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

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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.

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

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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

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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.

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

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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

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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.

Icons of Grief: Val Lewton's Home Front Pictures

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A Different Approach
Wartime Horrors

Icons of Grief: Val Lewton's Home Front Pictures
Alexander Nemerov
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0520241002

Book Description

This beautifully written study looks at the haunting, melancholy horror films Val Lewton made between 1942 and 1946 and finds them to be powerful commentaries on the American home front during World War II. Alexander Nemerov focuses on the iconic, isolated figures who appear in four of Lewton's small-budget classics--The Curse of the Cat People, The Ghost Ship, I Walked with a Zombie, and Bedlam. These ghosts, outcasts, and other apparitions of sorrow crystallize the anxiety and grief experienced by Americans during the war, emotions decidedly at odds with the official insistence on courage, patriotism, and optimism. In an evocative meditation on Lewton's use of these "icons of grief," Nemerov demonstrates the film-maker's interest in those who found themselves alienated by wartime society and illuminates the dark side of the American psyche in the 1940s.
Nemerov's rich study draws from Lewton's letters, novels, and scripts and from a wealth of historical material to shed light on both the visual and literary aspects of the filmmaker's work. Lavishly illustrated with more than fifty photographs, including many rare film stills, Icons of Grief recasts Lewton's horror films as suggestive commentaries on a troubled and hidden side of America during World War II.

Customer Reviews:

A Different Approach.......2007-03-24

This is perhaps the most original book written about Val Lewton's famous horror movies in decades. Nemerov looks at four images from Lewton's movies, images that center on little-known character actors Nemerov then shows how these tie into Lewton's Russian background, Lewton's career as a novelist, and American pop culture during World War II.

Rarely have I seen Lewton's films subjected to this kind of close analysis. While I might have wished that Nemerov focused on something from "The Seventh Victim" or "The Body Snatcher," I have to say that what he said made very good sense and placed Lewton in a broader context. (As opposed to the common idea that Lewton was such a genius that his films stand apart from everything else in the horror genre.) This is the rare book of which it can be said that I wish it were longer. Nemerov's enthusiasm for Lewton shines through, but he also has balanced judgment on Lewton's limitations as well. Strongly recommended for anyone interested in horror films or films of the Forties.

Wartime Horrors.......2005-10-27

"Icons of Grief" is a fascinating critical study of producer Val Lewton's RKO horror films within a World War II context. Historian Alexander Nemerov examines the subtle power of Lewton's low-budget chillers (notably "Cat People," "I Walked With a Zombie" and "The Ghost Ship") and the cultural reflection upon wartime America. By providing new insights on Lewton and his work, Nemerov encourages the reader to seek out these remarkable films.

A Child's War: Growing up on the Home Front 1939-45

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A Child's War: Growing up on the Home Front 1939-45
Mike Brown
Manufacturer: Sutton Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

When World War II broke out in September 1939, it came as no surprise to the children of Germany: the Nazis had been preparing them for a war ever since they had come to power in 1933. To British children, however, it was an altogether different matter. Children all over Britain were deeply affected by the war: many were separated from their parents by evacuation or bereavement; all had "make do and mend" with clothes and toys; and some even died while contributing to the war effort at home. The author of this book describes what life was like on the Home Front during the war from a child's point of view. His illustrated, descriptive narrative includes details of evacuation, rationing, coping with gas masks and air raids, entertainment in the absence of toys, favorite radio programs and the important - and often dangerous - role of the Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. Interspersed with personal accounts and reminiscences, the book provides a glimpse of how children were affected by the pressures of war and how they coped with the difficulties they faced. A selection of period photographs and ephemera shows children at work and play and is a main feature of the book.

Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia (Civil War America)

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Detailed look at the Civil War on the Wiregrass home front
An in-depth examination of the efforts to the Civil War on the rural South

Plain Folk's Fight: The Civil War and Reconstruction in Piney Woods Georgia (Civil War America)
Mark V. Wetherington
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807829633
Release Date: 2006-02-23

Book Description

In an examination of the effects of the Civil War on the rural Southern home front, Mark V. Wetherington looks closely at the experiences of white "plain folk"--mostly yeoman farmers and craftspeople--in the wiregrass region of southern Georgia before, during, and after the war. Although previous scholars have argued that common people in the South fought the battles of the region's elites, Wetherington contends that the plain folk in this Georgia region fought for their own self-interest.

Plain folk, whose communities were outside areas in which slaves were the majority of the population, feared black emancipation would allow former slaves to move from cotton plantations to subsistence areas like their piney woods communities. Thus, they favored secession, defended their way of life by fighting in the Confederate army, and kept the antebellum patriarchy intact in their home communities. Unable by late 1864 to sustain a two-front war in Virginia and at home, surviving veterans took their fight to the local political arena, where they used paramilitary tactics and ritual violence to defeat freedpeople and their white Republican allies, preserving a white patriarchy that relied on ex-Confederate officers for a new generation of leadership.

Customer Reviews:

Detailed look at the Civil War on the Wiregrass home front .......2006-08-23

Insightful look at how average or "Plain" folks of the Wiregrass/ Ocmulgee Big Bend area of Georgia lived and survivied the Civil War and Reconstruction. Tons of new information here that often made me think, but it wasn't a page turner. However, if you are looking for a book on the Civil War in Coffee, Irwin, Telfair, Pulaski, and Wilcox counties or a good Georgia Home Front history... this is for you.

An in-depth examination of the efforts to the Civil War on the rural South.......2005-12-07

The Civil War's reconstruction process in Piney Woods Georgia is the narrowed focus of Plain Folk's Fight, an in-depth examination of the efforts to the Civil War on the rural South. Race consciousness was at the forefront of a fight by rural whites to defend their way of life in their neighborhood. These rural folk helped tip Georgia toward secession in 1861, supplied troops during the war, and found themselves divided in loyalty to the Confederate nation and their neighbors. Chapters focus on volunteer units, family organization, stories of hardship and independence, and black/white relationships affected by terrorism. Not for the casual Civil War student, but a 'most' for any serious discussion or collection.

When the Yankees Came: Conflict and Chaos in the Occupied South, 1861-1865 (Civil War America)

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Excellent work by engaging author...
Very Good Look at the South after Union Occupation

When the Yankees Came: Conflict and Chaos in the Occupied South, 1861-1865 (Civil War America)
Stephen V. Ash
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 080784795X
Release Date: 1999-08-04

Book Description

Southerners whose communities were invaded by the Union army during the Civil War endured a profoundly painful ordeal. For most, the coming of the Yankees was a nightmare become real; for some, it was the answer to a prayer. But as Stephen Ash argues, for all, invasion and occupation were essential parts of the experience of defeat that helped shape the southern postwar mentality.

When the Yankees Came is the first comprehensive study of the occupied South, bringing to light a wealth of new information about the southern home front. Among the intriguing topics Ash explores are guerrilla warfare and other forms of civilian resistance; the evolution of Union occupation policy from leniency to repression; the impact of occupation on families, churches, and local government; and conflicts between southern aristocrats and poor whites. In analyzing these topics, Ash examines events from the perspective not only of southerners but also of the northern invaders, and he shows how the experiences of southerners differed according to their distance from a garrisoned town.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent work by engaging author..........2006-04-06

In this book, Ash analyzes the Southern experience in areas invaded by Union troops during the Civil War. Whereas most other studies on this subject deal with a specific town or locality, Ash's book presents an inclusive synthesis that examines the commonalities of the occupation throughout the South. Three main themes direct his study of occupation. One examines how Northern policies regarding the South during occupation developed over the course of the war. Another theme appraises how three different geographical segments of the South experienced occupation (garrison towns, the Confederate frontier, and no-man's land). Finally, Ash looks at how occupation by Federal forces led to internal conflicts between Southerners of varied political, social, and economic groups.
In Ash's study, three important hallmarks of the South were its social hierarchy, its rural communalism, and its race relations. These elements worked in combination to create a unique society that Northern invaders perceived as both backward and foreign. Because of the cultural disparities between the North and the South, the arrival of Union occupying troops was a greatly feared occurrence by Southerners. However, initial Southern interactions with Union troops proved to be less volatile than was originally thought. Despite Northern attempts to remain equitable and lenient within occupied areas, Southern recalcitrance persisted. The continuation of these rebellious attitudes forced Union troops to adopt a harsher policy in their administration of the occupied South, leading to further antagonism between the Union military and Southerners. The "hard policy" of Union occupation also increased existing internal conflicts in the South, such as those between slaves and their masters, Unionists and their secessionist neighbors, and poor whites and the propertied elites. Thus, with the Union control of the South and the disruption caused by this occupation, the established elements of Southern culture (social hierarchy, rural communalism, race relations) could no longer provide a completely cohesive society.

Very Good Look at the South after Union Occupation.......2000-06-01

A very interesting view of the other side of the Civil War. Ash takes the reader on a trip to the South and shows how life changed after the Union Army invaded. The book gives an overall look at the entire South, showing exactly how different regions were effected. Also includes many quotes from actual residents and cites from Southern newspapers, each giving the reader a true vision of what it was like to live there during the Civil War. A wonderful addition to a Civil War collection, especially if you are interested in the South.

When Sherman Marched North from the Sea: Resistance on the Confederate Home Front (Civil War America)

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First Rate work.

When Sherman Marched North from the Sea: Resistance on the Confederate Home Front (Civil War America)
Jacqueline Glass Campbell
Manufacturer: The University of North Carolina Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0807828092

Book Description

Home front and battle front merged in 1865 when General William T. Sherman occupied Savannah and then marched his armies north through the Carolinas. Although much has been written about the military aspects of Sherman's March, Jacqueline Campbell reveals a more complex story. Integrating evidence from Northern soldiers and from Southern civilians, black and white, male and female, Campbell demonstrates the importance of culture for determining the limits of war and how it is fought.

Sherman's March was an invasion of both geographical and psychological space. The Union army viewed the Southern landscape as military terrain. But when they brought war into Southern households, Northern soldiers were frequently astounded by the fierceness with which many white Southern women defended their homes. Campbell argues that in the household-centered South, Confederate women saw both ideological and material reasons to resist. While some Northern soldiers lauded this bravery, others regarded such behavior as inappropriate and unwomanly.

Campbell also investigates the complexities behind African Americans' decisions either to stay on the plantation or to flee with Union troops. Black Southerners' delight at the coming of the army of "emancipation" often turned to terror as Yankees plundered their homes and assaulted black women.

Ultimately, When Sherman Marched North from the Sea calls into question postwar rhetoric that represented the heroic defense of the South as a male prerogative and praised Confederate women for their "feminine" qualities of sentimentality, patience, and endurance. Campbell suggests that political considerations underlie this interpretation--that Yankee depredations seemed more outrageous when portrayed as an attack on defenseless women and children. Campbell convincingly restores these women to their role as vital players in the fight for a Confederate nation, as models of self-assertion rather than passive self-sacrifice.

Customer Reviews:

First Rate work........2004-01-12

This is a very condensed book, mainly dealing with how the war, ( Sherman's March) affected the people in the path of Shermans army. Mrs. Campbell (the author, and a professor of history) uses extensive footnotes, and numerous sources, from a wide spectrum of people, and authors. One thing Mrs. Campbell bears on, is how Shermans march affected the African-American people, and how it differed with it's affect on the white people; and the differences in effect it had on the moral of the people, versus the effect it had on the Confederate soldiers.

If you're new to Shermans March, this is a good book to start with. It's an excellent, quick view of the effect on the Southern people.

If you've read extensively, on Sherman March, this is an excellent book, that adds to your knowledge.

Customer Reviews:

A sober and involving text.......2003-06-12

Compiled and edited by James Marten (Professor of History, Marquette University), Civil War America: Voices From The Home Front is a collection of personal testimonies of individuals drawn from both the North and the South, from blacks and whites, from the young and the old, from males and females, in order to give the reader an accurate, overall picture of what American life was like for those just off the battlefield during the terrible years of the American Civil War. A sober and involving text, Civil War America is strongly recommended for both academic Civil War Studies collections, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in Civil War History.

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