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Books > Humanities > History > American history > 1800 to 1900
Considered one of the best treatments of the presidency of Abraham
Lincoln of its time, this portrait of the man and his
administration of the United States at the moment of its greatest
upheaval is both intimate and scholarly. Written by two private
secretaries to the president and first published in 1890, this
astonishingly in-depth work is still praised today for its clear,
easy-to-read style and vitality. This new replica edition features
all the original illustrations. Volume Eight covers: conspiracies
in the North habeas corpus Chickamauga Chattanooga Burnside in
Tennessee the Gettysburg address foreign relations in 1863 Grant
general-in-chief Spotsylvania and much more. American journalist
and statesman JOHN MILTON HAY (1838-1905) was only 22 when he
became a private secretary to Lincoln. A former member of the
Providence literary circle when he attended Brown University in the
late 1850s, he may have been the real author of Lincoln's famous
"Letter to Mrs. Bixby." After Lincoln's death, Hay later served as
editor of the *New York Tribune* and as U.S. ambassador to the
United Kingdom under President William McKinley. American author
JOHN GEORGE NICOLAY (1832-1901) was born in Germany and emigrated
to the U.S. as a child. Before serving as Lincoln's private
secretary, he worked as a newspaper editor and later as assistant
to the secretary of state of Illinois. He also wrote *Campaigns of
the Civil War* (1881).
"The Civil War was the most dramatic, violent, and fateful
experience in American history. . . . Little wonder that the Civil
War had a profound impact that has echoed down the generations and
remains undiminished today. That impact helps explain why at least
50,000 books and pamphlets . . . on the Civil War have been
published since the 1860s. Most of these are in the Library of
Congress, along with thousands of unpublished letters, diaries, and
other documents that make this depository an unparalleled resource
for studying the war. From these sources, the editors of "The
Library of Congress Civil War Desk Reference "have compiled a
volume that every library, every student of the Civil War--indeed
everyone with an interest in the American past--will find
indispensable." --From the Foreword by James M. McPherson, Pulitzer
Prize-winning author of "Battle Cry of Freedom "
Experience the entire Civil War through the eyes of the
soldiers-North and South. Fast paced, this very human story reads
like you're watching a movie. "During wartime, soldiers never know
the whole picture. Tracing the surprising parallel lives of
childhood friends and kinsmen, Elisha Hunt Rhodes of the 2nd R. I.
Regiment and James Rhodes Sheldon of the 50th Georgia Regiment,
amidst the background of the Civil War from beginning to end, Les
Rolston has shed new light from primary and secondary sources and
added a poignant human touch to history." Robert Hunt Rhodes-editor
of ALL FOR THE UNION: THE CIVIL WAR DIARY AND LETTERS OF ELISHA
HUNT RHODES as featured in the PBS-TV series THE CIVIL WAR by Ken
Burns.
The History of the American West Collection is a unique project
that provides opportunities for researchers and new readers to
easily access and explore works which have previously only been
available on library shelves. The Collection brings to life
pre-1923 titles focusing on a wide range of topics and experiences
in US Western history. From the initial westward migration, to
exploration and development of the American West to daily life in
the West and intimate pictures of the people who inhabited it, this
collection offers American West enthusiasts a new glimpse at some
forgotten treasures of American culture. Encompassing genres such
as poetry, fiction, nonfiction, tourist guides, biographies and
drama, this collection provides a new window to the legend and
realities of the American West.
Exploring how the face and body of America were imagined both physically and metaphorically during the Civil War, this book shows how visual iconography affected changes in postbellum gendered and racialised identifications of the nation.
A guide to the conflicts for the Union
This book has a curious pedigree. During the U.S. Grant
administration, the Secretary of War instructed the Corps of Clerks
to compile a thorough and complete catalogue of all the engagements
of the late American Civil War-irrespective of their magnitude. The
work was duly completed, published in small edition and a copy was
presented by the Adjutant-General to the Secretary of War who, upon
receiving it, promptly checked its pages for a minor incident in
which he had been involved only to discover that it was notably
absent It was from this rather embarrassing foundation that this
book (oddly titled in its original edition 'When and Where We Met
Each Other on Shore or Afloat' ) was conceived and, after much
research, published. The task was a daunting one and the book
occupied its author, Theodore D. Strickler, for over a decade as he
examined official and other reliably authentic sources. Of course,
all the well known battles are recorded here, but also included are
the hundreds of minor affairs including scouting parties,
skirmishes and raids. Strickler had the advantage of living
witnesses to authenticate his findings and at the time of its
original publication the book claimed to be the most complete
compilation of its kind. The principal body of the text is in list
form and the Leonaur edition has faithfully reproduced this in its
original form for the sake of authenticity. All other text-which
includes a piece on unit insignia-has been newly typeset. By virtue
of its extreme thoroughness this book will be invaluable to all
serious students of the American Civil War.
Every Leonaur title is available in softcover and hardback with
dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil
lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.
This study introduces a new perspective on Lincoln and the Civil
War through an examination of his declaration of our national
values and the subsequent interpretation of those values by
families during the war. This volume is a completely new approach
to Civil War history. Historians rightly regard Abraham Lincoln as
a moral exemplar, a president who gave new life to the national
values that defined America. While some previous studies attest to
Lincoln's identification with family virtues, this is the first to
link Lincoln's personal biography with actual histories of families
at war. It analyzes the relationship that existed between Lincoln
and these families and assesses the moral struggles that validated
the families' decision for or against the conflict. Written to be
accessible to students and the general reader alike, the book
examines Lincoln's presidency as measured against the stories of
families, North and South, that struggled with his definition of
Union virtues. It looks at Lincoln's compelling case for democratic
values-among them, justice, patriotism, honor, and commitment-first
stated in his 1861 speech before Independence Hall. The work also
uses case studies to demonstrate how virtue, as practiced in
families, illuminated, contested, adapted, and even transformed his
concept, giving new meaning to the "virtues of war." Takes a new
approach to the study of the Civil War as it connects Lincoln to
families' assessment of their own and national virtues Provides a
unique viewpoint on Lincoln's virtues derived from his important
Independence Hall speech Shows how virtue helped to coalesce
families into one unified nation Is enlivened by short biographical
pieces in every chapter
Written in a clear and engaging narrative style, this book analyzes
the pivotal campaign in which Robert E. Lee drove the Union Army of
the Potomac under George B. McClellan away from the Confederate
capital of Richmond, VA, in the summer of 1862. The Seven Days'
Battles: The War Begins Anew examines how Lee's Confederate forces
squared off against McClellan's Union Army during this week-long
struggle, revealing how both sides committed many errors that could
have affected the outcome. Indeed, while Lee is often credited with
having brilliant battle plans, the author shows how the Confederate
commander mismanaged battles, employed too many complicated
maneuvers, and overestimated what was possible with the resources
he had available. For his part, McClellan of the Union Army failed
to commit his troops at key moments, accepted erroneous
intelligence, and hindered his campaign by refusing to respect the
authority of his civilian superiors. This book presents a synthetic
treatment that closely analyzes the military decisions that were
made and why they were made, analyzes the successes and failures of
the major commanders on both sides, and clearly explains the
outcomes of the battles. The work contains sufficient depth of
information to serve as a resource for undergraduate American
history students while providing enjoyable reading for Civil War
enthusiasts as well as general audiences.
Focusing on a little-known yet critical aspect of the American
Civil War, this must-read history illustrates how guerrilla warfare
shaped the course of the war and, to a surprisingly large extent,
determined its outcome. The Civil War is generally regarded as a
contest of pitched battles waged by large armies on battlefields
such as Gettysburg. However, as American Civil War Guerrillas:
Changing the Rules of Warfare makes clear, that is far from the
whole story. Both the Union and Confederate armies waged extensive
guerrilla campaigns-against each other and against civilian
noncombatants. Exposing an aspect of the War Between the States
many readers will find unfamiliar, this book demonstrates how the
unbridled and unexpectedly brutal nature of guerrilla fighting
profoundly affected the tactics and strategies of the larger,
conventional war. The reasons for the rise and popularity of
guerrilla warfare, particularly in the South and lower Midwest, are
examined, as is the way each side dealt with its consequences.
Guerrilla warfare's impact on the outcome of the conflict is
analyzed as well. Finally, the role of memory in shaping history is
touched on in an epilogue that explores how veteran Civil War
guerrillas recalled their role in the war. An epilogue that shares
the recollections of Civil War guerrillas, showing how the memory
of historical events may be shaped by the passage of time A dozen
black and white illustrations provide glimpses into history
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