No comments about Entrepreneur for Equality: Governor Rufus Bullock, Commerce, and Race in Post-Civil War Georgia.

2 comments about Second Only to Grant: Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs.

1. This is an excellent biography of one of the most important -- although most overlooked and underrated -- members of the Union high command in the Civil War. Montgomery Meigs was, quite literally, second only to U. S. Grant in importance, in that he was the genius who kept the supplies moving up front. He also had outstanding pre- and post-war careers as engineer-architect. A most amazing (though not particularly attractive) man, whose life and works are splendidly described in a well-written, fascinating book. Civil War buffs owe Miller many thanks.



2. David Miller deserves a great deal of credit for bringing
   General Montgomery Meigs to life. Through his incredibly detailed work, the life and times of this gifted builder,
   architect and general become chrystallized in the reader's mind.
   The number of personal letters included in this volume are nothing short of remarkable. The inclusion of so many portions of personal letters from the mid-1800s allows the reader to share directly the thought processes of Meigs, his supporters and his detractors. The copious footnotes are outstanding as well. Not to mention the great photos.
   In a sense, this is a textbook as well as a biographical work.
   I am very impressed. Thank you,!!!
   Signed, A distant relative of the Quartermaster General

5 comments about The Women In Lincoln's Life.

1. The author shows a limited understanding of Lincoln. He failed to research his subject. The author is misguided and misinformed. This book is an insult to Lincoln scholars.



2. I was quite thrilled when I saw this book in the bookstore. I have read numerous books on Abraham Lincoln, however, this was a perspective about his life I had not read much about. Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and engaging; enough so that it only took me two days to read it. I was captivated. Yes, at times the book seemed prejudicial against Lincoln's wife and biased in favour of Ann Rutledge, however his point of view was very interesting to note. I highly recommend this book to anyone willing to get a firm grasp on all aspects of Lincoln's life. It was just incredible!!!



3. It seems to me that a few reviews of this book have been extremely unfair, especially those by Mr. Emerson and someone who calls himself "kdpsyd." Mr. Winkler is an accomplished scholar and award-winning author who has written the first full-length book on this intriguing subject. I purchased the book after reading reviews from authoritative sources, and have found it to be extremely informative and fascinating. As "Civil War Times" noted, this book is "important and highly provocative and readable." "Civil War News" called it intriguing and engrossing and "quite thought-provoking. . . with careful notes and an impressive bibliography." "Today's Books," an independent report to the news media on the book-publishing industry rated this book "a best read." Such recognition is given only to "the top ten percent of new books published and distributed in America each year."

   Building upon the latest published Lincoln scholarship, Mr. Winkler has developed startling new insights and added fresh information about Lincoln's New Salem years, including the most complete story in existence of Ann Rutledge's life and the
   Lincoln-Rutledge romance.

   The book is obviously based on solid research and should be read by anyone interested in what previously has been a puzzling aspect of Lincoln's life.




4. I was very disappointed in this book. I had hoped to learn more about the women in Lincoln's life, but as it turns out, the author is related to Ann Rutledge (supposedly the love of Lincoln's life), and the author spends way too much time telling us how wonderful she was. He keeps bringing her name up in other contexts ("If Ann had been alive..." and so forth), and you'd almost expect that he would suggest that she be cannonized as a saint. It gets rather tedious, to say the least.
   
   Consequently, many other women that he met (such as Sojourner Truth) get mere mention or a few paragraphs, and of course, Mary Todd Lincoln is portrayed as an absolute nutcase.
   
   It's a shame--this could have been a great book.



5. This was absolutely the most ridiculous book I've read regarding Lincoln. Jason Emerson's review listed below says it all. Winkler should have written a book about his ancestor, and not bothered those of us who are not interested in reading about her.

1 comments about Memoirs of the Rebellion on the Border, 1863.

1. Wiley Britton's memoirs offer the reader an interesting glimpse into the life of a union solider during the Civil War. Unlike the bulk of written material about the war, this centers on the lesser known western operations along the borders of Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas.

   What makes Britton's book most entertaining and informative is that he wrote about life as it happened. While his book was edited and published after the war, it is based on daily diaries he kept. As an enlisted solider, Britton's memoirs let the reader experience what the average soldier did on a day by day basis. His observations about people, life, and the events and circumstances around him will leave you feeling you know him, and his progressive thoughts for his day leave you feeling he is your contemporary. In fact, at times you may not believe these words were written over one hundred years ago- you will be startled to realize that while time separates you, the basic thoughts and motivations of people haven't really changed all that much over the centuries. We all still want the same things from life and we still wonder about the same questions.

   Memoirs of the Rebellion on the Border is a good read, and highly recommended for those interested in the lesser known campaigns of the war.

No comments about "I have been a soldier all my life": Gen. James Longstreet, CSA (Civil War commander series).

1 comments about Personal Memoirs of John H. Brinton: Civil War Surgeon, 1861-1865 (Shawnee Classics (Reprinted)).

1. I think this book is a must read for all Civil War enthusiasts. This book is very descriptive and worth the money and time of getting it. I think that all persons that are literare should read this book.

2 comments about When the Devil Came Down to Dixie: Ben Butler in New Orleans.

1. I have always been fascinated with General Benjamin Butler both because of the story of his ill fated term as military governor of New Orleans during the Civil War and because of his physical image. The photographs always show someone who seems to be a grotesque characature of a human being rather than a real person, somehow appropriate for a man known as 'the Beast of New Orleans'. This book is significant not only for its detailed account of the conflicts and controversy that surrounded Butler during his time in New Orleans, but also for providing enough complementary material to see him as more than an evil abberation. The author does detail the evidence for Butler's depredations - his thefts, corruptions and overzelous application of lethal force - but also provides ample evidence that he was a complex and sometimes thoughtful person as well. In one case, he condemns a man to be hung because he had pulled down the union flag. The man's wife and children go to Butler to plead for his life. He refuses to stop the hanging but promises to be of whatever assistance he can be in the future. Years later the widow approaches him to say that she has been cheated by her lawyer out of her life savings and that she and her children are in jeapordy. Butler finds her a government job and, at his own expense, sees to the children's education. A very complex 'devil' indeed.

   For those who enjoy new light cast upon old oversimplified history, this book is excellent. Well written and with a lot that is new to say, this book represents a chance to actually learn something new rahter than simply revisiting the old story.




2. So General Benjamin "Beast" Butler summed up his time as military governor of New Orleans. Chester Hearn's book is an examination of Butler's six-month tenure in the Crescent City.
   
   Everyone who knows anything about the Civil War knows something about Butler. A political general from Massachusetts, Butler was cross-eyed, huge, bald, loud, arrogant, stubborn, and crooked as a hound dog's hind leg. He was also remarkably inept as a military leader. His arrogant tenure as commandant of Fortress Monroe came close to pushing Maryland into the Confederacy; he lost one of the initial battles of the war, Big Bethel, largely through extraordinary incompetence; he did absolutely nothing in the capture of New Orleans, but took as much credit for it as he could; he evacuated Baton Rouge when scared by the threat of a(nonexisting) Confederate invading force; and he famously allowed his entire Army of the James to be bottled up at Bermuda Hundred during Grant's overland campaign (where he was probably less bother to Grant than he would've been in the field).
   
   But what Butler's primarily known for are two things: declaring runaway slaves "contrabands of war" and brutally ruling New Orleans. His depredations in that city are remarkable. Along with a crew of trusted scoundrels (including especially his brother Andrew Jackson Butler) equally interested in lining their own pockets, Butler stole everything he could get his hands on. He bought commodities such as sugar and cotton at forced low prices and sold them high in the North; he sold salt to Confederates stationed just across Lake Pontrachain; civilians requesting interviews with the general or travel passes routinely paid out the nose for the privilege; under the two Confiscation Acts, houses with all their possessions were swallowed up; and specie at New Orleans bank tended to disappear. Butler was smart, and although there were numerous complaints and several official inquiries, he was never caught. But it's clear he was on the take. When Butler went to New Orleans in May '62, his personal worth was about $150,000. When he left in December '62, he was worth about $3 million.
   
   In addition to being larcenous, his reign in New Orleans was also brutal. He regularly imprisoned at hard labor civilians who angered him, and he notoriously executed a man who defiantly tore down the Stars and Stripes right after the city was captured (but before it surrendered--a legally important point). Although Butler did go out of his way to feed the city's hungry, his motive seems to have been more hatred for the landed aristocracy than the unlanded poor.
   
   Hearn's book is largely derivative. There's little original research (which is okay; not every book can or should be ground-breaking). But a bit more documentation on how Butler's peers reacted to his larceny, as well as some reflection on the state of affairs during the Civil War that gave men such as Butler almost unlimited power, would've been welcome.

1 comments about No Turning Back: The End of the Civil War : March-June 1864.

1. This review applies to the complete 4-volume set by Lowry. It by far provides the best coverage of the final year of the War. It is organized chonologically, enabling the reader to connect all of the action taking place at any time, from the great campaigns of Grant and Sherman to lesser-known raids, battles, political events, and plots ( especially the plot to kidnap President Lincoln by Booth and associates ). This form of organization also demonstrates Grant's gift for grand strategy in coordinating the movements of all U.S. forces.
   
   The background and personalities of the commanders, both famous and more obscure, are given good coverage. This is also true of the many corps, divisions, brigades, and regiments. I was also pleased with the abundance of quotes and correspondence from various commanders, such as Sherman's heated and articulate exchange with Hood at Atlanta. A number of quotes are unavailable in any of the 300+ books in my Civil War library.
   
   Individual battles are presented in considerable detail, although the books suffer from a dearth of maps. The reader who focuses on details needs to keep an atlas on the side, although no atlas to my knowledge includes the lesser actions described by Lowry.
   
   Beyond the few petty objections, such as the large number of typos, these 4 volumes should occupy a prominent place in any Civil War collection.

No comments about Band of Brothers: Company C, 9th Tennessee Infantry.

No comments about Red Fox: Stand Watie and the Confederate Indian Nations During the Civil War Years in Indian Territory.