No comments about General James G. Blunt: Tarnished Glory.

No comments about More Zeal Than Discretion: The Westward Adventures of Walter P. Lane (Elma Dill Russell Spencer Series in the West and Southwest).

2 comments about Davis and Lee at War (Modern War Studies).

1. I found this book to be one of the best books about command decisions and relationships between Politicians and generals during the Civil War I have ever read. It covers the battles and the leaders of the Confederacy, both great and flawed. I found it hard to believe that some Southern leaders/generals fought harder against their own side in stupid little infights and disputes. The book goes a long way in explaining Lee's strategy and that of Davis and how they were different and the results of that difference. This book concentrates on the Eastern Theatre, the author's other book 'Jefferson Davis and his Generals' covers the Western Theatre of operations and is brillant in its examination of this area. Both books are well worth reading.



2. It was ok but if your doing a report then it could get a little boring but it is great information!

2 comments about Major General Isaac Ridgeway Trimble: Biography Of A Baltimore Confederate.

1. General Trimble merits a biography. He's a fascinating man. The author's efforts though reads more like a thesis written to submit both to the history and psychology departments rather than a biography meant for the reading public. I would've enjoyed more personal anecdotes relating to the General and would've liked to have see the constant references to Maslow's hierarchy of needs jettisoned completely. It seemed like an artificial appendage added to the book, and its insertion ranged from distracting to downright annoying. It made for a dull, pedantic read.



2. 
   Almost 60 years old when the Civil War began, Isaac Trimble was still a major force as a Confederate commander, participating in a number of campaigns in the eastern theatre, being severely wounded twice, and becoming a favorite of Stonewall Jackson's. Tucker's biography is scholarly and academic, which might discourage some readers; but I didn't find it numbingly so.
   
   Trimble was born in 1802 in Pennsylvania. A West Point graduate, he served in the army until 1832, when he resigned to become superintendent of a number of East Coast railroads. Siding with the South at the outbreak of the war, he destroyed railroad bridges around Baltimore. He saw action at Winchester and Cross Keys during Jackson's Valley campaign, and was wounded severely at Second Bull Run. He recuperated in time to participate in the Gettysburg campaign, leading forces up the Cumberland Valley (this account by Tucker interested me the most). He lost a leg at Gettysburg and was captured; he remained a prisoner of war until 1865. After the war he was an engineer in Baltimore and died in 1888.
   
   Tucker's biography is not written for a general audience; the book's very few illustrations might be the biggest clue to this fact. Tucker's style is also rudimentary. His annotations are excellent, however, and as I said earlier I didn't find his scholarly approach to be overwhelming. The biography is informative and straightforward, and not particularly stylistic. Civil War buffs will find much to appreciate here.

1 comments about Story of a Regiment.

1. Ably edited by Newell L. Chester for the modern reader, The Story Of A Regiment is the narrative account and history by Judson W. Bishop of the Minnesota Veteran Volunteer Infantry's Second Regiment that fought all through the Civil War from 1861 to 1865. This superbly presented edition is enhanced for the reader with a history of Judson Bishop and additional and informative chapters by Chester. This was a Union Army regiment that was awarded eight Medals of Honor for one action near Nolansville, Tennessee; participated in the first major Union victory at Mill Springs, Kentucky; charged up Missionary Ridge out of Chattanooga, Tennessee; earned General George Thomas acclimation as "The Rock of Chickamauga". The Second Regiment fought all four, bloody years of the Civil War and finally returned home to Minnesota intact. The Story Of A Regiment is an invaluable, much appreciated, and very welcome addition to Civil War Studies collections, and "must" reading for all Civil War buffs.

2 comments about Fighting for Home: The Story of Alfred K. Oates & the 5th Regiment.

1. Gripping narrative that will keep you glued to your seat until the final page. A truly unique historical account from a young genius.



2. Steeped in the historical context of antebellum America. Oates brings candor and genuine emotion to the struggle for American ideals. Rarely does one come upon a work with such vivid imagery and historical conviction. Overall a masterpiece with hopefully many more to come.

5 comments about The Whirlwind of War: Voices of the Storm, 1861-1865 (Voices of the Storm).

1. A good addition to the corpus of historical literature about America's most horrendous war and tragedy.

   Oates' treatment of Lee, Longstreet, et al, at Gettysburg is solid and well-documented. To consider as a "popular Civil War myth" Longstreet's sulking, insubordinate, and ultimately devastating performance at Gettysburg, as another reviewer does, is an opinion, and an innacurate one at that--and if Glenn Tucker believes as such, he is misguided as well.

   Our day is replete with "historians" who amass selective mountains of facts and figures to arrive at the pre-ordained, and often incorrect, conclusions they desire. Glenn Tucker, Alan Nolan, and Michael Shaara notwithstanding, "Old Pete" Longstreet demonstrated an obstinate lack of cooperation with and support for his commanding officer's orders at Gettysburg, as well as a half-hearted effort at positioning his First Corps for battle on the second day of that engagement--all the while urging Lee on to Longstreet's own course of action that Lee wisely considered and rejected.

   Lee wanted an early morning attack on the second day--not the third. His mistake was in placing similar trust in lesser corps commanders like Longstreet and Ewell as he had in Stonewall Jackson. On the evening of the first day at Gettysburg, Lee said, with Longstreet present, "If the enemy is there in the morning, I mean to attack him." The enemy was there, Longstreet had abundant time to get his men there, and Stonewall Jackson would not have needed a picture drawn for him (Second Bull Run, Chancellorsville, etc.)--nor would he have rebelled against the authority over him.

   The Confederates came within an eyelash of overruning the Federals on the second day at Gettysburg. Without the eight hours or so of additional preparation time provided Meade's army by Longstreet's foot-dragging, what do you think would have been the result?




2. I found this book tiresome compared to part one [Voices of the Storm] and his other biographies [Lincoln and Martin Luther King] which are outstanding and recommended. The vehicle he uses --e.g. 11 voices of historical figures from the War who alternate perspectives from chapter to chapter is contrived, of questionable authenticity in many segments and eventually, to me, distracting. In volume one this technique gave me a sense of political issues --it just was not as effective in this volume which focused mostly on military issues. A military history needs maps and diagrams to give the reader a sense of what was happening, where and when. The absence of such support weakened that aspect of the story. McPherson's Battle Cry of Freedom is a better source for information on the flow of the Civil War than this volume.



3. "The Whirlwind of War" is a very well written book about the American Civil War, with an especially innovative approach. Author Stephen B. Oates interweaves imaginary first-person written accounts of eleven of the war's key figures - among them Abraham Lincoln, Jefferson Davis, U.S. Grant, Robert E. Lee, William T. Sherman, Mary Boykin Chesnut and Mary Livermore - to present the story of America's most tragic war a dramatic and compelling way.

   Although the first-person soliloquies are fictional, they are based on obviously extensive and meticulous research, and are filled with historical facts which are detailed and accurate. Actually, Oates adds little in the way of new historical data or interpretation in this book, although the new information on John Wilkes Booth, and the descriptions of the Northern hospital camps by Cornelia Hancock make compelling reading. What I found most fascinating about "The Whirlwind of War" was how effectively Oates was able to bring the characters' personalities so much to life in their soliloquies. Oates doesn't pretend to try to write in the style of Lincoln, Davis, Grant, or the others; still, he allows their personalities to shine through completely. I felt I really got to know the tormented Abraham Lincoln, the laconic U.S. Grant, the profane, manic-depressive William T. Sherman, the reserved and dignified Robert E. Lee, and the bitter Jefferson Davis through their first-person accounts.

   Oates' imaginative writing in "The Whirlwind of War" makes it an especially entertaining book, one which gives readers an accurate and reasonably detailed understanding of the people and events which made up America's bloodiest conflict. Highly recommended!




4. Oates's treatment of the Civil War through fictionalized statements by major participants is a notable achievement. It really is not a military history of the war, but a history of what these participants thought about the war as it progressed. There are some weaknesses to this approach, mostly that the author must choose one version of some events under debate by historians without being able to outline the debate, as might be done in a conventional history. Also, such fictionalization must remain conjectural, even though in Oates's case it is buttressed by great research, and Oates must necessarily limit himself to relatively few participants. Still, by taking seriously the thoughts and opinions of those involved, Oates gives us a much more "alive" picture of the war as it unfolded. Although it took me a few pages to become accustomed to the method, I was impressed by the overall effect.



5. Got to read it for a term paper for a class on the Civil War. It was illuminating and is a treasure trove of references to other books to read and different directions to go in your study of the war. BUT as a reference for an 8-10 page essay...holy mother is it terrible. Please note I'm addressing the organization of the book and not the content/style.
   
   The table of contents is only each year, even though the monologues are numbered. There is absolutely no "outsider" or "narrator" to recap what the heck everyone's talking about or even just alluding to. (Such as the 20-odd pages on Gettysburg/Longstreet; as someone who does not yet understand military jargon or what it even means to "take a hill," this and other instances caused my eyes to glaze over.)
   
   In all fairness, a lot of things are spelled out while completely in keeping with the "voice." Abatis is defined by at least two different "characters," for example.
   
   Perhaps my complaints with the book are simply the wages of my own ignorance--the book is about a war, and political agitations before the war are more my strong suit.
   
   If you have a guy who can watch like, the military channel or understands war jargon and isn't surrounded by Civil War books already, this is an awesomely great book for him. And he'll love Sherman.

No comments about High Seas Confederate: The Life and Times of John Newland Maffitt (Studies in Maritime History).

No comments about Freedom's Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction.

No comments about Now When I Was A Kid.