You probably see my linked logo for the History News Network in the sidebar, and I hope you check them out as they are a great site. Well, now they need your help to raise $10,000 in 24 days to cover costs. If you are able and want to help, please visit here to donate. Let’s let Editor Rick Shenkman know that Civil War History supports him.
I know, you are all thinking, what does this have to do with the Civil War? Well, some of the gang over at Civil Warriors are into ice hockey and I can’t let them be the only ones talking a bit of hockey. Plus, I can’t resist a friendly jibe at Dr. Mark Grimsley, who teaches at Ohio State University (though he is currently a visiting professor at the Army War College), as that was one of the teams visiting scenic Grand Forks this weekend.
This weekend was the tenth annual Subway Holiday Classic, which brings teams that UND would normally not play to Grand Forks for a fun weekend of hockey over Thanksgiving break. Last year, we hosted Cornell for one of the games. This year, the weekend featured three of the top ten college hockey teams, as the Bemidji State University Beavers (#6), Miami University of Ohio RedHawks (#1), Ohio State University Buckeyes (yes, OSU actually has ice hockey), and the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux (#4) all played.
Bemidji opened the weekend on Friday by defeating Miami in a good game that was a rematch of last season’s semi-final match (Frozen Four), where Miami beat Bemidji 4-1. This time, the tables were turned, as Bemidji defeated Miami 3-2. Later that day, the Sioux played the Buckeyes, which was a fun game, as I was sitting right behind the boards by the penalty box for OSU, which was a bit interesting with some of the crowd who were around me. We defeated the Buckeyes (sorry Mark) 4-1 in an awesome game. On Saturday, Bemidji lost a tough game to OSU in overtime 2-1 and we had to settle with a tie in a very exciting game against Miami 5-5. While not related to the Civil War, some of the rivalries in college and pro hockey can get pretty intense, with brother against brother and parents against kids in friendly disagreements over teams. Needless to say, the weekend was good and the rankings should change soon. To the hockey fans at Civil Warriors, we should talk hockey sometime.
Sorry everyone for not posting lately, but I have been quite busy with graduate school, but hope to put out a couple book reviews very soon. I did want to share some awesome news that I would have put out on Monday, if my laptop had not contracted a malicious program that resulted in having to restore the system to the original Windows XP. I received a package containing two volumes of the Encyclopedia of the Veteran in America put out by ABC-Clio, which includes three entries written by yours truly. Two of them have a Civil War focus, with one being a brief biography of former general and GAR Commander-in-Chief John Logan, and the other devoted to the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), which was an association of Civil War officers, which is now an organization of their male descendants. I would post these, but copyright prevents this, but I will see if I can post some of them. This is quite awesome for me, as I can put this on my CV and can see my name in print as a contributor for a work.
If anyone is still out looking for the free unedited copy of Michael Burlingame’s Abraham Lincoln: A Life, the link has bee updated. The first volume can be downloaded here. Happy reading to everyone who has not yet checked out this work. Also on that page, you can learn more about an offer on the edited two-volume published version, which is quite large, but worth it.
I would like to welcome fellow graduate student, Army veteran, and Civil War reenactor Stuart Lawrence to the writing staff. I am sure that he will add many interesting posts to the blog and will be a wealth of experience on reenacting and other topics.
Blog Talk Radio will be interviewing Robert Hicks, author of The Widow of the South and the brand new book A Separate Country, which we gave away copies of last week. The interview will be at 12:30 ET. More can be found at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/grandcentralpub/2009/09/23/Live-Interview-with-Robert-Hicks-author-of-A-SEPARATE-COUNTRY-and-WIDOW-OF-THE-SOUTH. I hope many of you will check it out.
Congratulations to the winners of the contest held this last week. To those who did not win, I want to thank you for entering and for visiting. It was a hard choice, but the following persons won a copy of Robert Hicks A Separate Country:
Sherry Gibbs–AL
Karen Haney–FL
Ed Norris
Andrea Valdes–NY
Gary Van Ess–WI
Congratulations again, and, according to Miriam Parker, you should receive your copy in about two weeks.
Midnight has now come and the giveaway has now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted via either comment or contacting me through the Contact CWH page. I will examine the entries later today and will contact the winners later today to let them know. Again, thank you everyone for stopping by this last week and for those entering the contest. I hope to hold more giveaways in the future, so if you represent a publisher and would like some free publicity and exposure for your products, please let me know if you offer giveaways for bloggers.
Okay folks, I have a special offer to make, courtesy of Miriam Parker, Associate Director, Online Marketing at Hachette Book Group. I would like to offer five copies of Robert Hicks’ new book A Separate Country (Hicks also wrote The Widow of the South). This giveaway is being held in conjunction with Book Blogger Appreciation Week. To enter and be considered for a copy, please either comment or use the Contact CWH page, provide your real name and a valid email, and comment on the following:
Excluding James McPherson’s Battle Cry of Freedom (clearly a hard-hitting work), what do you feel has been the most significant historical book on the Civil War to be published in the last twenty-five (25) years and why?
How long should your comment be? I would prefer those interested to answer the question in a good paragraph, with multiple paragraphs being good too. There is no right answer, as I merely want your thoughts on the question backed up by intelligent thought, as I know you are all intelligent people reading this site. Basically, convince this historian why the book you chose was the most significant, drawing upon the book itself and the career of the author, if needed. I will explain that I excluded McPherson because he is a giant of the field and his work would be on many lists and I would like to see what other possibilities you will think of.
Also, please answer this question with just a title: What is your favorite fiction book on the Civil War? Again, no right answer.
I will leave the contest open until midnight of Monday, September 21, so please be sure to enter. I will examine all entries and will choose what I feel are the five best submissions and email the winners to request appropriate contact information for Miriam to send the copy to. Further, the five winners and a couple of honorable mentions will be posted and the submitters will be given the opportunity to join the writing staff of the site. I hope you will all enter the contest and wish luck to everyone. Thank you to Miriam Parker and Hachette Book Group for making this opportunity available.
Update: I forgot to mention that residents of the US and Canada are the only ones eligible, due to the limitations of where Miriam Parker can send the books. My apologies to those outside the US and Canada.
You may be wondering why I would devote a post to the passing of Patrick Swayze, which occurred today. Well, if you follow Civil War television shows, you may remember a young(er) Swayze portraying Orry Main in the landmark miniseries North and South. Orry was a southerner, from a planter family, who befriended George Hazard, the son of a wealthy industrial Northern family. The series chronicled the journey of the men from West Point, through the Mexican War, and both men’s service on either side of the war, with the two reuniting at war’s end. With that show, Swayze earned a place in the larger genre of Civil War film and television. Swayze was 57 years old and had been battling pancreatic cancer for almost two years. Rest in peace Patrick Swayze.
I wanted to let you all know that BBAW is going on this week (more info can be found via the BBAW link in the sidebar). I am planning to post a review (if possible, two) for the week and may be (I have to hear back from a contact at the publisher again) offering a giveaway towards the middle of the week for a few copies of Robert Hicks’ A Separate Country, which is based around the life of John Bell Hood. I will let you know more about this possibility tomorrow. I hope you all have a great week.
Alas, we did not make the shortlist for this category for Book Blogger Appreciation Week, but I want to encourage all readers who like this site to vote for our friends over at TOCWOC-A Civil War Blog for Best History/Historical Fiction Blog for BBAW 2009. Brett and his crew, which occassionally includes me, but very rarely, do a great job with the site. They discuss a myriad of topics, including gaming, as well as reviewing numerous books. So, show your support for a fellow CW blogger and vote for TOCWOC.
I hope you all have had a great summer and, for those of you who are pursuing study or working at an educational institution, I hope this year will be a good one. I wanted to briefly post that I set up a new blog to cover my journey through my Ph.D. program. I decided to keep it separate from this blog because much of the content is unrelated to the Civil War. However, I will cross-post some things here from time to time. I invite you all to check out Doctoral Bliss and learn about the fun times as well as harder times that go with being a Ph.D. student. Rest assured, I will not neglect this blog and will have a couple reviews coming up, as well as Book Blogger Appreciation Week.
I participated in Book Blogger Appreciation Week last year and found it quite interesting and enjoyable. You can learn more by clicking on the link in the sidebar. Recently, the site dedicated to BBAW asked those of us who participated to answer some questions, so here we go.
1) What was the highlight (something that happened, a post, an activity, etc.) of BBAW for you last year?
I would say the highlight for me was mainly an increase in traffic to the site. The awards and giveaways they held were fun. Unfortunately, I will say that I did not take advantage of the week as much I could have, but I would love to create a History Blogger Appreciation Week.
2) What is one new blog you discovered during BBAW last year?
I will say that I really did not discover any new blogs intently, but never realized that there were so many blogs on books. There are sites for almost any interest in literature.
3) What tips would you share to help others get the most out of their BBAW experience?
I would say that participants should try to check out other blogs relating to their interests. I would also encourage participants to explore giveaways and posting reviews during the weeks leading up to the event to increase views.
The fine folks at the US Army’s Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth have several bibliographies relating to military science and history, including Dr. Robert Berlin’s Historical Bibliography No. 8:Military Classics (1991), which has a section devoted to the Civil War. Here are the books they list on the war:
Beringer, Richard E., et al. Why the South Lost the Civil War. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1986.
This study offers serious students an interpretation of why the South lost the Civil War. The authors, all history professors, believe the Confederacy succumbed to internal rather than external causes.
Catton, Bruce. A Stillness at Appomattox. New York: Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster, 1970, c1953.
Written with vigor, clarity, and warmth, Catton’s work describes the last year of the Civil War, including the Battle of the Wilderness and the siege of Petersburg. This is the third volume in the author’s trilogy about the war. It is preceded by Mr. Lincoln’s Army and Glory Road. Catton’s Civil War volumes are simply magnificent.
_______.The Coming Fury (vol. 1), Terrible Swift Sword (vol, 2), and Never Call Retreat (vol. 3). Centennial History of the Civil War series. New York: Doubleday, 1961-65.
Catton was America’s leading Civil War writer, and all of his books are worth reading. These volumes provide an exciting account of the Civil War from the Union perspective.
Coddington, Edwin B. The Gettysburg Campaign: A Study in Command. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1984, c1968.
For those seeking a thorough examination of the Battle of Gettysburg, this book provides a comprehensive battle analysis and evaluates command during the entire campaign leading to the battle.
Foote, Shelby. The Civil War, a Narrative. 3 vols. New York: Random House, 1958-74.
A Mississippian, novelist, World War II field artillery captain, and master narrator of men and battles, Shelby Foote captures the flavor of the times and examines the war as a whole, including all the major campaigns. While the three volumes contain nearly 3,000 pages of text, they are beautifully written and easily read.
Freeman, Douglas Southall. Lee’s Lieutenants: A Study in Command. 3 vols. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons, 1942-44; New York: Scribner, 1986.
Once very popular with U.S. military officers, this readable narrative is a composite biography of Confederate generals and a masterful study of command and war. Freeman takes great care to preserve some Confederate legends.
Fuller, J. F. C. Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1982, cl933.
Major General Fuller examines the influence of personality on generalship. He broke with the then-conventional view that Grant was a butcher and Lee one of the world’s greatest generals.
Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983.
Emphasizing strategy and logistics, these two history professors have produced a thorough, comprehensive analysis of the Civil War from the viewpoint of the high-level commanders on both sides. Also included is an excellent appendix on how to study military operations.
Henderson, George Francis Robert. Stonewall Jackson and the American Civil War. Abridged by E. B. Long. Gloucester, MA: Peter Smith, 1968, c1962.
Written in 1898 by a famous British officer and military historian, this book is the classic analysis of the great Confederate general and was required reading for generations of British officers.
Luvaas, Jay, and Harold W. Nelson. The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battle of Antietam: The Maryland Campaign in 1862. Carlisle, PA: South Mountain Press, 1987.
The authors, who teach at the U.S. Army War College, provide a valuable tool for conducting a staff ride of Antietam, covering the Battles of South Mountain, Crampton’s Gap, Harpers Ferry, and Antietam. If you have the opportunity to conduct your own staff ride at this well-preserved battlefield located near Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C., you should first read Landscape Turned Red by Stephen Sears, then examine the Center of Military History pamphlet, The Staff Ride (CMH Pub 70-21) by Dr. William Glenn Robertson of the Combat Studies Institute, and finally, go to the field with this guide. Luvaas and Nelson have also written a similar guide to Gettysburg.
McPherson, James. Ordeal by Fire: The Civil War and Reconstruction. New York: Knopf, 1982.
McPherson, in the best one-volume survey of the war, examines political, military, social, and economic aspects of the Civil War.
Sears, Stephen W. Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam. New Haven, CT: Ticknor and Fields, 1983; New York: Warner Books, 1985.
In this recent, splendid battle analysis, Sears provides gripping reading about a battlefield you will want to visit.
Shaara, Michael. The Killer Angels. New York: McKay, 1974; New York: Ballantine Books, 1980.
This historical novel of the Battle of Gettysburg is accurate, easy to read, and a much-discussed book at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (and for reasons other than it being required reading). Featured in this memorable war novel are Confederate General James Longstreet and the hero of Little Round Top, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.
Williams, T. Harry. Lincoln and His Generals. New York: Random House, 1967, c1952.
Williams, one, of America’s greatest professors of history, presents the controversial thesis that President Lincoln was an outstanding commander in chief whose strategic vision brought victory to the Union. The author also shows how Lincoln developed a modern command system for the United States. Students admire this book for its keen analysis bright narrative.
While this list is certainly a bit dated and several recent landmark works of scholarship are absent because of that, I do think that this list is quite good. I will explore a little further and see if an updated list has surfaced and will post it if found. I will also invite you all to consider their list of Books for the Military Professional, which has several of the works from the above list.
