3 comments about Gettysburg Requiem: The Life and Lost Causes of Confederate Colonel William C. Oates.

1. William C. Oates, the subject of Glenn LaFantassie's "Gettysburg Requiem" is a bundle of contradictions: born poor, died wealthy; apparently racist, secretly intimate with his black servant; a respected attorney and newspaper publisher but shot and killed a man; wounded six times in battle but rose no higher in rank than lieutenant colonel; saw Lincoln's election as a danger to the South, lamented Lincoln's assassination.
   
   LaFantasie's research reveals a Confederate hero whose life was characterized by anger, violence, guilt,inconsistencies, weaknesses, and relentless struggle for success. Oates may well be described as one of those souls who can resist anything but temptation.
   
   The book's bibliography is a compendium of excellent Civil War
   sources, the research seems to be as complete as anyone could compile, and the presentation is as clear and easy to follow as the subject matter will allow.
   
   Those who have climbed Little Round Top at Gettysburg, who are fascinated with the battle between the 20th Maine and the 15th Alabama, who want to know more about the post-war conflicts between General Joshua Chamberlain and "Colonel" Oates over the placement of monuments on the battlefield will find "Gettysburg Requiem" required reading.



2. Two men who have had a very significant impact on the Civil War as we know it today lived a century after it ended. Neither was a soldier; neither was a professional historian. Michael Shaara was a novelist. Ken Burns is a documentary filmmaker. As evidence of their influence, just take a look at that standard reference, Mark M. Boatner's Civil War Dictionary, first published in 1959. Look there to see what you can find out about William C. Oates, the colonel of the 15th Alabama who led the attack against the 20th Maine on Little Round Top. What will you find? Nothing. Oates isn't in the book. Now, however, nearly fifty years after Boatner compiled his dictionary, Oates is a very well known character to anyone who has read Shaara's book or seen Burns's Civil War series.
   This past summer the first full-length biography of Oates appeared, more than 400 pages about a man who never actually attained the rank of colonel, a man who was replaced as commander of the 15th Alabama after leading it for nearly two years, a man who fifty years ago did not warrant a footnote in one of the Civil War's standard reference works. So, does he warrant being the subject of a full-blown biography?
   You bet. Glenn W. Fantasie has done a terrific job of telling Oates's tale, and of using him as a tool to delve into the greater issues that filled Oates's own life and times. Oates's path through life was one that easily lends itself to the telling of a great story. He began as a hot-tempered brawler who frequented the small towns of pre-war Texas. He ended as a Southern politician who could actually entertain, and fight for, the idea of giving black men the vote. In between he raised a company to fight for the Confederacy, was brave to a fault (or so his men thought), lost an arm at Petersburg, served seven terms in Congress fighting against railroad land grants and for free silver, and one term as the governor of Alabama.
   As the title suggests, the cause of the Confederacy was not his only "lost cause," and it is by laying those others before us that Professor LaFantasie makes this biography so much more than just another biography about a Civil War soldier whose main attraction to an author is that he has not been written about before. Oates was a fascinating character. His constant desire to lead from the front made him a prominent figure throughout the times in which he lived. This fine biography does him the justice denied him in times past.



3. On July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, Confederate Lieutenant Colonel William C. Oates let his troops, the 15th Alabama, in the fateful and unsuccessful charge against Joshua Chamberlain and the 20th Maine on the far left of the Union line at Little Round Top. Chamberlain and the 20th Maine have become American heroes, but far less attention is given to Oates. In "Gettysburg Requiem" (2006) Glenn Lafantasie offers the first full-scale biography of Oates (1833 -- 1910). It is an intruiguing picture of a man and his times and of the changing South after the Civil War. LaFantasie is a professor of Civil War history and Director fo the Center for the Civil War in the West at Western Kentucky University. He is the author of "Twilight at Little Round Top", a book which focuses on the stuggle for this famous hill on the second day of Gettysburg.
   
   Oates lived a long and eventful life. He was raised in poverty. In his mid-teens, he fled Alabama to avoid prosecution for incidents resulting from what would become his lifelong propensity to violence. For several years, he lived the life of a wanderer in Texas and Louisiana. Oates returned to Alabama, disciplined himself, and became a successful attorney. An ardent Confederate, he raised a company, served with Stonewall Jackson, and with Lee, and participated in many important battles of the Civil War. He was wounded six times and ultimately lost his right arm. After the Civil War, Oates returned to Abbeyville, Alabama where he became wealthy through his law practice and land speculations. He served seven terms in the United States House of Representatives and one term as the Governor of Alabama. Oates was named a Brigadier General in the Spanish-American War, but he never saw combat in that conflict. In 1905, Oates published a book on which he had worked for years, "The War between the Union and the Confederacy and its Lost Opportunities."
   
   Lafantasie gives a full picture of Oates's career, and he describes Oates's character as well. Throughout his life, Oates was courageous, but he remained prone to violence. After losing his right arm late in the war, Oates fathered a child with a young African American woman who was his servant and was nursing him back to health. Later, Oates fathered another illigitimate child with an adolescent 14 years of age. At the age of 48, Oates married a young woman, "T" who was 19. The marriage was lasting (over 28 years) and Oates loved his family and supported the education of his children, including the two illigitimate sons, through college, graduate school, and successful careers. According to LaFantasie, Oates' life was driven by a desire to have power over others. He describes Oates as racist, sexist, and xenophobic. Yet he recognizes many fine qualities in his subject. In 1901, Oates acted courageously at the Alabama Constitutional Convention where he was in a distinct minority in opposing changes which led to the disenfranchismement of Alabama's black citizens.
   
   The best parts of this book are those which describe Oates's early rootless days of wandering in Texas and those which describe Oates's career in the Confederate Army. Lafantasie has a close, detailed knowledge of the fighting for Little Round Top. By focusing on Oates' role in the struggle, Lafantasie made the battle, and the combat between the 15th Alabama and the 20th Maine clearer to me than many accounts which try to discuss the totality of the action. Lafantasie convincingly shows that the Battle for Little Round Top was the pivotal event of Oates's life. Oates's younger brother, John, was fatally wounded in the fight for Little Round Top. John had been ill, and Oates tried to keep him out of the combat, but John insisted on moving forward. Oates never forgave himself. Many soldiers close to Oates died on the hill. Oates relived his brother's death, the terrible combat, and the failure to take Little Round Top many times during the ensuing 46 years of his life. He tried, unsuccessfully, to get a monument to the 15th Alabama at the point of their closest penetration of the Union position and he corresponded with his one-time foe, Joshua Chamberlain.
   
   Lafantasie also gives a good picture of the changes in the South following the Civil War as mirrored in Oates's long life and in his career as Congressman and governor. Oates became a proponent of the "Lost Cause" school of the Civil War, which romanticized the Old South and blamed the defeat of the Confederacy solely on the Union's superiority in numbers and material. Much in Oates life suggests he remained an unreconstructed Confederate to the end. But he did have moments, especially at the 1901 convention, that show he was finding his way to a different, broader view.
   
   It is good to have a biography of Oates. Lafantasie's study is thorough and well-documented. In places it is also polemical, insufficiently historical, and psychologistic, as Lafantasie criticizes sexist attitudes in the South, in particular, and is overly harsh in his speculations on the reasons underlying Oates' attraction to young women. Lafantasie also at times adopts the tone of a historical novel more than that of a history as he tries to read Oates's thoughts and mind in the absence of hard evidence. With these qualifications, I enjoyed and learned something about Oates, the Civil War and the post-Civil War South from reading this book. Readers with a deep interest in the Battle of Gettysburg or in the South after the Civil War will benefit from Lafantasie's study.
   
   Robin Friedman

3 comments about Pershing (Great Generals).

1. Pershing has always been an interest of mine, as I viewed him as the best forgotten general America has ever produced. The two best biographies prior to this were both huge multi-volume editions and I was a bit wary about anyone trying to capture Pershing and all of his many accomplishments in a single slim volume. However, Jim Lacey appears to have captured everything I would want covered and even presented a few priceless bits of information I had not seen elsewhere. For instance, he lays to rest a debate that has raged on the Internet and among historians as to whether Pershing ever condoned wrapping dead Islamic insurgents in pork skins to deter others. In summary, the book proceeds at a furious pace and truly brings Pershing to life. It is a must read for all historians, and for anyone else look for brilliant leadership study.



2. Author Jim Lacey clearly gives the GENERAL'S perspective of the events during Pershing's life. The reader gets no feeling of having been in the trenches although the general's perspective is presented quite well. The author, if he truly did set out to communicate only the view from above, was very successful and I do recommend this book for those who are interested in that angle.
   
   The clearest example of this bias is the campaign against the Moros in the Philippines. The slaughter was presented as always a necessary thing. It makes one wonder. Perhaps the reader who wishes a broader perspective of Pershing's professional activities should compare and contrast views by other historians as well.
   Paul Baum, Ph.D.
   Living Historyist
   Audrain County Historical Society



3. The author, Jim Lacey, does an outstanding job of capturing the history of one of the first great military leaders of the 20th Century, General Pershing. It is undeniable the mark that Pershing left on the military after WWI, giving the United States a huge advantage when it saw action again during World War II. Lacey does a fantastic job of telling the life story of Pershing in 193 easy-to-read pages. For any student of history, more specifically military history, this text is a must read.

5 comments about Churchill Wanted Dead Or Alive: Wanted Dead or Alive.

1. I am a great admirer of Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, and so being I read nearly every book that is published. As I write this Mr. Churchill was on the cover of one of our National Magazines last week, and the title was "The Last Hero". A man who is completing another biography of Mr. Churchill's life wrote the story inside.

   A book by his Granddaughter Celia Sandys could be easily dismissed as a biased treatment, a work lacking objectivity. I believe The Authoress did a remarkable job of adding to the Historical Record without being a revisionist in her Grandfather's favor or to his detriment.

   I have read Churchill's own accounts of the adventures contained in this book, and many other books written about this amazing story and I still would recommend it be added to any existing collection of Churchill books.

   Mrs. Sandys manages to bring to light new bits of information that at times reinforce the contemporary accounts, and at other moments confirm what might have been an Historical Embellishment passed down through the years. She portrays her Grandfather with candor, and shares the information she collected while reconstructing herself the trip that her Grandfather made so many years ago.

   Sir Winston Spencer Churchill M.P. has already taken his place in History. He was a man who seemed to know what destiny held for him, and also what History would say. He once said, "I know how History will remember me, as I shall write it." He once described the human race in the following terms, "We are all worms, but I believe I am a glow worm."

   A well written, balanced account of a small part of a life that was full of momentous moments. Mr. Churchill is unique as he is not just part of our History, he is History. That he is still quoted almost daily, new books continue to be written, and a College is to be built confirm this is true.

   When confronted with "if you were my Husband I would put poison in your soup", the retort, "if you were my wife I would eat it." Oh to be at that dinner.

   Thank you Mrs. Sandys.




2. This book presents several interesting vignettes relating to Churchill's life and activities during the South African "Boer" war, but overall I was disappointed, and finished wanting more. Overall, I thought this was rather superficial, and I didn't feel as tho I had gained any substantial insight into the life of one of the giants of the late 19th/early 20th century.



3. This time last year, appropriately enough, I was reading this book of Churchill's epic escape from the States Model School in Pretoria, an event that had happened 100 years earlier to the very day.The 12 December 1999 was also a day in which I lost a friend in a road accident, thus, the centennial anniversary date becomes etched with the personal. Churchill was clearly a larger-than-life figure all of his life as his grandaughter and author Celia Sandys clearly shows in this historical work in which she followed in his footsteps, visiting campsites, battlefields etc and speaking to descendants of friends and foes alike. Contrary to the assertions of some other reviewers it is a well written and enjoyable book. Some of the interesting vignettes include the detective work the author did on tracking down the gold watches that Churchill had sent to various people for their assistance in his escape from the Boers (or Afrikaners as they are known today). At the time of publication Mrs Sandys had located 6 of the 8 watches. Mrs Sandys is not afraid to challenge Churchill's assertions that he was captured by Gen. Louis Botha himself (later the Union's first Prime Minister, 1910-19)and she rightly dismisses talk that there was ever a romantic entanglement with Helen Botha , the General's daughter. The author is partly correct when she records that Churchill's "huge political ambitions demanded a wife who would be a political asset..." However, that would cut both ways, something Helen Botha alluded to 60 years later when she said it was unlikely that she could fall for him as she was "a Transvaaler." Her father and Churchill may have "got along famously" but it is the author who is disingenous, not Helen Botha, in considering that a personal political rapport could see the leader of the Afrikaner volk, or a member of his family, contemplate such a marriage -particularly after the deaths of some 26,000 Boer women and children in the world's first concentration camps - British concentration camps. Nevertheless, this is a good read about a remarkable soldier-stateman in his younger days. Enjoy.



4. This is the first book that I have ever read about Churchill, so I was very surprised to read example after example of his arrogance and his "at all times" sense of entitlement. His granddaughter (an obviously biased author) recited many of Churchill's actions during the Boer War as examples of his bravery and courage. I, however, interpreted these actions in quite a different manner. One example of Churchill's "bravery" was when his train was ambushed by Boer troops. The author described his behavior as brave and heroic, whereas I viewed his actions as a very calculated tactic for self-advacement. In fact, it was Churchill's fault that the train went so far into Boer territory in the first place--he wanted more information for his newspaper, and his subsequent actions only put the British troops in more danger. The book was also not well written or organized; it reminded me of reading a high school book report.



5. The author, Celia Sandys, is the subject's granddaughter. As such, she had access to papers, people, and places that few individuals have. She presents a view of the early Churchill (age 20-25) that gives one an objective glimpse of his early life, ambitions, and personality. She has done much field research by access to original papers, actual locations, and descendants of those who knew Churchill in his early 20s. Much of her research is centered in South Africa where the young Churchill had a yen for being where the action was in the Boer War, and having an inordinate amount of luck escaping death and danger. Additionally, she gives detailed maps of his movements, and tries to bridle some of his self-sustaining writings that could not be independently verified. This work should give any reader an understanding that Churchill's early years were a prelude to his more famous leadership role during the dark days of World War II. An excellent read.

5 comments about One Soldier's Story: A Memoir.

1. This is a nice story about one politician's experience in the war. This story shows his real personality behind all the publicity about his presidential runs. I gained new admiration for Dole. He not only has a sense of humor after his life crippling experience in WWII. Dole is shot and the bullet is lodged near his spine. He has difficulty using his hands and feet. Only his willpower prevented him from living a non productive experience the rest of his life. Dole gets some hand and feet motion, goes on to university and law school and represents his native Kansas in Washington. This is indeed a success story.
   
   The book is easily readable. One gets a new admiration for this politician when you read this book. A good read.



2. I knew that Bob Dole was injured in World War II but never knew where or how. I found his Memoir, "One Soldier's Story" interesting to read. Sharing his personal story of his rehabilitation gives one an appreciation for those who are recovering today from injuries that they have received in Iraq or Afghanistan. I'm glad that he didn't give up and took that "longest walk" and later became a U.S. Senator.
   
   My father was stationed not far from where Bob Dole was shot and did not know that Mr. Dole was one of the wounded passing by to the hospital. After my father read this book, his comment was "The 10th Mountain was a Great Division."
   
   Kathleen Thomas
   Author of "Don't Call Me Rosie, the Women who Welded the LSTs and the Men who Sailed on Them". Don't Call Me Rosie: The Women Who Welded the Lsts and the Men Who Sailed on Them



3. What an amazing person with a great story to tell. I was able to track him down and talk with him personnally and he truely is a hero.



4. I had long known that Bob Dole had been severely wounded during World War II and that he had learned to cope and advance his career despite his injuries. I had never realized that he had been wounded in his first action in Italy; nor did I appreciate the scope of his medical treatments and rehabilitation efforts. This book and Bob Dole's injuries have great relevance for the families of those injured in current wars. Bob's efforts and subsequent achievements should inspire hope in those individuals and families currently affected.



5. great history read; truly inspirational. Should be read by all in the health professions as well as WWII veterans and their family members. Anyone suffering from chronic pain----and their families-----should read this book. I did it in one sitting.

No comments about Cairo: June, 1967: A Dangerous Place For An American.

5 comments about Patton: Ordeal and Triumph.

1. A very good book- You really get to know the man-



2. I have enjoyed each page of this book. The information is enlightening and the tempo of the book invigorating.
   A must read.



3. This was an enjoyable read as well as an excellent military history. Farago took a complex and mythologized character (Patton) in a complex military and political environment ( WWII) and wrote a history that reads like a novel. It comes close to the can't-put-it-down category. The paperback edition would have been improved by maps such as those found in the other excellent read, "A Soldier's Story" by Omar Bradley. It is more readable than Carlo D'Este's "A Genius for War" but focuses more on the military aspects of Patton's life.
   Farago portrays Patton as a general who was shrewd and instinctive and well studied in the art of war. He was deeply patriotic and a devoted to his Army . Despite his trials under the cautious leadership of Bradley and Eisenhower he never lost respect for either. His opinion of Montgomery was higher than most popular history would have us believe as well. His main problem with Monty was not Monty's ego but Monty's inability to get the job done as happened in Sicily, Falaise and Arnhem. Patton's faults and eccentricities get popular attention but his virtues as a combat leader and tactician far out weighed any of that. Had he been let loose in Europe the war would unquestionably have ended sooner. He could never have filled the shoes of Ike or Bradley but he was among a very small number of Allied generals including Hodges, Middleton, Patch and Simpson who knew that aggression wins wars. My father who served with Patton in North Africa and Sicily never liked the man but he respected the general. Watch the movie that was based on this book, but if you really want to understand a military genius read "Patton - Ordeal and Triumph".



4. "Patton: Ordeal and Triumph" is a full life biography of one of the most colorful and successful officers ever to wear the uniform of the United States. It claims to be the book on which the movie was based and many of the anecdotes so beloved in the movie are presented in the book, although, occasionally, with slightly different details.
   
   Author Ladislas Farago informs the reader of Patton's ancestry, beginning with his immigrant ancestor who, presumably, left Scotland to avoid debtors, justice, or both. He continues with the Congressman and series of generals, including ones who died in the Revolution and Civil War, in Patton's line. He brings us to the subject who, he tells us, grew up on a ranch in California, where he made the acquaintance of Rudyard Kipling and John S. Mosby.
   
   Patton's own tale is larger than life. His days at VMI and West Point are mentioned, but they are not the focus of the story. The focus is Patton's active duty career. He saw action with Pershing in Mexico and World War I, where he was introduced into the world of armored warfare.
   
   This book enables the reader to understand the crucial role which Patton, in cooperation with Eisenhower and others, played in bringing tanks into the American arsenal. Having taken command of the tank corps in World War I, he tested its potentials. Between the wars he maintained his research into armor, preparing for the day when the U.S. Army would embrace the weapon.
   
   Throughout this work, Patton is shown as a leader whose dash and unconventional behavior is the key to his notoriety and success. In his first tank action, at St. Mihiel, Patton incurred the wrath of his superiors by extending his attack far beyond its expectations in a spectacular, but undisciplined advance. His performance in the 1941 maneuvers in Tennessee would lead to instructions for the famous Louisiana maneuvers later that year to "Not let Patton run wild again." Despite the efforts of the judges to restrain him, he did "run wild", ending each part of the Louisiana maneuvers prematurely.
   
   Patton's high point was, of course, World War II. He entered it as field commander of the first major American force to see action in the war, the Western Task Force in the invasion of French North Africa, Operation Torch. This was an operation of diplomacy, not one of dash and maneuver. Predictably, Patton's performance was less impressive than later efforts would be. It was not until he was advanced to command of II Corps, after the disaster at Kasserine, that Patton's emphasis on training and spirit would begin to yield the results for which he became famous.
   
   Patton's next theatre of operations was the Sicilian invasion. It was here that his rivalry with Field Marshall Montgomery, which would continue to the end of the war, began. Here theme of Montgomery slugging it out with the best that the enemy had to offer while Patton made rapid advance against light opposition was born. It was in Sicily, too, that the slapping incidents, which would plague Patton and the American war effort, occurred.
   
   With the conclusion of the Sicilian campaign, Patton was transferred to England where he distracted the German's with his Phantom Army while others prepared for action. It was not until the month after D-Day that Patton began his legendary command of the Third Army and its dramatic sweep across France into Bavaria and Czechoslovakia. Throughout this Patton would be in constant battle with Eisenhower and Montgomery for supplies, almost as much as he was with the Germans for prisoners and territory.
   
   The last days of Patton are shown as a discouraging wind down of the career of a general who predicted that: "Peace will be hell on me." The inability to obtain a combat command in the Pacific reflected Patton's standing among many of his fellow officers. His failure as Military Governor of Bavaria illustrated the weakness of his political skills.
   
   Farago provides the reader x with an introduction, later efforts into the order of battle, but also into the complex character interactions among the leading personae dramatae. The deteriorating relationships between Patton and Eisenhower, as Patton's indiscretions created repeated distractions for Ike, are contrasted with the improving relations between Patton and Bradley as Bradley, originally disgusted by Patton's bravado, gradually came to appreciate Patton's aggressiveness in contrast to the comparative lethargy of Montgomery.
   
   You see how much I was excited by this book. I read this in preparation for a one night continuing ed class about Patton. It provided me with most of what I needed to know in order to teach the class. I am well satisfied with the way it covered its subject. I am confident that you will be also.



5. This thick book has larger typeface than the small paperback I read years ago, however the binding was poor quality and during the first reading the spine cracked open in the middle despite my careful handling of the book. It's an open question whether I got a lemon or this publisher's work is shoddy, but there it is. The book itself is highly readable and Ladislas Farago does a good job in balancing anecdotes with stating historical facts to keep the reader entertained while informed as well.

No comments about Air Combat: A History of Fighter Pilots.

4 comments about Valley of the Shadow: After the Turmoil, My Heart Cries No More.

1. The years of World War II were terrible indeed. During those seven years, millions of innocent people (and some not so innocent) died. Yet, with the arrival of V-E Day, many assumed that the years of death and destruction of innocent people in Europe were over. Strangely, for many, the suffering was only beginning. Beginning in 1945, Europe saw the largest forced migration of its population in history as 11,700,000 people were evicted from their homes where their families had lived for up to 700 years. Of this number, 2,100,000 died en route. Among those deported were 3,000,000 Sudetenlanders, who were expelled from Czechoslovakia and sent to Germany after experiencing many attrocities, and the death of 267,000 of them. The story of these Sudetenlanders is told in Erich Anton Helfert's autobiography, "Valley of the Shadow." If you have any interest in the history of post-World War II Europe, you may enjoy (although that is probably not the right word) Erich Helfert's book. It reads like a novel, but one is warned in the beginning that everything described happened as described. I commend it to you.



2. I feel very greatful to the author for telling his families story to us. My mother was a child when her family was given the choice to either leave or die. Her parents avoided talking about the terrible journey on foot from the Sudentenland to Germany. The few fragments I know from their tragedy resonate with the story E. A. Helfert has documented in his sensitive and enlighting book. He has experienced the terrors caused by mens irresistible urge of indiscriminate revenge and his story is a warning from history. Yet his story is also one of hope and faith in the good qualities of human mankind. And when these qualities manage to surface in the midst of terror and dispair then they appear like loving miracles. I wished that more people of his generation would write down their lifes' story, so the younger generation can break this cycle of revenge and make miracles.



3. According to the estimates of the Goverment of Germany and many mainstream historians such as William Shirer at least 12 million Germans and an untold number of Poles, Ukranians, Russians and citizens of the Baltic states were expelled from their homes in the wake of World War II. Almost 3.3 million Germans were expelled from the Sudatenland, the rest being expelled principaly from East Prussia, Pomerania and Silesia. This land was carved up by Joseph Stalin. He took part for himself including Northern East Prussia and the city of Koenigsberg, today Kaliningrad. The rest was given to Poland as partial compensation for lands taken by Stalin when he invaded Poland in September 1939, after making a secret pact with Hitler. These lands were than "awarded" to Stalin by the victorious Allies in 1945. Most of the German civilian casualties in these expulsions were women, children and the elderly. There was neither plebecite nor self-determination for any of the peoples involved. The loftly principles of Great Britian and France, going to war to ensure "Poland's Territorial integrity" as well as the aims of the Atlantic Charter signed by the U.S. were discarded. Hitler's methods of ethnic cleansing and forced deportations of civilians that were condemned, justly so, as war crimes at the Nuremberg Trials were embraced by his enemies after the war. The history of the brutal acts of Hitler's regime has been told and hopefully will never be forgotten. This book "Valley of the Shadow" attempts to shed light on events that today are seldom discussed and carefully avoided in many academic circles as well as some history books in the west. My father was born in the German Sudatenland in the town of Graslitz, (than under Austria) in 1918. His people were denied self-determination promised by the treaty of Versailles and by fiat forced to live as second-class citizens in a new multi-ethnic state, Czechoslovakia, created by the Allied powers after World War I. The swift and final dissolution and separation of Czechoslovakia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia ten years ago is certainly evidence that the Germans were not the only group unwilling to live under Czech rule. The president of the Czech Republic, Vaclev Havel, has called on his people to critically examine their own history. He, amid a storm a criticism from some of his people, among others, has apologized for the expulsions, calling them a war crime. It is time for those who read books that painfully recount tragic events to decide whether they themselves truly reject Hitler's methods or embrace them selectively. I hope this book engenders discussion and thought provoking debate as well as further study of World war II and its terrible toll on the Sudaten Germans along with millions of others who suffered and died at the hands of Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. Christian Anton Lehrer, M.A.



4. My mother's family are ethnic Germans from Slovakia, and the book touched me personally. For the overall framework, check Alfred de Zayas. By the way, the Prague University was closed for students after riots in 1940 for the time of the war, not because of anti-Slav prejudice (for Hitler, Czechs were half-German anyway, and indeed they are, and most Germans from the Sudetenland and Slovakia are heavily intermarried with Slavs as well), the Czech Protectorate government under pres. Hacha collaborated beautifully (the Czech part was not treated like Poland, but like France under Vichy), esp. the Vlajka, the Czech fascist movement under general Radola Gajda, there was a Czech armed force of 8,000 men, virtually no German soldiers in the countryside, and the food situation was far superior to Germany itself after 1943.

   Edvard Benes, to justify his blood-orgies against civilians, spoke of 50,000 Czech victims of the war, including Czech workers killed by Allied bombs while working in Germany. He did not claim "300.000." For 250,000 of these were Roma (kept in a camp in Lety created by the Czech government before the occupation in March 1939, and staffed throughout the war by Czech personnel), and Jews, many of whom did not feel "Czech" but as ethnic Jews, Magyar or German, and witnessed this in the 1930 Census. Indeed, Jews who survived the Nazi camps and returned were expelled as well if in 1930 they had (the census asked among else about nationality, which in Europe means ethnicity), declared themselves of Magyar or German ethnicity. Seems somewhat ghoulish to suddenly use these Germans and Magyars (Hungarians) of Jewish faith as excuse for the butchering of the native German population.

   Not enough Americans know about these terrible events, and the author has done a great service in writing this for an English-speaking audience.

1 comments about What Death More Glorious: A Biography of General Strong Vincent.

1. What Death More Glorious, by James Nevins is the only definitive biography ever written on General Strong Vincent. This book takes the life of Vincent from childhood to death, and focuses on his integral role in the Civil War battle of Gettysburg during July of 1863. Vincent has never recieved the recognition that he deserves until now. This well-written text is suitable for all ages; even if you're not a history buff it is an extremely enjoyable read and highly recommended

5 comments about Generals in Blue: Lives of the Union Commanders.

1. Like it's companion, Generals in Gray, Ezra has done an excellent job in giving short biographies on all the Union generals, with a picture of each general included. An excellent reference guide for your Civil War library.



2. Like Generals in Gray, I have often referred to Generals in Blue as an excellent reference over the years.

   Warner presents a brief biography of each general usually including the following information:

   1. Birthplace and birthdate.
   2. Prewar career.
   3. Battles served in, promotions, wounding and death (if applicable).
   4. Postwar career.
   5. Relationships with other generals and officers.
   6. Death and place of burial.
   7. Mention of the officer's competency (or lack thereof).

   Whether you are a serious student of the Civil War or a novice, I highly recommend the book as an excellent reference!




3. and yet also surprisingly entertaining. I find it rather compelling actually. A few years ago this was my preferred reading on nights when I couldn't sleep...the individual bios were gripping and informative, but not too much to bite off. Warner's perspective is kinda old-school; I am a bit leery of his dismissal of the contributions of some of these officers to Reconstruction in the South. But mostly he is fair if a bit acerbic in his assessments. The pictures are entertaining in themselves, as well. The facial hair in that era! Comparing and contrasting the mustaches and beards of Ambrose Burnside, George McClellan, Ulysses Grant, and Egbert G. Brown might require a book in itself, but Warner does an invaluable job bringing so much material together.



4. I agree with the other reviewers who say that Ezra Warner's Generals in Blue is an essential resource for Civil War buffs. Whether you're in need of the basic biography of familiar generals, or want some quick and convenient background on an unfamiliar name, Generals in Blue is the place to go. I use it so often that I don't even bother reshelving it anymore.
   
   But the volume is more than just a reference book. It's also an existential document that evokes a lot of pathos from the reader. By far the greater number of generals discussed weren't regular army officers. Like their troops, they were volunteers--civilians suddenly wrested from the normal course of life and thrown into battle with, frequently, very little training and no experience. Many of them were wounded; some were killed; some were so incompetent that they got lots of foot soldiers killed; some were heroes; some rogues; a very few were pretty old, but many were little more than boys (Custer, for example, was generaled at the age of 25); some were shattered by their experiences in the war; some coarsened. Reading their biographies and contemplating their photographs go a long way towards putting faces to anonymous battle descriptions.
   
   Too bad there aren't similar compilations of ordinary soldiers.



5. Its a good bok to look what a general and a brigadier officers life and military duty.So I recommended this book to all fans of the Civil War.