- Joined
- Jul 9, 2005
- Location
- Galena, Illinois 61036 U.S.A.
Late summer vacation/fixing up my mom with Assisted Living place:
Well, I was able to do 4 books and start another:
An Honorable Defeat by William C. Davis - Davis at his best as narrative of Jeff Davis's and cohorts flee and the final dissolution of the Confederate government, has quite interesting descriptions of Benjamin's and especially Breckinridge's escape.
Like Men of War by Noah Andre Trudeau - a rather dry yet comprehensive review of the battles in which Black/Negro troops were largely involved from 1862 Thu 1865, lots of maps, mostly a battle oriented account, does not much discuss the evolution of the use of freedmen as Union soldiers.
And Keep Moving On by Mark Grimsley - Mark says on his website that he has been encouraged by the fact that he has never seen any of his books in the 'Bargain Bin' at book stores; well I bought this one from Amazon with the telltale Black line across the bottom. Never the less, if you can find this book, subtitled 'The Virginia Campaign, May-June 1864' at any price you will be will be rewarded with one of the most compact, coherent narratives one could wish for of this complex extended battle. (That campaign/battle has always challenged me, and this book has clarified much I had been confused about without getting into so many details about which regiment of which division etc. did this or that.)
Nothing But Victory - The Army of the Tennessee 1861-1865 by Steven E. Woodworth - an excellent book covering the early formation of this army of the West thru it's early trials and forward as Grant's army developed into perhaps the most formidable army of the war, and then it's further actions under Sherman as it fought the war to it's conclusion.
Books I started on and am still into:
The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Phillip Shaw Paludan - This is focused on Lincoln in regard primarily to his actions as President, more so as his actions the defender of the Constitution and laws of the U.S. than as Commander in Chief. Paludan argues persuasively that Lincoln always had in mind, and as himself a lawyer, always sought ways in which his actions could be made to fit within the limits of the Constitution.
Books I started into, but had to put aside:
Richmond Redeemed - The Siege at Petersburg by Richard J. Sommers - I had expected this to be a comprehensive account about the long siege, but found it almost exclusively focuses on "Grant's Fifth Offensive of early autumn, with particular emphasis on its opening battles, Chaffin's Bluff and Poplar Spring Church." This is a little too much detail for me in a 449 page book!
The Confederate Republic - A Revolution Against Politics by George C. Rable - Well, I was a Political Science major in college, but this is not vacation reading! I had vacillated between bringing this book or Emory Thomas' The Confederate Nation: 1861-1865, and found out I made the wrong choice. I think I'll revisit this volume sometime in the indefinite future.
Well, I was able to do 4 books and start another:
An Honorable Defeat by William C. Davis - Davis at his best as narrative of Jeff Davis's and cohorts flee and the final dissolution of the Confederate government, has quite interesting descriptions of Benjamin's and especially Breckinridge's escape.
Like Men of War by Noah Andre Trudeau - a rather dry yet comprehensive review of the battles in which Black/Negro troops were largely involved from 1862 Thu 1865, lots of maps, mostly a battle oriented account, does not much discuss the evolution of the use of freedmen as Union soldiers.
And Keep Moving On by Mark Grimsley - Mark says on his website that he has been encouraged by the fact that he has never seen any of his books in the 'Bargain Bin' at book stores; well I bought this one from Amazon with the telltale Black line across the bottom. Never the less, if you can find this book, subtitled 'The Virginia Campaign, May-June 1864' at any price you will be will be rewarded with one of the most compact, coherent narratives one could wish for of this complex extended battle. (That campaign/battle has always challenged me, and this book has clarified much I had been confused about without getting into so many details about which regiment of which division etc. did this or that.)
Nothing But Victory - The Army of the Tennessee 1861-1865 by Steven E. Woodworth - an excellent book covering the early formation of this army of the West thru it's early trials and forward as Grant's army developed into perhaps the most formidable army of the war, and then it's further actions under Sherman as it fought the war to it's conclusion.
Books I started on and am still into:
The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln by Phillip Shaw Paludan - This is focused on Lincoln in regard primarily to his actions as President, more so as his actions the defender of the Constitution and laws of the U.S. than as Commander in Chief. Paludan argues persuasively that Lincoln always had in mind, and as himself a lawyer, always sought ways in which his actions could be made to fit within the limits of the Constitution.
Books I started into, but had to put aside:
Richmond Redeemed - The Siege at Petersburg by Richard J. Sommers - I had expected this to be a comprehensive account about the long siege, but found it almost exclusively focuses on "Grant's Fifth Offensive of early autumn, with particular emphasis on its opening battles, Chaffin's Bluff and Poplar Spring Church." This is a little too much detail for me in a 449 page book!
The Confederate Republic - A Revolution Against Politics by George C. Rable - Well, I was a Political Science major in college, but this is not vacation reading! I had vacillated between bringing this book or Emory Thomas' The Confederate Nation: 1861-1865, and found out I made the wrong choice. I think I'll revisit this volume sometime in the indefinite future.
Bringing the