Does Anyone have Access to the "National Tribune" Index?

John Hartwell

Lt. Colonel
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Aug 27, 2011
Location
Central Massachusetts
The G.A.R. weekly, The National Tribune, published from 1877 to 1943, is an excellent resource. Digital copies are available at at least 3 places online, but each is searchable by an ocr-based program which is always inconsistent and unsatisfactory. A few years ago Richard Sauers prepared a 3-volume "complete" index. Unfortunately, the retail price is nearly $150, and even the Kindle edition amounts to almost $100, well beyond my current means. And, no library anywhere near me seems to have it.

If anyone here has access to the Sauers volumes, I would be very much obliged if they would provide the indexed references to the
21st Massachusetts Infantry.

Many thanks in advance.
 
I'm also very curious as I've come across a pretty extensive reference list for the 7th Ohio Cavalry. Many of the items are from the National Tribune. Will share what I find if I come across anything.
 
The G.A.R. weekly, The National Tribune, published from 1877 to 1943, is an excellent resource. Digital copies are available at at least 3 places online, but each is searchable by an ocr-based program which is always inconsistent and unsatisfactory. A few years ago Richard Sauers prepared a 3-volume "complete" index. Unfortunately, the retail price is nearly $150, and even the Kindle edition amounts to almost $100, well beyond my current means. And, no library anywhere near me seems to have it.

If anyone here has access to the Sauers volumes, I would be very much obliged if they would provide the indexed references to the
21st Massachusetts Infantry.

Many thanks in advance.
If you're not able to get your hands on another version, you may want to try to get it via interlibrary loan. Our library charges maybe $2.50, and you have it in hand for a couple of weeks. Most libraries will get interlibrary loans for free.
 
This was published by Savas Beatie, and not trying to make fun of your financial position but $150 was a steal for this hardcover 3 volume set. McFarland charges $50 for a book and its softcover. The days of the $25-30 book are long gone. I own the set and if you are a serious researcher you need it, in fact it sold out fairly quickly. I’m sure People would have paid more to acquire it. Can’t imagine what a set would sell for on the used book market now.
 
If you're not able to get your hands on another version, you may want to try to get it via interlibrary loan. Our library charges maybe $2.50, and you have it in hand for a couple of weeks. Most libraries will get interlibrary loans for free.
You almost certainly won't find loanable copies of this set. By far the vast majority of purchasers were individual users, and the libraries that bought it that I know of do not loan it.
 
If you're not able to get your hands on another version, you may want to try to get it via interlibrary loan. Our library charges maybe $2.50, and you have it in hand for a couple of weeks. Most libraries will get interlibrary loans for free.
The G.A.R. weekly, The National Tribune, published from 1877 to 1943, is an excellent resource. Digital copies are available at at least 3 places online, but each is searchable by an ocr-based program which is always inconsistent and unsatisfactory. A few years ago Richard Sauers prepared a 3-volume "complete" index. Unfortunately, the retail price is nearly $150, and even the Kindle edition amounts to almost $100, well beyond my current means. And, no library anywhere near me seems to have it.

If anyone here has access to the Sauers volumes, I would be very much obliged if they would provide the indexed references to the
21st Massachusetts Infantry.

Many thanks in advance.
John, I am the publisher of Sauer's National Tribune set. While $150 might seem a high price, by supply and demand and reference standards, it is inexpensive and well below market. These books represent untold hours of work knowing they will have a limited but important market. The point was to get them out there to further research. No one would publish them so I stepped up and did so.

If you would like a set, and you can't swing $150.00, private message me. My purpose is to get it into as many deserving hands as possible. This offer is for anyone who honesty cant afford $150. We'll work something out. And I get it. And if you need terms, ask privately. No extra charge.

Enjoy your weekend.

Theodore P. Savas
Savas Beatie

 
This was published by Savas Beatie, and not trying to make fun of your financial position but $150 was a steal for this hardcover 3 volume set. McFarland charges $50 for a book and its softcover. The days of the $25-30 book are long gone. I own the set and if you are a serious researcher you need it, in fact it sold out fairly quickly. I’m sure People would have paid more to acquire it. Can’t imagine what a set would sell for on the used book market now.
Hi, they did sell out, quickly. We took back orders, and recently reprinted so we have some sets left. I saw one set for a couple months at $400--and it sold.
 
John, I am the publisher of Sauer's National Tribune set. While $150 might seem a high price, by supply and demand and reference standards, it is inexpensive and well below market. These books represent untold hours of work knowing they will have a limited but important market. The point was to get them out there to further research. No one would publish them so I stepped up and did so.

If you would like a set, and you can't swing $150.00, private message me. My purpose is to get it into as many deserving hands as possible. This offer is for anyone who honesty cant afford $150. We'll work something out. And I get it. And if you need terms, ask privately. No extra charge.

Enjoy your weekend.

Theodore P. Savas
Savas Beatie

Thanks very much for the kind offer, @Militarybooks , as a retiree on a barely adequate fixed income, I do appreciate it. But, frankly, I have just recently purchased vols. 1 & 2, at a very favorable price (awaiting delivery now), and have a 'lead' on a second hand vol. 3 as well, at a price I just hope isn't too good to be true. So, I will not need to take advantage of your generosity.

I do not, believe me, begrudge you the full price. "The days of the $25-30 book are long gone," indeed. But then, I can remember the day of the $10-$15 book!
 
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Thanks very much for the kind offer, @Militarybooks , as a retiree on a barely adequate fixed income, I do appreciate it. But, frankly, I have just recently purchased vols. 1 & 2, at a very favorable price (awaiting delivery now), and have a 'lead' on a second hand vol. 3 as well at a price I hope isn't too good to be true. So, I will not need to take advantage of your generosity.

I do not, believe me, begrudge you the full price. "The days of the $25-30 book are long gone," indeed. But then, I can remember the day of the $10-$15 book!

I wish the days of the $10-15 books would return John 😁 congrats on getting a good deal on volumes 1&2! Hope volume 3 is the real deal.
 
Digital copies are available at at least 3 places online, but each is searchable by an ocr-based program which is always inconsistent and unsatisfactory.
Once you learn exactly how to use it and the various ways to perform searches, it can be extremely productive. Here are just a few results [of 179 possible] from a single search combination. Although several of the articles returned as results were those on the list from the Sauer Index, provided above by @Don Dixon, the ones I've included below were apparently not included by Sauer.

Colors First at Roanoke Island - Short article by Lt. Col. George P Hawkes [The National tribune., December 30, 1897, page 2, column 6.]

The Colonel Defends His Regiment Against its Detractors - Rebuttal by Rush C Hawkins, Col. 9th NY, in reply to Lieut. Ira B. Goodrich's May 31, 1888 article.) [The National Tribune., July 12, 1888, page 3, column 1.]

Obituary, Henry S. Hitchcock and Uriah Merritt [The National Tribune., January 20, 1898, page 4, column 7.]

Capture of Beaufort and Fort Macon Gen. Reno's Attack by "Carleton" [The National Tribune., July 31, 1884, page 3, columns 1-2.]

In the Wilderness: The Troops at the Crossroads Saved by the Wall of Fire Joseph F. Carter (3rd MD) on the position of the 21st MA at the Wilderness. [The National Tribune., April 07, 1892, page 4, column 3.]

Hawkins Zouaves: Charge of the 9th New York at Roanoke Island - Rush C. Hawkins rebuts April 1, 1886 article. [The National Tribune., January 20, 1887, page 1, columns 6-7; page 2, columns 1-2.]

Roanoke Island: Where the Credit Belongs - W.P. Derby (A/27th MA) rebuts the article by "Carleton" from July 31, 1884. [The National Tribune., August 07, 1884, page 8, column 3.]

Roanoke Island and the Part Hawkin's Zouaves Took in the Affair - Will L. Welch (A/23rd MA) [The National Tribune., April 01, 1886, page 5, column 5.]

Picket Shots: Reno's Brigade Again - Ira B. Goodrich corrects information from a previous article. [The National tribune., May 26, 1892, page 4, column 5.]

<End of first 20 potential results>
 
Once you learn exactly how to use it and the various ways to perform searches, it can be extremely productive. Here are just a few results [of 179 possible] from a single search combination. Although several of the articles returned as results were those on the list from the Sauer Index, provided above by @Don Dixon, the ones I've included below were apparently not included by Sauer.

Colors First at Roanoke Island - Short article by Lt. Col. George P Hawkes [The National tribune., December 30, 1897, page 2, column 6.]

The Colonel Defends His Regiment Against its Detractors - Rebuttal by Rush C Hawkins, Col. 9th NY, in reply to Lieut. Ira B. Goodrich's May 31, 1888 article.) [The National Tribune., July 12, 1888, page 3, column 1.]

Obituary, Henry S. Hitchcock and Uriah Merritt [The National Tribune., January 20, 1898, page 4, column 7.]

Capture of Beaufort and Fort Macon Gen. Reno's Attack by "Carleton" [The National Tribune., July 31, 1884, page 3, columns 1-2.]

In the Wilderness: The Troops at the Crossroads Saved by the Wall of Fire Joseph F. Carter (3rd MD) on the position of the 21st MA at the Wilderness. [The National Tribune., April 07, 1892, page 4, column 3.]

Hawkins Zouaves: Charge of the 9th New York at Roanoke Island - Rush C. Hawkins rebuts April 1, 1886 article. [The National Tribune., January 20, 1887, page 1, columns 6-7; page 2, columns 1-2.]

Roanoke Island: Where the Credit Belongs - W.P. Derby (A/27th MA) rebuts the article by "Carleton" from July 31, 1884. [The National Tribune., August 07, 1884, page 8, column 3.]

Roanoke Island and the Part Hawkin's Zouaves Took in the Affair - Will L. Welch (A/23rd MA) [The National Tribune., April 01, 1886, page 5, column 5.]

Picket Shots: Reno's Brigade Again - Ira B. Goodrich corrects information from a previous article. [The National tribune., May 26, 1892, page 4, column 5.]

<End of first 20 potential results>
Thanks so much for looking those up. Which online archive did you use? I found many of them, too. Most of those articles are not principally about the 21st MVI, though they are referred to at least in passing. Sauer clearly did not index passing mentions, which limits his usefulness.

There was a big brouhaha about the first flag on the rebel defenses at Roanoke. Rush Hawkins wrote an account claiming credit for his Zouaves. In fact he wrote almost as if no other regiment was even present. Everybody jumped on him, all agreeing that the flag of the Mass. 21st was first, and some insisting that Hawkins' Zouaves were actually the 3rd regiment atop the defenses. There were a lot of letters included giving interesting details of the fight.

What I find infuriating about ocr searches, is that you can run the identical search twice and get slightly different results. This is particularly a problem with newspapers, where the microfilmed copy might be distorted or poorly printed.
 
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"The days of the $25-30 book are long gone," indeed. But then, I can remember the day of the $10-$15 book!
As an aside, I haunt online booksellers with used books. I know what I want and usually need to be patient--but it has paid off and I've been able to spend less than $10/volume. Sometimes these are ordinary used books (often from an estate being distributed by uninterested heirs) and sometimes the books come from libraries. It may be possible to put in a request for a specific book but I've not done that because I am suspicious, fearing that the price will increase if it is known that I want that book. My best "find"--of no interest here--was the history of Vermont by Ira Allen (Ira Allen was a brother of Ethan Allen). Another place, reachable online, is the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston--it has an amazing collection of unexpected titles in its bookshop (you can get a list by request).
 
The National Tribune is on the Library of Congress site-- here is the link----


There is a box for the year, which you can change by scrolling to the appropriate year. Then clic on the issue you want.
Since Don Dixon provided the issues with articles on the 21st Mass, you have the issue. However it is time consuming
to find the article.
 
The National Tribune is on the Library of Congress site-- here is the link----


There is a box for the year, which you can change by scrolling to the appropriate year. Then clic on the issue you want.
Since Don Dixon provided the issues with articles on the 21st Mass, you have the issue. However it is time consuming
to find the article.
National Tribune can also be found online at Newspapers.com, and Genealogybank.com. None of the online sources is complete.
 
As an aside, I haunt online booksellers with used books. I know what I want and usually need to be patient--but it has paid off and I've been able to spend less than $10/volume. Sometimes these are ordinary used books (often from an estate being distributed by uninterested heirs) and sometimes the books come from libraries. It may be possible to put in a request for a specific book but I've not done that because I am suspicious, fearing that the price will increase if it is known that I want that book. My best "find"--of no interest here--was the history of Vermont by Ira Allen (Ira Allen was a brother of Ethan Allen). Another place, reachable online, is the New England Historical and Genealogical Society in Boston--it has an amazing collection of unexpected titles in its bookshop (you can get a list by request).
Fairfield, would you mind sharing which sites you find good for procuring books? Beyond amazon and ebay, I'm at a loss since I've been out of school forever.
 
You almost certainly won't find loanable copies of this set. By far the vast majority of purchasers were individual users, and the libraries that bought it that I know of do not loan it.
That's unfortunate as I know I'm not alone in my situation in which I'm researching one ancestor/topic. Not meaning any disrespect as I believe author/editor/publisher's time is worth something, but it would not be worth paying $150 for two or three searches. Have you considered digitizing it and charging people for a month of online access for $10-20?
 
Fairfield, would you mind sharing which sites you find good for procuring books? Beyond amazon and ebay, I'm at a loss since I've been out of school forever.
There are dozens+ sites but I short-cut my search pretty much to ABE https://www.abebooks.com/book/bookstore/index.shtml which is a consortium of individual sites. There I opt for "Advanced Search" to narrow down. I've put my self on ABE's notification list so I get an email when there are special discounts or free shipping on used books.

You might also check with "Bookfinder" https://www.bookfinder.com/books/used_books/

Another favorite site is the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. Once a year, it has a sale of books (used, cast-offs from its own collection and books that simply didn't sell) which, for someone interested in history, is wonderful. You can browse page after page or use a keyword search. Main site is https://www.americanancestors.org/index.aspx then click on "bookstore" (but only when the special sale is on do any but brand new titles appear--so a telephone call to the bookstore is a good idea IMO).

Incidentally, I also make heavy use of inter-library loan because it gives me the opportunity to see if I'd like to buy the book to have on hand--or merely take notes
 
There are dozens+ sites but I short-cut my search pretty much to ABE https://www.abebooks.com/book/bookstore/index.shtml which is a consortium of individual sites. There I opt for "Advanced Search" to narrow down. I've put my self on ABE's notification list so I get an email when there are special discounts or free shipping on used books.

You might also check with "Bookfinder" https://www.bookfinder.com/books/used_books/

Another favorite site is the New England Historical and Genealogical Society. Once a year, it has a sale of books (used, cast-offs from its own collection and books that simply didn't sell) which, for someone interested in history, is wonderful. You can browse page after page or use a keyword search. Main site is https://www.americanancestors.org/index.aspx then click on "bookstore" (but only when the special sale is on do any but brand new titles appear--so a telephone call to the bookstore is a good idea IMO).

Incidentally, I also make heavy use of inter-library loan because it gives me the opportunity to see if I'd like to buy the book to have on hand--or merely take notes
Thank you!!
 
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