Press Release--Grant Under Fire

Grant Under Fire

An Exposé of Generalship & Character in the American Civil War

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.
 

MEDIA CONTACT:Joseph A. Rose Alderhanna Publishing 310 First Avenue #9D New York, NY 10009 (212) 529-1861 josepharose@yahoo.com www.grantunderfire.com ISBN: 978-1943177-004 LCCN: 2015936954 Retail price: $42.50 Illustrations: 37 maps Trim size: 6 x 9 inches Page Count: 816 Binding: Smyth-sewn Cover: Hardbound Cover Art: Four color Publication date: September 15, 2015

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. Praise from noted Civil War scholars: Joseph Rose presents an engaging critical assessment of Grant’s generalship that is destined to provoke lively debate.—Gordon Rhea Rose writes with a vigorous style, and supports his thesis with impressive research and incisive analysis.—Robert I. Girardi Grant Under Fire reveals a general with a dramatically different character than the one he portrayed for himself.—Lawrence Lee Hewitt A well-written, exhaustively researched essay.—John Horn Rose’s prodigious and impeccable scholarship greatly strengthens his penetrating analysis of both Grant the man and Grant the commander.—William Glenn Robertson Just to set the record straight, there should be more future insightful research and commentary, as you will find here.—Wiley Sword It is a must for any serious student of the Civil War.—Frank Varney 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 Personal Memoirs are shown to be unreliable. Joseph A. Rose spent twelve years writing Grant Under Fire, 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.

Michigan Civil War Landmarks--New Book Release from The History Press

On Monday, April 13, The History Press will add Michigan Civil War Landmarks to its catalogue. Authors David Ingall and Karin Risko guide readers through the Civil War sites and landmarks of Michigan.

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.

David Ingall 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.

Karin Risko 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.

New Fiction title-Daughter of the Regiment

For those who like historical fiction I received this press release recently from Hachette Book Group.

DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT

Stephanie Grace Whitson

 

“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, [Daughter of the Regiment] will capture the hearts of historical fiction fans.” —Publishers Weekly

 

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, DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT, 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.

 

 

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.

 

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.

 

Despite being neighbors, Maggie and Libbie have led such different lives that they barely know one another—until war brings them together, and each woman discovers that friendship can come from the unlikeliest of places.

 

Whitson brings extensive research on the role women played in the military during the American Civil War to life in DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT. 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.

 

About the Author

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.

 

Pub date: March 24, 2015 | 978-1-4555-2903-2| 336 Pages | $15 | Trade Paperback Original  | Available where books are sold.

 

Press Release-Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of a Desperate Man

The History Press is pleased to announce the publication of  Hood's Tennessee Campaign: The Desperate Venture of a Desperate Man (Civil War Sesquicentennial) by James R. Knight.

About the book: 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.

Meet-the-Author

Thursday, August 21 at 6 p.m. @ Maury County Library

(211 W 8th St, Columbia, TN)

Friday, August 22 at 10 a.m. @ FiftyForward Turner Lifelong Living Center at Bellevue YMCA (8101 Hwy 100, Nashville, TN)

Friday, October 10, time TBA @ Stones River National Battlefield (3501 Old Nashville Highway, Murfreesboro, TN)

November 14-16 @ Carter House/Canton Plantation, celebrating Blue & Grey days and anniversary of Battle of Franklin (Franklin, TN)

Saturday, November 29 @ Rippavilla Plantation - The Battle of Spring Hill Sesquicentennial Anniversary (Spring Hill, TN)

Tuesday, December 2 at 2:30 p.m. @ The Metropolitan Archives - First Tuesday at the Archives Meeting (Nashville, TN)

Monday, March 23, time TBA @ The Blount Mansion (Knoxville, TN)

History Press New Release: Silver Spring and the Civil War

The History Press is pleased to announce the publication of Silver Spring and the Civil War by Robert E. Oshel, PhD.

On July 11, 1864, some residents cheered and others watched in horror as Confederate troops spread across the fields and orchards of Silver Spring, Maryland. Many fled to the capital while General Jubal Early’s troops ransacked their property. The estate of Lincoln’s postmaster general, Montgomery Blair, was burned, and his father’s home was used by Early as headquarters from which to launch an attack on Washington’s defenses. Yet the first Civil War casualty in Silver Spring came well before Early’s raid, when Union soldiers killed a prominent local farmer in 1862. This was life in the shadow of the Federal City. Drawing on contemporary accounts and memoirs, Dr. Robert E. Oshel tells the story of Silver Spring over the tumultuous course of the Civil War.

Oshel is the vice-president and past president of the Woodside Park Civic Association. He is the author of the association’s "Home Sites of Distinction: The History of Woodside Park." He is a member and past-chair of the Silver Spring Library Advisory Committee, and a member of the Friends of the Silver Spring Library. Dr. Oshel was also a founding member of the Silver Spring Historical Society. He writes a monthly history column for the Woodside Park Voice, and already has several local events lined up this spring.

--

Meet the author

Saturday, May 3 at 1:30 p.m. @ Silver Spring Library (8901 Colesville Rd, Silver Spring, MD)

Thursday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. @ Long Branch Library, with Sligo-Branview Civic Association (8800 Garland Ave, Silver Spring, MD)

Saturday, June 7 from 2-4 p.m. @ Costco (Westfield Wheaton Shopping Mall, 11160 Veirs Mill Rd,Wheaton, MD)

Civil War: The Untold Story DVD Release

Narrated by Emmy® and Golden-Globe nominated actress

Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey)

 

CIVIL WAR: THE UNTOLD STORY

DVD Debut on April 29, 2014 from Athena

 

Brand new documentary explores the battles that defined the Civil War;

Release coincides with its premiere on public television

 

“First rate…compelling” —James Lighthizer, President, Civil War Trust

“If Ken Burns thoroughly covered Gettysburg and Antietam in his landmark series,

Wheeler invites viewers to more thoughtfully consider Shiloh and Vicksburg.” – Denver Post

 

 

 Silver Spring, MD –Providing new insights into the causes of the war, as told through the lens of the Western Campaign, the ground-breaking documentary Civil War: The Untold Story debuts on DVD on April 29, 2014 from Athena, an RLJ Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: RLJE) brand. Narrated by Emmy® and Golden-Globe nominated actress Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey), the stunning 2013 production, set to air on PBS stations in Spring 2014, uses dramatic battle recreations, compelling archival imagery, 3-D maps, and insightful interviews with top Civil War scholars in this five-part series to show why the West played such a vital part in the outcome of the war. Focusing on the often overlooked battles of Vicksburg, Shiloh, Atlanta and more, the series also explores the issue of slavery and the surprising roles that African-Americans played in the conflict. The DVD 2-Disc set includes five episodes, plus rare archival footage from the 50-year anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg (14 min.), and 12-page viewer’s guide (276 min., plus bonus, $49.99, AcornOnline.com).

 

In this revealing documentary from the award-winning producers of Life after Katrina, Homes of the Underground Railroad, How the West Was Lost, and many more, Elizabeth McGovern recounts how the struggle between North and South—long defined by battles like Gettysburg, Antietam, and Bull Run—was quite dependent on events in the lands then known as “the West.” Although often overlooked, the western theatre—between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River—saw some of the conflict’s bloodiest encounters, such as Shiloh, Vicksburg and Chickamauga. It featured iconic leaders like the Union’s Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman as well as the Confederacy’s Albert Sidney Johnston and John Bell Hood. This series also tells inspirational and untold stories of African Americans—from enslaved to emancipated, to fighting for their freedom.

 

Episodes: Bloody Shiloh; A Beacon of Hope; River of Death; Death Knell of the Confederacy; With Malice toward None

 

Bonus Features: Rare archival footage from the 50-year anniversary of the Siege of Vicksburg (14 min.); 12-page viewer’s guide with a map, a timeline, profiles of Westerners who played major roles in the conflict, and articles on African Americans fighting for their freedom and Texas in the Civil War

 

Street Date: April 29, 2014                                SRP: $49.99                  UPC: 0-54961-2234-9-7

DVD 2-Disc Set: 5 episodes – Approx. 276 min., plus bonus – Documentary - SDH Subtitles - Contains disturbing images

 

An RLJ Entertainment, Inc. brand (NASDAQ: RLJE), Athena releases provide an authoritative and entertaining learning experience through high quality, informative, non-fiction programming. Athena’s 2014 releases will include: 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, The Rise of the Nazi Party, Alexander’s Lost World and David Suchet: In The Footsteps of St. Paul. Athena DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from RLJ Entertainment at (888) 870-8047 or AcornOnline.com.

Preorder on Amazon here: Civil War: The Untold Story

 

New History Press Title Deals with Perryville

Here's a new release from the History Press:  Maney's Confederate Brigade at the Battle of Perryville (Civil War Sesquicentennial)




On October 8, 1862, forty thousand Union and Confederate soldiers clashed at Perryville, Kentucky, in the state’s largest Civil War battle. Of those who fought, none endured as much as the Tennessee and Georgia soldiers who composed Brigadier General George Maney’s brigade. The Confederate unit entered the fray to save other Southern regiments and, in doing so, experienced deadly resistance. Many of those involved called the brigade’s encounter the toughest of the Civil War, as several of Maney’s regiments suffered casualties of 50 percent or greater. Despite relentless fighting, the Confederates were unable to break the Union line, and the Bluegrass State remained in Federal control. Join Kentucky Historical Society’s Stuart W. Sanders as he chronicles Maney’s brigade in the Battle of Perryville.

Meet the author

 

June 1 at 2:00 p.m. @ Jack Jouett House (Versailles, KY)

 June 5 at 7 p.m. @ Hoosier Blue and Gray Civil War Round table (Mt. Auburn, IN)

July 8 at 7:30 p.m. @ Harrodsburg Historical Society (Harrodsburg, KY)

August 21 at 7 p.m. @ Oldham County Historical Society (LaGrange, KY)

Monday, May 19 at 6:30 p.m. @ Boyle County Genealogical Society at the Boyle County Library (Danville, KY)

Additional events TBA.

Press Release--Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

I received information on this soon to be released book a couple of days ago and want to share it with you. If you are at all interested in the Revolutionary War and colonial period in American history you will want to take a look at this book. It is going to contain over 200 recipes for modern Americans based upon foods that our ancestors would have eaten. I like that the recipes are being adapted to modern palates; that should make the book appeal to a wider audience.

YOU’RE “MINCEMEAT”!

AND OTHER COLONIAL DISHES TO START A REVOLUTION 

Revolutionary Cooking

Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

By Virginia T. Elverson and Mary Ann McLanahan

Illustrated by Betty T. Duson

---

Time warp: now you can eat like the colonial men and women who lived during the American Revolution, sampling mincemeat, drinking beer for breakfast, and slurping Queens soup. Ranging from the simple to the sumptuous, always authentic, Revolutionary Cooking: Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals (Skyhorse Publishing, January 2014) tailors recipes discovered in cookbooks, family journals, and notebooks from 250 years ago to fit modern American palates.

Did you know that breakfast in the eighteenth century was also on the run, but instead of muffins, colonial men and women scarfed down mush and molasses? Or that, like many of us, the settlers enjoyed highly spiced foods, but unlike us, also relished the taste of slightly spoiled meat? Or that, at first, colonists didn’t understand how to make tea and instead stewed the tea leaves in butter, threw out what liquid collected, and munched on the leaves? These peculiar facts precede tried and tested recipes, some of which include:

 
      ·        Cold grapefruit soup

·        Madras artichokes

·        Apple-shrimp curry

·        Lemon flummery

·        Pumpkin chiffon pie

·        Raspberry tartlet

·        Stewed Cornish game hens

·        And many more!

Each chapter of recipes is introduced with accounts of how early Americans breakfasted, dined, drank, and entertained. The illustrations of utensils, tankards, porringers, and pots used in the early days are drawn from actual objects in major private and public collections of early Americana and make Revolutionary Cooking a great resource for American history enthusiasts.

History buffs can get a taste of our colonial roots with every meal, thanks to the exhaustive research and foolproof recipes featured in Revolutionary Cooking.

About the Authors and Illustrator

Virginia T. Elverson, Mary Ann McLanahan, and Betty T. Duson were members of the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and its Bayou Bend Collection of American decorative arts. In addition to their research for this book, they studied and lectured in the field of early American furnishings and lifestyles. Virginia Elverson died in 2011 in Texas, Betty Duson died in 2003 in Texas, and Mary Ann McLanahan lives in Texas.

Revolutionary Cooking

Over 200 Recipes Inspired by Colonial Meals

By Virginia T. Elverson and Mary Ann McLanahan

Illustrated by Betty T. Duson

SkyhorsePublishing hardcover, also available as an ebook

On Sale: January 2014

ISBN: 978-1-62636-416-5

Price: $16.95

 

Press Release--Prince George's County and the Civil War

The History Press is pleased to introduce the new title:

 

Prince George’s County & the Civil War

Life on the Border

Nathania A. Branch Miles & Monday M. Miles

 

Bordered by the Federal capital but separated from Virginia and the Confederacy only by the Potomac River, the citizens of Prince George’s County found themselves on the front lines of the Civil War. As Maryland’s largest slave-owning county, some—including members of the Bowie and Surratt families— joined the Confederacy. Many remained loyal to the Union, losing sons and property for the cause. Three forts in the county were dedicated to the capital’s defense: Fort Foote, Fort Washington and Fort Lincoln. This did not prevent Confederate general Jubal Early’s troops from invading in July 1864. The Rebel forces blew up rail lines in Beltsville and took the Rossborough Inn near the Maryland Agricultural College—now the University of Maryland, College Park—as their headquarters. Prince George’s County and the Civil War: Life on the Border charts the course of a community caught in the midst of the bloodiest conflict in American history.

  

Monday M. Miles is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor’s degree in history. She also has a master’s degree from Trinity Washington University in nonprofit management/human resources management. She lives in Bowie, Maryland.

 

Nathania A. Branch Miles is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, with a bachelor’s degree in urban and regional planning. She is the coauthor of three books on the history of Prince George’s County and an active member of several genealogical, historical and community organizations. She lives in Hyattsville, Maryland.

 

ISBN: 978-1-60949-848-1 •  Paperback   •   128 pages   •   $19.99  •  November 2013

 

This new book is available at local stores and online at www.historypress.net

It retails as an E-BOOK via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, Kobo & OverDrive.

 

Lecture Dealing with St. Augustine National Cemetery

The Veterans' Council of St. Johns County and The St. Augustine 450th  Military Commemoration Committee

 is proud to announce a

Presentation by LTC. ret. Gregory A. Moore, Florida National Guard Command Historian:

The National Cemetery at St. Augustine - A Testament to Military History and Heroes

 

Tuesday, 19 November, at 7 PM

 

In the Ringhaver Student Center , Virginia Room , at Flagler College

 

Public Invited - Free Program

 

Colonel Moore will be drawing from his newly published book

Sacred Ground: The Military Cemetery at St. Augustine , the Nation’s oldest, and copies will be available after his talk for purchase and signature by the author. Call  823-0696 for questions.

Gregory A. Moore

 

Biographical Data: Lt. Col (Ret.) Gregory A. Moore

Gregory A,  Moore ( B.A. , U.S.  Military Academy , 1974: J.D., University  of Notre Dame Law School , 1982) is Command Historian of the Florida National Guard, where he has served since June 5, 2001. In addition to his responsibilities of preserving the history and traditions of the  Florida National Guard he is tasked with  educating members of the public, as well as the organization, about  that history through publications of monograms, maintenance and operation of the St. Francis Barracks Museum, and guided tours of the  Barracks and Post of St. Augustine, to include the national Cemetery. Over the years, Colonel Moore has served as a board member or trustee of a number of historically-oriented organizations, to include the Seminole Wars Foundation, St. Augustine  Historical Society and Fort Mose Historical Society. His paper, "The 1702 Siege of St. Augustine: English Miscalculation of Spanish  Good  Fortune," was read at the symposium, "Firestone and Ashes: the Siege of 1702," sponsored by the St. Augustine Historical Society, and appeared in El Escribano in 2002.

Museum of the Confederacy and The American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar to Join Together

 

This was in my email this morning, despite prior claims to the contrary. So far it appears that reaction has been pretty well in the concerned to negative realm. I can certainly understand that. There are times where I think museums have gone too far into the "interpretive" and not in showing artifacts. Any time there is to be large amounts of "interpretive" efforts, you are going to offend a large amount of people. Some neo-Confederates who still can't accept that slavery was ultimately the largest cause of the Civil War, and in some ways still fight the war to this day, will no doubt be against this merger. I bristle at words like storage and wonder will the White House of the Confederacy continue to exist despite what the press release says. In addition  the new museum, which has yet to be named (a new name is supposed to be announced in January 2014), will have Co-CEOs. That seems unlikely to be a long term, workable solution. A management hierarchy will need to be established quickly in order for this to be a viable entity. A clear vision must quickly be adopted to gather support from members of both institutions.

 

The bottom line, so to speak, is I have little doubt this is a financial decision meant to try and save both institutions. Fund raising continues to be an issue for almost all non-profit institutions. There are a limited amount of Civil War enthusiasts and they have a limited amount of money. It will be interesting to see how this merger affects fund raising. I am a member of the MOC but not the ACWC. Perhaps the combined membership numbers will allow for attracting larger grants, which can be a good thing if put to good use.

 

At this point it is too early to condemn or praise this merger. There is little doubt however that it will be closely watched and that watchdogs on both sides, neo-Confederate and politically correct, will jump on any opportunity to put this new entity down. That is unfortunate but it is the world we live in. For now, I have to wish them the best and hope that this is a museum that anybody interested in the Civil War would be proud to visit, whenever it might open.

 

 

 

To the Members of the Museum of the Confederacy,
           
For 123 years, the Confederate Memorial Literary Society has assembled, protected, and interpreted the most important collection of artifacts pertaining to the Confederacy in the world.  In the 1890s, the CMLS reached out to aging veterans and their families, humbly asking them to share their artifacts from the War before they were lost to history. In the 1970s, the Museum building in Richmond was constructed to better house those artifacts, and during the 1980s, the White House of the Confederacy was restored to the splendor enjoyed by Jefferson Davis and his family. In the 1990s we began a series of groundbreaking exhibits, and we opened our second site at Appomattox last year. Now, the CMLS is taking the next step in our long history of education and preservation.
           
The largest priority of the Museum of the Confederacy has always been the protection of its incredible collection. Artifacts like those that belonged to Stonewall Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, Robert E. Lee, and many others need to be properly preserved for generations to come.  However, the MOC building in Richmond is nearly 40 years old, and the Confederate Memorial Literary Society must take bold steps to ensure the safety of these artifacts. Space is needed to expand and add interactive components to their display and to give visitors better accessibility to living history demonstrations.

This morning, we announced that the Museum of the Confederacy is joining forces with the American Civil War Center at Historic Tredegar to make Richmond the “foremost Civil War destination in the United States.” The $30 million project, of which $20 million has been committed, will result in the construction of a brand new museum building at the historic Tredegar Iron Works site. This undertaking will put the whole institution on a much firmer financial foundation. The project will span 4-5 years, and the current museum in Richmond will remain open to the public until the new galleries are ready.
             
The new museum will provide better storage for the collection, improved displays, and a larger and better venue for hosting educational programs. At the same time, the White House of the Confederacy will be enhanced with new exhibits in time for its 200^th birthday in 2018. The White House will continue to operate as normal, as will the Museum of the Confederacy-Appomattox.

We have retained Edelman Berland, an independent market research firm, to conduct a brief survey of our members and visitors to help us better understand how we can meet your needs. Our goal is to gather feedback that we can use to continually improve our exhibits, programs, and activities. Look for an email invitation in the next week. The survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete, and your responses will be kept confidential.               

This is an exciting time for the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center. We rely on your support to help us see this project through. Caring for the collection is our biggest concern. This new venture will ensure that the artifacts of the Confederacy are available for future generations just as they have been since 1890.

For more information, a copy of the press release, or for answers to questions you may have, click here.
I am your most obedient servant,

           
S. Waite Rawls III
President and CEO

Press Release--New World War II Book Dealing with German Occupied Crete

From my good friends at Crown Publishing this is a book that looks like it would be of interested to anybody interested in World War II. If this looks of interest please be sure to check back. Crown Publishing is generously going to provide a copy for a giveaway on this blog. Please be sure to support them in return by visiting their site and seeing the other fine  books they have available.

 

The true story of an unlikely band of courageous men--British intelligence officers and Cretan resistance fighters--who waged an underground war against the German occupation of Crete and pulled off an improbable and remarkable mission: kidnapping the German commander of the island.

The Ariadne Objective

The Underground War to Rescue Crete from the Nazis

by Wes Davis

Advance Praise for The Ariadne Objective

“History both crucial and swashbuckling.” —Library Journal

 

“An exciting, tense narrative that unfolds like an espionage novel.” —Booklist

 

“An exciting, earnestly narrated World War II story.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Meticulously researched and gracefully narrated. The Ariadne Objective shows close-up the final gaudy flowering of the imperial swashbucklers—indifferent to discomfort, fluent in many languages, reckless, eccentrically decadent, mischief-makers, never unintentionally ill-mannered—who made their home in the world, before George Smiley took over his grudging service to the Empire.”

—Geoffrey Wolff, author of A Day at the Beach

 

“Wes Davis’ brilliant chronicle of the battle for German-occupied Crete is doubly rich in its description of character and of the perilous varieties of combat. This story tells how classically literate and well-nigh fearless Britons allied with brigandish locals to confound, confuse, and finally defeat the Nazi occupiers. It reveals how completely British improvisation and perception of local realities served to overcome a ruthless enemy.”

—Robert Stone, author of Dog Soldiers

“In the grand tradition of John le Carré, Wes Davis has created a thrilling tale of espionage in the face of great peril. This is gripping history, masterfully told.” —McKay Jenkins, author of The Last Ridge

 

“The Ariadne Objective is a ripping yarn, and Wes Davis is the perfect person to spin it. Ariadne will appeal to fans of Ben Macintyre books like Double Cross and Operation Mincemeat and, in fact, to anyone who enjoys a good story well told. This book kept me up well past my bedtime: I couldn’t go to sleep until I finished it.”

—Ben Yagoda, author of About Town and How to Not Write Bad

In 1991, while working on an archaeological excavation in Crete, WES DAVIS learned of a daring, little-known military operation that disrupted Hitler’s control of the island during World War II. A group of unconventional British soldiers infiltrated occupied Crete, charged with the task of sabotaging Nazi objectives in the region by joining forces with Cretan partisans. Their acts of espionage culminated in a cunning plot to abduct the island’s German commander.

After decades of research that took Davis from Crete, to the depths of London’s National Archives, where he combed through thousands of declassified documents, and to the Imperial War Museum, where he found the unpublished diary of one of the amateur spies, this incredible true story comes to life in THE ARIADNE OBJECTIVE: The Underground War to Rescue Crete from the Nazis (Crown Publishers; November 12, 2013). Davis’s brilliant debut re-creates this secret war from the perspective of the gentlemen soldiers who found themselves serving in Crete because, as one of them put it, they had made “the obsolete choice of Greek at school.” The group of unlikely heroes included Patrick Leigh Fermor, a Byronic figure and future travel-writing luminary; John Pendlebury, a swashbuckling archaeologist with a glass eye and a swordstick; Xan Fielding, the writer who would produce the English translations of books like The Bridge on the River Kwai and Planet of the Apes; and Sandy Rendel, a future Times of London reporter, who prided himself on a disguise that left him looking more ragged and fierce than the locals he fought alongside.

Anchored by a fascinating cast of characters and set in one of the war’s most exotic locales, THE ARIADNE OBJECTIVE sheds light on the pivotal mission to save Crete and block Hitler’s march to the East.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: WES DAVIS served for two years as an assistant to the director of excavations at Kavousi in Eastern Crete, not far from the plateau where Patrick Leigh Fermor parachuted onto the island during WWII. He holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Princeton University and is a former assistant professor of English at Yale University. Editor of the Harvard University Press Anthology of Modern Irish Poetry, he has written for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and The Nation, among other publications.

THE ARIADNE OBJECTIVE The Underground War to Rescue Crete from the Nazis
by Wes Davis

Crown Publishers • November 12, 2013 • Price: $26.00 hardcover • 352 pages
ISBN 978-0-307-46013-4

Also available as an ebook

Visit www.crownpublishing.com