2 comments about HOUGOUMONT (Battleground Europe).

1. Suppose LtCol.MacDonnel and a handful of Coldstream Guards hadn't forced the north gates shut; Hougoumont may have been taken. Without Hougoumont, Wellington's right flank was vulnerable. With Wellington's right crumbling, Napoleon wins Waterloo before Blucher and his Prussians can arrive. The Austrians, Russians, and Prussians negotiate a separate peace, Napoleon is ascendant in Europe, Germany doesn't become a world power, no Versailles Treaty, no Hitler, no World War Two, etc...

   Or perhaps not.

   But it wouldn't be exagerating to say that Hougoumont was the pivot upon which the Battle of Waterloo hinged. Julian Paget, himself a member of the Coldstream Guards, presents a detailed account of this critical episode that is usually discussed all to briefly in the more general histories of Waterloo. This book is filled with photographs, maps, a minute by minute timeline, and a breakdown of each section of the battle: the forcing of the gates, the orchard, the formal garden, etc. Paget even dispels the myth, promulgated by Victor Hugo in Les Miserables, about the 300 French bodies being dumped down the well.

   The final section of this compact book is a guide for tourists, with an interest in history, for it leads you step by step through present day Hougoumont. Appendix includes the complete Order of Battle and bibliography. Overall, even though not monumental in scope, this book gets five stars for accomplishing its goal of covering one of the most decisive moments in the Napoleonic Wars.




2. Although the fighting around Hougoumont Chateau on 18 June 1815 had a major impact upon the on-going Battle of Waterloo, it usually receives only cursory attention in most accounts of that famous battle. In this Battleground Europe volume, the fighting around Hougoumont finally gets adequate coverage and Napoleonic enthusiasts should appreciate the uniqueness of this book. Unfortunately, while the book does provide an spotlight on an interesting aspect of the Battle of Waterloo, the inherent limitations of this volume detract from its historical value.

   The book itself consists of thirteen shorts chapters, with the first providing a detail history and layout of Hougoumont Chateau. Another chapter is used to provide background on the campaign. Ten chapters cover the British occupation and defense of Hougoumont, including one chapter that covers the immediate aftermath of battle. A final chapter consists of a tour of Hougoumont today. Three appendices are included: a detailed hourly chronology, British personalities at Hougoumont and orders of battle on Allied and French troops at Hougoumont. However selected bibliography displays the limited sources used, including the unreliable Siborne and regimental histories. One of the authors, Julian Paget, is a retired officer from the Coldstream Guards and he has used regimental records to enhance this account, at least from the British side. Unfortunately, the French side is greatly neglected, with little information provided on units and almost none on commanders. Napoleon's brother Jerôme who pushed the attack, and his division commanders, remain ciphers in this account. Apparently, no French sources were consulted.

   The wider issue of the impact of the struggle for Hougoumont on the outcome at Waterloo is addressed obliquely and with some exaggeration. Napoleon conceived of the attack on Hougoumont as a diversion that he hoped would divert at least British attention, if not reserves, away from his main effort in the center. This concept was tactically sound, and was originally only supposed to employ one division of the three in the French II Corps. It was a combination of Jerôme's escalation of his minor role in the battle into a full-fledged but uncoordinated corps attack and Napoleon's inability to reign him in, that really hurt the French cause. The author's cite Napoleon's failure to initially use his massed artillery against Hougoumont as a "mistake" but they fail to realize that (A) Napoleon would not waste his massed artillery reserve against a fortified target that was not his main effort and which initially only held a few hundred skirmishers, (B) Jerôme had plenty of II Corps and divisional artillery available to support his own attacks and (C) the muddy, wooded and cultivated terrain around Hougoumont inhibited rapid deployment of French artillery in a close support role against the chateau. Actually, Wellington made a significant mistake by not deploying at least one battery within the grounds of Hougoumont since grapeshot would have inflicted huge losses on the French infantry as they crossed the open ground to the south. British artillery supporting Hougoumont was deployed too far to the rear to employ anything but solid shot or howitzer shells. Whether or not French 12 pounder solid shot could have breached the walls of Hougoumont is also open to debate.

   This book is an interesting read because it offers new perspectives on a well-known battle. Unfortunately, the author's predilection is to provide an glory-tinged narrative of one of his regiment's most famous actions - and at that limited objective he succeeds. Yet the wider goal of providing a fresh and balanced account of this crucial side-show remains unfulfilled.

1 comments about Elizabeth I and Her World.

1. I love reading about this time period, however upon receiving this book I was disappointed to find I already owned it as a hard back with a different title. If you already own or have read THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE WORLD OF ELIZABETH I, it's the same book.
   
   so the rating is actually a reflection of the dubious nature of changing titles when rereleasing a book into a softbound edition.

4 comments about My Life in the Irish Brigade: The Civil War Memoirs of Private William McCarter, 116th Pennsylvania Infantry.

1. The Civil War has always been of great interest to me. Consequently, when I find a book that tells of real-life experiences coming directly from the pen of the man who experienced the things he wrote about, I am automatically interested. Private McCarter wrote candidly of what he witnessed, felt and thought while in the Irish Brigade. His book is easy to understand and evokes vivid mental pictures of the scenes he describes. He seemed to be an educated, good-hearted man who, if he was alive today, I would love to meet.



2. William McCarter was a twenty-one year old Irish immigrant when he enlisted in the 116th Pennsylvania Infantry in August 1862. The unit soon became part of the Second Brigade, First Division, Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, better known as the fabled Irish Brigade and Carter's memoirs, "My Life in the Irish Brigade" has the distinction of being the first full-length memoir published by an enlisted man in the Irish Brigade. McCarter's account covers the brigade from the Seven Day's Battles in which it made its battlefield reputation, to its assault against the Bloody Lane at Antietam, to the charge up Marye's Heights at Fredericksburg where McCarter was gravely wounded and forced to leave the army. Because he was detailed as the personal scribe to General Thomas F. Meagher, commander of the Irish Brigade, McCarter was able to meet and judge the famous generals of the Union Army such as Ambrose Burnside and Winfield Scott Hancock. Kevin E. O'Brien, who has written widely on the Irish Brigade, edits the volume and in addition to his Endnotes he has included several interesting items in the Appendixes, such as the poem "The Irish Dead on Fredericksburg Heights" which was printed in the "Irish-American" in 1863. McCarter's recollections are quite engaging, and his description of the Brigade's actions at the fateful battle of Fredericksburg, where the vast majority of its 1,200 men were killed or wounded, is the best part of the book. If you have more than a passing familiarity with the history of the Irish Brigade, this is an excellent book to give you a unique and fascinating perspective on their glory days during the Civil War. It is also one of the better written memoirs, by enlisted man or general, you will find.



3. William McCarter's book is quite an interesting tale of his involvment as a private for the famous Irish Brigade. McCarter's vivid descriptions of soldier life, marching, camping, facing cold weather, hard living and the Battle of Fredericksburg was very well done. McCarter missed Antietam although his regiment did face the Confederates at the heights of Fredericksburg. McCarter tells such a facinating, informative, sad, happy, yet chilling story at times during his soldier career that it was hard to put this book down. His vivid story of Fredericksburg and how the brigade battled it out, how he was injured and how he escaped death while suffering upon the battlefield was certainly the best part of the book. I wish more soldier accounts were written as well as this one as this book is one of the better books I've read that tells a soldier's story. 5 STARS!



4. Doing research on the Irish Brigade for some writing, This book was just what I needed.

5 comments about Tea and Green Ribbons: A Memoir.

1. Highly recommended book, showing the injustice of the church and the state in Dublin during the 50s.

   Desmond Doyle, shows true love (in this instance) together with guts and bravery to fight for his children.

   Just one point, LA from phila you have no idea of the facts or circumstances leading to the departure of Charlotte Doyle from the household, it would be helpful if your comments and opinions of her perceived mental illness had some basis in fact instead of self opinion. Please read the book and leave the blame to one side.




2. 'Of all nature's gifts to the human race, what is sweeter to a man than his child' from Marcus Tullius Cicero

   Dublin 1953. Abandoned by his wife for another man (his cousin), and deperste to have his six children looked after while he found work in england, Desmond Doyle trusted the word of the authorities, and put them all into temporary State care.

   This novel is written form the viewpoint of nine-year-old Evelyn, Desmond's eldest child and only daughter, this moving true story recounts Desmond's shocking discovery on his return.
   In his absence, the State has consigned the children to its permanent care. So began his desperate battle with the government to reunite his family, and change an unjust law.




3. I highly recommend this book for a historical novel that will make you feel good when you turn the last page. The fight of a man to be reunited with his children is interesting in its detail as told by his own daughter. Whether for a bit of Irish flavor, need for a read or interest in the story line... this book will not fail to please.



4. While the story that gave rise to this book is undoubtedly moving and probably gripping, "Tea and green ribbons" is so poorly written as to have no literary merit at all. A memoir, besides telling an interesting tale, has to be well-written - otherwise, an interview in a magazine will do for me, thanks. The whole book reads like this: "Daddy said hello. I felt so happy. Daddy picked me up in his arms. I laughed. Then Daddy said he had to go. I cried".

   I was also disappointed that Ms. Doyle tells us virtually nothing about the lives of her brothers during her convent years. She tells a lot about her father, but her brothers, their feelings and ordeals, are almost completely passed over, and even after the end of the judicial proceedings (and the book) they are barely mentioned. The father's struggle seems much more concerned with Evelyn than with her remaining five siblings, and we wonder if it really happened that way.

   Being a lawyer, I was particularly interested in the judicial aspect of the story. Even though Ms. Doyle devotes many pages to it, I thought the whole issue could have been told in more detail and with a greater juridical accuracy - after all, as she says, hers became a leading case, so I should think it deserves a deeper analysis. Some readers might say that this is not the purpose of a memoir (which should be only concerned with what its author lived through and felt), to which I answer that, since Ms. Doyle chose to deal with the case in some detail, she ought to have engaged in a really serious analysis.

   All in all, a disappointing book, though it might do for light holiday reading.




5. "Tea and Green Ribbons is the astonishing tale of a father's quest to reunite his family. In 1953 Evelyn Doyle's mother ran off with another man, leaving her husband in Dublin to care for their six small children. A local housepainter, Desmond Doyle has little money and no choice but to turn his kids over to Ireland's church-run industrial schools while he looks for work in England. But upon his return several months later, Desmond is unable to retrieve them from state custody.
   Evelyn Doyle is only seven when she arrives at the convent in High Park, where she will bask in the clean joys and lonely sorrows of life in the care of nuns. She will make friends, say her prayers, and watch time pass as Desmond tries, and fails, to engage Ireland's foremost legal experts in a fight against the Church and the government. It will be two years before Evelyn's release is granted by the Irish Supreme Court -- the first time in Irish legal history in which the justices take a child's wishes into consideration when reaching their decision.
   Tragic in its truths yet inspiring at every turn, Tea and Green Ribbons is a triumphant ode to the human spirit and a loving testament to the Irish experience." (summary from publisher's website)

1 comments about The Marlboroughs.

1. A book that I nearly gave up on, but am glad that I finished. This is pure tabloid fodder. The beginning, chronicling John Churchill's boyhood, early sexual escapades and marriage to the sparkling Sarah Jennings, is fairly yawnworthy. He comes off as bumptious, though charming, and she as arrogant.
   
   John Churchill dumped James II when the latter was unceremoniously deposed through the machinations of his daughters Mary and Anne. During the joint reign of Mary II and and her husband William III John lived to regret his support of William, because the latter levered his Dutch compatriots into power positions. However it was in Anne's reign that this hard-grafting couple's ascent to power began. Anne was besotted with Sarah, gifting the couple with money, position, land and property.
   
   This is not to take away anything from John Churchill's achievements. During the War of the Spanish Succession he and European allies defeated the French at Blenheim, Ramillies, Oudenarde, and Malplaquet. John was created Duke of Marlborough. His home, Blenheim Palace, on the Royal estate of Woodstock, was designed by the architect and playwright John Vanbrugh.
   
   Sarah elevated a cousin, Abigail Masham, to a position in Anne's court. Anne's preference of Masham, plus resentment of the over-mighty Marlboroughs (Anne had given them huge pensions and paid their daughters' dowries), led her to quarrel with and, eventually, dismiss Sarah. Marlborough, who had served his country well, was caught up in this and suffered terribly. His political enemies, fuelled by envy, had open season on him; his political allies were removed from their posts and he wandered off to the countryside, a prey to his blinding headaches.
   
   They finished their days in the reign of George I, rich and living the good life. Marlborough, however, was a broken man. The end of the book shows how Duchess Sarah, managed through her contentiousness to alienate her daughters, grandsons, architect, and new king.
   
   It's a superb saga. But it would have been very much better with the inclusion of campaign maps, a timeline, and even, possibly, a Who's Who. Without them, it is difficult to keep all the strings going, unless you're an expert. Hibbert is sufficiently well established as an author to have merited better graphics in this book, which would widen its appeal.
   
   Great stuff, then, but prepare to work hard, as there is only one large map of Europe - not enough to piece together all the little villages in Belgium, Bavaria, and everywhere else those armies trod....
   
   I still enjoyed it.

No comments about Jane's Letters from Ireland.

No comments about The Civil Wars, 1640-9 (Access to History).

3 comments about Patrick Pearse and the Politics of Redemption: The Mind of the Easter Rising, 1916.

1. Incredibly insightful treatment of the Easter Rising and the man who lead it. This book gives us a new way of seeing this great Irish hero and shows us an in-debt psychological study of what lead him to lead the rebelion. A marvelous book.



2. Incredibly insightful treatment of the Easter Rising and the man who lead it. This book gives us a new way of seeing this great Irish hero and shows us an in-debt psychological study of what brought him to lead the rebelion. A marvelous book.



3. I really enjoyed this book written by my ex-professor. This is a marvelous psychohistorical, highly engaging, and at times pleasantly shocking reading about one Patrick Pearse. Moran goes deeply into the Pearse's psyche and explores the possible reasons for Patrick's (i)-rational actions. Was he a suitable hero-figure or was he a man driven by circumstances, his perception of injustice, and his powerlessness.

No comments about William Wallace (Pitkin Guides).

3 comments about Matt Talbot: His Struggle, His Victory over Alcoholism.

1. "Matt Talbot" is a short biography-inspirational life of an obscure Dublin workman who has become an inspiration for those who seek to rid themselves from addiction to alcohol. The fact that there is a story of Matt Talbot is a story in itself. Matt lived such an obscure life from 1856-1925 that no picture of him exists. It was only after his death that people began to collect memories of him and his sanctity began to be recognized. Talbot's problems began at the age of twelve when he tried to help his family by getting a job with a wine merchant. The sampling of the wine led to a sixteen year slavery to alcohol. In 1884, aware of what dirnk was doing to himself and his mother, Matt took the pledge to refrain from drink. He kept his pledge for the rest of his life. As he freed himself from alcoholism, Matt found, in Jesus and His Mother, someone in whose service he could gladly enslave himself. Most of the book contains memories related by those who knew Matt which display the degree of his dedication to religious devotion. In this book, Sister Susan Helen Wallace, FSP, has pemitted adults to enjoy he gift for religious biography which she had previously reserved for children



2. Does anyone out there know of a web site for Matt Talbot



3. "Matt Talbot" is a short biography-inspirational life of an obscure Dublin workman who has become an inspiration for those who seek to rid themselves from addiction to alcohol. The fact that there is a story of Matt Talbot is a story in itself. Matt lived such an obscure life from 1856-1925 that no picture of him exists. It was only after his death that people began to collect memories of him and his sanctity began to be recognized. Talbot's problems began at the age of twelve when he tried to help his family by getting a job with a wine merchant. The sampling of the wine led to a sixteen year slavery to alcohol. In 1884, aware of what dirnk was doing to himself and his mother, Matt took the pledge to refrain from drink. He kept his pledge for the rest of his life. As he freed himself from alcoholism, Matt found, in Jesus and His Mother, someone in whose service he could gladly enslave himself. Most of the book contains memories related by those who knew Matt which display the degree of his dedication to religious devotion. In this book, Sister Susan Helen Wallace, FSP, has pemitted adults to enjoy her gift for religious biography which she had previously reserved for children