Gideon Lincecum's Sword: Civil War Letters from the Texas Home Front

Customer Reviews:

Strongly recommended and powerfully vivid.......2001-04-15

The effects of the Civil War on Civilian life in Texas are powerfully conveyed in the correspondence of Dr. Gideon Lincecum (1793-1874), a natural scientist and philosopher who moved to Texas in 1848 with his family of ten children and settled in Washington County. This body of correspondence, ably edited by the collaborative efforts of Jerry Bryan Lincecum, Edward hake Phillips, and Peggy A. Redshaw, is gathered together in Gideon Lincecum's Sword: Civil War Letters From The Texas Home Front and forms a strongly recommended, powerfully vivid, and informatively welcome addition to Civil War studies reference collections and reading lists.

Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Home Front--Letters of the Ovid Butler Family

Average customer rating:

Affectionately Yours

Affectionately Yours: The Civil War Home Front--Letters of the Ovid Butler Family

Manufacturer: Indiana Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Customer Reviews:

Affectionately Yours.......2006-08-14

Enjoyed reading these letters from the family members to the soldier. Showed how the war affected the civilians in Indiana.
Very interesting to read.

The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign : From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of Virginia

Average customer rating:

Enjoyable for historians and buffs
BATTERED BUT STILL BRAVE
A Vivid Account of a Devastating Campaign
Founded on a wealth of primary sources and archival material

The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign : From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of Virginia
Howard Coffin
Manufacturer: Countryman Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0881504874

Book Description

This extraordinary story of General Grant's overland campaign and the unique role played by the troops from the state of Vermont also includes never-before-published material on the experiences on the home front. The Battered Stars is a new and unique contribution to the literature of the War Between the States. Civil War historian Howard Coffin has unearthed never-before-seen archival sources to bring first-hand reports from the battlefields of Spotsylvania, The Wilderness, and many others. He also tells the story of the home front, taking us behind the lines to dozens of small towns in Vermont to show how the great battles of the Civil War affected the lives of ordinary citizens. Archival prints and photographs illustrate the extraordinary bravery at the battlefront and granite-like resolve at home that brought victory, but at a phenomenal price. Includes of a great deal of "back home" information—a whole new focus for the National Park Service. 75 black and white photographs and illustrations, 5 maps, index.

Customer Reviews:

Enjoyable for historians and buffs .......2007-06-02

I did not quite know what to expect from this book considering it was published by a non-academic press and written by a political bureaucrat, but I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. Battered Stars is well written and informative, adding a new fresh perspective to an over-studied portion of the Civil War. I have read over a hundred Civil War books and I have seen many second rate efforts by non-professionals, but Battered Stars is highly recommended. My only wish is that Coffin had used professional footnotes to show exactly where his quotes were coming from, but most sources are nonetheless clear.

BATTERED BUT STILL BRAVE.......2005-12-19

In the Preface, the author, Howard Coffin, states "I doubt that any northern states suffered more sever losses during a limited period of time than did Vermont during the Overland Campaign." Page 20 notes "In the great eastern battles of the last spring and early summer of 1864, no northern state, certainly on a per capita basis, would pay a higher price than little Vermont." The Vermont Brigade was unique it that it had been formed entirely of the regiments from a single state.

Coffin provides an excellent narrative of the brigade's combat experiences in the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna River and Cold Harbor in the Army of the Potomac's 40 day Overland Campaign. Here, the Vermonters suffered distortional high casualties. For example, in defending the Wilderness crossroads "The killed and wounded of the Vermont Brigade numbered 1200" as they "suffered one-tenth the entire loss of Grant's army in killed and wounded in the Wilderness." Extensive use of soldier's letters and diaries greatly adds to the narratives with family correspondence giving insight into wartime life in small-town Vermont. Most interesting is Chapter Eight's account of the treatment of the wounded in hastily organized field hospitals and later treatment at Fredericksburg and in Vermont.

The narrative of fighting in the trenches at Cold Harbor is most fascinating. The author states "The Confederate victory (Cold Harbor) had been the most one-sided of the war." There were no big attacks but rather "day by day the killing went on while night by night, the works were dug deeper and became more complex." WWI Trench warfare was reminiscent of this campaign and with only a change in army names and location, Cold Harbor would describe a 1917 battle on the Western Front. The text contains a brief but interesting account of Grant's evacuation from Cold Harbor, the crossing of the James River and the initiation of the siege of Petersburg, Virginia.

Finally, the text deals with Vermont's substantial combat losses and the post war Vermont public reaction to the Civil War. The total loss of the state of Vermont in the Overland Campaign approached 3000 men. "Among the fallen were some of the bravest and best."

As prominent Civil War historian James McPherson states on the book's dust jacket, "This is Civil War history at its best."

A Vivid Account of a Devastating Campaign.......2002-07-25

Howard Coffin has established himself as the premier authority on Vermont and the Civil War. He has exhaustively researched Vermont's historical records including countless letters and diaries from the actual participants. He allows them to directly share their personal, heroic, sorrowful and inspiring stories and insights. It is difficult today to appreciate the pain and suffering which was brought home to every Vermont family during this Campaign. Mr. Coffin does honor to their memories and has provided a valuable research source for those interested in this period.

Founded on a wealth of primary sources and archival material.......2002-06-07

A powerful historical account of Vermont's role in the Civil War, The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign by American Civil War historian and expert Howard Coffin (himself a sixth generation Vermonter with four ancestors who served with the Vermont regiments in the Overland Campaign) is founded on a wealth of primary sources and archival materials, including wartime letters, diaries, and newspaper accounts. The state of Vermont paid a toll in blood from the strife of the war, and the brutal battles are explored in detail as well as the resolve of those who stayed at home and did their best to keep the wheels turning. A welcome and much appreciated contribution to the growing field of Civil War Studies, The Battered Stars is a powerful, fascinating account highly recommended for civil war buffs, as well as anyone native to Vermont who wants to immerse themselves in the gripping saga of a watershed time of civil war.

Children for the Union: The War Spirit on the Northern Home Front (American Childhoods)

Average customer rating:

Children for the Union: The War Spirit on the Northern Home Front (American Childhoods)
James A. Marten
Manufacturer: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1566635632

Book Description

How children living in the North experienced the Civil War, considered in the larger contexts of economic, political, and cultural developments during the nineteenth century. Mr. Marten opens a new window on the impact of the war and shows that the youngest Americans were inevitable and enthusiastic participants. Splendid....Marten captures the passion and poetry of the children's Civil War. --James M. McPherson. American Childhoods series.

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War (Civil War America)

Average customer rating:

Insightful but dry
"Balanced View" of Confederate Appalachia
Good Exploration of Civil War Western North Carolina

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War (Civil War America)
John C. Inscoe
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807825441

Book Description

In the mountains of western North Carolina, the Civil War was fought on different terms than those found throughout most of the South. Though relatively minor strategically, incursions by both Confederate and Union troops disrupted life and threatened the social stability of many communities. Even more disruptive were the internal divisions among western Carolinians themselves. Differing ideologies turned into opposing loyalties, and the resulting strife proved as traumatic as anything imposed by outside armies. As the mountains became hiding places for deserters, draft dodgers, fugitive slaves, and escaped prisoners of war, the conflict became a more localized and internalized guerrilla war, less rational and more brutal, mean-spirited, and personal—and ultimately more demoralizing and destructive.

From the valleys of the French Broad and Catawba Rivers to the peaks of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains, the people of western North Carolina responded to the war in dramatically different ways. Men and women, masters and slaves, planters and yeoman, soldiers and civilians, Confederates and Unionists, bushwhackers and home guardsmen, Democrats and Whigs—all their stories are told here.

Customer Reviews:

Insightful but dry.......2007-03-21

A few pages into this book it occurred to me that it must be written by a college professor since it was text-book dry. Sure enough, not one, but two of them.
Having said that, it is loaded with an insightful peek into a specific region of our country during a very specific time. A good read for anybody interested in the history of the mountains of North Caroilina.

"Balanced View" of Confederate Appalachia.......2005-12-08

If one is looking for a detailed study of the skirmishes and battles of western North Carolina in the American Civil War, this is not the research. Inscoe and McKinney may only reflect on the skirmishes and battles, however, they skillfully present the detailed sociopolitical and geopolitical "tone" of western North Carolina and the American Civil War. To embrace western North Carolina's entry and struggle during the Civil War, East Tennessee and western North Carolina must be studied. One can't separate the influences of East Tennessee from western North Carolina; hence, equal examination allows a "balanced view."

Moreover, as a border state with North Carolina, East Tennessee was predominately pro-Unionist by a margin of two-to-one. Tennessee and North Carolina were the last two states to secede. With several western North Carolina regiments fighting numerous Civil War skirmishes and battles in East Tennessee, both states are discussed.

The Heart of Confederate Appalachia: Western North Carolina in the Civil War justly provides the reader with the "prelude to the aftermath" of western North Carolina in the Civil War. There are 368 pages, with 67 pages dedicated to accurate and detailed primary and secondary sources.

It is considered a "must have" addition for the student and scholar of western North Carolina and East Tennessee during the American Civil War.

Matthew D. Parker

Good Exploration of Civil War Western North Carolina.......2000-08-02

Progressing from his study of slaveholding in Western North Carolina (Mountain Masters) and other explorations of Southern Appalachian History, John Inscoe has teamed up with Gordon B. McKinney, the editor of the microfilm version of the Zebulon B. Vance Papers and author of Southern Mountain Republicans to produce the first scholarly synthesis of the Civil War in Western North Carolina. The book breaks new ground in relying on the scholarship of the past twenty years to revise the portrait of a part of North Carolina that was considered to be staunchly Unionist. It explores mountaineers attitudes toward slavery, secession, and the war in general in very broad strokes; these insights are fleshed out with details from specific locales. From the historian's point of view, the authors have not met the rigorous burden of proof in many cases, choosing to base their conclusions on just one or two primary sources; in some cases, they are forced to draw from examples outside of the region (such as Tennessee) which would fail to satisfy the most demanding of those who want conclusive evidence. However, the book is a wonderful tale and in many cases shows the myriad of responses to what has been described as the most influential historical event in United States History.

Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front: Wartime Experiences, Postwar Adjustments (The North's Civil War, No. 18)

Average customer rating:

Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front: Wartime Experiences, Postwar Adjustments (The North's Civil War, No. 18)
Paul Cimbala , and Randall Miller
Manufacturer: Fordham University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0823221466
Release Date: 2002-01-01

Book Description

Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front: Wartime Experiences, Postwar Adjustments explores the North's Civil War in ways that brings fresh perspectives to our knowledge of the way soldiers and civilians interacted in the Civil War North. Northerners rarely confronted the hardships their southern counterparts faced, but they still found the war a challenging event that to varying degrees would re-shape and transform their old comfortable assumptions about their lives. Having given up their sons to save the Union, they craved information and followed the progress of the companies and regiments that they had sent off to fight. At the same time, their soldier boys never fully severed their ties with home, even as the rigors of war made them rougher versions of their old selves. The home front and the front lines remained intimately connected. This book expands our understanding of those connections.The authors of the essays in this volume bring new and different approaches to some familiar topics while offering answers to some questions that other scholars have ignored for too long. They explore such varied experiences as recruitment, soldiers' motivation, civilian access to the combat experience, wartime correspondence, benevolence and organized relief, race relations, definitions of freedom and citizenship, and ways civilians interacted with soldiers who sojourned in their communities. It is important that they do not stop with the end of the fighting, but also explore such postwar problems as the reintegration of soldiers into northern life and the claims to public memory, including those made by African Americans. Taken as a whole, the essays in Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front provide a better understanding of the larger scope and depth of wartime events experienced by both civilians and soldiers and of the ways those events nurtured the enduring connections between those who fought and those who remained at home. In that regard, the essays go to the very heart of the Civil War experience.

Yankee Correspondence: Civil War Letters Between New England Soldiers and the Home Front (Nation Divided)

Average customer rating:

Yankee Correspondence: Civil War Letters Between New England Soldiers and the Home Front (Nation Divided)

Manufacturer: University of Virginia Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Life & Institutions | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0813916682

Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox

Average customer rating:

Fascinating book on a still-relevant subject
This War is Real
An intimate look at the decline and fall of Lee's army
Good, not great.
Inspiring Southern history up close and very personal

Lee's Miserables: Life in the Army of Northern Virginia from the Wilderness to Appomattox
J. Tracy Power
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0807823929

Book Description

Never did so large a proportion of the American population leave home for an extended period and produce such a detailed record of its experiences in the form of correspondence, diaries, and other papers as during the Civil War. Based on research in more than 1,200 wartime letters and diaries by more than 400 Confederate officers and enlisted men, this book offers a compelling social history of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during its final year, from May 1864 to April 1865.

Organized in a chronological framework, the book uses the words of the soldiers themselves to provide a view of the army's experiences in camp, on the march, in combat, and under siege—from the battles in the Wilderness to the final retreat to Appomattox. It sheds new light on such questions as the state of morale in the army, the causes of desertion, ties between the army and the home front, the debate over arming black men in the Confederacy, and the causes of Confederate defeat. Remarkably rich and detailed, Lee's Miserables offers a fresh look at one of the most-studied Civil War armies.

Customer Reviews:

Fascinating book on a still-relevant subject.......2005-08-21

If you like Civil War history, you'll love this. Lee's Miserables is an account of the last year of the Civil War from the point of view of the Confederates--specifically, the Army of Northern Virginia. What is stunning is the optimism. While Lee's soldiers clearly recognized that their army and the Confederacy were in a tough spot, most seem to have believed that they would still succeed. Many Confederate soldiers believed very sincerely that God was on their side and that a miracle would save their beloved country. Only in the last few months did their confidence really begin to waver, and some kept it up until Lee's actual surrender. Until then, Lee's soldiers fooled themselves that the North was even worse off than they were. This was true, of course, if you looked only at the number of casualties on both sides; but the fact was that by the winter of the Petersburg campaign the Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederacy were seriously overmatched. The North still had a vastly greater population, industrial capacity, you name it, and was not inclined to give up now after all the sacrifices they had made earlier in the war. In reading the Confederates' optimistic letters, I was reminded again and again of today's cheery bulletins about how we are going to achieve success in the Iraq war. Self-delusion played a big part in keeping the Civil War going as long as it did. Self-delusion today by George Bush and other military and political leaders is keeping us in a pointless and unwinnable war. This book is a great reminder that it is always wise to keep in mind that there are some things that cannot be done.

This War is Real.......2001-11-06

Superb account of the soldiers who made up Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. Tracy Power brings them to life for us as he digests their hopes, fears, and passions in this wonderful account of "Lee's Miserables" in the final year of the Civil War in Virginia. Covering a period during which Lee must continue to hold the Union armies at bay even though he has been deprived of his most talented subordinates, the author provides us with marvelous insights into what kept Lee's soldiers in uniform and willing to follow their commander despite the shadows lengthening over the Confederacy in 1864-65.

I recommend this book to all of my students in a Civil War history course that I teach. Every student who has read it has thanked me for the suggestion. Well organized, highly readable, and thoroughly balanced, this is "must" reading for anyone who wishes to understand the 19th Century southerners who fought on even when hope had all but disappeared. Great work by a fine historian and talented author!

An intimate look at the decline and fall of Lee's army.......2000-05-21

By ancestry and upbringing I am a Connecticut Yankee and, while for many years I have been a keen student of the American Civil War, my interests and sympathies are definitely pointed towards the Union (my relatives wore the blue). Thus, it is comparatively rare for me to enthusiastically read a book which is about a distinctly Confederate subject. I happily made an exception for J. Tracy Power's "Lee's Miserables". As it happens, a special focus of mine has long been on the Virginia campaigns of 1864-65, perhaps due to the early influence of Bruce Catton's wonderful "A Stillness at Appomattox". Mr. Power describes his book as a "hybrid of social and military history" and that is indeed an apt desciption. Although the reader can follow the course of the campaigns well enough through Power's narrative, the primary focus of the book is firmly upon how the men and officers of the Army of Northern Virginia perceived their situation and viewed the future, as told in their letters, journals, and other first-hand accounts. Although some soldiers in Lee's army remained confident to very end that they would ultimately achieve victory, "Lee's Miserables" chronicles a broad decline in morale over the winter of 1864-65. An army which could still defend its ground in September and October had become vulnerable by March and April.

I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in Civil War realities and who are ready to reject the hagiographic myths which have far too often dominated books about the Army of Northern Virginia. And I hope that someday there will be a comparable social/military history published about the Army of the Potomac during these same campaigns.

Good, not great........1999-11-27

It should be obvious to anyone who reads this book that Mr. Power is a skilled researcher and writer. His narrative is well documented and clearly organized. But I found it a bit short in analysis and narrow in coverage. Basically, this book traces the changes in morale among the Army of Northern Vigrinia's rank and file soldiers, something Power attributes to their own battlefield performance and results. He largely neglects to address other key contributors to morale (or lack of morale) in sufficient detail, for instance, the significance of religious revivals among the troops. In addition, most of Power's conclusions are not original. He basically reenforces--effectively, of course--earlier scholars' opinions regarding the ANV during the late months of the conflict. Still, this one is worth adding to your shelf.

Inspiring Southern history up close and very personal.......1999-02-12

Lee's Miserables covers the period from May 1864-April 1865 in great detail. It uses voluminous private correspondence and diaries from that time to give a very personal view of the campaigns beginning with The Wilderness and ending at Appomatox. The research done by Mr. Power is impressive and the documentation quite complete. As I read this book my respect for the Army of Northern Virginia increased with each page. Many of the men who fought for Southern Independence went in to the 1864 Campaign with every expectation of ultimate victory. As Grant's Army was repelled at Wilderness, then Spotsylvania, and again at Cold Harbor it did seem the future of the Confederacy was viable. But Grant did not march away after being defeated as his predecessors had done, even to the point that after Cold Harbor he had lost more casualties than Lee had in his whole army but Grant and his army stayed on Southern soil. Grant was undeterred, and pressed on to Petersburg and began the stalemate of trench warfare. The Spring Campaign of 1865 opened on a much-depleted Army of Northern Virginia and only the strongest diehards were still in the trenches when Grant began his offensive that lead to Lee's surrender at Appomatox. Throughout it all, Lee's Miserables were prolific writers corresponding with their wives, mothers, fathers, etc., regarding the substance of their daily thoughts and trials. This book gives great insight into the motives of the patriots and what kept them going under extremely difficult conditions. Their ability to withstand the privations of low rations, inadequate clothing, scarce footwear, and sinking civilian morale in the South are a testament to the spirit and determination of many in that dedicated army. One of the somewhat surprising events the author brings out is the number of defections from both the Union army and the Army of Northern Virginia. Many soldiers on both sides simply couldn't stand the stalemated conditions and growing hopelessness any longer and preferred life in a POW camp to that in the trenches. This is fine book about the reality of the decline and death of the Confederacy and well worth reading.

The Air Raid Warden Was a Spy: And Other Tales from Home-Front America in World War II

Average customer rating:

I cannot recommend this book.

The Air Raid Warden Was a Spy: And Other Tales from Home-Front America in World War II
William B. Breuer
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Intelligence & Espionage | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Military Science | History | Subjects | Books

All Amazon Upgrade | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books

History | Amazon Upgrade | Stores | Books
ASIN: 0471234885

Book Description

Critical acclaim for William B. Breuer

"A first-class historian."
-The Wall Street Journal

Top Secret Tales of World War II

"A book for rainy days and long solitary nights by the fire. If there were a genre for cozy nonfiction, this would be the template."
-Publishers Weekly

"Perfect for the curious and adventure readers and those who love exotic tales and especially history buffs who will be surprised at what they didn't know. Recommended for nearly everyone."
-Kirkus Reviews

Daring Missions of World War II

"The author brings to light many previously unknown stories of behind-the-scenes bravery and covert activities that helped the Allies win critical victories."
-Albuquerque Journal

Secret Weapons of World War II

"Rip-roaring tales . . . a delightful addition to the niche that Breuer has so successfully carved out."
-Publishers Weekly

Customer Reviews:

I cannot recommend this book........2006-03-30

The Author of this "historical" work claims that many bizarre accounts he records here are true. And at least some of them are indeed true. However, some of these accounts involve some of the most important men of the era, & are not recorded in any of the other texts on World War 2 I have read. Yet, the only source he "cites" for many of these stories, & the principle source for most of the others is "Author's Archives". Apparently, his "scholarship" tells him that this is sufficient.

WRONG!

No Historian, or aspriring Historian, should ever cite his own archives as a source. He should describe the document, such as "private diary of so & so, in Author's Archives". Otherwise, you get what some scholars call the "Magic Piece Of Paper" Syndrome, in which you can claim anything you want to, because your "Author's Archives" will "magically" produce anything you like. Any first year University student knows this.

And some of the "events" Mr. Breuer cites are pretty far-fetched, especially when you consider that the term "Author's Archives" implies that no one else on Earth has access to the information sources he cites.

I urge Mr. Breuer to donate these amazing documents to a University, so that other people may examine them.

The Civil War (Letters from the Home Front)

Average customer rating:

The Civil War (Letters from the Home Front)
Virginia Schomp
Manufacturer: Benchmark Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0761410953

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books