A Little Short of Boats

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Author :
Publisher : Ironclad Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis A Little Short of Boats by : James A. Morgan (III.)

Download or read book A Little Short of Boats written by James A. Morgan (III.) and published by Ironclad Publishing. This book was released on 2004 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To the victorious Confederates, it was the Battle of Leesburg. The badly beaten Federals named it for the imposing fortress-like rocky precipice on the northern side of the Potomac near Washington DC - Ball's Bluff. Fought three months to the day after First Manassas (Bull Run) and another in a long line of Federal defeats during the first year of the war - the battle was, as author James Morgan puts it, "a reconnaissance mission gone bad." Federal commander Gen. Charles P. Stone had planned a raid on a suspected Rebel camp, precipitating a skirmish between elements of his troops and those of Confederate Gen. Nathan "Shanks" Evans. As a series of skirmishes developed into a full-scale brawl involving some 1700 soldiers on each side, careless and costly decisions by one of Stone's commanders, Col. Edward D. Baker, led to Baker's death and a catastrophic finish, as hundreds of Union soldiers fell or threw themselves off the cliff. In the ensuing political uproar in the North, Stone became the convenient Federal scapegoat and his career was destroyed. A charter member of the volunteer Ball's Bluff guide group, Morgan, a former Marine, began to realize that the conventional battle narrative he and others were telling to visitors "just did not feel right." Further reading and more intensive study of the battlefield led him to delve deeply into primary materials to correct misconceptions and find the factual interpretation of events of this little and relatively unstudied battlefield. With the requisite keen understanding of the battlefield's terrain, Morgan has woven together a site-driven narrative in graceful style that is appropriately highlighted with participant's quotes. Featuring previously unused primary manuscript sources and a variety of first-hand accounts, this second volume in Ironclad's landmark Discovering Civil War America Series is highlighted by fine maps and numerous contemporary illustrations. A signature element of the series is the driving/walking tour of the sites, including the Ball's Bluff National Cemetery. This book is a must for all Civil War buffs, especially those interested in early clashes of the war and lesser-known battlefields.

Meade at Gettysburg

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Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469662000
Total Pages : 488 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis Meade at Gettysburg by : Kent Masterson Brown, Esq.

Download or read book Meade at Gettysburg written by Kent Masterson Brown, Esq. and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2021-05-03 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although he took command of the Army of the Potomac only three days before the first shots were fired at Gettysburg, Union general George G. Meade guided his forces to victory in the Civil War's most pivotal battle. Commentators often dismiss Meade when discussing the great leaders of the Civil War. But in this long-anticipated book, Kent Masterson Brown draws on an expansive archive to reappraise Meade's leadership during the Battle of Gettysburg. Using Meade's published and unpublished papers alongside diaries, letters, and memoirs of fellow officers and enlisted men, Brown highlights how Meade's rapid advance of the army to Gettysburg on July 1, his tactical control and coordination of the army in the desperate fighting on July 2, and his determination to hold his positions on July 3 insured victory. Brown argues that supply deficiencies, brought about by the army's unexpected need to advance to Gettysburg, were crippling. In spite of that, Meade pursued Lee's retreating army rapidly, and his decision not to blindly attack Lee's formidable defenses near Williamsport on July 13 was entirely correct in spite of subsequent harsh criticism. Combining compelling narrative with incisive analysis, this finely rendered work of military history deepens our understanding of the Army of the Potomac as well as the machinations of the Gettysburg Campaign, restoring Meade to his rightful place in the Gettysburg narrative.

Between Reb and Yank

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Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 0786489340
Total Pages : 410 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis Between Reb and Yank by : Taylor M. Chamberlin

Download or read book Between Reb and Yank written by Taylor M. Chamberlin and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-09-29 with total page 410 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The northern part of Loudoun County was a Unionist enclave in Confederate Virginia that remained a contested battleground for armies and factions of all stripes throughout the Civil War. Lying between the Blue Ridge Mountains, Harpers Ferry, and Washington, D.C., the Loudoun Valley provided a natural corridor for commanders on both sides, while its mountainous fringes were home to partisans, guerillas, deserters and smugglers. This detailed history examines the conflicting loyalties in the farming communities, the peaceful Quakers caught in the middle, and the political underpinnings of Unionist Virginia.

A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation

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Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393247082
Total Pages : 528 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (932 download)

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Book Synopsis A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation by : John Matteson

Download or read book A Worse Place Than Hell: How the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg Changed a Nation written by John Matteson and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2021-02-09 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pulitzer Prize–winning author John Matteson illuminates three harrowing months of the Civil War and their enduring legacy for America. December 1862 drove the United States toward a breaking point. The Battle of Fredericksburg shattered Union forces and Northern confidence. As Abraham Lincoln’s government threatened to fracture, this critical moment also tested five extraordinary individuals whose lives reflect the soul of a nation. The changes they underwent led to profound repercussions in the country’s law, literature, politics, and popular mythology. Taken together, their stories offer a striking restatement of what it means to be American. Guided by patriotism, driven by desire, all five moved toward singular destinies. A young Harvard intellectual steeped in courageous ideals, Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. confronted grave challenges to his concept of duty. The one-eyed army chaplain Arthur Fuller pitted his frail body against the evils of slavery. Walt Whitman, a gay Brooklyn poet condemned by the guardians of propriety, and Louisa May Alcott, a struggling writer seeking an authentic voice and her father’s admiration, tended soldiers’ wracked bodies as nurses. On the other side of the national schism, John Pelham, a West Point cadet from Alabama, achieved a unique excellence in artillery tactics as he served a doomed and misbegotten cause. A Worse Place Than Hell brings together the prodigious forces of war with the intimacy of individual lives. Matteson interweaves the historic and the personal in a work as beautiful as it is powerful.

Grant's Left Hook

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Author :
Publisher : Savas Beatie
ISBN 13 : 1611214394
Total Pages : 193 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (112 download)

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Book Synopsis Grant's Left Hook by : Sean Chick

Download or read book Grant's Left Hook written by Sean Chick and published by Savas Beatie. This book was released on 2021-07-21 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the series of American Civil War battles fought at a town outside of Richmond, Virginia. Robert E. Lee feared the day the Union army would return up the James River and invest the Confederate capital of Richmond. In the spring of 1864, Ulysses Grant, looking for a way to weaken Lee, was about to exploit the Confederate commander’s greatest fear and weakness. After two years of futile offensives in Virginia, the Union commander set the stage for a campaign that could decide the war. Grant sent the 38,000-man Army of the James to Bermuda Hundred, to threaten and possibly take Richmond, or at least pin down troops that could reinforce Lee. Jefferson Davis, in desperate need of a capable commander, turned to the Confederacy’s first hero: Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard. Butler’s 1862 occupation of New Orleans had infuriated the South, but no one more than Beauregard, a New Orleans native. This campaign would be personal. In the hot weeks of May 1864, Butler and Beauregard fought a series of skirmishes and battles to decide the fate of Richmond and Lee’s army. Historian Sean Michael Chick analyzes and explains the plans, events, and repercussions of the Bermuda Hundred Campaign in Grant’s Left Hook: The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, May 5-June 7, 1864. The book contains hundreds of photographs, new maps, and a fresh consideration of Grant’s Virginia strategy and the generalship of Butler and Beauregard. The book is also filled with anecdotes and impressions from the rank and file who wore blue and gray. Praise for Grant’s Left Hook “A superb installment . . . one of the best books in the ECW series (easily rating among the top handful in this reviewer’s estimation). Sean Chick’s Grant’s Left Hook is highly recommended reading.” —Civil War Books and Authors “An excellent, very informative book about one of the least understood campaigns of the Civil War . . . also quite readable, and is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in the great conflict, and particularly for those who like tramping across battlefields.” —The NYMAS Review

March

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Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101079258
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis March by : Geraldine Brooks

Download or read book March written by Geraldine Brooks and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2006-01-31 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize--a powerful love story set against the backdrop of the Civil War, from the author of The Secret Chord. From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has animated the character of the absent father, March, and crafted a story "filled with the ache of love and marriage and with the power of war upon the mind and heart of one unforgettable man" (Sue Monk Kidd). With "pitch-perfect writing" (USA Today), Brooks follows March as he leaves behind his family to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. His experiences will utterly change his marriage and challenge his most ardently held beliefs. A lushly written, wholly original tale steeped in the details of another time, March secures Geraldine Brooks's place as a renowned author of historical fiction.

Turning Points of the American Civil War

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Publisher : SIU Press
ISBN 13 : 0809336219
Total Pages : 273 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (93 download)

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Book Synopsis Turning Points of the American Civil War by : Chris Mackowski

Download or read book Turning Points of the American Civil War written by Chris Mackowski and published by SIU Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although most Americans believe that the Battle of Gettysburg was the only turning point of the Civil War, the war actually turned repeatedly. Turning Points of the American Civil War examines key shifts and the context surrounding them, demonstrating that the war was a continuum of watershed events.

Battle of Ball's Bluff, The: All the Drowned Soldiers

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Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1467140732
Total Pages : 192 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (671 download)

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Book Synopsis Battle of Ball's Bluff, The: All the Drowned Soldiers by : Bill Howard

Download or read book Battle of Ball's Bluff, The: All the Drowned Soldiers written by Bill Howard and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2018 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Three months after the Civil War's first important battle at Manassas in 1861, Union and Confederate armies met again near the sleepy town of Leesburg. What began as a simple scouting mission evolved into a full-scale battle when a regiment of Union soldiers unexpectedly encountered a detachment of Confederate cavalry. The Confederates pushed forward and scattered the Union line. Soldiers drowned trying to escape back to Union lines on the other side of the Potomac River. A congressional investigation of the battle had long-lasting effects on the war's political and military administration. Bill Howard narrates the history of the battle as well as its thorny aftermath"--Page 4 of cover.

Across Five Aprils

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Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101127945
Total Pages : 225 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (11 download)

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Book Synopsis Across Five Aprils by : Irene Hunt

Download or read book Across Five Aprils written by Irene Hunt and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-01-08 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Newbery Award-winning author of Up a Road Slowly presents the unforgettable story of Jethro Creighton—a brave boy who comes of age during the turbulent years of the Civil War. In 1861, America is on the cusp of war, and young Jethro Creighton is just nine-years-old. His brother, Tom, and his cousin, Eb, are both of fighting age. As Jethro's family is pulled into the conflict between the North and the South, loyalties are divided, dreams are threatened, and their bonds are put to the test in this heart-wrenching, coming of age story. “Drawing from family records and from stories told by her grandfather, the author has, in an uncommonly fine narrative, created living characters and vividly reconstructed a crucial period of history.”—Booklist

Battle at Ball's Bluff, Leesburg, Virginia, October 21, 1861

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 166 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (239 download)

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Book Synopsis Battle at Ball's Bluff, Leesburg, Virginia, October 21, 1861 by : Kim Bernard Holien

Download or read book Battle at Ball's Bluff, Leesburg, Virginia, October 21, 1861 written by Kim Bernard Holien and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Staff Ride Handbook For The Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863 [Illustrated Edition]

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Publisher : Pickle Partners Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1782899359
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (828 download)

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Book Synopsis Staff Ride Handbook For The Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863 [Illustrated Edition] by : Dr. Christopher Gabel

Download or read book Staff Ride Handbook For The Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863 [Illustrated Edition] written by Dr. Christopher Gabel and published by Pickle Partners Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-06 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes over 30 maps and Illustrations The Staff Ride Handbook for the Vicksburg Campaign, December 1862-July 1863, provides a systematic approach to the analysis of this key Civil War campaign. Part I describes the organization of the Union and Confederate Armies, detailing their weapons, tactics, and logistical, engineer, communications, and medical support. It also includes a description of the U.S. Navy elements that featured so prominently in the campaign. Part II consists of a campaign overview that establishes the context for the individual actions to be studied in the field. Part III consists of a suggested itinerary of sites to visit in order to obtain a concrete view of the campaign in its several phases. For each site, or “stand,” there is a set of travel directions, a discussion of the action that occurred there, and vignettes by participants in the campaign that further explain the action and which also allow the student to sense the human “face of battle.” Part IV provides practical information on conducting a Staff Ride in the Vicksburg area, including sources of assistance and logistical considerations. Appendix A outlines the order of battle for the significant actions in the campaign. Appendix B provides biographical sketches of key participants. Appendix C provides an overview of Medal of Honor conferral in the campaign. An annotated bibliography suggests sources for preliminary study.

Across A Deadly Field: Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1472802608
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (728 download)

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Book Synopsis Across A Deadly Field: Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles by : John Hill

Download or read book Across A Deadly Field: Regimental Rules for Civil War Battles written by John Hill and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2014-08-20 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American Civil War was a turning point in the history of warfare, as Napoleonic tactics met deadly new technology. Cannons and rifles had become more accurate at longer ranges, rapid-fire pistols gave cavalry a new weapon, and the telegraph and railroad completely altered both strategic and tactical thinking. Across a Deadly Field, the new regimental-level wargame from Osprey Publishing, allows players to recreate this tumultuous period of warfare on the tabletop. Its versatile rules make it possible to refight any battle, from the early skirmishes of Ball's Bluff and Big Bethel to the grand, set-piece battles such as Gettysburg that decided the war. Written by John Hill, designer of the Johnny Reb series, Across a Deadly Field offers both new and experienced wargamers a fast-paced and dynamic game where even a single regiment can make the difference between victory and defeat.

Harvard's Civil War

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Publisher : UPNE
ISBN 13 : 9781584655053
Total Pages : 572 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (55 download)

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Book Synopsis Harvard's Civil War by : Richard F. Miller

Download or read book Harvard's Civil War written by Richard F. Miller and published by UPNE. This book was released on 2005 with total page 572 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A regimental history of one of the Civil War's most distinguished units.

1861

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Publisher : Vintage
ISBN 13 : 1400032199
Total Pages : 498 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis 1861 by : Adam Goodheart

Download or read book 1861 written by Adam Goodheart and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2012-02-21 with total page 498 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A gripping and original account of how the Civil War began and a second American revolution unfolded, setting Abraham Lincoln on the path to greatness and millions of slaves on the road to freedom. An epic of courage and heroism beyond the battlefields, 1861 introduces us to a heretofore little-known cast of Civil War heroes—among them an acrobatic militia colonel, an explorer’s wife, an idealistic band of German immigrants, a regiment of New York City firemen, a community of Virginia slaves, and a young college professor who would one day become president. Their stories take us from the corridors of the White House to the slums of Manhattan, from the waters of the Chesapeake to the deserts of Nevada, from Boston Common to Alcatraz Island, vividly evoking the Union at its moment of ultimate crisis and decision. Hailed as “exhilarating….Inspiring…Irresistible…” by The New York Times Book Review, Adam Goodheart’s bestseller 1861 is an important addition to the Civil War canon. Includes black-and-white photos and illustrations.

A Little Short of Boats

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Publisher : Grub Street Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1611210674
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (112 download)

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Book Synopsis A Little Short of Boats by : James A. Morgan

Download or read book A Little Short of Boats written by James A. Morgan and published by Grub Street Publishers. This book was released on 2011-07-06 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “A Little Short of Boats will appeal especially to readers interested in tactical battle studies. This reviewer recommends it enthusiastically.” —Civil War News “Perhaps a small demonstration on your part would have the effect to move them,” wrote Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan to Brig. Gen. Charles P. Stone on October 20, 1861. The simple telegram triggered the “demonstration” by Col. Edward Baker’s brigade the following day—that evolved into the bloody subject of this book. Opposing the Union effort was Brig. Gen. Nathan “Shanks” Evans’ small Confederate command at Leesburg. When he learned of the enemy plans, Evans shuttled troops from Edwards Ferry to Ball’s Bluff, where Baker pushed his brigade across the upper reaches of the Potomac. His troops were on open ground, ill-organized, and with their backs to the river when the Southern infantry attacked. The twelve fitful hours of fighting that followed ended in one of the worst defeats, proportionally speaking, that either side would suffer during the Civil War, wrecked a Union general’s career, and killed Baker—a sitting US senator and one of Abraham Lincoln’s good friends. The news rocked a Northern populace already reeling from the recent disasters of Bull Run and Wilson’s Creek. Based on firsthand research and a full appreciation of the battlefield terrain, A Little Short of Boats sets forth the strategy behind the “demonstration,” the combats that followed, and the colorful personalities involved. The result, coupled with the disaster’s political fallout, held the nation’s attention for weeks. The battle’s most important impact was also the least predictable: the creation of the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War. Ostensibly formed to seek out the causes of the string of defeats, the Joint Committee instead pushed the political agenda of the “Radical Republicans” and remained a thorn in Lincoln’s side for four long years. This fully revised and expanded edition of A Little Short of Boats will please Civil War enthusiasts who love tactical studies—and remind them once again that very often in history, smaller affairs often have important and lasting consequences.

The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone

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Publisher : Westholme Publishing
ISBN 13 : 9781594162329
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (623 download)

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Book Synopsis The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone by : Blaine Lamb

Download or read book The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone written by Blaine Lamb and published by Westholme Publishing. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charles Pomeroy Stone (1824-1887) is best known for the 1861 Civil War battle at Ball's Bluff, Virginia, where a close associate of Lincoln's was killed while under Stone's command. Stone was blamed for his death and imprisoned without charges or trial. His story, however, goes far beyond that episode. Ranging from the Halls of Montezuma to Gold Rush California, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the foot of the Statue of Liberty, The Extraordinary Life of Charles Pomeroy Stone: Soldier, Surveyor, Pasha, Engineer by historian Blaine Lamb brings to light the many facets of Stone's remarkable life and career. After graduating from West Point, Stone served with General Winfield Scott in the Mexican-American War; he then commanded a military depot in San Francisco until joining a bank managed by William Tecumseh Sherman during the heady days of the Gold Rush. Stone was then recruited to survey Sonora, Mexico, for American interests. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Stone was in Washington, and his leadership was critical to protecting Lincoln and the city from Confederate attack. Given a field command, he was then made scapegoat for the Ball's Bluff debacle. After being released from prison, he served with distinction, leading a charge during the battle of Pleasant Hill. Following the war he was recommended by Sherman to the khedive of Egypt to modernize the Egyptian army. Serving nine years as "Stone Pasha," he entertained Ulysses S. Grant while the ex-president visited the country in 1878. Grant then recommended the only man he felt could carry out the complex job of constructing France's great gift to the United States: the Statue of Liberty. Stone rose to the challenge, quietly providing his expertise to erect this enduring national symbol. As the author weaves together these and other stories and characters, including Alexander von Humboldt, Thaddeus Lowe, Chinese Gordon, Khedive Ismail, and Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, the center of this tale of nineteenth-century adventure, war, and intrigue remains Stone himself, a man of honor, steadfast loyalty, and perseverance. -- Inside jacket flaps.

Civil War Battlefield Orders Gone Awry

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Author :
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 9780786469499
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (694 download)

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Book Synopsis Civil War Battlefield Orders Gone Awry by : Donald R. Jermann

Download or read book Civil War Battlefield Orders Gone Awry written by Donald R. Jermann and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-04-23 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Civil War, the outcome of many a battle or campaign hinged on the proper wording, dissemination and interpretation of battlefield orders. Early in the war, officers trained in small unit combat could suddenly find themselves commanding thousands of men and writing orders to subordinates with little experience in the practice. The inclusion of accurate origin information, up-to-date knowledge of the situation in the field, the amount of discretion given to recipients, and the speed and geographical acumen of couriers were critical. This innovative volume examines 13 cases in which the tide of battle turned on written orders, including Ball's Bluff, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Gettysburg and Chickamauga. The importance of this seemingly clerical task, this work shows, equaled that of tactics, manpower, and supplies in determining the course of the Civil War.