1 comments about Davy Crockett.

1. Some have complained, over the years, that this book was more novel than biography. Okay, then... what a great NOVEL! This was in my elementary school library in Elgin, AZ, and if I'd studied my textbooks like I studied this, I might have been a MONSTER! Connie Roarke made a great book, and I bless her name for it!

   BONUS: Read how Davy was a true Small-government conservative in the Jacksonian (read that "Proto-Clintonian") big-government epoch! It's the true hero tale of the book!

   Al

1 comments about The Women's War in the South: Recollections and Reflections of the American Civil War.

1. This great book tells the often overlooked women's stories from the American Civil War. Even more specific, it focuses entirely on Southern women from that era, who wrote vivid descriptions of life on the homefront during the bloodiest war in American history. From brave spies like Rose Greenhow to nurses like Emily Mason, their stories are all collected here. There's also a chapter on Loreta Velazquez, a Cuban woman who disguised herself as a man "Lieut. Harry T, Buford" and served as a courier for (Confederate) General Barnard Bee during the Battle of Bull Run on July 21, 1861! After the battle she even asked General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson for a promotion! There are also stories about women during the sieges of Vicksburg and Charleston as well as the infamous Richmond "Bread Riot" in 1863 (not a proud moment for the Southern belles!). There's a short but interesting section on "Stonewall" Jackson's widow, Mary Anna Morrison. Southern women were very passionate about "the Cause" and even in the war's final months many still hoped for a Confederate victory. Without a doubt, they made a huge impact on the morale of the Confederate troops as well as the war effort, with thousands working in factories and hospitals. During the first day of the Battle of Nashville on Dec. 15, 1864, Confederate and Union cavalry were fighting on the Belle Meade mansion's front yard, and throughout the fierce fighting Miss Selene Harding was seen standing on the front porch of the mansion, waving her handkerchief and urging the Southerners to defeat the "Yankees". This is just one example of the devotion felt by virtually all Southern women to the Confederacy. This book is well-written and well-organized, starting with a female witness to John Brown's Raid and ending with the trial of Mrs. Surratt (the Lincoln Assassination). This book is very helpful in understanding more about the Confederate "spirit" and is highly recommended to all Civil War buffs.

2 comments about The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore, C.S.A..

1. This book is a must read. A refreshing glimpse into the adventures of a Western Theater Quartermaster. Obviously intense and very thorough research was done editing these memoirs. Dr. Bergeron is indeed a premier Civil War historian.



2. Grisamore's memoir is an important source of information on the Western and Trans-Mississippi theaters of the Civil War. Because he was a quartermaster, his story is a unique one because few quartermaster officers left memoirs. The book is full of humor as well as little known episodes of the war. Grisamore was a native of Indiana but felt strongly enough about the Confederate war effort to join the army and risk his life.

5 comments about The Gettysburg Gospel: The Lincoln Speech That Nobody Knows.

1. I remember having to memorize The Gettysburg Address in elementary school as part of my history class. This books contains a lot of documents from eye witnesses who were present several days before the dedication through several days after Lincoln's famous speech.
   
   This book is very educational and a few parts gets a little boring, but overall it is worth the read. I believe all school children should be required to memorize and give the speech in class like I had too. Properly educating children on historical American facts are so important today. We have too many liberals trying to re-write our history.



2. I found this an interesting, but possibly flawed book.
   
   The history and detail was fascinating, as was the examination (and inclusion!) of Everett's speech, of which I'd heard, but had never read. The description of Gettysburg immediately after the battle, and in the days surrounding the dedication ceremony was truly a window into another era.
   
   However, as the book continued, and the instances of "Good, God fearing Republicans, struggling to save the country" and "Bad, pro-slavery/appeasement-minded Democrats not caring about the Union" mounted, I felt I was reading a political text that was slanted to support the current national situation, and not a dispassionate historical examination of the events of a century and a half gone. Other reviewers have mentioned this occurance as an interetsing coincidence. Even though I'm a Republican, I was jarred by the tone.
   
   As a result, my enjoyment of the book was lessened, as was my trust of the text and the author's use selected references.
   
   An interesting book, but too interpretive for my tastes. Read it, but have a pinch of salt ready.



3. It truly is amazing that so many words and books can be written about a speech that is but 272 words long. Gabor Boritt's book is an enjoyable and easy read on Lincoln's most famous speech.
   Much of the book deals with the immediate aftermath of the terrible Gettysburg battle with the author painting a vivid picture of the terrible scene which must have greeted the eye on July 4th.
   It is interesting that the famous address did not get immediate general approval. Boritt shows that the speech was almost forgotten until the 1880's.
   As with most Lincoln supporters, the author attempts to show that the speech was not written on the train to Gettysburg and that Lincoln gave the speech considerable thought. The truth is no one knows, but a good argument can be made for the proposition that Lincoln must have given it little thought prior to the event. Who in their right mind is going to travel from Washington to Gettysburg and DECIDE to present an address of only 272 words. The words came from the heart and from years of experience and empathy. Just as Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was somewhat spontaneous (although a very similar speech was presented at Cobo Hall, Detroit some weeks previously), there is strong circumstantial evidence that Lincoln put this speech together at short notice.
   I have no idea why the book is sub-titled "The Lincoln Speech that Nobody Knows," but Boritt does provide a number of slightly different versions of the speech in the appendix. Most of the differences are minor to put it mildly. The author's description of how the speech initially got little response but grew to be appreciated over time to be a work of genius is well developed.
   Paradoxically, the most enjoyable section of the book is the full text of Edward Everett's speech which I read fully for the first time. You can appreciate why Everett was seen as a great orator because of his ability to paint pictures with words although his two hour address can hardly be described as uplifting. Almost all of the speech was taken up with a chronological history of the events at Gettysburg (spoken from memory) and the aging orator failed to properly commend and eulogize the thousands who had given their life on the adjacent battlefield.
   The book has copious appendices, bibliography, notes which provide a rich resource for serious students of Lincoln and Gettysburg. Overall, an enjoyable not too studious read on the topic.



4. The Gettysburg Address was delivered by President Abraham Lincoln on November 19, 1863. The battle had been fought in July but now a National Cemetery was to dedicated honoring the Union dead who had died that the United States might live.
   What a day it was ! A beautiful autumn crisp with the promise of a warm sky sailing serenly over the sight of the bloodiest batlle in American history. A day when the renowned orator Edward Everett spoke for over two hours drawing analogies between Gettysburg and those men who died to preserve Athenian democracy. Everett gave a detailed account of the battle emphasizing the legitimacy of the Union effort. He also spoke with insight on the superiority of the federal government to which the individual states pledged their loyalty.
   And then...after the bands and the songs, the prayers and the cheers were silent the sixteenth President of the United States rose to speak. He had a mild form of smallpox; had lost his son Willie to death in the White House and had a son Tad who was ill back home in Washington DC.
   Lincoln spoke his 272 words concluding with his immortal words, "''that the goverment of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."
   Lincoln drew on a lifetime of study to produce this masterpiece. The Declaration of Independence; the oratory of Webster and Clay, Shakespeare and the Bible all played a role in his crafting of the speech. If the Emancipation Proclamation was prose genius then the Gettysburg Address is poetry sublime in its assertion of indivdual freedom and the right of human beings to breathe free air.
   The speech was neglected, for the most part, by contemporary press accounts. Only in the 1880s when the movement to reconcile NOrth and South picked up steam did it take on an importance in the American heart that has never been usurped, The GA inspired black fighters for Civil Rights as the twentieth century led to a cry for racial equality in our nation. Men like Martin Luther King Jr and Nelson Mandela in South Africa were inspired by Lincoln's words.
   Boritt's book is divided into several sections. The first two hundred pages deal with the account of the night and the day Lincoln spent in Gettysburg in 1863. We learn of the horrific battlefield casualties and see closeup the preparations made and the carrying out of the ceremony on November 19th. Other sections deal with the five authentic copies of the Gettysburg Address; the complete text of Edward Everett's two hour oration that day; an extensive bibliography and notes. Professor Boritt also shows us pictures of the drafts as written in longhand by Lincoln.
   The book is also a fascinating look into how the Gettysburg Address achieved mythic fame since it was first uttered on that November day. In a moving final chapter we read the address in the context of a 9-11 obervance of the attack on the World Trade Center.
   As long as our United States lives we all pray that the Gettysburg Address will be there to inspire us to work for equality and justice for all of our citizens regardless of race, religion or political affiliation.
   Boritt is one of the best scholars on the life of Lincoln and the Civil War era. Anyone who teaches the Civil War in the classroom should make use of this outstanding work of scholarship and love.



5. Boritt's 'Gettysburg Gospel' is one of the very few Civil War books that I could not get into. Stylistically, this book is way too haphazard and unorganized to be considered one of the best books in the Lincoln cannon. Boritt falls into the trap that Garry Wills fell into in his "Lincoln at Gettysburg." The two authors try to be over-elegant and verbose because their book itself is about one of the greatest triumphs of the English language rather then a singular event. Boritt (and Wills for that matter) would be better to just write in a plain, inelegant fashion without the grossly excessive verbiage which permeates this book. Wills, in all fairness, can get away with it, but the more academic Boritt has a difficult time indeed. For example, Boritt writes early on in describing the dead on the battlefield: "Others even pulled bodies from shallow graves. A weapon is worth a great deal. Who cares who the dead man was? Who was it? Dead." This kind of useless prose brings the momentum of this book down time and time again.
   
   For Civil War enthusiasts themselves, many already knew that Everett went on for a very long time before Lincoln delivered his address. One of the things that surprised me was the lack of analysis of the address itself. That disappointed me because the book was subtitled as: `The Lincoln Speech Nobody Knows." In order to get a fresh analysis that Wills does not offer in his book, the reader will have to turn to the appendix to get the several versions of the address. Overall, more focus and less sentimentality would have made for a leaner, more coherent account of the making of the address and it's meaning through the last 140 years.

2 comments about Lee the American.

1. Robert E. Lee remains one of the most well-studied men in the history of the world. This fine book was first published in 1912; it has, of course, been superseded by "R.E. Lee", Douglas Southall Freeman's definitive four volume work. Even when written, it was far from the first study of General Lee. But, this was the first biography by a Yankee, a highly distinguished author from Massachusetts. Dr. Bradford's people had fought against General Lee...removed from the veneration shown by some of our Southern authors, including Dr. Freeman, the respect of the author for his subject is all the more impressive.
   
   The work is divided into sections, chronological, and by subject. Lee's early years, and service in Mexico, are well covered. The agony that General Lee faced when following Virginia out of the Union is poignant. Dr. Bradford earned my respect by stating that he hoped he would have the courage to follow Massachusetts if ever faced with the choice. Various aspects of Lee's relationships during the war are covered by section...his dealings with Jeff Davis, the civil government, the Army, his family, Stonewall Jackson. There is a superb chapter on just how the General approached a battle, though this is not a comprehensive military history. See "Lee's Lieutenants".
   
   General Lee was a difficult man to know, which Dr. Bradford points out quite well. He suffered a miserable marriage, which the author is decent enough to keep quiet. A whole chapter is given to Lee's profound Christian faith, the real secret of how he kept going. His years at Washington College [now Washington and Lee] are impressively studied; he wanted to help young men be good citizens of one nation.
   
   This is an excellent, though short, work. It should not be anybody's first, or only, study of General Lee; Dr. Freeman took care of that. It may be tough to find [I got mine in the NPS bookstore at Appomattox]. Still, if you want a well written, respectful, and fairly complete, study of the greatest soldier who ever lived, it will well repay your time.



2. This book differs from the many, many biographies of Lee in that it focuses on his psyche rather than his experiences. The author attemps to analyze the character himself in his various roles as soldier, leader, husband, father, private citizen, university president, etc. The writing style did not please me as much as the content. It was interesting to see the different facets of the man presented separately and with supporting documentation from Lee's own recorded words and the anecdotes of others. For those who cannot get enough of Robert E. Lee, this a good addition to the bookshelf.

1 comments about The Most Glorious Fourth: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4, 1863.

1. I agree with(another reviewer)about the error concerning the number of Union corps at Gettysburg. Early in the book, the author has General Meade meeting with his 12 corps commanders. Then later he mentions a total of 16 corps. Actually, there were 7. The first, second, third, fifth, eleventh and twelfth. Otherwise, a rousing story. He also was too critical of General James Longstreet, who, along with Hancock, were the two best corps commanders on the field.

No comments about Of Love and War: The Civil War Letters and Medicinal Book of Augustus V. Ball.

4 comments about Soldier of Tennessee: General Alexander P. Stewart and the Civil War in the West.

1. Lieutenant General Alexander P. Stewart may well be the least known high ranking officer of the Civil War. {? Sam Cooper ?} A native of Tennessee who graduated from West Point, he left the Army to become a college professor in order to provide more income , and stability, for his family. When war came, there was no hesitation; Stewart followed the South, soon earned General's stars, and served with distinction from the early days to Joe Johnston's final surrender in North Carolina.
   
   Sam Elliott has given us a wonderful account of the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee, and General Stewart's part in them. Stewart remains unknown because he was a quiet man who did his job, and left the political infighting to others. During the Bragg debacle, he got along with both sides. Today, the E-Ring at the Pentagon is populated with men like Stewart, equally unknown, but indispensable. The Tennessee Campaign of fall, 1864, gets good coverage, including Stewart's participation at Spring Hill and Franklin.
   
   When the war ended, General Stewart rejoined the Union, and encouraged his men to do the same. Returning to Education, he had a distinguished tenure as Chancellor at Ole Miss. Many today are unaware of the debt we owe to Stewart, and some other leaders from both sides [prominantly General Rosecrans].....the wonderful system of National Battlefield Parks was the result of their hard work. Begining with Chickmauga, the system has spread and become a priceless treasure.
   
   This fine book closes with what is, for me, the most disturbing fate to befall any of the Confederacy's officers. I can not explain how a committed Christian, and a well grounded Calvinist, could do what he did. I have discussed this with the author, and he has no explanation, either. My own theory is that Stewart [a] wasn't really well grounded-I dismiss that, or, [b] became unhinged from his wife's death and/or the effects of old age. In any event, the close marrs an otherwise great book. That, however, is General Stewart's fault, not Sam Elliott's. Great book about a subject who, despite his tragic late life decision, deserves to be much better known.



2. Confederate General Alexander P. Stewart is revered by today's WATCHTOWER SOCIETY and its JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES members as the only U.S. Civil War General to convert to their belief system. Stewart joins President Dwight Eisenhower and U.S. Army General William P. Hall as the only three West Point educated American Generals who were either reared (Eisenhower) as JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES or converted later in life (Stewart and Hall).As documented in pages 297-9 of this book, the JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES Founder Charles Taze Russell absented himself for two days from the middle of the annual WatchTower Convention in 1908 so he could travel to St. Louis and preside over Stewart's Funeral, which was conducted with full Confederate honors and regalia by the Confederate Veterans. General Alexander P. Stewart's baptism into the JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES religion was reported in the October 1, 1905 issue of the WATCHTOWER magazine: "We had a warm welcome at St. Louis, too, and the attendance was excellent, notwithstanding the fact that we did not get the announcement into the WATCH TOWER, and hence but few came from nearby towns. The morning session was in the "Christian Church" edifice. The topic was "Consecration," and following it nine symbolized full consecration by water baptism. Among the number was Brother Alexander Stewart, well known throughout the South for the active and prominent part he took in the war of the Rebellion, as the leader of "Stewart's Cavalry." General Stewart is of advanced years, but clear of intellect. He has been a "soldier of the Cross" for some time, and deeply interested in "Present Truth" for several years. He expected to be symbolically baptized at the time of the Chattanooga Convention, but was prevented by ill health. After leaving the water Brother Stewart was heard to express great satisfaction at having thus outwardly confessed his blessed Lord and his full devotion to Him and His cause. Brother Stewart already had joined the army of the Lord, but by this act of public confession he, so to speak, donned his regimentals and joined the forces "on the firing line." May he loyal prove and true to the end of the way, and with all the faithful receive the crown of life which fadeth not away. How sectional lines, race and party prejudices and all the distinctions of wealth and fame gradually fade from the minds of those who become by God's grace and truth members prospective of the royal priesthood, the holy nation, the peculiar people, called for a purpose, even to show forth the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his marvellous light! With this erstwhile warrior, but more recently college president and later U.S. Commissioner, none others of the nine were of the same rank or education, yet they all were on the same level of divine mercy through Christ -- justified and sanctified through the grace of our Lord. The assorted company well illustrated the Apostle's words, "Not many great, not many wise, not many learned, hath God chosen." One of these nine was a child of twelve years, a very unusual sight with us. Child though she was she gave good evidence of a clear appreciation of what she did, so that we could not question her acceptability with the Lord. We could not help a mental reflection on how extremes meet in the family of God -- in the body of Christ. The tall man, full of years and ripe in the learning of this world, and the little girl, on the threshold of life every way, had both heard the voice of Jesus say, Come unto me and have your sins forgiven, and find rest for your souls and find eternal life. "All of the Lord's followers meet on this common level. "All ye are brethren," "One is your Master, even Christ." Some may have almost envied the great man, but we doubt not he almost envied the little child, who, starting thus early to follow the footsteps of Jesus, had apparently reached nearly the same point at the same time by the shorter journey. "They that seek me early shall find me" -- the more easily. Nevertheless, the General's learning and influence may be turned to the greater advantage if wisely used in the service of our King. May he, may we all, prove faithful to the cause of him who loved us and bought us with his precious blood."



3. It IS about time General Stewart gets some press. As stated in this wonderful book there are Colonels in Lee's army that are better known than this man who was one of the ranking generals in the Confederate army. At Franklin Stewart helped lead a far larger and more deadly charge than the famous July 4th, 1863 charge at Gettysburg, yet very few people know of him. As the campaigns of the Army of Tennessee begin to gain further study maybe this will change. This book should help a great deal.

   From his birth in Rogersville, Tennessee until his death in St. Louis Stewart always remained at heart a Tennessean and his dedication to his state led him into all of the major battles of the Army of Tennessee. Nobody who studies that army can do so without a study of "Old Straight". This book does a wonderful job of exploring the life, war experences,and post-war work of this deeply religious man.

   There are only two small problems with this work. First, Mr. Elliott sometimes goes a little far in defending Stewart. The picture he paints of the political strife in the Army of Tennessee is very clear but on occasion he goes a little out of his way to point out how little Stewart was involved in these political battles. It might be more to Stewart's credit if he had been a little more involved in trying to remove General Bragg before more damage could be done. The other problem is one faced by many writers dealing with war. Most readers get quickly lost as a writer begins to relate how this regiment was placed here and that regiment was placed there. Worse yet is the practice of describing an action in detail with terms like "Jones attacked on Smith's left which was countered by moving Brown......". Soon the reader who often has never heard of these regimental or division commanders becomes confused and is not sure who is fighting who or which side anybody is on. Can it be avoided? I don't know but it does weaken this fine work somewhat.

   Still, anyone who hopes to understand the "other" major Confederate army must read this book. Mr. Elliott has made a major contribution to the study of the Army of Tennessee and I thank him.




4. Sam Elliott has brought to life an overlooked general from the Confederacy. As the highest ranking officer to serve the South from Tennessee, General Alexander P. Stewart was one of the few and lucky individuals to survive the entire western campaign. Soldier of Tennessee gives the reader a wonderful cronological look at the war in Tennessee and intoduces us to one of the most respected men in the Southern army. Not only does Elliott present a thorough description of most of the western campaigns, but he is also able to capture the human struggle of a battered Confederate army. This is a must for any Civil War enthusiast.

1 comments about Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison.

1. I thought that this book was wonderful, it's content was direct and to the point while still telling a wonderful story of this woman's struggles of keeping secrect among the Union soldiers. I love this story and I would recomend it to anyone that has an inerest in the Civil War.

5 comments about The Custer Myth: A Source Book of Custeriana (The Custer Library).

1. It was great to find a book published well over 50 years ago, so I could see what "spin" the author had on the battle. Surprisingly, the author did not laud Custer--the title comes from the author's belief that Custer was more made up than real. The author, though retired military, made what appeared to be a fair attempt to reconstruct the attacks from the Indian's point of view. The book does not compare to "Lakota Noon" in analysis, but the author states at the beginning he is just presenting the facts as reported by others. The book also contained other interesting information from Sitting Bull that even my boss, a Lakota, had not seen. Be warned, though: It's a long book with a lot of self-serving statements by Army officers.



2. It is my opinion that the three most famous battlefields on US soil are (in no particular order) the Little Big Horn, Gettysburg, and the Alamo. Each has a legion of students and enthusiasts accompanied by a number of printed resources. Stackpole Books has added to the printed resources on the Little Big Horn with its' collection of books known as The Custer Library. The most important of these books, in my opinion, is "The Custer Myth" It contains just about all of the available first person accounts of the battle known to exist. Many of the accounts are rather short but all are interesting. For the "Last Stand" buffs, it is like waking up on Christmas morning to find that you got everything you wanted except actual newsreel footage. For the casual observer of the subject, this may be the downfall of the book. After all, the stories greatly overlap and repeat each other. In doing so, they add another dimension of personalizing the battle even more. No Custer enthusiast should be without this book and no private library of American History is complete without it either. Do yourself a favor and add it to your library as well.



3. This book gives no definitive answers on the biggest puzzles of Little Big Horn ... which is its greatest strength. By pulling together all the available testimony, from both sides and all angles, it's proof of how 'the fog of war' -- as well as participants' own agendas -- makes any battle more confusing to its participants than to those who come after. For the reader, piecing together the conflicting accounts, and assessing the characters/viewpoints/axes-to-grind of those giving them, it's a total immersion not just in the facts but in the feelings, prejudices and atmosphere of the time. A wonderful book. And one that should be basic training for every student of history, whatever their period. This is how history is.



4. This is Graham's great collction of testimonies about Custer and the Little Big Horn from the Sioux, Cheyene, Rees, Crows, scouts, officers, soildiers and others. An incredible collection of material laid out in categorical chapters. Graham lays this often quoted collection out without prejudice and although he questions the Indian participant's accounts due to their lack of perception of exact time and spatial realities, he presents it all the same. What is quite fascinating are the virtual raw letters of Benteen to William Goldin. The letters show Benteen's bitter side particularly toward Custer and demonstrates that Reno was also not held highly on his list, if anyone was. Also, has Godfrey's great history of the battle and the book even includes challenging letters from Grahams critics to his personal responses. A great book for those that want to know all from multiple perspectives of the participants.



5. By far the best of the vast Custer literature. Graham gathers together in one place primary data and lets you draw your own conclusions. On Custer, Graham is the only author I have read who writes without massaging his data to support some preconcieved theory. This book, incidently, was published in 1953, not in 1993.(It would be helpful if Amazon would note first copyright dates in book listings.) This book was not bashed out to meet a schedule or catch a market window; Graham gathered data literally for decades. Being an army officer-- Judge Advocate Corp--gave him access to files and access to survivors who were eyewitnesses to the fight at Reno's end of the field.