NF What Topics Would You Like to See Written About More?

Non-Fiction
As was said earlier, the Parole system, I didn't know much about it until recently (and still don't), most don't even know it even existed. It's a very antiquated eccentric practice that was hold on in what would become a very modern war.

Any new books about the fighting in the west are always appreciated.

A book about the CS European Regiments in New Orleans.
 
The horse trading and money changing hands is normally left out - this is the stuff that gives us insight, if it's properly conveyed. Maybe, some day....

I'd like to read a study of the literal horse trading involved in supplying animals for war. All I ever see are some, in many cases rather disturbing, anecdotes about what must have been a massive system.

As was said earlier, the Parole system, I didn't know much about it until recently (and still don't), most don't even know it even existed. It's a very antiquated eccentric practice that was hold on in what would become a very modern war.

Parole and exchange weresn't really antiquated, just wrecked during the Civil War. But a study of the system would not be unwelcome.
 
LOL. No, I didn't find the passengers photo; I will have to search some more (and don't worry--that's what I do!). Can you recommend any search terms besides "transport steamer"?


Hate to be pushy on favorite topics or I'd have sure found them for you- try just ' steamer ', and hit the ' title only ' option? Otherwise the search will feed you every, single mention of the word in discussions. You can try just ' transport ' also, and maybe ' embark ', etc. Here's a thread- found an LoC photo where a passenger compartment on a transport contained a photographer. The thing is, ' transport steamer ' came to mean some of the larger steamers too, so it can be tough.

https://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/steamer-travel-between-decks-see-this-one.108671/#post-1031909

https://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/steamers-era-and-not-nypl.121226/
It's a little all over the place- has some images inside some larger steamers. There's a terrific series of images ( most also here somewhere ) on LoC- type in ' steamer ' or just ' ship ', to the ACW section search. Think this link will take you there? Is there a particular transport you'd like to find?

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=civwar
 
I'd like to read a study of the literal horse trading involved in supplying animals for war. All I ever see are some, in many cases rather disturbing, anecdotes about what must have been a massive system.


This rings some bell. There's something- wish I could remember if it's an era book or just a report- on the stables in DC, both when it was near the Capitol and moved out to Geisboro. I realize Washington was only one site but so massive it's tough to wrap your head around. Anyway, remember details on various methods of obtaining horses ( and getting rid of unsound- disturbing also ). Maybe Hathitrust or Internet Archives? Project Gutenberg maybe.
 
Hate to be pushy on favorite topics or I'd have sure found them for you- try just ' steamer ', and hit the ' title only ' option?

I won't quote your whole reply but will go to all your links. I need to work on refining my searches. I would love to find the transport steamer Ewing, but when I was searching last night I found hundreds(?) of items from a collection donated by an entity with the name "Ewing" in it. Realistically I'd like to know a little about what it was like on them for the soldiers being moved from one place to another (not prisoners and not injured). Sometimes they had to stay on them while their commanders decided what to do with them. I really appreciate your help--I just hate to ask for it. And I do enjoy the detective work myself. Glad to find a kindred spirit!
 
I won't quote your whole reply but will go to all your links. I need to work on refining my searches. I would love to find the transport steamer Ewing, but when I was searching last night I found hundreds(?) of items from a collection donated by an entity with the name "Ewing" in it. Realistically I'd like to know a little about what it was like on them for the soldiers being moved from one place to another (not prisoners and not injured). Sometimes they had to stay on them while their commanders decided what to do with them. I really appreciate your help--I just hate to ask for it. And I do enjoy the detective work myself. Glad to find a kindred spirit!


It's like a disease although kindred spirit sounds much better. Sometimes downloading one of those tifs from LoC is entertainment for an entire night. They're just so huge you can pick out and enlarge details all the way down to a cat on the shore, someone fishing from a pontoon bridge, women standing in doorways on board one of those transports and best- ship's names either on the pilot house or the side wheel.

Quite a few soldier accounts speak of their time on those transports- there's a crazy amount of post war journals, collections and memoirs in various archives. Hathitrust, Project Gutenberg, Internet Archives, LoC. You know the kind, for some reason obscure in 2019 and you can't figure out why? From day of enlistment to Appomattox, men recounted their war, some amazing stuff.

Those transport steamers were a little plentiful- although really, what was called a transport steamer seems to have varied? Guessing your Ewing was of this class? Kingston, on the Tennessee from a veritable series of steamer transports photographed there.
kingston w ladies tennessee.JPG

And a woman and a small boy!
kingston w ladies close.jpg


Ewing does sound familiar- like I said, it's frequently possible to crop and enlarge some of those shots from Belle Plain Landing, White House Landing, City Point and a few others and make sense of the ships there including names. OK, it's also just, plain fun.
 
Good thread topic.

Regimental histories of non-English speaking regiments. Because their letters home were written in languages many historians don’t speak, they get ignored a lot.
I found some letters on line that were written by some of my Dutch ancestors. They were in Union Cavalry units out west and had to deal with Indians as well as Rebs. His English was a bit broken but in one letter he said "Send Papa kiss..." I almost teared up at that one
 
The most painful and worst about this; the battle may be over but the cries and pain and suffering of the dying and wounded. The most horrific part of war to hear and listen to this. There were noble soldiers on both sides did good deeds to give relief to the wounded. A noble fight may have been fought on both sides but afterwards is the horror of our wounded and dying....
 
Confederate coast defense - a discussion of the Totten Board fortifications and the earthen forts like Fisher, the tie-in with submersibles and torpedo boats (Hunley, David), floating and fixed mines, linkage to railroads, garrisons, gunnery, etc. Was there a coherent policy or was it left to the states, for example? Surprisingly, I have yet to come across a comprehensive, scholarly study of Confederate coast defense. Even reminiscences are rare. Siege Train. the Journal of a Confederate Artilleryman in the Defense of Charleston, (Charleston: USC Press, 1986) is one of the few I know.
 
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