No comments about Pretense Of Glory: The Life Of General Nathaniel P. Banks.

1 comments about Rutherford B. Hayes: One of the Good Colonels (Civil War Campaigns & Commanders).

1. This book is another well done look at Rutherford B. Hayes by Dr. Ari Hoogenboom. In this volume the author tells the story of Hayes' Civil War experiences.

   Before joining up Hayes was not enthused about the War. But as a soldier he quickly became convinced of the value of his mission. By the end of 1861 he had come to see the war as "a crusade against slavery."

   Hayes started out as a major in the 23rd Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. He soon rose to colonel. By the end of the war he was a general. He served four years in all (1861-1865). Hayes last battle was in October, 1864. While still on active duty the voters of Cincinnati elected him to Congress.

   Hayes' war action was mostly in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland. William McKinley stated that when Hayes was in battle he was "intense and ferocious." He was wounded five times in action but maintained his enthusiasm for being a soldier. He proved himself a capable officer who earned the respect of his men. He often defeated the enemy and helped achieve ultimate Union victory.

   Hayes had the luxury of seeing his family several times during the War. He wrote numerous letters home and kept a diary. These writings proved invaluable sources for this book.

   This book provides numerous detailed maps of the battles which Hayes fought in. There are also several bios given of the various generals Hayes served under or against.

   Dr. Hoogenboom clearly understood Rutherford B. Hayes and described him accurately. The reader gets a clear picture of the 19th President before he attained that office.

No comments about Smoke, Sound And Fury: The Civil War Memoirs of Major-general Lew Wallace, U. S. Volunteers.

3 comments about Gettysburg (Voices of the Civil War).

1. I like to refer to this book as a colorful, well done "coffee table" book as it features many drawings, photos and skips the details you would find in other books about the battle. This book is probably not for those looking for details or heavy explanations about a specific conflict in the battle. For one that is looking to get a basic understanding of the battle and aftermath quickly it is perfect. For those new to understanding Gettysburg this is an excellent book. Having read many books about the battle I found this book interesting in regards to the personal accounts that are found on just about every page. Time Life has made a great book and continues their quality as with other series in the past.



2. This is one of the books in the Time-Life Series, "Voices of the Civil War". In these books the authors/editors have taken passages out of diaries, letters to home, and personal observations of Union and Confederate Soldiers, along with photographs and pictures (of the soldiers, if a photograph is available), and given the soldier's viewpoints of the Battle. This is an insightful, moving, inspiring, and tragic account of the particular battle. In this case, the great and terrible Battle Of Gettysburg.

   From such Generals as Robert E. Lee, James Longstreet, W. Scott Hancock, to low ranking officers, to the enlisted men, there are letters, diary entries, and viewpoints taken from these soldiers as they write about "Little Round Top", "The Devils Den", "Culps Hill", "Cemetary Ridge", and other locations where the battle took place around Gettysburg. The letters and viewpoints range from the patriotic, others talk about the terror of the battle, others inform about lost loved ones, and yet there are humorous tales taken from the diaries of the soldiers.

   This is such an interesting book, that once you pick it up, it is hard to put down. The other books in the "Voices of the Civil War" series are just as interesting as "Gettysburg".

   Highly recommended!




3. There are probably thousands of books written about the Civil War, and many of them cover the same territory. But Gettysburg: Voices of the Civil War by the editors of Time-Life Books, provides a new look at this monumental battle.
   
   Voices of the Civil War is filled with first hand accounts of the events leading up to and including the Battle of Gettysburg. Instead of a dry narrative, the authors provide a brief description of events. But they then turn the story over to the soldiers, civilians, families and newsmen who were eyewitnesses. They spent thousands of hours searching out letters, journals, and dairies as well as photographs and sketches. In reading these accounts, we get a more vivid picture of the battle. We can almost see the bullets flying by our heads, hear the constant roar of cannons and guns followed by the anguished cries and moaning of the injured and dying soldiers and horses. We also read about the mayhem and chaos of battle. One soldier writes "I could have walked a half or three quarters of a mile on the dead soldiers of the enemy and not have put my feet on the ground. In some places, they were lying three deep." Recalls a Virginia artillery lieutenant, "The sights and sounds that assailed us were simply indescribable" with "corpses swollen to twice their original size, some of them actually burst asunder with the pressure of foul gases and vapors." Civilians were left to deal with the carnage, and one resident reports on "piles of amputated limbs were heaped outside the open windows." Yet, despite the death and destruction, there was a determination that this battle needed to be fought for a noble cause. A New York Times reporter lamented upon finding the body of his dead son, "O, you dead, who at Gettysburg have baptized with your blood the second birth of Freedom in America."
   
   Yet, throughout the battle, there were tender scenes as well. Civilians especially, helped provide food and medical care to the soldiers of both sides. Even the soldiers could put aside regional hatred. One Confederate soldier came upon a wounded Union man. "I saw that all one side of his lower jaw was torn off. I got him to a shade and fixed him down with his oil cloth, blanket and knapsack, then brought him a canteen of water and how pitiful to see him trying to drink by pushing the mouth of the canteen through the wound in his throat."
   
   I have a selfish reason for being fascinated by Voices from The Civil War. My great-great grandfather fought in the Civil War and was wounded on the second day of fighting at Gettysburg. Having left no written record of his war experiences in diaries or letters, Voices of the Civil War is as close as I can get to understanding what he lived through.
   
   This book has three things that should be required for all Gettysburg books. First, it has an artist's rendering of the battle ground. Second, it has a chronology of the sequence of events. And finally, it includes a list of officers for both armies that includes the generals, corps, divisions and brigades. These three items makes it much easier to see the full picture while reading.
   
   So while some Gettysburg books may give you a more complete description of battles and such, no book will capture your attention, your imagination or your heart like Voices of the Civil War.

2 comments about Cole Younger: Last of the Great Outlaws.

1. Homer Croy is a first-rate storyteller in a very casual, homey sort of way. He writes this book about Cole Younger's life in such a way that you feel as though you're sitting around the fire with Homer while he tells the tale. It's very entertaining reading with many good touches of humor and wry comments throughout.

   As history...First of all, he doesn't footnote in the traditional way but does include notes about each chapter explaining his sources. It's an informal, rather than scholarly, style. His research was extensive and tended toward finding people who could give him first-hand accounts, or as near to first-hand as possible family stories, along with contemporary newspaper accounts. In this way he hunts down the sources of many of the myths, legends, and rumors surrounding Cole Younger's life and career. Is he right about every particular and conclusion? I don't know. I'd say to read this book hand-in-hand with one of the more recent high-quality works like Marley Brant's "Outlaw Youngers" to compare versions of events.

   Croy is very up-front with his opinions, something I appreciated. The author of such a book is the one who did the research, has a feel for the subject even in areas where hard data may be lacking, and I want to hear their opinion on disputed matters. Some history authors won't go out on that limb but Homer Croy has no such problem. He usually is clear on what is his opinion and what he has some evidence on, but he also recreates some scenes and conversations for which there could not possibly be any witnesses. So bear in mind there is an element of fictional novelization to the story.

   Don't miss the index--most entertaining index I've ever read.




2. Homer Croy was the first student of the first school of journalism in the world (University of Missouri). He was born close to Jesse James' farm. Cole Younger came from the most fought-over county in Missouri; fighting began before the Civil War and continues after its end. Cole first killed at 17, was wanted dead or alive at 18, rode with Quantrill at 19. He killed 17 men, was wounded 30 times, but died peacefully in bed with 14 bullets in him. In between he spent over 25 years in prison. If you wonder about strife in countries in countries (like Yugoslavia) just read about the Border War in America circa 1860. I enjoyed the style of writing. This is history written by a journalist. You'll not be bored, since it reads like the newspaper story it was. Most of the great Civil War outlaws were born within 30 miles of Kansas City. Henry Washington Younger was one of the richest and important men of Jackson County, and was elected 3 times to the Missouri legislature, and a mayor in 1859. Thomas Coleman Younger was the 7th son of 14 children. One of Cole's teachers was Stephen B Elkins, later US Senator from West Virginia; Cole saved his life.

   The Border War was conducted by gangs who were mostly interested in plunder first, flag second. Most families were peaceful, but could not avoid the troubled times. An incident at a dance forced Cole to become a hunted man. The holdup and murder of his father by Kansan Red Legs embittered Cole. Cole joined the Confederate Army, and was famed for his ruthlessness in battle, yet was kindly and considerate afterwards. Cole took part in the raid on Lawrence Kansas.

   After the war ended Cole and Frank James invented bank robbery in Liberty Missouri 1866. Since Cole was well known, he quickly left for Texas. They gambled away their loot in Dallas. But they had been recognized, and the Pinkertons put their names on a wanted poster: Cole and Jim Younger, Frank and Jesse James, Jim Cummings, Charlie Pitts. Chapter VIII explains how the James-Younger gang covered their tracks; but they were still pursued. Since their gang was well-known, they decided to strike out for Minnesota. Their attempt in Northfield left four of their group dead, others wounded, without a cent. (The unclaimed bodies were donated to medical science.) The quick-witted Cole created a political reason to rob this bank: General Benjamin F Butler was an owner! Cole would say what it took to escape hanging. By pleading guilty they escaped execution. Cole became a model prisoner to get a pardon.

   After his pardon, Cole was introduced to modern wonders: the telephone, the horseless carriage, the phonograph. For the first time in 25 years Cole saw a sunset. When Cole got an unconditional pardon, he returned to Missouri. After failing as a salesman, Cole joined the "Cole Younger-Frank James Wild West Show" until he retired. There is one interesting item: the Youngers were all Southerners, but their father was a Union sympathizer and did not believe in slavery! Was Cole a victim of circumstances (Chapter XVIII)? "In wartime men are rewarded for doing what will get them hanged in peacetime" said Niccolo Machiavelli.

No comments about Lion of the South: General Thomas C. Hindman.

1 comments about A Very Violent Rebel: The Civil War Diary of Ellen Renshaw House (Voices of the Civil War).

1. Two g-grand nieces of Ellen House discovered these diaries in her trunk upon the death of an aunt. What a find! Ellen House had strong opinions and voiced them. The Siege of Knoxville (November 1863) is covered and Sutherland's footnotes make for GOOD history. Don't think, you WWII GIs out there, that "scuttlebutt" started in "our" war. There was plenty during the Civil War, some preposterous. Sutherland provides good interpretive notes. Highly recommended! Four stars only because there are a few gaps in Ellen's coverage of the War in Knoxville, but who can blame her. Deprivation was the order of the day.

2 comments about Jefferson Davis in Blue: The Life of Sherman's Relentless Warrior (History Book Club Selection).

1. This is a biography of an obscure figure from the American Civil War who had a famous name. Jefferson Columbus Davis was no relation to the Confederate president, and stayed loyal to the Union, rising the the rank of brevet Major General. He's probably best known as the culprit in the murder of William Nelson, another Union army general, in 1862. There was, however, more to Jefferson C. Davis than that, as this admirable biography shows.

   ...

   Jefferson C. Davis was from Indiana. He enlisted in the army young, and participated in the battle of Buena Vista as a private in his Indiana volunteer regiment, distinguishing himself so much that he was considered for an appointment to West Point. When that fell through, Davis was directly enlisted in the regular army as a second lieutenant of artillery, and spent the years between the Mexican war and Fort Sumter studying and learning to be a soldier. He was part of the garrison of Fort Sumter, and this notoriety positioned him for a brigade command of Indiana state troops. He led them through the battle of Pea Ridge, and never looked back, concluding the war in command of the Fourteenth Corps during the March through the Carolinas, and during the battle of Bentonville. After the war, he was Alaska's first military district commander, and briefly fought the Modocs on the California-Oregon border.

   The authors do a wonderful job of bringing Davis, and his many contradictions, to life. He was a demanding soldier, and a hard taskmaster, but he appears to have generally been a fair and decent person. There is the one incident where he shot Nelson dead, but the authors lay out the course of events, and frankly the whole thing sounds provoked. Nelson was disliked by a lot of people, apparently, to the point that when he was shot, there weren't very many calls for his killer to be brought to justice. The whole thing is laid out in considerable detail. And where Davis emerges as a surprise is in his competence as a soldier. Though his troops were routed at both Stones River and Chickamauga, at Pea Ridge it was Davis who stopped Louis Hebert's attack on the Union left, and at Jonesboro it was Davis who broke the Confederate front. At Bentonville he again held off the main Confederate assault, though with some help. Frankly I was surprised: he turns out to have been a pretty good general, and generally well-liked by the troops, even though he *never* praised anyone for anything, and apparently thought bravery nothing extraordinary. In his defense, he was brave himself.

   There is one shortcoming in this book. There is a lack of maps to illustrate the text. The authors try to detail battlefield maneuvers from Buena Vista to Bentonville, with no tactical maps at all, and only three general area maps, none of which are particularly helpful. Only one of the maps even deals with the Civil War. This unfortunately makes the text a bit hard to follow at times. Other than that, I would highly recommend this book for the Civil War scholar. It's definitely worth the money.




2. A fascinating and first rate biography of this little known Union leader by newcomer Whitney and veteran writer Hughes.
   The authors follow Jefferson C. Davis from an enthusiastic young soldier in the Mexican War to his outstanding leadership at Ft. Sumter and throughout the Civil War.
   Excellent reading for any history buff!

1 comments about Witness to an Era: The Life and Photographs of Alexander Gardner.

1. Seldom does one get such a close-up glimpse at the true horrors and tragedies on the battlefields of the American Civil War, or to stare into the faces of those whose lives were entertwined with the making of America's history. But D. Mark Katz gives us that opportunity with Witness To An Era: The Life and Photographs of Alexander Gardner, published by Rutledge Hill Press. Though many of the images that have become instantly recognizable to students of history are often credited to the well known photographer, Matthew Brady, Witness To An Era sets the record straight with meticulously documented research, enabling future generations to appreciate Gardner's work. For the first time in print, Katz brings the reader not only the vast collection of Gardner's photographs, many of which he was able to reproduce directly from the original prints, but the intriguing story of Gardner himself and his eventful career during and after the Civil War.

   As one of the most photographed of historical figures as President Abraham Lincoln was, none managed to capture the inner man as Gardner did. But with over 277 pages containing photos of people, places, illustrations and letters, it is difficult for one to say which is the most extraordinary in capturing a moment --a moment frozen in time for eternity, for those to gaze upon and ponder its significance in how we became to be today... from what was yesterday.

   Booklist remarks, "This album of Gardner's work is nothing less than sensational," and Civil War Web agrees. No Civil War library would be complete without these magnificent photographs of America's most epic saga.

No comments about USKids History: Book of the American Civil War (Brown Paper School).