of the Civil War.Trade Review"Peter Gaunt's The English Civil War: The Essential Readings is indeed essential reading for any clear understanding of the causes and consequences of the violent birth of modernity in England. The essays he presents are carefully chosen and represent a generation of the best historical work in an area which has sparked controversy for over 300 years." Professor Victor Stater, Louisiana State University "Gaunt's volume, devoted to the civil war, brings out the complexities, cross-currents and different interpretations of that crisis ... a helpful and reliable guide to the shifting centres of interest in this field." Times Higher Education Supplement "A diverse and thought-provoking read, introduced clearly and effectively by Peter Gaunt." History "A good, structured introduction to the topic ... Gaunt's introductory essays to the book's four sections helpfully guide the unfamiliar reader through the minefield of Civil War historiography." History "An expert selection of articles dating from 1972 to 1994, with a running commentary, the whole intended to convey a clear living picture of the problems of the period and the diversity of the historiography ... a formidable task, triumphantly accomplished." Cromwelliana "Gaunt's introductions are impressively clear and concise. His grasp on the subject is never less than firm, and he successfully locates contributions within their historical and historiographical contexts, providing a valuable guide to a vast body of literature." Jason Peacey, History of Parliament Trust - Canadian Journal of History "The editor of this commendable work is Peter Gaunt, who has judiciously chosen what he considers to be the most revealing and insightful articles that have been published over the last 30 years. Both his selection of articles and authors are keenly rewarding for anyone who wishes to understand in some depth what unfolded in the British Isles during this era. Above all, Gaunt possesses the talent to summarize divergent opinions deftly." Journal of Church and StateTable of ContentsEditor's Introduction. 1. What Was The English Revolution: John Morrill, Brian Manning and David Underdown. 2. The English Revolution and Revisionist Revolt: Mary Fulbrook. 3. The British Problem and The English Civil War: Conrad Russell. 4. Opposition to the Personal Rule of Charles I: The Diary of Robert Woodford, 1637-1641: John Fielding. 5. Why Did Charles I Call The Long Parliament?: Conrad Russell. 6. Why Did Charles I Fight The Civil War?: Conrad Russell. 7. The Defection of Sir Edward Dering, 1640-41: Derek Hirst. 8. Sir William Brereton and England's Wars of Religion: John Morrill. 9. Between Scylla and Charybdis: The Creation of Rival Administrations at the Beginning of the English Civil War: Martyn Bennett. 10. The War, the People and the Absence of the Clubmen in the Midlands, 1642-46: Simon Osborne. 11. England Turned Germany? The Aftermath of the Civil War in its European Context: Ian Roy. 12. The Levellers and Christianity: J. Colin Davis. 13. Charles Stuart, That Man of Blood: Patricia Crawford. 14. A Bougeois Revolution?: Christopher Hill. Index.

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Book SynopsisIn the bloodiest conflict Europe had ever experienced, Amalia Elisabeth fought to save her tiny German state, her Calvinist church, and her children’s inheritance. Tryntje Helfferich reveals how this embattled ruler used diplomacy to play the European powers against one another, while raising one of the continent’s most effective fighting forces.Trade ReviewImpressive...Helfferich tracks Amalia Elisabeth's bold, often duplicitous, but ultimately successful diplomatic manoeuvrings in meticulous, indeed exhaustive, detail...In an age when so much of what passes for 'history' in the bookshops is merely the competent journalistic synthesis of earlier (and often better) books, it is refreshing to come across a work that is grounded in original, multilingual archival scholarship and has something genuinely new to say...The Iron Princess is far more than merely the biography of a singularly forceful, if despotic, woman. Its narrative provides an exceptionally sure-footed guide through the mazes of European princely politics at their most labyrinthine, and offers an entirely new insight into the role of the smaller states in shaping the great Westphalian treaties that settled the European state system for the best part of the next two centuries. If the Iron Princess was more fortunate in life than she deserved, she has undoubtedly continued her lucky run in this fine biography. -- John Adamson * Literary Review *Like Elizabeth I of England, Amalia Elisabeth was a mistress of delay, and The Iron Princess shows how she successfully navigated the maze of legal, military, and diplomatic obstacles that awaited her when she assumed power. Helfferich deftly reconstructs the dynamics of power, religious division, and social opposition that Amalia Elisabeth confronted. A superb book. -- Orest Ranum, The Johns Hopkins UniversityThis deeply researched book will make a major contribution to what we know about the Thirty Years War. Helfferich's work will place Amalia Elisabeth of Hesse-Cassel squarely onto the mental map of anyone who takes a serious interest in the most protracted and important European conflict of the seventeenth century. -- Christopher R. Friedrichs, University of British ColumbiaIn this detailed and impressively researched study of Amalia Elisabeth, Helfferich offers a shrewd and sophisticated analysis of the problems of female rule in an age of crisis, combined with an equally penetrating interpretation of princely politics within the Holy Roman Empire during the closing stages of the Thirty Years War. It is an extraordinary story of an extraordinary ruler, deftly told. -- Mary Lindemann, University of MiamiHelfferich's exploration of the intricate political maneuverings of Amalia Elisabeth offers not only a fascinating vignette of the Thirty Years' War, but also a most valuable scholarly contribution and corrective to the political and religious history of the first European war. It was largely due to the landgravine's tenacity and shrewd insight into politics that Calvinism was legalized in the Peace of Westphalia. -- Sigrun Haude, University of Cincinnati

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Book SynopsisAfter 1776, Americans struggled to gain recognition of their new republic and their rights as citizens. None had to fight harder than the nation’s seamen, whose labor took them deep into the Atlantic world. Nathan Perl-Rosenthal tells the story of how their efforts created the first national, racially inclusive model of U.S. citizenship.Trade ReviewCitizen Sailors is a useful reminder that Revolutionary America was more inclusive than the republic would become in the 19th century and than some might wish to make it today. By skillfully coaxing narratives out of previously unorganized troves of documents, Perl-Rosenthal lets us see that the Custom House certificates ‘offered a glimmer of a far more inclusive model of the American nation than existed in any other official quarter.’ He also ably describes the complicated national identities of sailors and the human suffering of Americans wrongfully impressed. -- Mark Spencer * Wall Street Journal *Citizen Sailors is the first book to explore how sailors were crucial to definitions of U.S. citizenship during and after the War for Independence because of their central role in national politics and because of the peculiar problems in ascertaining their nationality. Engagingly written and marshaling terrific new evidence, this important book will alter our understanding of the American Revolution, the Atlantic world, and the dynamics of national identity. -- Joyce E. Chaplin, author of Round about the Earth: Circumnavigation from Magellan to OrbitWith erudition and eloquence, Citizen Sailors tells the remarkable story of the federal government’s efforts to protect the welfare of seafaring Americans, doing so without regard to region, class or, surprisingly, race. Showcasing maritime history at its best, the result is a tour de force that will appeal to general readers and specialists alike. -- Eliga Gould, author of Among the Powers of the Earth: The American Revolution and the Making of a New World Empire

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Book SynopsisMoving from strategy to battle scene to analysis, this first English translation of volume five of Clausewitz's collected works nimbly conveys the character of Clausewitz's writing in all its registers: the brisk, often powerful description of events as they unfolded and the critical reflections on strategic theory and its implications.Trade ReviewCarl von Clausewitz's The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland deserves attention not only because it is one of the last texts he wrote. Careful readers would not fail to recognize why this largely overlooked campaign preoccupied Clausewitz's mind in the late 1820s. None of the adversaries could claim a commander of Napoleon's caliber, thus providing a more balanced view about the changes the French Revolution had ushered in in the military realm. The campaign revealed the difficulties of coalition warfare, a subject Clausewitz mulled over in the late 1820s. Fought within a fraught domestic and international context, the campaign's leadership and direction frequently changed. For many of the participants, this remained mainly a war with limited objectives. In other words, throughout The 1799 Campaign, Clausewitz explored issues he had encountered while writing On War but was yet to capture on its pages comprehensively. Murray and Pringle's translation is exceptional; it remains faithful to the original while offering its readers elegant and accessible prose." —Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, author of Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman behind the Making of On War "Carl von Clausewitz--the name evokes the masterpiece of military theory, but much of the great Prussian theorist's voluminous legacy remains unknown to the wider public. This includes Clausewitz's insightful analysis of crucial campaigns of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle have done a masterful job in rectifying this problem. They have already translated Clausewitz's book on Napoleon's 1796 Italian Campaign, and now regale us with a new and exciting edition of the eminent military thinker's analysis of the 1799 campaigns in Italy and Switzerland. This is a highly welcome and thought-provoking addition to Clausewitzian studies. The translation is brilliantly executed, with copious footnotes and annotations by the erudite editors. This book should be on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in the French Revolutionary Wars or who wants to understand how history, strategy, and politics interact under wartime conditions. Highly recommended!" —Alexander Mikaberidze, author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History

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Book SynopsisIn this first of three planned volumes for the University Press of Kansas’s Constitutional Thinking series, Mark Graber aims to restore to contemporary memory the Fourteenth Amendment drafted by those Republican and Unionist members of Congress who supported congressional reconstruction.Trade ReviewIn meticulous detail Mark Graber shows how in the run-up to the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment congressional Republicans shaped the provisions eventually written into that provision with an eye to ensuring control of the government by unionists, which is to say Republicans. He reorients our understanding of the Fourteenth Amendment away from the rights it undoubtedly guarantees to the political effects its framers sought to achieve, among which were unionist control of state governments so that rights could be protected. Though today we do not pay much attention to the sections of the Fourteenth Amendment its framers cared most about, Graber’s arguments tell us a great deal about how we should understand what constitutions actually do." - Mark Tushnet, William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law emeritus, Harvard Law School, and author of The Constitution of the United States of America: A Contextual Analysis"Mark Graber has opened our eyes not only to a lost history of the Fourteenth Amendment, but also to its Framers’ central purpose. They sought to create the conditions for a democratic politics that would protect and empower people, both Black and white, who had remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War. This brilliant book, part of a projected multi-volume series, teaches that the way we shape our political institutions is every bit as important as abstract guarantees of constitutional rights." - Jack M. Balkin, Knight Professor of Constitutional Law and the First Amendment, Yale Law SchoolTable of Contents Text of Amendment XIV (1868) Series Foreword Acknowledgments A Preface to the Forgotten Fourteenth Amendment Series Introduction: Three Republican Soloists and the Republican Chorus 1. The Exclusion Debate 2. The Problem of Rebel Rule 3. Protecting and Empowering the Loyal 4. Guarantees 5. To Colorado and Beyond Conclusion: Rebels, Loyalists, and Racial Equality Appendixes Table A.1: House Votes on the Fourteenth Amendment, the Exclusion Resolution, and Statehood for Colorado and Nebraska Table A.2: Senate Votes on the Fourteenth Amendment, the Exclusion Resolution, and Statehood for Colorado and Nebraska Table A.3: References to “:Rebel” and “Loyal” in the House of Representatives Table A.4: References to “Rebel” and “Loyal” in the Senate Table A.5: References Paired with “Rebel” in the Thirty-Ninth Congress, First Session: All Table A.6: References Paired with “Rebel” in the Thirty-Ninth Congress, First Session: Opponents of the Fourteenth Amendment Table A.7: Conditions for Readmission of Former Confederate States: Members of Congress Table A.8: Conditions of Readmission of Former Confederate States: Petitions Calendar of the Thirty-Ninth Congress, First Session Notes Index

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1998, Like Men of War was a groundbreaking study of Black troops in the Civil War that is still considered a major contribution to the literature on the United States Colored Troops. In this chronological operational history, Trudeau covers every major engagement - and a few minor ones - that the USCT participated in.Trade ReviewNoah Andre Trudeau’s Like Men of War became an instant classic when it was first published in 1998. No other book offered the scope and depth of the Black military experience during the Civil War era and even with all the research that we’ve seen over the past twenty-five years, the book remains essential reading. Historians and general readers will no doubt enjoy and profit from this updated and revised edition." - Kevin M. Levin, author of Searching for Black Confederates: The Civil War’s Most Persistent Myth"Like Men of War is important and relevant because it remains the only extant narrative history of Black troops in the Union Army aimed at both general readers and scholars and students. Not a logistical or institutional study, Trudeau’s book breathes life into the men and battles of the U.S. Colored Troops." - John David Smith, coauthor of Soldiering for Freedom: How the Union Army Recruited, Trained, and Deployed the U.S. Colored Troops"Two distinguishing features of this book make it the most valuable compendium of the important role of Black soldiers in the Civil War. Every combat operation in which these units participated, including major battles as well as minor skirmishes, is described. And much of the evidence for consists of enlisted men’s letters, diaries, reports, and memoirs. Readers will find here the most complete account of these events." - James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era"Like Men of War remains the best traditional military history of the service of African Americans in the Union Army during the Civil War. It is wonderful that Noah Andre Trudeau and the University Press of Kansas are publishing a new edition of this classic work. No doubt the second edition will help acquaint a new generation of readers with the battlefield story of Black Union soldiers." - Donald R. Shaffer, author of After the Glory: The Struggles of Black Civil War VeteransTable of Contents List of Maps List of Illustrations Preface to the Revised Edition Preface to the 1998 Edition Acknowledgments—Revised Edition Acknowledgments—1998 Edition Author’s Note Part One: 1861–1862 Prologue 1. “A Liberating Army” Part Two: 1863 2. “Will They Fight?” Interlude: “The Power of Fear” Interlude: “A School of . . . Self-Reliance as Well as an Engine of War” 3. “The Old Flag Never Touched the Ground” Interlude: “The Question of Pay” 4. “The Question That Negroes Will Fight Is Settled” Interlude: “A Rebel Master and a Union Master” Part Three: 1864 5. “Amid a Storm of Bullets” 6. “You Are Fighting Against Your Master” 7. “With Wild, Exultant Cheers” 8. “On to Richmond!” Interlude: “This Disgraceful Distinction” 9. “I Am Ready to Die for Liberty” 10. “Saved the Colors” Interlude: “A Practice Justified by No Rule of War” 11. “Into the Very Mouth of Death” 12. “Captain, I Am Wounded; What Shall I do?” Part Four: 1865 “Ye’s Long Been A-coming” Interlude: “We Want Black Commissioned Officers” 14. “Our Errand Through the State” 15. “The Negro Will Fight & Fight Bravely” Interlude: “Their Enthusiasm Was Said to Be . . . Remarkable” 16. “Babylon Is Fallen” Interlude: Nothing Has Shocked Us So Much” 17. “That Winds Up the War” Part Five: Legacies, 1865𔃝2022 18. “This Good Work Is Only Begun” 19. Final Word(s) 20. Taps Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIntelligence is often the critical factor in a successful military campaign. This was certainly the case for Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington, in the Peninsular War. In this book, author Huw Davies offers the first full account of the scope, complexity, and importance of Wellington's intelligence department.Trade Review“Spying for Wellington is a triumph of research, analysis, and writing and will be the standard work on the subject for decades. Of all the literature that has been devoted to the Napoleonic wars, nothing comes close to this monumental contribution to the field.”—Michael V. Leggiere, author of BlÜcher: Scourge of Napoleon "Spying for Wellington is a keystone reinterpretation of the British army of the Napoleonic Wars. It shines new light on a crucial and yet largely overlooked aspect of warfare: intelligence collection and application."—Alexander Mikaberidze, author of The Burning of Moscow: Napoleon's Trial by Fire 1812 "Enthusiasts of the Napoleonic wars will find this brilliant book extremely useful toward understanding how Wellington achieved his legendary record of success." - HistoryNet

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Book SynopsisExploring the inner workings of the Continental Army through the prism of its encampments, this book is the first to show how camp construction and administration played a crucial role in Patriot strategy during the American Revolution.

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Book SynopsisThe origins and evolution of the conflict between North and South can be traced back to the early years of the American Republic, as Stephen Hyslop demonstrates in this volume, an exploration of how the incipient fissure between the Union’s initial slave states and free states lengthened and deepened as the nation advanced westward.Trade Review“Building a House Divided is a beautifully written study of the scheming, calculations, and missteps of presidents, politicians, and everyday people that led to one of the most defining wars in American history.”— Andrew Torget, author of Seeds of Empire: Cotton, Slavery, and the Transformation of the Texas Borderlands, 1800–1850“Most people look at the history of the early United States backwards from Fort Sumter and ask how it all could have happened. Stephen J. Hyslop looks forward from the very earliest moments of the republic and clearly explains how slavery became entwined with westward expansion—deliberately or inadvertently—and how it led to disunion and civil war.”—Christopher Childers, author of The Failure of Popular Sovereignty: Slavery, Manifest Destiny, and the Radicalization of Southern Politics“This engrossing book provides a meticulous account—engaging, clear, polished, and sure-handed throughout—of the politics, diplomacy, and geography that simultaneously allowed the United States to become a continental nation by 1850 and triggered the South’s secession from the Union in 1860–1861 and the bloody Civil War that followed.”—Robert E. May, author of Slavery, Race, and Conquest in the Tropics: Lincoln, Douglas, and the Future of Latin America

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

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

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

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

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

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Book SynopsisThe fraught relationship between Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan is well known, so much so that many scholars rarely question the standard narrative casting the two as foils. George Rable rethinks that stance, providing a new understanding of the interaction between the president and his leading wartime general.Trade ReviewGeorge C. Rable has tackled one of the most controversial stories of the Civil War as only a master historian can. Sifting through generations of partisan bickering, he offers a crisp, candid view of the Lincoln-McClellan saga that accomplishes something truly remarkable. It proves fair to both men." - Zachery A. Fry, author of A Republic in the Ranks: Loyalty and Dissent in the Army of the Potomac

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Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive account of the brief life and exploits of John Yates Beall, a Confederate soldier, naval officer, and guerrilla in the Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes region. Though little remembered today, Beall was a legendary figure in the Civil War South.Trade ReviewThe events recounted here provide the makings of a good spy novel: conspirators hoping to free rebel prisoners of war near the Canadian border, terrorists burning New York hotels, bandits robbing banks in Vermont, and pirates raiding a U.S. warship on Lake Erie by drugging the crew with tainted wine. Yet, this is not the stuff of racy fiction: these incidents happened. Through the story of John Yates Beall—one of the men behind Confederate terrorist plots in the upper North—William C. Harris acquaints us with one of the lesser-known areas of irregular warfare during America's Civil War." - William A. Blair, author of With Malice toward Some: Treason and Loyalty in the Civil War Era"John Yates Beall's story is a fascinating Civil War tale, and no one tells it better than Harris, who enlightens us about just how significant a character Beall was for the Confederate war effort. With a deft pen and using colorful detail, Harris creates a luminous portrait that brings to life one of the war's most daring crusaders who ranks with Morgan and Mosby but who died on the gallows for his exploits." - Stephen D. Engle, author of Gathering to Save a Nation: Lincoln and the Union's War Governors"Few southern rebels earned the wartime infamy of privateer John Yates Beall, whose clandestine attempts to liberate Confederate prisoners from Johnson's Island resulted in his late-war execution. In this gripping account, one of the Civil War's most careful and prolific historians pulls back the veil on the 'terror of the Chesapeake and Lake Erie.'" - Brian Matthew Jordan, Pulitzer Prize finalist for Marching Home: Union Veterans and Their Unending Civil War and coeditor of The War Went On: Reconsidering the Lives of Civil War Veterans"John Yates Beall—planter, naval officer, privateer, and commando—finally gets his due in this thoughtfully written biography by acclaimed historian William C. Harris. As the Civil War proved, the South was full of determined people, and Beall, who died on the gallows for spreading the war to the North, was not (as friends said) 'one of the giving up kind.'" - Terry Alford, author of Fortune's Fool: The Life of John Wilkes Booth

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Book SynopsisTraditional histories of the Civil War describe the conflict as a war between North and South. Kenneth Noe suggests it should instead be understood as a war between the North, the South, and the weather. He retells the history of the conflagration with a focus on the ways in which weather and climate shaped the outcomes of battles and campaigns.Trade ReviewKenneth W. Noe adds a third combatant to the familiar story of the Blue and the Gray in his innovative survey of Civil War military history: the weather. In lucid prose and deep detail he shows us that regional and national weather patterns repeatedly benefited the Union and hurt the Confederacy. Noe reminds us that the war did not just affect the environment; the environment changed the war." - Anne Sarah Rubin, author of A Shattered Nation: The Rise and Fall of the Confederacy, 1861-1868"A compelling and comprehensive study of the American Civil War's military history, The Howling Storm gives us a new way to understand how the war turned out the way it did. In vivid prose, Kenneth Noe shows how rain, snow, drought, excessive heat and cold, and other natural forces determined tactics and challenged logistics, becoming a decisive element in the war's campaigns. The Howling Storm is an important addition to the field of Civil War environmental history and a must-read for students and scholars of the conflict." - Megan Kate Nelson, author of The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West"In this lyrical and expansive book, Kenneth W. Noe demonstrates that unusual weather patterns influenced the Civil War, decisively aiding Union victory. The narrative spans the war, encompasses multiple theaters, and provides the first comprehensive look at how weather dramatically shaped military operations, from the private soldier to the general officer." - Kathryn Shively, author of Nature's Civil War: Common Soldiers and the Environment in 1862 Virginia"Although The Howling Storm is not meant to be 'encyclopedic,' it is hard to imagine anyone replacing this invaluable tome any time soon. It will no doubt stand as the seminal work on this topic." - The Alabama Review"'The American Civil War was fought outdoors.' Until recently few scholars grasped the full significance of this deceptively simple opening statement by Kenneth Noe. Here, he acutely assesses climate's effects on strategy, combat tactics, troop movements, and logistics. There's enough narrative to serve as core text in advanced Civil War courses, and copious detail illustrates recurring difficulties of waging war outdoors . . . . Noe situates his research well in both Civil War and environmental historiography; his findings temper criticism of soldiers, civilians, and animals, all struggling within nature's constraints . . . . This is a necessary volume for Civil War collections." - Choice"After 670 pages of unrelenting heat and rain and mud and ice, The Howling Storm begins to feel like a forced march. But that is the point; Noe's exhaustive account drives home his point that understanding the experience of Civil War combat means understanding the ecological contexts in which it occurred. . . . The Howling Storm is a great reminder that the winds of war are often more than a metaphor." - Brian Allen Drake, Journal of Southern History

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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 SynopsisIn the winter of 1864 while Grant prepared for the inevitable spring campaign in Georgia, Congress revived the rank of lieutenant general for the purpose of giving it to its most victorious general. When the bill passed, President Lincoln called Grant to Washington to receive his commission and to assume command of all the armies.Table of Contentsv. 1. 1837-1861 -- v. 2. April-September 1861 -- v. 3. October 1, 1861-January 7, 1862 -- v. 4. January 8-March 31, 1862 -- v. 5. April 1-August 31, 1862 -- v. 6. September 1-December 8, 1862 -- v. 7. December 9, 1862-March 31, 1863 -- v. 8. April 1-July6, 1863 -- v. 9. July 7-December 31, 1863 -- v. 10. January 1-May 31, 1864 -- v. 11. June 1-August 15, 1864 -- v. 12. August 16-November 15, 1864 -- v. 13. November 16, 1864-February 20, 1865 -- v. 14. February 21-April 30, 1865 -- v. 15. May 1-December 31, 1865 -- v. 16. 1866 -- v. 17. January 1-September 30, 1867 -- v. 18. October 1, 1867-June 30, 1868 -- v. 19. July 1, 1868-October 31, 1869 -- v. 20. November 1, 1869-October 31, 1870 -- v. 21. November 1, 1870-May 31, 1871 -- v. 22. June 1, 1871-January 31, 1872 -- v. 23. February 1-December 31, 1872 -- v. 24. 1873.

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Book SynopsisDescribes the regimental history of Chicago's Irish Volunteers. This book tells the story of Chicago's 90th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, the only Irish regiment in Major General William Tecumseh Sherman's XV Army Corps. It exposes the racial issues that affected the soldiers of the 90th Illinois.

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Book SynopsisSome 100,000 soldiers fought in the April 1862 battle of Shiloh, and nearly 20,000 men were killed or wounded. In the first book in his new series, Steven E. Woodworth has brought together a group of superb historians to reassess this significant battle and provide in-depth analyses of key aspects of the campaign and its aftermath. The eight contributors dissect the campaign's fundamental events.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Ben Grierson wrote as well as he fought. No one has told the story of his famous raid through Mississippi in 1863 as well as Grierson himself. These memoirs offer an unmatched account of cavalry operations in the Tennessee/Mississippi theater of the Civil War.”—James M. McPherson, author of Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief “A welcome addition to edited and annotated memoirs of the genre.”—Journal of Illinois History“The memoirs have a conversational tone, and it is easy to imagine sitting by Grierson and listening to his story. There is much of interest and value in this account of a civilian who became a successful military leader during the war and then went on to serve in the postwar army.”—Journal of Southern History “Grierson's memoir is a solid contribution to Civil War literature and adds to the knowledge of cavalry operations in the Western Theater.”—Register of the Kentucky Historical Society“Historians seeking a military analysis of the western theater will greatly benefit from Grierson's thorough retelling of each campaign. At the same time, Grierson tackles issues of race, southern culture and exceptionality, and military strategy in frank and honest language.”—History: Reviews of New Books

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

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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 SynopsisIn this welcome collection, seven Civil War scholars offer a unique regional perspective on the Civil War by examining how a specific group of Northerners - Midwesterners, known as Westerners and Middle Westerners during the 1860s - experienced the war on the home front.Trade Review“[This collection] stands squarely on the cutting edge of putting the Civil War in the context of regional history."—A. James Fuller, Ohio Valley History “[B]ooks like this one are helping to close the gap between our knowledge of the lives of Northern and Southern civilians."—James Marten, Indiana Magazine of History “These articles, as well as an introduction by the editors and a foreword by William C. Davis, make a strong argument that the events on the home front were as significant as those on the battlefield, even though they have not commanded the same scholarly attention."—B.M.S. Campney, CHOICE “From the conditions of Civil War prisons in the Midwest, to the Midwest’s critical agricultural role to keep the soldiers and the Union fed, to the trials and travails of midwestern Union soldiers’ wives, Union Heartland is fascinating, heavily researched, and thoughtfully presented."—James A. Cox, Midwest Book Review “This compilation is recommended both as an example of the value of regional studies in their own right and how they can enhance our understanding of the Civil War, the central event in American history, by providing new contexts and perspectives."—James E. Potter, Nebraska History “Undoubtedly, the Midwest deserves attention for its contributions during the [Civil War], which included crops, soldiers, supplies, and political upheaval. By treating the Midwest as its own entity as opposed to studying the North and Midwest as one monolithic region, these essays provide new insight into the wartime experiences of midwesterners."—Megan Birk, Kansas History “Union Heartland deserves our attention, not only for the many lessons it teaches on its particular subjects but even more so for its demonstration that all the North was not New England or the mid-Atlantic, as so much literature has it. It is time to find the war where it was lived day-to-day in specific places. This book points the way."—Randall M. Miller, Register of the Kentucky Historical Society “[Aley and Anderson] have advanced our understanding of the significant role the Old Northwest (what became known as the Midwest) played in the Civil War. Their introduction is a model of scholarship, reviewing the historiography and providing guideposts for the essays included in this collection."—Kenneth J. Heineman, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society “These well-written essays appropriately emphasize regional features of this sectional peri­od and deepen understanding of the midwest­ern home front during the Civil War. A step forward in explaining the distinctiveness of the midwestern experience, this welcome and valuable collection augurs further scholarship that will enhance thinking about and knowl­edge of the historical Midwest."—Kenneth H. Wheeler, Journal of American History “This collection will be of interest to scholars of the Civil War, as well as to those interested in the Northern home front or nineteenth-century rural history. The authors have demonstrated the vitality of this region and its variety of experiences."—Jeff Bremer, Civil War Book Review “Aley and Anderson present a compelling collection of essays that introduces the Midwest as the ‘heartland’ of the Union and further expands the historiographic discussion of the Northern home front during the war. Union Heartland’s emphasis on place signifies a shift in the way historians examine the Civil War, and more attention should be paid to the rich history of this region in the future."—Lindsey Peterson, Humanities and Social Science Online “[Union Heartland] provides nuanced views of life on the midwestern home front and offers new frameworks for scholars to examine the Northern people and their wartime experiences."—John Michael Foster Jr., The Historian “[R]eaders will enjoy the glimpses offered here of a Civil War home front about which we still have a lot to learn."—Judith Giesberg, Journal of Illinois History “Taken together, the essays reflect the interrelatedness between struggles on the battlefields and the home front."—Gordon Berg, Civil War Times “In recent years, some of the most interesting scholarship on the Civil War home front has considered how civilians in the midwestern states responded to the sectional conflict and how that distinctive region helped shape national events. This welcome collection speaks to many of the biggest issues confronted by any society in wartime: how does war affect family roles, gender identities, economic practices, and political discourse? The essays also contemplate the intertwined worlds of soldiers and civilians: how did young students decide to go to war, what did volunteers leave behind, what happened when prisoners of war entered the home front environment? Aley and Anderson have assembled an excellent lineup of established experts in the field and rising young scholars. The result is both a fascinating portrait of the midwestern home front and a valuable window into how historians are rethinking the nature of war and society."—J. Matthew Gallman, author of Northerners at War: Reflections on the Civil War Home Front “This collection presents major recent scholarship on the Midwest during the Civil War. Each essay contributes significantly to the growing field of studies on midwestern history; together they provide an original and compelling analysis of the American heartland during war. With this well-contextualized collection of essays, varied in subject matter and approach, Aley and Anderson present sweeping themes of diverse political and personal dynamics. This is an important contribution to our understanding of the enormous range of wartime experience."—Orville Vernon Burton, author of The Age of Lincoln “This is a valuable collection of well-researched case studies that pays long overdue attention to the practical and emotional impact of the Civil War on families in the rural Midwest."—Andrew Cayton, Miami University

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Book SynopsisRobert Love's Warnings follows the walks of one otherwise obscure townclerk, Robert Love, as he warned itinerants and sojourners to depart the town in fourteen days. Love's meticulous records reveal the complex legal, social, and political landscape of New England in the decade before the Revolution.Trade Review"The extent and depth of research found in Dayton and Salinger's book is impressive and the work itself engaging. . . . Robert Love's Warnings: Searching for Strangers in Colonial Boston is an insightful examination of the New England practice of warning and offers a rich social history of mid-eighteenth-century Boston." * American Historical Review *"Dayton and Salinger, two very distinguished historians, challenge much of the conventional scholarly understanding. . . . This marvelous book deepens and broadens historians' knowledge in significant ways. It is also beautifully written. It reshapes our conceptions and makes us ask new questions about Boston, New England, and early America in general. It is hard to ask much more of any book." * William and Mary Quarterly *"My admiration for what the authors have done in Robert Love's Warnings grew with each chapter. They have made the streets of colonial Boston come alive in ways no other scholar has done. And their achievement in research is simply amazing. . . . What a book!" * Alfred F. Young, author of The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution *Table of ContentsPrologue. A Walking Day Introduction Chapter 1. Mr. Love's Mission Chapter 2. The Warner Chapter 3. Origins Chapter 4. Walking and Warning Chapter 5. The Warned and Why They Came Interlude. A Sojourner's Arrival Chapter 6. Lodgings Chapter 7. Sojourners of the Respectable Sort Chapter 8. Travelers in Distress Chapter 9. Warning in the Midst of Imperial Crises Epilogue Appendix A. Traveling Parties and Locations They Were "Last From" Appendix B. Sources for Robert Love's Warning Records, by Date List of Abbreviations Notes Index

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Book Synopsis“A welcome literary tapestry, a vivid depiction of events woven together with threads of strong scholarship and attention to detail.... An overlooked and somewhat tragic naval figure, one largely lost in the sea smoke of the history of the Continental Navy.” - New England Quarterly

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Book SynopsisOffers a revised examination of the Irish intellectual roots of Bishop John England's American pastoral works in the diocese of Charleston, South Carolina (1820-1842). The text focuses on his political philosophy and his theology of the Church, both of which were influenced by the Enlightenment and a theological, not a political, Gallicanism.

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Book SynopsisCharles Dew's Apostles of Disunion has established itself as a modern classic and an indispensable account of the Southern states' secession from the Union. Addressing topics still hotly debated more than a century and a half after the Civil War, the book offers a compelling and clearly substantiated argument that slavery and race were at the heart of America’s great national crisis.Trade Review“Dew has produced an eye-opening study. . . . So much for states’ rights as the engine of secession.” —James M. McPherson, New York Review of Books“This is an important study, meticulously researched and convincingly argued.” —James Oliver Horton, author of The Landmarks of African American History“This incisive history should dispel the pernicious notion that the Confederacy fought the Civil War to advance the constitutional principle of states’ rights and only coincidentally to preserve slavery.” —Allen d. Boyer, New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisCharts the trajectory of the Democratic Party as the party of opposition in the North during the Civil War. The book reveals the myriad complications and contingencies of political life in the Northern states and explains the objectives of the nearly half of eligible Northern voters who cast a ballot against Abraham Lincoln in 1864.Trade ReviewA career spent studying American life in the Civil War era has given Dr. Gallman a kaleidoscopic and yet comprehensive perspective on one of the key questions of the nineteenth century: Why did certain northerners oppose Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party as they fought to save the United States and end the institution of slavery? In this important book, Gallman examines the shifting meanings of principle, location, timing, racism, and politics to suggest that what motivated Democrats was not a straightforward political ideology so much as a complicated cacophony of contingencies." - Heather Cox Richardson, Boston College, author of To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party"Matt Gallman’s insightful, deeply researched, and soundly analyzed book instantly becomes the standard study of opposition politics during the Civil War. The subject has long cried out for reinterpretation, and Gallman has risen to the occasion by filling a gaping void in the literature. He not only explores the limits of dissent in a divided America, but the boundaries of party loyalty, a subject of relevance and urgency in our own time as well as Lincoln’s." - Harold Holzer, Hunter College, author of Lincoln and the Power of the Press"The Cacophony of Politics is an invigorating dive into the hearts and minds of a wide range of Northern Democrats during the Civil War and brings a compelling new perspective to a familiar topic. By sampling the thoughts and actions of Democratic partisans across the country, J. Matthew Gallman highlights the delicate balancing act required of the formerly dominant party that struggled to define itself as the loyal opposition while contending with treasonous elements within its ranks. A great read! " - Joan Waugh, UCLA, president of the Society of Civil War Historians and author of U. S. Grant: American Hero, American Myth"Most Civil War Northern Democrats wanted to defeat secession, by force if necessary. Yet they feared that the Lincoln administration would destroy the republic in order to save it. In this rich and engaging study, Matthew Gallman reveals the motives and internal conflicts of these anti-Lincoln Northerners and explains why understanding them is so important for a full picture of the war. " - Adam I. P. Smith, University of Oxford, author of The Stormy Present: Conservatism and the Problem of Slavery in Northern Politics, 1846-1865

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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 SynopsisExplores the importance of slavery in the minds of Confederate soldiers and its effects on military policy and decision making. Beyond showing how essential the defense of slavery was in motivating Confederate troops to fight, Woodward examines the Rebels’ persistent belief in the need to defend slavery and deploy it militarily as the war raged on.

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Book SynopsisNo period of United States history is more important and still less understood than Reconstruction. Now, at the sesquicentennial of the Reconstruction era, Vernon Burton and Brent Morris bring together the best new scholarship on the critical years after the Civil War and before the onset of Jim Crow.Trade Review“This necessary volume, which features new scholarship reflective of the current trends and directions in Reconstruction studies, encourages new questions and fills a necessary void. It is accessible and comprehensive. All of the essays are fine contributions and work well together.” - Hilary Green, Davidson College, author of Educational Reconstruction: African American Schools in the Urban South“A valuable contribution to the growing literature on Reconstruction and one which, importantly, sheds a bright light on aspects and issues of Reconstruction that have received little or no attention.” - William C. Hine, South Carolina State University“No period in our history calls to us more urgently than Reconstruction, but no period demands closer or more subtle attention. These essays, exploring topics from high politics to literature and ranging from European capitals to Indian Territory, elegantly capture much of what historians have to offer a nation that is in many ways still locked in its post-Civil War struggles.” - Stephen Kantrowitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of Citizens of a Stolen Land: A Ho-Chunk History of the Nineteenth-Century United StatesTable of Contents 1. "They Loved but Did Not Agree": African American Women Divorcees in Post-Civil War Virginia (Arlisha Norwood) 2. Reconstructing Nationalism: Charles Sumner, Human Rights, and American Exceptionalism (Mark Elliott) 3. Oliver P. Morton and the Politics of Reconstruction (A. James Fuller) 4. Building a New Political Order: Reconstruction, Capitalism, and the Contest Over the American State (Nicolas Barreyre) 5. Race, Representation, and Reconstruction: The Origins and Persistence of Black Electoral Power, 1865–1900 (Peter Wallenstein) 6. Lynching in the American Imagination: A Historiographical Reexamination (Mari N. Crabtree) 7. "Magnificent Resources": Reconstruction in Indian Territory (Troy D. Smith) 8. A New Birth of Freedom Abroad (Don H. Doyle) 9. Confederate Reconstructions: Generations of Conflict (David Moltke-Hansen) 10. Reconstruction at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (Krista Kinslow) 11. Mark Twain and the Failure of Radical Reconstruction (J. Mills Thornton) 12. Teaching DuBois' Black Reconstruction (Garry Bertholf and Marina Bilbija) 13. Three Historians and a Theologian: Howard Thurman and the Writing of African American History (Peter Eisenstadt) 14. Killing Calvin Crozier: Honor, Myth, and Military Occupation after Appomattox (Lawrence T. McDonnell)

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Book SynopsisNo period of United States history is more important and still less understood than Reconstruction. Now, at the sesquicentennial of the Reconstruction era, Vernon Burton and Brent Morris bring together the best new scholarship on the critical years after the Civil War and before the onset of Jim Crow.Trade Review“This necessary volume, which features new scholarship reflective of the current trends and directions in Reconstruction studies, encourages new questions and fills a necessary void. It is accessible and comprehensive. All of the essays are fine contributions and work well together.” - Hilary Green, Davidson College, author of Educational Reconstruction: African American Schools in the Urban South“A valuable contribution to the growing literature on Reconstruction and one which, importantly, sheds a bright light on aspects and issues of Reconstruction that have received little or no attention.” - William C. Hine, South Carolina State University“No period in our history calls to us more urgently than Reconstruction, but no period demands closer or more subtle attention. These essays, exploring topics from high politics to literature and ranging from European capitals to Indian Territory, elegantly capture much of what historians have to offer a nation that is in many ways still locked in its post-Civil War struggles.” - Stephen Kantrowitz, University of Wisconsin-Madison, author of Citizens of a Stolen Land: A Ho-Chunk History of the Nineteenth-Century United StatesTable of Contents 1. "They Loved but Did Not Agree": African American Women Divorcees in Post-Civil War Virginia (Arlisha Norwood) 2. Reconstructing Nationalism: Charles Sumner, Human Rights, and American Exceptionalism (Mark Elliott) 3. Oliver P. Morton and the Politics of Reconstruction (A. James Fuller) 4. Building a New Political Order: Reconstruction, Capitalism, and the Contest Over the American State (Nicolas Barreyre) 5. Race, Representation, and Reconstruction: The Origins and Persistence of Black Electoral Power, 1865–1900 (Peter Wallenstein) 6. Lynching in the American Imagination: A Historiographical Reexamination (Mari N. Crabtree) 7. "Magnificent Resources": Reconstruction in Indian Territory (Troy D. Smith) 8. A New Birth of Freedom Abroad (Don H. Doyle) 9. Confederate Reconstructions: Generations of Conflict (David Moltke-Hansen) 10. Reconstruction at the Centennial Exhibition of 1876 (Krista Kinslow) 11. Mark Twain and the Failure of Radical Reconstruction (J. Mills Thornton) 12. Teaching DuBois' Black Reconstruction (Garry Bertholf and Marina Bilbija) 13. Three Historians and a Theologian: Howard Thurman and the Writing of African American History (Peter Eisenstadt) 14. Killing Calvin Crozier: Honor, Myth, and Military Occupation after Appomattox (Lawrence T. McDonnell)

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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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