tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87641843324256262492024-02-20T07:43:25.969-08:00Confederate Book ReviewBook reviews and other American Civil War related news. Despite being from a "Confederate" state reviews are as unbiased as possible.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.comBlogger489125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-50205238234376889012015-08-14T17:11:00.000-07:002015-08-14T17:11:29.543-07:00Press Release--Grant Under Fire<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/editor/static_files/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1943177007/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1943177007&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=C3OUIV34KIZSFFN3">Grant Under Fire: An Exposé of Generalship & Character in the American Civil War</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1943177007" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Grant Under Fire</a></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1943177007/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1943177007&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=C3OUIV34KIZSFFN3">Grant Under Fire: An Exposé of Generalship & Character in the American Civil War</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1943177007" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">An Exposé of Generalship & Character in the American Civil War</a></em></strong></div>
<strong>A book by Joseph A. Rose challenges Ulysses S. Grant’s reputation as a military genius and as a reliable chronicler of America’s bloodiest conflict.</strong><br />
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<tr><td width="327"><a class="grouped_elements" href="http://www.grantunderfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bookcover-5-front-1-pt-3-inch-x-300-dpi.jpg" rel="tc-fancybox-group91" title="Print"><img alt="Print" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-284" height="300" src="http://www.grantunderfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Bookcover-5-front-1-pt-3-inch-x-300-dpi-206x300.jpg" width="206" /></a>MEDIA CONTACT:Joseph A. Rose<br />
Alderhanna Publishing<br />
310 First Avenue #9D<br />
New York, NY 10009<br />
(212) 529-1861<br />
josepharose@yahoo.com<br />
www.grantunderfire.com<br />
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ISBN: 978-1943177-004<br />
LCCN: 2015936954<br />
Retail price: $42.50<br />
Illustrations: 37 maps<br />
Trim size: 6 x 9 inches<br />
Page Count: 816<br />
Binding: Smyth-sewn<br />
Cover: Hardbound<br />
Cover Art: Four color<br />
Publication date:<br />
September 15, 2015</td><td width="25"></td><td width="725">Grant suffered the biggest military surprise of the Civil War, committed the worst official act of anti-Semitism on United States soil, and came closest of all federal commanders to losing Washington, D.C. In ranking his generalship above Robert E. Lee’s, Grant’s defenders ignore his crude, pugnacious strategies that resulted in a costly war of attrition and his amateurish tactics of impetuous frontal assaults against fortified positions. In addition, his cronyism poisoned the Union war effort.<br />
<strong>Praise from noted Civil War scholars:</strong><br />
Joseph Rose presents an engaging critical assessment of Grant’s generalship that is destined to provoke lively debate.—<strong>Gordon Rhea</strong><br />
Rose writes with a vigorous style, and supports his thesis with impressive research and incisive analysis.—<strong>Robert I. Girardi</strong><br />
<em>Grant Under Fire </em>reveals a general with a dramatically different character than the one he portrayed for himself.—<strong>Lawrence Lee Hewitt</strong><br />
A well-written, exhaustively researched essay.—<strong>John Horn</strong><br />
Rose’s prodigious and impeccable scholarship greatly strengthens his penetrating analysis of both Grant the man and Grant the commander.—<strong>William Glenn Robertson</strong><br />
Just to set the record straight, there should be more future insightful research and commentary, as you will find here.—<strong>Wiley Sword</strong><br />
It is a must for any serious student of the Civil War.—<strong>Frank Varney</strong><br />
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This groundbreaking work resolves such persistent controversies as Grant’s drunken partying with the enemy on flag-of-truce boats, unfairly blaming Lew Wallace for the slow march to Shiloh, pretending all along to possess a plan to pass Vicksburg, taking credit for the charge up Missionary Ridge, leaving wounded men to die between the lines at Cold Harbor, and mistreating Black soldiers and civilians. In doing so, Grant’s celebrated<em> Personal Memoirs</em> are shown to be unreliable.<br />
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Joseph A. Rose spent twelve years writing <em>Grant Under Fire</em>, combining original research—rigorously based on primary sources—and investigative historiography. It overturns 150 years of distorted and untrue accounts of Ulysses S. Grant’s military career and comprehensively debunks his outstanding reputation as an officer and a gentleman.</td></tr>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-87478471648080328412015-07-22T16:20:00.000-07:002015-07-22T16:27:18.650-07:00New Release-Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864Another new release from Rowman & Littlefield.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B010JIE86Y/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B010JIE86Y&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=BHBC6ORCNMTGFM6L"><strong>The Last Hurrah: Sterling Price's Missouri Expedition of 1864 (The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era)</strong></a><strong><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B010JIE86Y" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></strong>
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<b><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 24pt;"><a br="" href="https://www.blogger.com/null"></a></span></b><br /></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37318" style="font-size: 12pt;">“Cutting through 150 years of myths and misinformation surrounding Price’s Raid, Kyle Sinisi provides a compelling study of breadth and depth, demonstrating why the Trans-Mississippi was the most interesting theater of the Civil War. A judicious, balanced, and nuanced account of perhaps the least studied and most misunderstood major campaign of the war.”</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">—William Garrett Piston, co-author of <i>Wilson’s Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It</i></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> <b></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The Last Hurrah</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> is the story of Price’s invasion from its politically charged planning to its starving retreat. <i>The Last Hurrah</i> is also the story of what happened after the shooting stopped. Even as hundreds of Missourians followed Price out of the state and tried desperately to join his army, elements of the Union army visited retribution upon Confederate sympathizers while still others showed little regard for the lives of the prisoners they had captured. Many more would have to suffer and die long after Sterling Price had fled Missouri.</span><span style="color: #c00000; font-size: 16pt;"></span></div>
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<span class="yiv3115930885dxebase" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37310"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37309" style="font-size: 12pt;">Features:</span></span></div>
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<li class="yiv3115930885MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37308"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37307" style="font-size: 12pt;">Re-assesses long-standing interpretations of all major battles and many of the skirmishes, focusing on command decision making.</span></li>
<li class="yiv3115930885MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37306"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37305" style="font-size: 12pt;">Utilizes the latest scholarship regarding Civil War weaponry and marksmanship to assess the tactical effectiveness of both Union and Confederate forces.</span></li>
<li class="yiv3115930885MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37285"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37304" style="font-size: 12pt;">Uses 20 newly created maps to demonstrate, in many cases, 150 years of poor cartography and its influence upon how historians have viewed the campaign and its battles.<span class="yiv3115930885dxebase"></span></span></li>
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<span class="yiv3115930885dxebase" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37340"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37339"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37338" style="font-size: 12pt;">Kyle S. Sinisi </span></b></span><span class="yiv3115930885dxebase" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37295"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37294" style="font-size: 12pt;">is professor of history at The Citadel. He is author of <i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37298">Sacred Debts: State Civil War Claims and American Federalism, 1861-1880</i> and co-editor of <i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_37293">Warm Ashes: Essays in Southern History at the Dawn of the 21<sup>st</sup> Century</i>.</span></span></div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-86315153598698740162015-07-22T16:08:00.001-07:002015-07-22T16:08:59.176-07:00New Release--A History of Heists: Bank Robbery in AmericaThis came through my email recently and it grabbed my attention. As I start expanding my reading interests further this looks like one I will have to consider. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442235454/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1442235454&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=TTGDNZ67MAF2WETH">A History of Heists: Bank Robbery in America</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1442235454" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1442235454/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1442235454&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=H3YRGSPMCQMEMTJL" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1442235454&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1442235454" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30868" style="font-size: 12pt;">No crime is as synonymous with America as bank robbery. Though the number of bank robberies nationwide has declined, bank robbery continues to captivate the public and jeopardize the safety of banks and their employees. </span><br />
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30820" style="font-size: 12pt;">Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Willie Sutton, and Patty Hearst are among the most famous figures in the history of crime in the United States. Jesse James used his training as a Confederate guerrilla to make bank robbery a political act. John Dillinger capitalized on the public’s scorn of banks during the Great Depression and became America’s first Public Enemy Number One. When she held up a bank with the leftist Symbionese Liberation Army, Patty Hearst fueled the country’s social unrest. Jerry Clark and Ed Palattella delve into the backgrounds and motivations of the robbers, and explore how they are as complex as the nation whose banks they have plundered.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30866" style="font-size: 12pt;">But as much as the story of bank robbery in America focuses on the thieves, it is also a story of those who investigate the heists. As bank robbers became more sophisticated, so did the police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Features:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ø </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30838" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Provides a social history of the United States, with bank robbery as the subject. It is much more than the encyclopedia of crime</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ø </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30835" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Discusses bank robbery’s cultural impact, including its portrayal in the movies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ø </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30837" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Examines why bank robbery is declining</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Jerry Clark</span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_30832" style="font-size: 12pt;"> retired as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2011 after twenty-seven years in law enforcement, including careers as a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. He is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania, where he is also director of risk analysis and mitigation at McManis & Monsalve Associates.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ed Palattella</span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1437604855954_26989" style="font-size: 12pt;"> joined the<i> Erie Times-News</i>, in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1990. He has won a number of awards, including for his investigative work and his coverage of crime. </span></div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-32249840375725580702015-06-19T16:09:00.000-07:002015-06-19T16:09:12.727-07:00Civil Rights Pioneer Elbert Williams to be rememberedI received this information on an event that will be taking place tomorrow. Sorry for not getting it posted earlier.<br />
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<a href="http://www.elbertwilliamsmemorial.com/">http://www.elbertwilliamsmemorial.com/</a><br />
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On Saturday, June 20, 2015, the Brownsville, Tennessee community will gather for the delayed memorial of Civil Rights Pioneer <a href="http://www.blackpast.org/aah/williams-elbert-1908-1940" target="_blank">Elbert Williams</a> at Haywood High School. Williams is the first known National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) official to be killed for his involvement in the local civil rights movement.<br />
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Light refreshments will be provided. The memorial service will begin promptly at 9 a.m. in the gymnasium and will feature NAACP National President Cornell William Brooks as the guest speaker.</div>
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At 11 a.m., a state historical marker will be unveiled in downtown Brownsville.</div>
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Following the unveiling, members of the Elbert Williams Memorial Committee will be available for media interviews at the Brownsville Chamber of Commerce, 121 W. Main Street, on the first floor level.</div>
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A brief service will be held at 1 p.m. at Taylor Cemetery, <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=williams&GSfn=elbert&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSst=45&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=145036996&df=all&" target="_blank">where Williams is buried</a>.</div>
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Follow this link to view a map and directions for Saturday’s memorial service: <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/rH1I1" id="yiv8652403577yui_3_16_0_1_1434476088915_7971" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; color: #196ad4; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">https://goo.gl/maps/rH1I1</a></div>
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A live stream of the memorial service will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Log on to ustream.tv/channel/lizpug to view. </div>
Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-72376010328055045392015-06-03T17:31:00.001-07:002015-06-03T17:31:51.146-07:00Book Review: The Civil War Navy in Florida<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692258744/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0692258744&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=PZ44DYGZLF5LJL4R" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0692258744&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="320" width="212" /></a><br />
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Mattson, Robert A. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692258744/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0692258744&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=USWSSOYFK3OEJGL4">The Civil War Navy in Florida</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0692258744" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Self published, Palatka, FL. 2014.
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0692258744" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
194 pages, 161 pages of text. 2 appendices, bibliography, index. B/w photos. ISBN 9780692258743, $18.99.<br />
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The Civil War in Florida is an area that is starting to receive more and more interest. In the past few years there have been several major academic works to be published including those by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817357742/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0817357742&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=LTQ7H5WY2CESNXCH">A Small but Spartan Band: The Florida Brigade in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0817357742" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Zach Waters</a> and also by <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0817317074/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0817317074&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=RHZ52ESWYD2I32JI">By the Noble Daring of Her Sons: The Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0817317074" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Jonathan Sheppard</a>. I have made <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609498976/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1609498976&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=IWL5P5223JNUJP2I">St. Augustine and the Civil War</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1609498976" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">my own small contribution</a> to the literature on the state during the war. Historians often find source material thin and many times interest low. "Oh, nothing happened there" is often heard. <br />
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An area that has been often ignored is the role of the Navy, both Union and Confederate, during the War. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081731296X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=081731296X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=A5ZX5P4LUBRH5CGG"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=081731296X&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" ></a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=081731296X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">George Buker</a> has written a very good book but it deals strictly with the Gulf Coast of Florida. <br />
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<a href="http://www.ussforthenry.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Living historian</a> and <a href="http://civilwarnavy150.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blogger</a> Rob Mattson has written a book that helps fill in some of the gaps. <br />
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The book starts out with a chapter outlining Civil War navies including a look at the major players, a listing of ranks and a discussion about integration in the US Navy; 16% of enlisted sailors were black according to Mattson. The second chapter gives a general overview of the Navies at the start of the war and their role in Florida. The Confederates really had none while the Union was taking over major ports and yards while attempting to impose a blockade.<br />
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The next four chapters discuss various geographic points in Florida and the actions that took place there: the Panhandle, Northeast, South and Tampa Bay. These chapters generally run chronologically. The final chapter covers 1865 and Mattson's concluding thoughts. <br />
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The book concludes with an appendix covering the major ships including type, dimensions and known armaments. This information is compiled from the ORN. A second appendix covers historical sites associated with the Navies that can be visited. The bibliography is broken down by books, articles and web resources. <br />
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As with many self published (and for that matter traditionally published) books there are some editing issues. On page 11 James McPherson is referred to as Bruce McPherson. Later on the Union ship <em>Ethan Allen</em> is spelled both Ethan and Ethen. These are really minor quibbles in an otherwise fine book. <br />
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While certainly not the final word on naval actions in the state of Florida this is a very good start and one that anybody studying the subject, or Florida in the War, should considering owning. <br />
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By way of full disclosure: Mr. Mattson has provided a review copy of this book and will also be speaking at the museum where I am employed. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-38970867533479190192015-06-03T16:50:00.000-07:002015-06-03T16:50:52.781-07:00New Releases from Southern Illinois University PressThanks going out to <a href="http://www.siupress.com/catalog/CategoryInfo.aspx?cid=152&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1" target="_blank">Southern Illinois University Press</a> for sending along copies of two new releases. The Grant book looks particularly interesting especially since I have failed to read his <a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1438297076/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1438297076&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=VMUWS3G4JDBEVNO4">The Complete Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1438297076" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Memoirs</a> yet.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809334119/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809334119&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=O2D2VHHUFERCGI6T" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0809334119&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="320" width="212" /></a>Marszalek, John F. editor. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809334119/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809334119&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=ST5RBVHE2YVWWO2R">The Best Writings of Ulysses S. Grant (The World of Ulysses Grant)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809334119" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Famous for his military acumen and for his part in saving the Union during the American Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant also remains known for his two-volume memoirs, considered among the greatest military <i>Memoirs</i> ever written. Grant’s other writings, however, have not received the same acclaim, even though they show the same literary skill. Originally published in the thirty-two volumes of <i>The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant</i>, the letters and speeches are the major source of information about Grant’s life and era and have played a key role in elevating his reputation to that of the leading general of the Civil War and the first of the modern presidents. In this collection, editor John F. Marszalek presents excerpts from Grant’s most insightful and skillfully composed writings and provides perspective through introductory comments tying each piece to the next. The result is a fascinating overview of Grant’s life and career.<br />
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In sixteen chronological chapters, selections from Grant’s letters and other writings reveal his personal thoughts on the major events of his momentous life, including the start of the Civil War, the capture of Vicksburg, Lincoln’s reelection, Lee’s surrender, his terms as president, the Panic of 1873, and his bouts of mouth and throat cancer. Throughout, Grant’s prose reveals clearly the power of his words and his ability to present them well. Although some historians have maligned his presidency as one of the most corrupt periods in American history, these writings reinforce Grant’s greatness as a general, demonstrate the importance of his presidency, and show him to be one of the driving forces of the nineteenth century.<br />
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With this compendium, Marszalek not only celebrates the literary talent of one of America’s greatest military figures but also vindicates an individual who, for so long, has been unfairly denigrated. A concise reference for students of American history and Civil War enthusiasts as well as a valuable introduction for those who are new to Grant’s writings, this volume provides intriguing insight into one of the nineteenth century’s most important Americans.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809333635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809333635&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=HRJ3F5RAALU4OQSN" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0809333635&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="320" width="200" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809333635" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809333635" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Medford Edna Greene. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809333635/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809333635&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=63UFIDOLU2XNDQYZ">Lincoln and Emancipation (Concise Lincoln Library)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809333635" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. <br />
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In this succinct study, Edna Greene Medford examines the ideas and events that shaped President Lincoln’s responses to slavery, following the arc of his ideological development from the beginning of the Civil War, when he aimed to pursue a course of noninterference, to his championing of slavery’s destruction before the conflict ended. Throughout, Medford juxtaposes the president’s motivations for advocating freedom with the aspirations of African Americans themselves, restoring African Americans to the center of the story about the struggle for their own liberation.</div>
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Lincoln and African Americans, Medford argues, approached emancipation differently, with the president moving slowly and cautiously in order to save the Union while the enslaved and their supporters pressed more urgently for an end to slavery. Despite the differences, an undeclared partnership existed between the president and slaves that led to both preservation of the Union and freedom for those in bondage. Medford chronicles Lincoln’s transition from advocating gradual abolition to campaigning for immediate emancipation for the majority of the enslaved, a change effected by the military and by the efforts of African Americans. The author argues that many players—including the abolitionists and Radical Republicans, War Democrats, and black men and women—participated in the drama through agitation, military support of the Union, and destruction of the institution from within. Medford also addresses differences in the interpretation of freedom: Lincoln and most Americans defined it as the destruction of slavery, but African Americans understood the term to involve equality and full inclusion into American society. An epilogue considers Lincoln’s death, African American efforts to honor him, and the president’s legacy at home and abroad.</div>
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Both enslaved and free black people, Medford demonstrates, were fervent participants in the emancipation effort, showing an eagerness to get on with the business of freedom long before the president or the North did. By including African American voices in the emancipation narrative, this insightful volume offers a fresh and welcome perspective on Lincoln’s America.</div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-54747181510253527392015-04-14T19:09:00.000-07:002015-04-14T19:09:05.791-07:00A Week of LossesThis week has been a tough one for those of us who study history. <br />
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April 14 and 15 mark the 150th anniversary of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.<br />
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April 15 marks the 103rd anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic.<br />
<br />
<span id="goog_540326335"></span><span id="goog_540326336"></span>Today I also received the news of the passing of a true Civil War scholar; Elizabeth Brown Pryor who passed away in an automobile accident yesterday. You may read more about her and the accident <a href="http://www.richmond.com/news/local/city-of-richmond/article_92685549-3cd9-50fc-9c4d-63c6ce737d1b.html" target="_blank">here.</a> The book she is most known for in Civil War circles would be <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143113909/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143113909&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=7RMZAFMHAWN2HAAY">Reading the Man: A Portrait of Robert E. Lee Through His Private Letters</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0143113909" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />.
Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-51141772560336511612015-03-27T16:43:00.000-07:002015-03-27T16:43:40.999-07:00New World War I DVD Available in April<div align="center" class="yiv5456149845MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16496" style="text-align: center;">
<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16495"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16494" style="font-size: 11pt;">An outstanding cast of acclaimed British actors bring the First World War to life;</span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16493"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16492" style="font-size: 11pt;">Olivia Colman (<i>Broadchurch</i>) narrates this touching documentary which stars </span></b><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Claire Foy</span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16502" style="font-size: 11pt;">, <b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16501">Matthew McNulty</b>, <b>Alison Steadman</b>, <b>Daniel Mays</b>, <b>Romola Garai,</b> <b>and Brian Cox</b></span><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16489"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16488" style="font-size: 16pt;">WORLD WAR ONE: THE PEOPLE’S STORY</span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16505"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16504">DVD Debut from Athena on April 14, 2015</span></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16507"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16506" style="font-size: 11pt;">“An incredibly moving testament” </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">— <i>Daily Express</i> <b></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">“Fascinating insight” </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">— <i>The Newcastle Journal</i><b> </b></span></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16484"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16483" style="font-size: 11pt;">“Outstanding actors…read earnestly, with heartfelt honesty” </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">— <i>Daily Mail</i><b> </b></span></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16510"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16509" style="font-size: 11pt;">“Beautifully captured an era” </span></b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">— <i>Daily Mail</i><b> </b></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16470" style="clear: left; color: black; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" id="yiv5456149845Picture_x0020_4" src="https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f845025%5fAFJUimIAAexnVQxo9QnL0F4P%2f6E&m=YaDownload&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=yahoomail" width="210" /></span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16512" style="font-size: 10pt;">Silver Spring, MD — Following the centennial of WWI, <b><i>World War One: The People’s Story</i></b> makes it’s DVD debut on <b>April 14, 2015</b> from Athena, a</span><strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16515"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16514" style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">n RLJ Entertainment, Inc.</span></strong><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16516" style="font-size: 10pt;">(NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. An outstanding cast of acclaimed British actors bring the First World War to life in this stirring documentary created to commemorate the conflict’s centennial in 2014. This unique four-part series mixes archival footage with reenactments by actors playing real participants in the war and performing excerpts from their original letters, memoirs, and diaries of the time. The series is narrated by <b>Olivia Colman</b> (<i>Broadchurch</i>) and stars <b>Claire Foy</b> (<i>Little Dorrit</i>), <b>Matthew McNulty</b> (<i>The Paradise, Jamaica Inn</i>), <b>Alison Steadman</b> (<i>Pride & Prejudice</i>), <b>Daniel Mays</b> (<i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16517">Ashes to Ashes</i>), <b>Romola Garai</b> (<i>Emma</i>), and <b>Brian Cox </b>(<i>The Bourne Supremacy</i>). This DVD 2-disc set features four episodes plus a 21-page viewer’s guide ($39.99, </span><a href="http://www.acornonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">AcornOnline.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">). Originally broadcast in the UK on ITV in August 2014, <i>The People’s Story </i>premiered in the US on Acorn.TV, the premier British TV streaming service in North America, in February 2015, and is available to available to stream any time on <b>Acorn TV</b> at </span><a href="http://www.acorn.tv/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">www.Acorn.TV</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Through original diaries, letters, and memoirs, this unforgettable documentary tells how the lives of regular British men and women were transformed by the Great War. A reservist leaves for the front determined to write to his mother every few days. A newlywed says goodbye to his pregnant wife. A young woman fears that when her fiancé sails for France, her hopes of marriage will disappear. For parents and children, soldiers and factory workers alike, life and love go on but never again as they did before. Few could imagine the horrors ahead: hundreds of thousands would never return, and those who did would carry wounds—physical, emotional, psychological—that would change their lives forever. </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16520" style="font-size: 10pt;">Along with historical footage, an outstanding cast of actors reenact first-hand accounts uncovered from attics, archives, and libraries across Britain. Narrated by Olivia Colman, this four-part series re-creates the extraordinary stories of ordinary people, told in their own words.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 10pt;">BONUS FEATURES:</span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16451" style="font-size: 10pt;"> 12-page viewer’s guide with a map of the western front; an overview of WWI; and articles on trench warfare, the suffragist movement, and the WWI poets</span></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16449"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16448" style="font-size: 10pt;">Street Date: April 14, 2015</span></b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> SRP: $39.99 </span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16446" style="font-size: 10pt;">DVD 2-Disc Set: 4 episodes – Approx. 192 min. – SDH Subtitles</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 10pt;">UPC 0-54961-2324-9-9 ISBN 978-1-62172-324-0</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">An </span></strong><strong><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-weight: normal;">RLJ Entertainment, Inc.</span></strong><b><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> </span></b><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16523" style="font-size: 10pt;">brand (NASDAQ: RLJE), Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. Athena’s 2014 releases included: <b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16525">Joanna Lumley’s Greek Odyssey, Secrets of Ancient Egypt, The Science of Measurement, Talks About Nothing, The Story of Medicine, Civil War: The Untold Story, Theatreland</b>, <b>The Rise of the Nazi Party</b>, <b>Alexander’s Lost World </b>and <b>David Suchet: In The Footsteps of St. Paul</b>. 2015 releases include:<b> The Story of Women and Art</b>, <b>World War I: The People’s Story</b>,<b> </b>and<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1427498782151_16524"> Britain’s Bloodiest Dynasty: The Plantagenets. </b>Athena DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from RLJ Entertainment at (888) 870-8047 or </span><a href="http://www.acornonline.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">AcornOnline.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt;">. </span></div>
Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-14714536818091867312015-03-10T17:23:00.000-07:002015-03-10T17:23:27.412-07:00Michigan Civil War Landmarks--New Book Release from The History Press<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/162619940X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=162619940X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=OE4N4GEWOKVMV3ML" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=162619940X&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=162619940X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 120%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">On Monday,
April 13, <a href="http://historypress.net/" target="_blank">The History Press</a> will add <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/162619940X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=162619940X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=ZYCKEMTBPZQYV3J5">Michigan Civil War Landmarks (Civil War Series)</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=162619940X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">Michigan Civil War Landmarks</a> </i>to its catalogue. Authors David Ingall and Karin Risko
guide readers through the Civil War sites and landmarks of Michigan. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 120%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">When
America faced its greatest internal crisis, Michigan answered the call with
over ninety thousand troops. The Story of that sacrifice is preserved in the
state’s rich collection of Civil War monuments, markers, forts, cemeteries,
reenactments, museums and exhibits. Discover how General George A. Custer and
the famed Michigan Cavalry Brigade “saved the Union.” Visit the chair that
President Lincoln was assassinated in at Ford’s Theatre, and view the grave of
the last African American Union veteran. With a foreword by Civil War historian
Jack Dempsey, this work is the first of its kind to chronicle the many Civil
War Landmarks in the Wolverine State.</span> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">David Ingall </span></span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">is the former assistant director of the
Monroe County Historical Museum and was the chairman of the monument dedication
ceremony for the Monroe County Civil War Fallen Soldier’s Memorial. He is a
sought-after Civil War speaker and tour guide. He’s a member of the Civil War
Trust, Monroe County Civil War Round Table, and many other prestigious
organizations.</span></span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">Karin Risko </span></span></b><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="font-size: small;">is the founder of Hometown History Tours, a
local tour company that shows off the rich history of Detroit and southeast
Michigan, including its Civil War and Underground Railroad history. A member of
the Detroit Metro CVB, Karin is frequently called on by local professional and
social organizations to speak on local history. </span></span></div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-28921731174839433242015-03-10T16:56:00.000-07:002015-03-10T16:56:56.680-07:00New Fiction title-Daughter of the Regiment<div align="left" class="yiv4402127863MsoNormal" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426030897668_5809" style="text-align: center;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426030897668_5806" style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;">For those who like historical fiction I received this press release recently from <a href="http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/publishers/" target="_blank">Hachette Book Group.</a></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 14pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1455529036/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1455529036&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=5SAMI7PNBUWIRGMD">Daughter of the Regiment</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1455529036" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT</a></span></i></b></div>
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<b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426030897668_5812">Stephanie Grace Whitson</b></div>
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“Whitson celebrates the strong but unknown heroines who marched off to war with their men, as well as those who maintained the home front in this Civil War-era inspirational...Based on true events, [<i id="yui_3_16_0_1_1426030897668_5821">Daughter of the Regiment</i>] will capture the hearts of historical fiction fans.” —<i>Publishers Weekly</i></div>
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During the American Civil War, thousands of women organized to join the war efforts, turning their attention from household to battle in support of the soldiers. In her new novel, <i>DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT</i>, Stephanie Grace Whitson describes this time in history through life-threatening encounters and action-filled romance, sweeping readers into the world of Irish immigrant Maggie Malone and her privileged neighbor Elizabeth Blair. </div>
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<a href="https://www.netgalley.com/widget/open?widget_id=54174_10457_142549131254f74570d7bdb_9781455529032_US" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="https://s3.amazonaws.com/netgalley-covers/cover54174-small.png" border="0" height="208" id="yiv4402127863Picture_x0020_4" src="https://us-mg5.mail.yahoo.com/ya/download?mid=2%5f0%5f0%5f1%5f940782%5fAFJUimIAABBOVPdq4wI2aKnbYFY&m=YaDownload&pid=2&fid=Inbox&inline=1&appid=yahoomail" width="134" /></span></a></div>
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Maggie Malone inevitably experiences the effects of war firsthand—first, when her brothers join the Missouri Irish Brigade, and again when a group of unknown bandits attack her farm. Desperate to hear news from her brothers, Maggie sets off to find them at the Federal Army camp. There she quickly captures the admiration of Sergeant John “Colt” Coulter, who immediately notices her skill and dedication. When Maggie realizes that she must stay among the brigade, she discovers that there’s a lot a good woman can do to help these brave soldiers in need. </div>
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As the hostess to an acclaimed Missouri plantation, Miss Libbie Blair has learned to play her part and remain uninvolved in the business affairs and political aspirations of her brother, Walker. When his endeavors lead him to organize the “Wildwood Guard,” a group of locals in support of the Confederacy, Libbie must gracefully manage the house with officers camped out on the lawn. With war drawing closer to her doorstep, she must find a way to protect those who depend on her.</div>
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Despite being neighbors, Maggie and Libbie have led such different lives that they barely know one another<span style="color: #1f497d;">—</span>until war brings them together, and each woman discovers that friendship can come from the unlikeliest of places.</div>
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Whitson brings extensive research on the role women played in the military during the American Civil War to life in <i>DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT</i>. These women, known as “vivandiers” or “daughters of the regiment,” were continuously finding ways to work on the front lines of battle. With Missouri as a border state in the war, Maggie and Libbie represent the efforts from two opposing sides and demonstrate that we all have potential for determination and courage in times of uncertainty.</div>
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<b>About the Author</b></div>
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Stephanie Grace Whitson is the author of over 20 inspirational novels and two works of nonfiction. She received her Master of Arts degree in history in 2012. Whitson is a frequent guest lecturer for quilt guilds, civic organizations, libraries and historical sites, and she has keynoted conferences throughout the Midwest. When Stephanie isn’t writing, speaking, or trying to keep up with her five grown children and perfect grandchildren, she loves to take long distance rides aboard her Honda Magna motorcycle named Kitty. Her church and the International Quilt Study Center and Museum take up the rest of her free time. Stephanie resides with her husband in Lincoln, Nebraska.</div>
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<b>Pub date: March 24, 2015 | 978-1-4555-2903-2| 336 Pages | $15 | Trade Paperback Original | Available where books are sold.</b></div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-66394510515607816372015-01-24T17:25:00.000-08:002015-01-24T17:25:08.386-08:00LSU Press to Publish Book on Sherman and the Confederate Home Front<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9741" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: x-small;"><strong>Sherman’s War on Women</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: x-small;"><strong><br /></strong><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9740">A Study of Home Front Hostilities on Sherman's March</em></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9736" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Baton Rouge</strong>—Lisa Tendrich Frank’s book <strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9739"><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9738"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807159964/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807159964&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=QA2ANXVDOMNG75ZF">The Civilian War: Confederate Women and Union Soldiers During Sherman's March (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War)</a><img src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807159964" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />" target="_blank">The Civilian War</a>,</em></strong> to be published in April 2015, explores home front encounters between elite Confederate women and Union soldiers during Sherman’s March, a campaign that put women at the center of a Union army operation for the first time. Ordered to crush the morale as well as the military infrastructure of the Confederacy, Sherman and his army increasingly targeted wealthy civilians in their progress through Georgia and the Carolinas. To drive home the full extent of northern domination over the South, Sherman’s soldiers besieged the female domain—going into bedrooms and parlors, seizing correspondence and personal treasures—with the aim of insulting and humiliating upper-class southern women. These efforts blurred the distinction between home front and warfront, creating confrontations in the domestic sphere as a part of the war itself.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9731" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">Historian Lisa Tendrich Frank argues that ideas about women and their roles in war shaped the expectations of both Union soldiers and Confederate civilians. Sherman recognized that slaveholding Confederate women played a vital part in sustaining the Rebel efforts, and accordingly he treated them as wartime opponents, targeting their markers of respectability and privilege. Although Sherman intended his efforts to demoralize the civilian population, Frank suggests that his strategies frequently had the opposite effect. Confederate women accepted the plunder of food and munitions as an inevitable part of the conflict, but they considered Union invasion of their private spaces an unforgivable and unreasonable transgression. These intrusions strengthened the resolve of many southern women to continue the fight against the Union and its most despised general.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9748" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">Seamlessly merging gender studies and military history, <em>The Civilian War</em> illuminates the distinction between the damage inflicted on the battlefield and the offenses that occurred in the domestic realm during the Civil War. Ultimately, Frank’s research demonstrates why many women in the Lower South remained steadfastly committed to the Confederate cause even when their prospects seemed most dim.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1422148036536_9750" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;"><strong><a href="http://www.lisatendrichfrank.com/" target="_blank">Lisa Tendrich Frank</a></strong> received her Ph.D. in history from the University of Florida. She is the author and editor of numerous works relating to the Civil War, including <em>Women in the American Civil War</em> and the forthcoming <em>The World of the Civil War: A Daily Life Encyclopedia.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">April 2015</span><span style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;"><br />256 pages, 6 x 9<br />978-0-8071-5996-5<br />Cloth $42.50s</span></div>
Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-51167057531555998462015-01-09T17:36:00.000-08:002015-01-09T17:36:21.338-08:00New Book by Earl Hess To Be Published in April 2015<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11310" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: x-small;"><strong id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11311">Civil War Infantry Tactics </strong><em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11309"><a href="http://lsupress.org/" target="_blank">LSU Press</a> to Publish Earl Hess’s Groundbreaking Military History in April 2015</em></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11297" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>Baton Rouge</strong>—For decades, military historians have argued that the introduction of the rifle musket—with a range five times longer than that of the smoothbore musket—made the shoulder-to-shoulder formations of linear tactics obsolete. Author Earl J. Hess challenges this deeply entrenched assumption. He contends that long-range rifle fire did not dominate Civil War battlefields or dramatically alter the course of the conflict because soldiers had neither the training nor the desire to take advantage of the musket rifle’s increased range. Drawing on the drill manuals available to officers and a close reading of battle reports, <strong><em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0807159379/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0807159379&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=V6C3VJJ6PBEMWEFN">Civil War Infantry Tactics: Training, Combat, and Small-unit Effectiveness</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0807159379" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
</em></strong> demonstrates that linear tactics provided the best formations and maneuvers to use with the single-shot musket, whether rifle or smoothbore.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11295" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">The linear system was far from an outdated relic that led to higher casualties and prolonged the war. Indeed, regimental officers on both sides of the conflict found the formations and maneuvers in use since the era of the French Revolution to be indispensable to the survival of their units on the battlefield. The training soldiers received in this system, combined with their extensive experience in combat, allowed small units a high level of articulation and effectiveness.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11294" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">Unlike much military history that focuses on grand strategies, Hess zeroes in on formations and maneuvers (or primary tactics), describing their purpose and usefulness in regimental case studies, and pinpointing which of them were favorites of unit commanders in the field. The Civil War was the last conflict in North America to see widespread use of the linear tactical system, and Hess convincingly argues that the war also saw the most effective tactical performance yet in America’s short history.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11286" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;"><strong>EARL J. HESS</strong> is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History at <a href="http://www.lmunet.edu/" target="_blank">Lincoln Memorial University</a> and the author of fifteen books on the Civil War, including <em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11289">Kennesaw Mountain: Sherman, Johnston, and the Atlanta Campaign; The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee;</em> and <em id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11285">The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi.</em></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1420851347335_11284" style="font-family: georgia, palatino; font-size: xx-small;">April 2015<br />368 pages, 6 x 9, 15 halftones, 20 charts<br />978-0-8071-5937-8<br />Cloth $45.00<br />Civil War / Military History</span></div>
Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-46517568530491228082014-11-25T17:48:00.000-08:002014-11-25T17:48:15.696-08:00History Press New Release: Unionists in Virginia<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626197458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626197458&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=ZIR577ZKGOC3QNUC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1626197458&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626197458" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1416965588438_16827" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63px;">The History Press is pleased to announce the publication of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626197458/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626197458&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=Q3EDAPPI6SNMZ3LI">Unionists in Virginia: Politics, Secession and Their Plan to Prevent Civil War</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626197458" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
by Larry Denton.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1416965588438_16830" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63px;">Whether the Civil War was preventable is a debate that began shortly after Appomattox and continues today. But even earlier, in 1861, a group of Union-loyal Virginians—led by George Summers, John Brown Baldwin, John Janney and Jubal Early—felt war was avoidable. In the statewide election for delegates to the Secession Convention that same spring, the Unionists defeated the Southern Rights Democrats with a huge majority of the votes across the state. These heroic men unsuccessfully negotiated with Secretary of State William Henry Seward to prevent the national tragedy that would ensue. Author and historian Lawrence M. Denton traces this remarkable story of Virginians working against all odds in a failed attempt to save a nation from war.</span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1416965588438_16840" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13.63px;"><b>Larry Denton</b>, an authority on the secession crisis, is the author of "A Southern Star for Maryland: Maryland and the Secession Crisis," and "William Henry Seward and the Secession Crisis: The Effort to Prevent Civil War." He held several academic administrative posts at the university level from 1968 to 1978. In 1978 he accepted an appointment to serve as special assistant to the associate administrator of NOAA, a presidential appointee. He ended his career representing the Weather Channel in Washington and resides in Easton, Maryland.</span><br />
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-71447011691129902302014-11-10T14:55:00.000-08:002014-11-10T14:55:20.879-08:00New Releases from The History PressThanks going out to <a href="http://historypress.net/" target="_blank">The History Press</a> for sending along copies of a couple new releases.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/162619629X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=162619629X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=MR5EQ23LOSMIADIL" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=162619629X&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><br />
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<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=162619629X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
First up is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/162619629X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=162619629X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=JMO6COLPSNF7WMOG">The St. Albans Raid: Confederate Attack on Vermont (Civil War Sesquicentennial)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=162619629X" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
written by Michelle Arnosky Sherburne. In October 1864, approximately twenty-one Rebel soldiers took over St. Albans, Vermont, proclaiming that it was now under Confederate government control. This northernmost land action of the Civil War ignited wartime fear and anger in every Northern state. The raiders fired on townspeople as they stole horses and robbed the local banks. St. Albans men organized under recently discharged Union captain George Conger, F. Stewart Stranahan and John W. Newton to chase the Rebels out of town. The complex network of the Confederate Secret Service was entangled with the raid and conspired to unravel the North throughout the war. The perpetrators later stood trial in Canada, causing international ramifications for years to come. Michelle Arnosky Sherburne leads readers through the drama, triumph and legacy of the Confederate raid on St. Albans.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626196605/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626196605&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=XHPDKW7OVSSGMLEF" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1626196605&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626196605" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
The second book is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626196605/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626196605&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=R2YHUXRALC5C7KDG">The Coal River Valley in the Civil War: West Virginia Mountains, 1861 (Civil War Sesquicentennial)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626196605" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
written by Michael B. Graham adjunct professor at American Military University. The three rivers that make up the Coal River Valley--Big, Little and Coal--were named by explorer John Peter Salling (or Salley) for the coal deposits found along its banks. More than one hundred years later, the picturesque valley was witness to a multitude of bloody skirmishes between Confederate and Union forces in the Civil War. Often-overlooked battles at Boone Court House, Coal River, Pond Fork and Kanawha Gap introduced the beginning of "total war" tactics years before General Sherman used them in his March to the Sea. Join author and historian Michael Graham as he expertly details the compelling human drama of West Virginia's bitterly contested Coal River Valley region during the War Between the States.<br />
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I hope to make time for both of these in the not too distant future. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-2111917448930953602014-10-05T13:00:00.005-07:002014-10-05T13:00:59.841-07:00New Releases-Savas Beatie & Penguin PressThe mailman has been pretty busy for the last couple of weeks with some new releases.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594204977/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594204977&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=LDDTNI5GEHNAEZ7T" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1594204977&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="130" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1594204977" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594204977/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594204977&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=Y5NCJCMTLTFU5IPG">Embattled Rebel: Jefferson Davis as Commander in Chief</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1594204977" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_M._McPherson" target="_blank">James M. McPherson</a> and published by <a href="http://www.penguin.com/" target="_blank">Penguin.</a> McPherson is the author of arguably the most widely read Civil War book of all time, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/019516895X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=019516895X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=EEDNAVSSTA6S3RNP">Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (Oxford History of the United States)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=019516895X" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. This assessment of Jefferson Davis contains just over 300 pages including notes and index. There are b/w photos and fifteen maps. A quick look at the typeset and format leads me to believe this is a book aimed at a wide reading audience and probably not one that is intended to break new ground. <br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1611212103/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1611212103&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=YOUHFQ3QAK2TCPGM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1611212103&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1611212103" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1611212103/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1611212103&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=65UZEITA25VAHRCL">Richmond Redeemed: The Siege at Petersburg, The Battles of Chaffin's Bluff and Poplar Spring Church, September 29 - October 2, 1864</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1611212103" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
written by Richard J. Sommers and published by <a href="http://www.savasbeatie.com/" target="_blank">Savas Beatie</a>. This is a revised and expanded edition of the 1981 edition. This has all the attributes readers have come to expect from a Savas Beatie title. This book has considerable heft. No expense has been spared: index, notes, bibliography, order of battle, 22 maps, 91 b/w photos and need I say anything about the quality of the paper and binding. The book totals out at 661 pages. Not cheap but quality like this never is.
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Read an interview with Dr. Sommers on the SB website <a href="http://www.savasbeatie.com/authors/author_interview.php?&authorID1=RJSommers&authorID2=empty&authorID3=empty&authorID4=empty&authorID5=empty" target="_blank">here</a>.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-33664938003111249302014-09-22T16:01:00.000-07:002014-09-22T16:01:05.047-07:00Book Review-Central Florida's Civil War Veterans<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/146711202X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=146711202X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=2HNV2WGHFRSB2K77" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=146711202X&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="140" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=146711202X" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Grenier, Bob. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/146711202X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=146711202X&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=G4DBLBZZLWCD47LI"><em>Central Florida's Civil War Veterans (Images of America</em> <em>Series)</em></a><em><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=146711202X" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></em>. Charleston, <a href="http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/" target="_blank">Arcadia Publishing</a>. 2014. 128 pages, b/w photos. ISBN 9781467112024, $21.99.<br />
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The state of Florida has been receiving it's due lately with several excellent books coming out dealing with the state's role in the Civil War. Now, from Arcadia Publishing, author Bob Grenier brings us a large collection of photos dealing with Civil War veterans, both Union and Confederate, from the Central Florida area.<br />
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In 10 chapters broken down by county, Grenier gives readers soldiers, locations and reenactors. As might be expected there are very few photos of actual Florida soldiers in uniform. If you have done Florida Civil War research you will understand why. <br />
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There is a nice mix of Union and Confederate men pictured. Many former Union soldiers retired to Florida. Many were also businessmen who saw the potential of the sparsely populated state, Cities like Haines City, Sanford, Hawk's Park (now Edgewater), Zellwood and others were named for those who fought during the war. African-Americans and women are also represented in the book. <br />
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I took particular interest in the chapter on Volusia County seeing that I live in this county. This was nicely done and had several photographs dealing with William Rowlinski, a Russian immigrant who served in the 24th SC Infantry before becoming a lighthouse keeper later in life. He was the first principal keeper of the Ponce Inlet lighthouse (called Mosquito Inlet at the time). I was also interested in anything that might deal with St. John's county area since I have written on St. Augustine and the war. I was not shocked to see a reference to the three Sanchez sisters. Their story of being spies for the Confederacy and warning Capt. J. J. Dickison about a Union raid often stretches the limits of reality. I did not include the story in my book because I couldn't find what I considered strong enough evidence to back the story. That being said however, this is a story that is burned into the mythology of Florida's war efforts and the sisters are often looked at as heroes. I imagine there is some truth to the story but as it is often told the plausibility of it just doesn't add up. <br />
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As with many books in the <em>Images of America</em> series there are inconsistancies in the quality of the photos. Many are quite grainy or damaged so it's easy to see that Mr. Grenier did the best he could with the limited source material available. Most photos however are quite nice and overall this is not a quibble just an observation. <br />
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For anybody interested in the role of Florida in the Civil War or how the state was impacted post-war this is a volume I can highly recommend. Overall, the photos are nice with a strong variety and the captions read well. There are no notes or bibliography but each photo lists where it is from allowing those interested to follow up if they would like. <br />
<br />Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-78317925224788247962014-09-19T15:21:00.000-07:002014-09-19T15:21:03.298-07:00New Release-Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451673280/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1451673280&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=UUYAKTEHQQZE6B3D" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1451673280&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1451673280" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Thanks going out to <a href="http://www.simonandschuster.com/" target="_blank">Scribner</a> for sending along a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1451673280/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1451673280&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=MMWGXYYX3GBHUPVK">Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion, and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1451673280" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. The book should be available by the end of the month. <br />
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This is a quite large book, nearly 700 pages including index, notes and bibliography. There is also a section of b/w photos. Unfortunately, at first glance, many of these are the standard photos readers of Civil War books have seen many times. Twelve maps are included throughout the text. <br />
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Author <a href="http://www.scgwynne.com/" target="_blank">S. C. Gwynne</a> is not known for his writing on the Civil War but does have a strong history in having written <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1416591060/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1416591060&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=CTSZI577S2KFXCET">Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1416591060" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and also the National Book Critics Circle Award. Dust jacket quotes come from Peter Cozzens, John Hennessy and others. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-42714624694216024022014-08-06T17:45:00.000-07:002014-08-06T17:45:16.364-07:00Press Release-Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of a Desperate Man<div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6127" style="font-size: 13px;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6148" style="color: black;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6147" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">The History Press is pleased to announce the publication of </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6149" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626195978/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626195978&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=KZYF55BWBLFG3ZTW">Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of a Desperate Man (Civil War Sesquicentennial)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626195978" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
by James R. Knight.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626195978/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626195978&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=AVOSRLJBPMAWU4OK" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1626195978&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626195978" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<blockquote class="yiv6354538491gmail_quote" id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6125" style="border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; font-size: 13px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6153" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6152">About the book</b>: </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6124" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">The Tennessee Campaign of November and December 1864 was the Southern Confederacy’s last significant offensive operation of the Civil War. General John Bell Hood of the Confederate Army of Tennessee attempted to capture Nashville, the final realistic chance for a battlefield victory against the Northern juggernaut. Hood’s former West Point instructor, Major General George Henry Thomas, led the Union force, fighting those who doubted him in his own army as well as Hood’s Confederates. Through the bloody, horrific battles at Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville and a freezing retreat to the Tennessee River, Hood ultimately failed. Civil War historian James R. Knight chronicles the Confederacy’s last real hope at victory and its bitter disappointment.</span></blockquote>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6122" style="color: red; font-family: georgia, serif;"><u id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6121"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6120">Meet-the-Author</b></u></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Thursday, August 21 at 6 p.m</b>. @ Maury County Library</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">(</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">211 W 8th St, Columbia, TN)</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6118" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6160" style="color: black; font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6159">Friday, August 22 at 10 a.m.</b> @ </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6117" style="color: black; font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">FiftyForward Turner Lifelong Living Center at Bellevue YMCA (8101 Hwy 100, Nashville, TN)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>Friday, October 10, time TBA </b>@ Stones River National Battlefield (</span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">3501 Old </span><span style="font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nashville Highway, </span><span style="font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Murfreesboro, TN)</span></span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6178" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6180" style="font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>November 14-16 </b>@ Carter House/Canton Plantation, celebrating </span><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6177" style="font-size: 12.22px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Blue & Grey days and anniversary of Battle of Franklin (Franklin, TN)</span></span></div>
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<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6172" style="font-size: 90%;"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1407371454047_6171" style="color: black; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Tuesday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m.</b> @ The Metropolitan Archives - First Tuesday at the Archives Meeting (Nashville, TN)</span></span></div>
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Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-28366600783028393472014-08-04T19:25:00.000-07:002014-08-04T19:25:52.569-07:00St. Johns County Confederate Burial #2 William Dominique Ashton<span style="font-size: large;">William Dominique Ashton Florida Conscripts</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;">William Dominique Ashton was born some time around 1830 in Florida . The records are not completely clear but this gives a very good estimate that is in between the dates found. He was the son of John and Susan Ashton.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><br />
By 1860 William was married and he and his wife Mary had started a family. The 1860 census shows them having four children. Also in the home was William's younger brother, Samuel. William worked as a farmer and appears to have been a successful one. He owned $500 worth of real estate and had personal property worth $4,400. This personal property included four slaves; 3 males and a female. The war was not kind to the Ashton family and by 1870 his worth had dropped to a combined $800; less than 20% of his pre-war wealth. His family continued to grow however and the 1870 census showed he and Mary had nine children. The war could not have been far from the family mind when in 1867 they named a son Robert Lee Ashton. The year 1880 saw the family continue to grow and by this time there were at least 13 children though several had left home to start their own lives. <br />
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William was not to live much longer; passing away on June 8, 1887. William is buried in Sanksville Cemetery. The approximate GPS coordinates for his burial location are N 29.54.959 W 081.31.607 . His grave is marked with a Confederate headstone. It does not appear that his wife ever filed for a widows pension in the state of Florida so little is known about the family at this point.<br />
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William served a very short time as a Private in the Florida Conscripts. It appears he was a member of the Florida Conscripts and was mustered in to service on September 27, 1862. He was discharged for disability in December 1862. His military records show he was 5' 7" with blue eyes, light skin and sandy hair. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-42810741063147247072014-07-20T16:20:00.001-07:002014-07-20T16:20:48.748-07:00Book Review-The Siege of Lexington, Missouri<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626195366/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626195366&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=ELB3ETCSCTLRZXC7" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1626195366&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> The Seige of Lexington published <br />
by The History Press.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626195366" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Wood, Larry. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626195366/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626195366&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=N66WRIFOZDKGL45K">The Siege of Lexington, Missouri: The Battle of the Hemp Bales (Civil War Sesquicentennial)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626195366" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
. Charleston: <a href="http://historypress.net/" target="_blank">The History Press</a>. 2014. B/W photos, index, bibliography, notes, maps. 158 pages, 132 pages of text. ISBN 9781626195363, $19.99.<br />
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With a population of approximately 4,000 the town of Lexington, Missouri was in the 1860's the states fifth largest. The city was an important trading post, allowing planters to sell hemp, tobacco, and other products. The town also had a strong sympathy toward the Confederacy.<br />
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Wood provides adequate background into the area. Colonel Charles Stifel and the 5th US Reserve Corps were looked upon with suspicion. Their killing of banker James Lightner helped lead to the formation of a Missouri Home Guard unit. <br />
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By September 12, 1861 skirmishes were already taking places at Lexington with the Confederates , led by Sterling Price, getting the better of the Union forces led by Colonel James Mulligan. Price however does not immediately follow up on his advantage and from the 13-16 Union forces build fortifications and trenches. Mulligan was not being reinforced however while the Confederates received around 3,000 more men. <br />
September 18 saw a massive artillery battle between the two sides. The Anderson House, a disputed hospital or hideout for sharpshooters depending on your view, was taken and retaken several times. Day two saw the battle shift toward a small arms fight. Confederate forces turned back Samuel Sturgis and his attempt to help reinforce the Union troops. By this point things were beginning to turn desperate for the Union fighters. They did not have food or water and there was little chance for reinforcements to penetrate the Confederate line. September 20 saw the surrender of Union forces with enlisted men being freed on an oath and officers held as prisoners. The aftermath of the battle was a gruesome mess for locals. Dead men and animals had to be dealt with as did the damage done to the city. The Siege of Lexington became the high point of the war for the Missouri State Guard. When the state seceded later in the year the State Guards were disbanded and Price was named a General in the Confederate army. <br />
As for the subtitle of the book: I don't want to spoil it for those not familiar with the battle, as I was not. There is a good, and interesting, story that will clear this up. <br />
This is a pretty easy to read book and it seems to cover the battle well. The photos are a nice addition. As has been stated elsewhere what this book needed were professionally drawn maps. Better maps would have turned this 4 star review into 5. Still, well worth a look!<br />
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Mr. Wood is the author of the blog <a href="http://ozarks-history.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ozarks History</a>.Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-38432606628510384172014-07-09T19:12:00.001-07:002014-08-04T19:30:02.113-07:00St. Johns County Confederate Burial #1 Noah Preslar<span style="font-size: large;">Noah Preslar 20th Battalion, Georgia Cavalry Co. A & F</span><br />
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Noah Preslar was born May 8, 1838 to parents Alvin and Esther Preslar of Union County, North Carolina. The 1850 census shows Alvin working as a farmer and having $150 worth of real estate. It does not appear that the Preslar family were slave-holders. Noah was the second oldest of six children in 1850. He had an older sister Theresa, a younger sister Rachael, and three younger brothers; Joseph, Hosea and Caswell. <br />
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By 1860 young Noah was living in Georgia Militia District 1211, Echols, Georgia working as a farm overseer. His wife Barbara was two years his senior and also in the home were daughter Esther and sons Hasletine and Levi. Big changes took place in Noah's life and by 1870 he was living in Orange County, FL with his second wife Emma working as a farm laborer. Emma was nine years his senior. Noah's first wife Barbara was living in Brooks County, GA with daughters Esther and Nora and sons Haseltine, Abraham and Hiram. Levi was working as a farm laborer in Echols County, GA before becoming a Valdosta, GA police officer.<br />
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Noah continued the life of a farmer living in Brevard County, FL as a widower in 1880. Noah had continued his itinerant ways and by 1900 was living in Precinct 4 of St. Johns County, FL along with third wife Martha and sons James and Ovie. Despite being over age 70 Noah was still working as a farmer in 1910 while living in St. John's County.<br />
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Noah passed away on April 18, 1911 and was buried in <a href="http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=71747" target="_blank">Sanksville Cemetery</a>. Sanksville was founded some time after the Civil War to serve the Bakersville community. The cemetery, originally named Bakersville Cemetery, was used by both white and black residents and the name Sanksville comes from the Sanks family who are descended from Peter Sanks. Peter was originally a slave and after emancipation began buying land in the area. <br />
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Preslar had a mixed service record. He originally enlisted in Co. A, 20th Battalion Georgia Cavalry. He was enlisted by Captain S. B. Spencer at Thomasville, Georgia. The 20th also went by the names Millen's Partisan Rangers or the 1st Battalion Georgia Partisan Rangers. The unit served on the Georgia coast until spring 864 when it became part of P. M. B. Young's brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia. Here they would participate in the Wilderness Campaign, Cold Harbor and other battles. Preslar was not with the brigade long enough to see it disbanded and companies merged into other regiments.<br />
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By September 1863 Preslar had transferred to Co. A where he worked as an ambulance driver in early 1864. During the Battle of <a href="http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/civil_war_series/11/sec6.htm" target="_blank">Haw's Shop</a> (or Battle of Enon Church as it is sometimes known), in Hanover County, VA, Preslar said he was shot in the right hip with the ball exiting his left leg. He was admitted to Wayside Hospital No. 9 on May 29th and was on a June muster roll at the 4th Division Jackson Hospital in Richmond in June, 1864. On June 23, 1864 he was granted a 30 day furlough but was listed a being a deserter on August 26, 1864. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.floridamemory.com/FMP/FPR_JPG/A03906/018.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="PRESLAR, Noah" class="subtle-border" src="http://www.floridamemory.com/FMP/FPR_JPG/A03906/018.jpg" height="320" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy: Florida Memory Project<br />
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</tbody></table>
Preslar tells a different story in his 1907 Florida Confederate Pension application. He claims to have been taken prisoner at Darien, Georgia and was sent to a prison in Hilton Head, South Carolina where we was until the end of the war. On his application a physician vouches for his claim of a gun wound to the left thigh and he was ultimately awarded a yearly pension of $120. This amount was renewed in 1909. After Preslar's death in 1911 his wife Martha was denied the widow's pension by the state because she was not married to Noah prior to 1895 as required by law. By 1913 however Martha was awarded the same $120 per year that Noah was receiving. Martha died in 1925.<br />
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The coordinates for Noah's burial location are 29. 54.972N 081 .31621W. From I-95 use exit 318. <br />
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<br />Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-25523974937006650842014-07-06T14:32:00.002-07:002014-07-06T14:32:56.876-07:00Book Review-Grandfather Mountain: Images of America<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1467121045/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1467121045&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=LWI6IGDUFZAEUDHM" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1467121045&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="140" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1467121045" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Hardy, Michael C. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1467121045/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1467121045&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=KMT23AZFWYBY2THX" target="_blank">Grandfather Mountain (Images of America)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1467121045" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. Charleston: <a href="http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/" target="_blank">Arcadia Publishing,</a> 2014. 128 pages. ISBN 9781467121040, $21.99.<br />
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If you have ever been to a historic location or been in a new bookstore you are most likely familiar with the <a href="http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/series/Images-of-America" target="_blank">Images of America</a> series. These price friendly books can provide a quality reminder of a vacation while possibly adding to the visitor's knowledge of an area. They are a standard in many cities and unfortunately sometimes serve as the only book available. <br />
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It would seem possible that at some point the well would run dry on opportunities for this series. It hasn't yet though and veteran North Carolina writer Michael C. Hardy has recently published a volume on Grandfather Mountain, the nearly 6,000 feet high North Carolina mountain that is the highest peak in the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains.<br />
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Depending on your point of view Grandfather Mountain is a mountain, a <a href="http://www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/grmo/main.php" target="_blank">state park,</a> or a <a href="http://www.grandfathermountain.org/about-us/not-for-profit/" target="_blank">non-profit organization</a>. Mr. Hardy does a good job covering these aspects in the limited amount of text he is given. Books in the Images series rely almost exclusively on photos and have limited text other than brief photo captions. Good captions are what can turn a plain book of photos into a worthwhile purchase. In <em>Grandfather Mountain </em>Mr. Hardy delivers the goods. <br />
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Chapters include: first photographs, famous faces, Grandfather Mountain from Afar, Grandfather Mountain's Winding Roads, Singing on the Mountain, Highland Games, State Park, Flora and Fauna and Visitors From Near and Far. Chapters are usually around 10-12 pages long and have many photos with in-depth captions. <br />
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Annual events such as <a href="http://www.grandfathermountain.org/how-we-help/conservation-preservation/cultural-heritage/singing-on-the-mountain/" target="_blank">Singing on the Mountain</a> and the <a href="http://www.gmhg.org/" target="_blank">Grandfather Mountain Highland Games</a> are looked forward to by many people each year. Singing on the Mountain has attracted some of the biggest names in music and religion including Johnny Cash and three generations of the Graham family. The highland games has grown from a single day event to one that now spans over four days of competition. Both events receive their own chapter and have plenty of interesting photos.<br />
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The story of the completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the property of Grandfather Mountain is well told photographically. Grandfather Mountain is home to an incredible and diverse variety of plants and wildlife. Come face to face with the famous bear, Mildred, in the pages of this book. <br />
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Far from telling the whole history of the Grandfather Mountain property and the men who have owned it this book is not trying to do that. It succeeds admirably in what it sets out to do which is to showcase, in photos, the beauty and history that is Grandfather Mountain. For those wanting more reading material on what appears to be a fascinating history there is a small bibliography included.<br />
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Highly recommended!<br />
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Please consider visiting Michael C. Hardy's website and ordering a signed copy direct from the author. Visit by clicking <a href="http://www.michaelchardy.com/">here.</a>Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-80266961360197538552014-07-03T18:26:00.000-07:002014-07-03T18:26:46.906-07:00Book Review--Remembering North Carolina's Confederates<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738542970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738542970&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=5BFMBMZ4YGABTKVC" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0738542970&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="140" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0738542970" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Hardy, Michael C. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0738542970/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0738542970&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=LBLXNXCMXZNYQNBQ">Remembering North Carolina's Confederates (NC) (Images of America)</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0738542970" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
. Charleston: <a href="http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/">Arcadia Publishing</a>, 2006. 128 pages. 9780738542970, $21.99.<br />
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Books in the <a href="http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/series/Images-of-America">Images of America</a> series follow a fairly standard formula. 128 pages, they are jammed with b/w photos and have little text other than the photo captions. The quality of the photo captions is what sets the excellent apart from the just interesting. In Michael Hardy's book <em>Remembering North Carolina's Confederates </em>we have what can be called an excellent book. Captions don't just tell what the photo is but instead there is real and solid research behind them. It is obvious that service records, local histories, official records and more were consulted for the writing process. <br />
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Mr. Hardy has mined an impressive 19 sources for the photos used in this book. OK, one of the sources were his personally taken or owned photos but that is to be expected. The sources used vary tremendously and do not include the Library of Congress. If you want to see rare North Carolina Confederate photos from libraries and historical societies from across the state in addition to some from personal collections this is the place. <br />
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The book is broken up geographically which can be a help if you are looking for an ancestor. There is no index (not due to Mr. Hardy but rather the publisher's format) so this breakdown can save the casual reader time. Chapters include: the Mountains, Southern Piedmont and Foothills, Northern Piedmont, Coastal Plain, North Carolina's Tribute to Jefferson Davis and Out of State. <br />
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I could list many favorites but will let it go with just a chosen few that are special in my mind. First is the headstone for Josh Waggoner of Ashe County that proudly announces his Confederate service. The problem is his service record lists him as a deserter. Next is the headstone of Egbert Ross, buried in Charlotte. He died during the Battle of Gettysburg. His headstone reads like a standard definition of "good death": "Thus the soldier died calmly and bravely amid the storm of battle that raged around him. One of the purest patriots of the war." The story of Colonel John Randolph Lane is one of bravery and medical marvel. He was shot in the back of the head while rallying troops at Gettysburg. He lived until 1908 despite this potentially fatal wound. Finally, upon his death in 1930 Charles Stedman was the last remaining Congressman to have served in the Civil War. There is a wonderful photo of Major Stedman shaking hands with Isaac Sherwood. General Sherwood was the last member of the Union forces to serve in Congress. You will no doubt find many others that will be your favorites!<br />
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With quality photo choices, excellent research and writing and a reasonable cover price this is a book that anybody with an interest in North Carolina Civil War history should own. If you are interested in little known Confederate photos this is also for you. While there are large number of modern photos they are of excellent quality and fit right in with the theme. Genealogists working on North Carolina relatives who served in the Civil War should also give this a close look. Highly recommended.<br />
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I have posted the link to Amazon through the bibliographical information and the photo above. You might also consider contacting Mr. Hardy directly and buying a signed copy direct from the author. Please visit his website <a href="http://www.michaelchardy.com/">here</a>. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-15808884641293113432014-06-30T13:37:00.002-07:002014-06-30T13:37:50.225-07:00New Release: The Homefront in Civil War Missouri<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626194335/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626194335&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=ETBUUY4ERLNM4QH7" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1626194335&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="132" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626194335" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
Today's mail brought a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626194335/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1626194335&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=2BBFGSI7KHTHC23O">The Homefront in Civil War Missouri</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1626194335" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
written by James W. Erwin. James W. Erwin is a Missouri native. He graduated from Missouri State University with a BA in mathematics. After service in the United States Army, he obtained an MA in history from the University of Missouri and a JD from the University of Missouri Law School. He practiced law in St. Louis for more than thirty-seven years.<br />
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From the publisher: Over one thousand Civil War engagements were fought in Missouri, and the conflict could not be quarantined from civilian life. In the countryside, the wives and mothers of absent soldiers had to cope with marauders from both sides. Children saw their fathers and brothers beaten, hanged or shot. In the cities, a cheer for Jeff Davis could land a young boy in jail, and a letter to a sweetheart in the Confederate army could get a girl banished from the state. Women volunteered to care for the flood of wounded and sick soldiers. Slavery crumbled and created new opportunities for black men to serve in the Union army but left their families vulnerable to retaliation at home. The turbulence and bitterness of guerrilla war was everywhere.<br />
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The book is 124 pages with bibliography and index. There are no notes and during a quick look through I did not notice any maps. As with all History Press titles there are plenty of illustrations. This looks like it will be an interesting look at what it was like to live in a state with divided loyalties. Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764184332425626249.post-13697133379143424512014-05-31T10:33:00.001-07:002014-05-31T10:33:39.690-07:00Book Review--Lincoln's Campaign BiographiesHorrocks, Thomas A. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809333317/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809333317&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=26R5XXNC3VKSRMJZ">Lincoln's Campaign Biographies (Concise Lincoln Library)</a> Carbondale: <a href="http://www.siupress.com/catalog/CategoryInfo.aspx?cid=152&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1">Southern Illinois University Press.</a> 2014. 148 pages 106 pages of text, index, notes, selected bibliography, b/w illustrations. ISBN 9780809333318, $24.95.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809333317/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809333317&linkCode=as2&tag=reddfamilyhis-20&linkId=Y5DRHM7UGAVDKINQ" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=0809333317&Format=_SL110_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=reddfamilyhis-20" height="200" width="123" /></a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809333317" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
The more things change the more they stay the same. In many ways this is a truism in political campaigns. While modern technology has dramatically changed the campaign trail, often times making image more important than substance, many things are still the same. <br />
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Modern Americans demand that their politicians be polished, rehearsed, and personally available. In Abraham Lincoln's time this was not the case. Lincoln could hardly be called polished and most active campaigning was done by supporters rather than the candidates themselves. <img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=reddfamilyhis-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0809333317" height="1" style="border-image: none !important !important; border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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In four quick reading chapters and a conclusion author Thomas A. Horrocks outlines the history of politics and print and how the Lincoln campaigns played into this. Chapter one discusses the relationship between 19th century political campaigns and print sources. Newspapers and pamphlets were the leading way to get a message out about a candidate. Later came the growth of the campaign biography. Abraham Lincoln understood the value and importance of the press in getting elected.<br />
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Chapters two outlines the growth of the campaign biography and discusses the symbols and themes often associated with these biographies. The goal of a positive campaign biography was to combine the candidates life story and image with the purpose of introducing, promoting and convincing readers to vote. Some of the attributes covered in a campaign biography would be establishing a noble lineage, what was the role of parents, a discussion of the education and military experience the man had and finally a discussion about their civilian life and political career. <br />
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The campaign biographies of 1860 and 1864 are discussed in chapters three and four. Here Horrocks covers the major campaign biographies of the years and gives readers insight into how they worked to influence readers. In addition to covering pro-Lincoln works Horrocks discusses the anti-Lincoln works as well. 1864 biographies that were anti-Lincoln used the fear of racial equality as their major theme. <br />
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The book concludes with a discussion as to whether campaign biographies were truly a help to Abraham Lincoln. Horrocks believes they were most likely a help but that Lincoln was also helped tremendously by the split in the conservative Democrat party and also the inclusion of third party candidate John Bell. <br />
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Overall, I found this an enjoyable and easy read. All the books in the Concise Lincoln Library are worthy of a look especially considering the price. If you are looking to learn about Lincoln and a particular topic these are a great place to start. Low price, competent scholarship and solid documentation make this series a winner! <br />
<br />Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16491729154851570270noreply@blogger.com0