TITLE-------BLACK JACK
LOGAN
AUTHOR------GARY ECELBARGER
PUBLISHER----THE LYONS
PRESS
ISBN-------------1-59228-566-X
Most of us have heard of
"Black Jack" Logan, in reference to the BATTLE OF ATLANTA.
Mr. Ecelbarger, brings Jack Logan to life and makes him more
than a figure in a mural, at Grant Park, Atlanta.
Logan grew up in that part
of Southern Illinois, known as Little Egypt. Little Egypt
had more in common with the states of the Confederacy, than
with Northern states. Logan as product of that region, was
one of the most racist and rabid anti abolitionists Illinois
had ever seen. But as presented by the author, Logan is
more a believer in the Union itself, then in the sum of it's
parts.
Logan leaves politics and
enters the United States Army, in 1861. He is wounded three
times during the battle for Fort Donelson. He worships one
general by the name of Ulysses Grant, fights with and for
him, on the battlefield and in the political field. When
Grants dies, John Alexander Logan is one of his pallbearers.
During the war, Logan sees
the error of his ways and in the end becomes a champion of
the newly freed slaves. The author makes sure that you
understand this change did not over night, but gradually.
As most change in one's outlook usually does.
Mr. Ecelberger, brings us a
John Logan, with all his faults, and attributes that have
been hidden since his passing in 1886. We are enamored with
the famous men and women of the Civil War, and forget that
behind, Grant and Lee were generals who labored with
them and for them, till the end.
I highly recommend this
book. We have so few on the supporting players of that
National Crisis.
I give it 8 STARS
AntietamCW
TITLE---------DAUGHTERS
OF THE UNION, NORTHERN WOMEN FIGHT THE CIVIL WAR
AUTHOR----NINA SILBER
PUBLISHER----HARVARD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
ISBN-------------0-674-01677-7
First of all, I was
really looking forward to reading this book. My main
reason, was I think the northern women during the war
get short shift. I found this book, is not the answer,
no matter what James McPherson, may think. Ms Silber, I
believe inflects today women's political agenda on to
the women of the Civil War period.
Her theory is that
northern women, became not less subordinate to men
during and after the war but more. Of all Civil War
women that uses to try to make her point, she chooses
Mary Ann Bickerdyke, the woman whom even General Sherman
would not give orders to.
Through most of the
book she uses letters to and from women to their
husbands, on the front, to also illustrate the
subordinate role of the women. Did it not occur to her
that women in the letters were telling their men what
their men expected to hear.
My other argument, is
that when doing a book on the northern women during the
war, she gives very short shift to Catholic Nuns of the
north. She does not have count them as northern women.
I give this book
only 2 stars
It's not a bad place to
start a study of northern women during the war, but
there is much more to be written
AntietamCW
TITLE------TWILIGHT AT LITTLE ROUNDTOP, JULY
2 1863-THE TIDE TURNS AT GETTYSBURG
AUTHOR---GLENN W LAFANTASIE
PUBLISHER---JOHN WILEY AND SONS
ISBN-----
0-471-46231-4
First of
all, I'll let you know I don't believe that
Gettysburg in and of itself turned the
tide. Now on to the book. Mr.
Lafantasie, has taken a portion of the three
day battle and turned it in to a microcosm
of the whole 3 days. He has written of the
battle of Little Roundtop and gave it a
significance that maybe it does deserve. He
follows both side as they make that journey
into immortality on a piece of a hill in
Pennsylvania.
We meet not
only Lawrence Chamberlain and William C
Oates. We meet the lowly privates of both
armies who more or less slugged it out for a
piece of a hill, and for their respective
countries, right or wrong. We feel their
fear as well as their heroism.
Mr.
Lafantasie has done a very good job of
demoting Chamberlain from the only hero of
Little Roundtop. yes he was one of them. He
makes us learn of Stephen Weed, Strong
Vincent, Paddy O'Rourke, and the others who
never came off that hill. He makes us
understand William C Oates, as he has to
leave his wounded brother behind when he
orders a retreat.
Now let me
say I believe that we have way too many
books on Gettysburg, that said this one does
belong in the collection.
I gave this
one 8 stars
AntietamCW
TITLE---TO DIE IN CHICAGO, CONFEDERATE
PRISONERS AT CAMP DOUGLAS,1862-1865
AUTHOR-----GEORGE LEVY
PUBLISHER---PELICAN
ISBN-----1-56554-331-9
Mr.
Levy does a masterful job of bringing
the life of Camp Douglas, alive for me.
We tend to forget that the North had POW
camps, too. But in recent years, there
has been some excellent books on the
northern prison camps. I would place
this one, on the same level as Lonnie
Spears, PORTALS OF HELL and
Benton McAdams, REBELS AT ROCK ISLAND.
There has also been books on Elmira and
Fort Delaware.
Mr.
Levy, follows a Father and son through
their time at Camp Douglas, which gives
it a more human face. Camp Douglas was
a trouble spot from the day it opened.
The camp never had just one commander, I
think I counted 5 or 6,and Mr. Levy, in
a way, rates each one. I must say this
is the first book on Northern Prison
camps that Colonel later General
Hoffman, head of the POW camps for the
north did NOT get a lot of the blame for
the way they were run.
The one
thing that bothered me, were the tables
at the end of most chapters. I think
they could have been left till the end
of the book. Otherwise i highly
recommend this book.
I give
it 9 stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
TITLE---AND TO KEEP MOVING ON, THE
VIRGINIA CAMPAIGN, MAY-JUNE 1864
AUTHOR----MARK GRIMSLEY
PUBLISHER----UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
PRESS
IBSN-------------0-8032-2162-2
Mr.
Grimsley, tackles a subject already
done well by Gordon Rhea, on the
Overland Campaign of 1864. Grimsley
wisely, does move like an overview
of the campaign. The book itself is
only 237 pages, so as you can see,
it's more like a primer for Rhea's
multi volume books on the campaign.
Grimsley, tells the story with flair
and not without some humor along the
way. He has one chapter i do
believe could have been left out,
that's chapter with a decidedly less
historical outlook and more of a
psychical outlook. I don't believe a
chapter on PTSS is belongs in a book
on the overland campaign, I could
be wrong.
gets 6 stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
TITLE----WINFIELD SCOTT HANCOCK,
A SOLDIER'S LIFE
AUTHOR----DAVID JORDAN
PUBLISHER---- UNIVERSITY OF
INDIANA PRESS<PAPERBACK>
ISBN--------------0-253-21058-5
I really wanted to enjoy this
book on Hancock, since he is on
of the Civil War's authentic
heroes, who happened to be a
general. Mr. Jordan, does well,
but in only 319 pages, I believe
he basically just skimmed the
surface of this extraordinary
man.
Mr. Jordan does a great job
writing about Hancock before and
after the war. It's in his
telling of the war itself, the
book bogged down a bit. It
could be it's because we have
grown to know HANCOCK THE
SUPERB a bit too well during
that era. There is nothing new
in the civil war area of his
life that had not already been
told elsewhere.
One instance, in the post war
era, in which Mr. Jordan ,does
the great job I alluded to, is
in the political arena of
Hancock's life. A Democrat and
a constitutionalist, Hancock was
a "babe in the woods"
politically, and his first run
for the democratic presidential
nomination in 1868 showed that
political inexperience. But it
does make you wonder who would
have won that 1868 election if
it had been Winfield Hancock vs.
U S Grant.
Overall, this is not a bad book,
just a good book to begin a
study of Winfield Scott
Hancock. Glenn Tucker's is
still the best.
i give it 6 stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
TITLE-----CAMPAIGNING WITH THE
IRISH BRIGADE, PVT. JOHN
RYAN,28TH MASSACHUSETTS
EDITED BY---SANDY BARNARD
PUBLISHER---AST PRESS
ISBN------------09618087-9-9
I was highly disappointed by
this memoir, for several
reasons.
First, The editor first told you
of Mr. Ryan's life prior to
entering the Federal Army and
then proceeded to let Mr. Ryan
tell us the same thing. I found
the Mr. Barnard's editorial
inserts most interruptive, in
the narrative. He did not
really let Mr. Ryan tell us his
story.
Second, you never get the Irish
Brigade till around page 70, so
if this was about Mr. Ryan's
experience with the Irish
Brigade, why did you not reach
it till about half way through
the book. It also is a short
story about life in the Irish
Brigade. not a true memoir of
Mr. Ryan's service with it
The editor, at the end of each
chapter, has notes which are
fine and do help. But what
bothered me about notes is that
most of the time the editor was
correcting what Mr. Ryan wrote
in the chapter
i give this one a lowly 2 stars,
it could have been put together
much better
AntietamCW/Peggy
.
TITLE------CHAMPION
HILL, DECISIVE BATTLE
FOR VICKSBURG
AUTHOR----TIMOTHY B
SMITH
PUBLISHER---SAVAS BEATIE
ISBN-----------1-932714-00-06
Mr. Smith ,takes on one
of most ignored battles
of the Civil War in the
West, which is itself
ignored. He tries
valiantly in my mind to
do it justice, but falls
just short of the finish
line. The are quite a
few errors, not sure if
it was not proof read
well or Mr. Smith,
actually wrote them that
way. For example he has
young Fred Grant, along
with his army companion,
who was with him, being
threatened by FEDERAL
skirmishers.
Champion Hill was a
badly managed battle by
John Pemberton, with
help from William W
Loring, who detested
Pemberton. Mr. Smith
does well in setting up
the battle and the
personalities involved.
He reminds us that this
was Pemberton's first
major battle that he
fought as an Army
Commander, and that he
was a bureaucrat<a
gloried paper pusher
before he took command>.
On the other side of the
coin, he believes if
Grant had not won at
Champion Hill, we may
never had heard of him.
He does have kind words
for Grant and all his
commanders, except John
"Black Jack" Logan, who
even after the battle
was won, stated to
Charles Dana that it was
lost.
Mr. Smith, quotes freely
from other Vicksburg
historians, such as
Terry Winschel and the
dean of Vicksburg
historians, Mr. Ed
Bearss. Mr. Smith has
researched this part of
the Vicksburg battle
well, and I really don't
argue his conclusions.
just his writing style.
I give it 7 stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
TITLE-------THE
SWORD OF
LINCOLN,
THE ARMY
OF THE
POTOMAC
AUTHOR-------JEFFRY
D WERT
PUBLISHER----SIMON
AND
SCHUSTER
ISBN---------------0-7432-2506-6
Once
again,
Jeff
Wert has
written
and
informative
and easy
to read
book, on
the war
in the
East.
His
writing
has
never
been
better,
to my
way of
thinking.
He
writes
this
tribute
to the
AOP with
a lot of
emphasis
on the
everyday
solider.
Mr.
Wert,
once
told me
he would
rather
write of
the
soldiers
in the
field
than of
generals.
I agree
it's the
men in
the
field
who give
you the
most
honest
and open
thoughts
on what
is going
on
around
them.
The
common
soldiers
does not
have a
reputation
to worry
about.
Mr. Wert
has many
excerpts
from
letters
and
diaries
of the
common
soldier,
in this
book.
He does
not
forget
the
generals
of the
AOP, but
like all
generals,
they
have the
soldiers'
reputations
to
guard.
He does
not
explore
the
under
current
of the
conflict
between
Gen
Grant
and Gen
Meade to
my
disappointment,
but then
this is
not a
book on
their
relationship.
It is a
book
about an
Army in
search
of
itself.
That
Army,
indeed,
did
finally
find
itself
in a
small
town in
Pennsylvania,
and
never
looked
back,
As I
said,
this is
a well
written
book,
and easy
to read.
My other
objection
to the
book is,
in my
mind,
poor
quality
maps to
follow.
Overall,
I give
this one
9 stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
TITLE----THE
WIDOW
OF
THE
SOUTH
AUTHOR---ROBERT
HICKS
PUBLISHER---WARNER
BOOKS
ISBN---0-446-50012-7
Mr.
Hicks
has
written
a
grand
story
set
against
the
background
of
the
Battle
of
Franklin
and
it's
aftermath.
This
Civil
War
fiction
is
much
better
written
and
much
more
interesting
than
Charles
Frazier's
COLD
MOUNTAIN.
The
main
character
in
the
book
was
a
living
and
breathing
southern
"belle"
Carrie
McGovock,
who
became
known
as
THE
WIDOW
OF
THE
SOUTH
and
how
she
fought
the
second
battle
of
Franklin,
to
make
sure
those
Confederates
who
died
had
a
place
of
rest.
The
rest
of
us
are
fighting
to
keep
what
Carrie
started
alive.
The
author
invents
other
characters
around
Carrie
that
help
us
understand
this
woman.
The
most
interesting,
is a
Volunteer
from
Arkansas,
Zachariah
Casewell,
who
is
wounded
during
the
battle
and
brought
to
Carnton.
Mr.
Hicks
in
the
epilogue
tells
the
story
of
the
Battle
of
Franklin,
and
what
happened
to
real
people
in
the
book.
He
also
acknowledges
several
well
known
historians,
including
the
incomparable,
Ed
Bearss.
This
is a
work
of
fictlon,
but
the
author
draws
you
in
and
you
almost
forget
it's
a
historical
fiction.
This
is
Mr.
Hicks
first
book,
and
in
my
eyes
is a
promising
start.
I
give
this
one
9
out
of
10
stars
AntietamCW/Peggy
