1 comments about Mosby's War Reminiscences: Stuart's Cavalry Campaigns.

1. John S. Mosby was one of the greatest and most daring calvary officers of the War Between the States! I was thrilled as I read his personal account of raids deep into enemy territory.

   This book is a must read!

1 comments about Death Before Dishonor: The Andersonville Diary of Eugene Forbes : 4th New Jersey Infantry.

1. people should know that this is not the total of the diaries of Eugene Forbes. This is only a small fraction of the what the man had written before his death. The actual diaries are reaveled in "Diary of Ghost. To find about the rest of it please read "Diary of Ghost."

No comments about The Battle of Gettysburg: A Soldier's First-Hand Account.

No comments about August Reckoning: Jack Turner and Racism in Post Civil War Alabama (Library Alabama Classics).

No comments about Jefferson Davis, the unforgiven.

2 comments about The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant, Volume 11: June 1 - August 15, 1864 (U S Grant Papers).

1. "The Papers of Ulysses S. Grant" is a project begun in 1962 for the purpose of publishing all the known letters written by Ulysses S. Grant. Volume one was published in 1967 and there are now twenty-four volumes in the series. People who follow Grant's career are aware of the inestimable value of this project. The Papers contain all known correspondence written by Grant and letters received by him. The editing of the series is unparalleled and the volumes represent primary source material at its apex.

   Those who believe Grant was a "drunkard" or a "butcher" should read his own words, which show Grant's humor, pathos and unique personality. Masterfully edited by John Y. Simon, these volumes are a "must have" for anyone with an interest in U.S. Grant as a general, a politician and as a man




2. The twenty-six (and counting!) volumes comprising all the known extant writings of Ulysses Grant are indeed a remarkable example of published primary source material. While every volume contains much material that is admittedly of trivial importance to even the most rabid Grant scholar, each book in this series also contains fascinating nuggets of information not found anywhere else. Anyone with even a casual interest in USG is sure to discover something worth reading in every volume. In gathering together not only all of Grant's known correspondence, but relevant peripheral documents, the editors of this series are doing a truly Herculean job and deserve great commendation.
   
   I have only a few quibbles with the series. The first involves something over which the editors had no control. I refer to the fact that, in the first few volumes (particularly Volume One,) Grant's descendants insisted that certain passages in Grant's letters to his fiancee-turned-wife Julia Dent that had been crossed out (either by Julia or other family members) not be published. This idiotic decision is not only extremely frustrating for the reader, but, ironically, damaging to Grant himself. By all accounts, the deleted passages contain nothing that could be considered detrimental to Grant's good name, but by leaving them out, these descendants unwittingly gave the impression that there was something to hide. Hopefully, in an "Appendix" volume at the end of the series, the editors will be sporting enough to include whatever deleted passages can be transcribed, and the series will at last be considered complete.
   
   My other complaints about this series are more minor. While each volume contains copious, and frequently illuminating, footnotes, the editors occasionally fail to provide enough context. That is to say, a brief, undetailed letter of Grant's will frequently be followed by several pages of footnotes providing other letters and documents on the same subject, without giving much information explaining what, exactly, it all meant. The reader who is not already fully informed on the subject being addressed is sometimes left feeling confused about what exactly is being discussed, and what its relevance may have been.
   
   Another drawback is, simply, the price. While these books are certainly handsomely--and obviously expensively--printed and bound, those of us who study history as a hobby rather than as a profession could wish for editions that were more cheaply done, and thus more affordable. Unless you are fortunate enough to have access to a good academic library, these extremely expensive (even when you buy second-hand) volumes are simply out-of-reach for many people. That's a great pity, because in these books is an "insider's view" of Grant that does not fully come across in any regular biography.

1 comments about The Women and Children of the Alamo.

1. I recently purchased this book after a visit to the Alamo. I also had the wonderful opportunity to meet Ms. Ragsdale. This book portrays an aspect of history that is rarely seen. Most Americans learn about the fall of the Alamo in their history classes. However, this is the first time I have had the joy to read about those who were also within the Alamo's walls, the women. These women endured a great catastrophe with honor and grace. It is quite refreshing to be given the opportunity to read about the others who participated in our country's growth and freedom. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in American History, Women's Studies or in general. It is a book that moves you and brings you to the Alamo. It helps one to read it and imagine the scenes that were occurring at that point in time. A great read!

No comments about Frederick Douglass: Abolitionist and Reformer (Heroes of the Faith).

1 comments about Army Life in a Black Regiment (Collector's Library of the Civil War).

1. Those familiar with the critical role that the recruitment of black troops into the Union Armies in the American Civil War usually think about the famous Massachusetts 54th Regiment under Robert Gould Shaw which has received wide attention in book, film and sculpture. And those heroic fighters deserve those honors. Glory, indeed. However, other units were formed from other regions that are also noteworthy. And none more so than the 1st South Carolina Volunteers commanded by the arch-abolitionist Theodore Higginson one of John Brown's most fervent supporters and an early advocate of arming the slaves during the Civil War. He desperately wanted to lead armed blacks in battle and got his wish.
   
   I have remarked elsewhere (in a review of William Styron's Confessions of Nat Turner)that while the slaves in the South, for a host of reasons, did not insurrect with the intensity or frequency of say Haiti, the other West Indian islands or Brazil that when the time came to show discipline, courage and honor under arms that blacks would prove not inferior to whites. And Higginson's book is prima facie evidence for that position.
   
   One should note that, unlike the Massachusetts 54th which was made up primarily of freedman the 1st South Carolina was made up of units of fugitive and abandoned slaves. Thus, one should have assumed that it would have been harder to train and discipline uneducated and much-abused slaves. Not so. After reading a number of books on the trials and tribulations of various Union regiments, including the famous Irish Brigade, the story Higginson tells compares very favorably with those units. While Higginson's use of `negro' dialect in the telling of his story which may not be to the liking of some of today's `politically correct' readers of this book it is nevertheless a story worth reading told by a `high' abolitionist and Civil War hero.

No comments about He, Too, Spoke for Democracy: Judge Hastie, World War II, and the Black Soldier (Contributions in Afro-American and African Studies).