Bøger i Voices of the Civil War serien

This is a work that for more than a century has been an invaluable primary source for historians of the Civil War era. In this long-awaited scholarly edition, editors John David Smith and Micheal J. Larson provide a detailed introduction and chapter-by-chapter annotations to highlight the lasting significance of John Eaton's narrative.

"The siege at Port Hudson, largely overshadowed by the longer, large-scale siege of Vicksburg, nevertheless had many parallels to it. Like Vicksburg, Port Hudson involved logistical challenges, an overmatched Confederate defense, and a rough slog in usually adverse conditions. Among many interesting features, the Port Hudson campaign featured widespread participation of African American Federal troops. Drawing on a large body of primary sources and secondary scholarship, Thrasher presents a 'bottom-up' portrayal of the campaign"--

"Most of the letters in this collection are to Cox's wife, Helen. This volume's editor, Gene Schmiel, wrote a well-regarded biography of Cox in 2014. In 2012, Schmiel was made aware that Oberlin College had a cache of letters that had been transcribed by Cox's great granddaughter, and the cache turned out to contain 213 letters written to his wife during the Civil War. Well-known for his incredibly detailed postwar writing about campaigns, Cox reveals himself in these letters as an ambitious, warmhearted, and concerned observer of the progress of the war. The letters reflect his service in the Maryland Campaign, Atlanta Campaign, and Franklin-Nashville Campaign"--

With a closeness perhaps unique to siblings orphaned young, Orlando and Artimisia "Missie" Palmer exchanged intimate letters throughout their lives. These letters (interspersed with additional letters from Oliver Kennedy, the Palmers' first cousin) offer a clear and entertaining window into the life and times of a junior Confederate officer serving in the Western Theater of the Civil War. Though he initially felt Americans would see "the folly and the madness" of going to war, Orlando enlisted as a private in what would become Company H of the First (later Fifteenth) Arkansas Infantry, informing his sister that he had volunteered "not for position, not for a name, but from patriotic motivation." However, he was ambitious enough to secure an appointment as Maj. Gen. William Joseph Hardee's personal secretary; he then rose to become his regiment's sergeant major, his company's first lieutenant, and later captain and brigade adjutant. Soldier letters typically report only what can be observed at the company level, but Palmer's high-ranking position offers a unique view of strategic rather than tactical operations. Palmer's letters are not all related to his military experience, though, and the narrative is enhanced by his nuanced reflections on courtship customs and personal relationships. For instance, Palmer frequently attempts to entertain Missie with witticisms and tales of his active romantic life: "We have so much to do," he quips, "that we have no time to do anything save to visit the women. I am in love with several dozen of them and am having >The Folly and the Madness adds depth to the genre of Civil War correspondence and provides a window into the lives of ordinary southerners at an extraordinary time.