NF The 16th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War, Revised and Updated

Non-Fiction
Kurt -- I'm Kim Crawford, the guy who wrote the regimental history of the 16th Michigan. By way of explanation about the new 2019 edition by MSU Press, I have to fill you in some ancient history:

I was very angry with the original publisher of my book, Morningside House/Bookshop of Dayton, Ohio, back in 2002, because of their terrible production and editing. They a terrible job, re-typing the acknowledgements and filling them with spelling errors, mangling names and common words; it was one of the most embarrassing things I'd ever seen. They violated the terms of my contract with them six ways to Sunday, and I wasn't allowed to fix these incredible errors.

With a couple exceptions for a friend in the military book business and for Michigan's state museum, I never sold or marketed that first edition of the book, I was so angry. After being burned by Morningside, I took my next two books to Michigan State University Press. When I heard a couple of years ago that Morningside Books was gone, I proposed to my editor to re-write the 16th Michigan history from top to bottom, which is why James saw the new MSU Press edition listed in their catalog.

Though some of the content in the new edition of the book is similar, it is NOT the same. The new edition is better written, professionally edited and produced, has many more portraits of soldiers, is more detailed and more accurate; there are more "voices" of soldiers. There's a good roster this time (the old one was a list of names) and far more detail and context. I feel bad about those who bought the original version of the book, and it seems someone is out there selling whatever stock was left over from Morningside edition; I'm very sorry about this, but there is nothing I can do about it. If I could, I would send the 2002 Morningside edition to a paper recycling center.

This is probably more than you will want to know about the new 16th Michigan history, but when I saw your note I felt I had to tell you the story behind the revised edition.

Thanks for listening.
 
Kurt -- I'm Kim Crawford, the guy who wrote the regimental history of the 16th Michigan. By way of explanation about the new 2019 edition by MSU Press, I have to fill you in some ancient history:

I was very angry with the original publisher of my book, Morningside House/Bookshop of Dayton, Ohio, back in 2002, because of their terrible production and editing. They a terrible job, re-typing the acknowledgements and filling them with spelling errors, mangling names and common words; it was one of the most embarrassing things I'd ever seen. They violated the terms of my contract with them six ways to Sunday, and I wasn't allowed to fix these incredible errors.

With a couple exceptions for a friend in the military book business and for Michigan's state museum, I never sold or marketed that first edition of the book, I was so angry. After being burned by Morningside, I took my next two books to Michigan State University Press. When I heard a couple of years ago that Morningside Books was gone, I proposed to my editor to re-write the 16th Michigan history from top to bottom, which is why James saw the new MSU Press edition listed in their catalog.

Though some of the content in the new edition of the book is similar, it is NOT the same. The new edition is better written, professionally edited and produced, has many more portraits of soldiers, is more detailed and more accurate; there are more "voices" of soldiers. There's a good roster this time (the old one was a list of names) and far more detail and context. I feel bad about those who bought the original version of the book, and it seems someone is out there selling whatever stock was left over from Morningside edition; I'm very sorry about this, but there is nothing I can do about it. If I could, I would send the 2002 Morningside edition to a paper recycling center.

This is probably more than you will want to know about the new 16th Michigan history, but when I saw your note I felt I had to tell you the story behind the revised edition.

Thanks for listening.
Thanks for the reply . I have a few books by you and have enjoyed them all. My girlfriend attended a lecture you gave some time ago. She told me you had all kinds of problems with Morningside . She had some one in the 16th who was wounded at 2nd Manassas so he wasn't present at Gettysburg . Looks like I'll be getting the new edition !
 
I inquire of any Gettysburg experts on the Forum: If my memory serves me correctly, I think the original regimental history was written by Abner Small? His prose and descriptions of the Battle of Gettysburg are absolutely fantastic and legendary. I believe last year or the year before at Gettysburg during a battlefield walk on the first day, the park ranger, (John Hoptak?) quoted from Small quite extensively. David.
 
I inquire of any Gettysburg experts on the Forum: If my memory serves me correctly, I think the original regimental history was written by Abner Small? His prose and descriptions of the Battle of Gettysburg are absolutely fantastic and legendary. I believe last year or the year before at Gettysburg during a battlefield walk on the first day, the park ranger, (John Hoptak?) quoted from Small quite extensively. David.

That's the 16th Maine, not Michigan. They were the sacrificial last stand of the I Corps on Oak Ridge.

Ryan
 
My GGG uncle, Peter Youngs, was in the 16th Mich until at least Gaines Mill. He is listed as being exchanged a few months later. The family story is that he jumped off a prison ship and swam ashore, but I have no idea if that is the truth or a highly embellished story to explain the embarrassment of being captured. He then went into the Veteran Reserve Corps and later one of the US infantry units.

Peter is buried at the Michigan Home for Veterans cemetery in Grand Rapids. His tombstone (second row in front of the statue) has a misspelling as “Young.” I salute him and the other vets when I run by thrice weekly. Today there were two deer there, eating the fall acorns.
 
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