Book Description
NOW IN PAPERBACK! There are few systematic guides to the language used by the generation that fought the American Civil War. In the 150 years since the great conflict, our language has changed, and as meanings have become obscure or lost, links with this vibrant past have dissolved and much of that which had meaning to our forefathers no longer has the same meaning to us.
What did it mean “to cross the bar”? What did it mean “to see the elephant” or “to go South”? Why did the armies have so-called ninety-day men and hundred-day men? What were soldiers supposed to do when their commander shouted, “Let her go, Gallagher”? How did one “pay tribute to Neptune”? What was a “picket pin”? Could one make a passable meal of “possum beer” and “secession bread”? How did one “vibrate the lines,” and why would anyone want to attempt such a maneuver?
To address this need, Webb Garrison has pored over his notes from more than thirty years of research and study to produce this dictionary and encyclopedia of words and phrases (including nicknames and slang) commonly used during the war. Where appropriate, examples and anecdotes are included to illustrate meanings. Often overlooked naval terms and esoteric formal and informal military expressions are addressed as well as short descriptions of oceangoing vessels and river craft.
More than 2,500 entries and 250 illustrations cover the terms, equipment, and organization of the three million soldiers who fought in the war. HISTORY; CIVIL WAR
ILLUSTRATED; PHOTOGRAPHS
7” X 9”, 288 PAGES
Customer Reviews:
Civil War Usage.......2006-09-08
I purchased this book to help me understand the terms used during the Civil War for a history project I am working on. The book is easy to read and the terms that I needed where easy to find as well as suggestions for terms that went along with what I was looking for. It will be a great addition to my history part of my home library and the price was reasonable. The book has also spurred my interest in other subjects connected to some of the terms I found in the book. Great book for anyone working on the Civil War.
CW Encyclopedia.......2006-03-22
A helpful guide to words & phrases current in the Civil War. Entries, alphabetically arranged, are brief and concise, sometimes overly so. Military ceremonies are mainly ignored, and in one case not quite correct. Still, very useful to explain those obscure references one finds in diaries and newspaper accounts.
The Encyclopedia of Civil War usage.......2006-02-24
An invaluable tool to help you understand change in word usage--excellent for reinactors, writers and scholars of the Civil War era.
The supreme reference tool for the American Civil War.......2005-05-19
This is undoubtedly one of the greatest reference works about the American Civil War, written by one of the most renowned scholars in this field. The 2,500 entries range from 'A1' and 'abaft' to 'Zouave'. There is a rich collection of slang terms that represent the speech of both sides in the War as well as entries that refer to weapons and machines. There are also many nicknames of generals and high-ranking military officers (for which there are useful biographies provided)and eponymous phrases such as 'Sherman's neckties' and 'Sherman's sentinels' etc. There is also a great deal of information about places, battles, prisoner of war camps etc. This book will be enjoyed both by the historian and the linguist. Here one can find practically every term or phrase associated with this period of history. Admittedly if one scanned carefully in the Civil War section of Paul Dickson's excellent work 'War Slang' or in Robert Hendrickson's books 'Whistlin' Dixie' and 'Yankee Talk' then one may well come across the odd entry not incluuded here. However, this work constitutes the greatest colletion in a single volume.
As a non-American the American Civil War has always both interested me and bewildered me. It seems that popular opinion has often simplified the causes of the war. In the entry on 'Slavery' the authors declare that this was "not the only issue dividing the north from the south". Indeed, there were many other political and economic reasons. It is a fallacy to go on believing that the South was the side of the baddies who wanted slaves while the North were the goodies who wanted to free the slaves. The Americans had fought bravely to secure their own independence. It does not seem illogical why an extremely large section of the states should want to form their own country (that would have been analogous with Canada). If this was their wish they should have been allowed to do so. Perhaps the feeling between North and South would have been a lot different today if the South looked on the North as just a friendly neighbour (in the same way that Canada does) rather than holding a grievance. In the war both sides displayed heroism and both sides committed atrocities. The total cost in terms of human life makes the American Civil War one of the greatest tragedies of world history. As for the pretext about the slaves, this was just a pretext. If this had been such a vital issue then why in the aftermath of the war was there no legislation to make former slaves equal citizens. Even almost a century later the Afro-American (for whom this war was supposedly waged) was still treated as a second class citizen. In the 1950's there was still a system comparable with the South African 'apartheid' with black people not allowed to travel in the same bus compartment as whites. Even those black soldiers drafted in W.W.1. and W.W.2 were kept seperate in their own regiments. In the Vietnam war a disproportionately high percentage of black people were enlisted and were not allowed to use their 'dap' or 'soul handshake' for fear that it might form constitute some exclusive bond. Even today it is in the poor black neighbourhoods (not the luxurious tree-lined avenues where the senators live) that the military frequent to find expendable recruits for Iraq. In the new Iraq occupation some slighly black 'showcase' Afro-Americans like Colin Powell and Condolisa Rice have gained prominence and wealth. However, they do not represent the needs or voice of their race. For the ordinary Afro-American getting killed every day in Iraq or living in a poor underpriveleged ghetto, things are little better today despite the sacrifice of so many lives in the Civil War.
Give'm the bulge! Bully for Garrison!.......2002-09-21
If my above mentioned words didn't offer what this book is about I don't know what will. Cheryl and Webb Garrison have assembled a great book featuring Civil War slang, lingo and material names. Words such as chinch (bed bug), hardware (weapon), leg case (desertion) pop-skull (whiskey) and yaller dog (coward). These are just a small few of the many words in this great book on Civil War era language. This book would be great for reenactors or anyone studying the war and learning more about how people communicated or gobble talked!
Book Description
Where I'm Bound, a stunning and engaging Civil War novel, is the first work of fiction to focus solely on the soldiers of an African-American regiment. Throughout the war, more than 180,000 African-American men fought for the Union Army. Many were escaped slaves, others were freed men; yet all voluntarily enlisted for one cause: freedom. For the first time in fiction, their experiences are successfully portrayed in a manner befitting the grandeur and scope of their contributions. Inspired by the true story of a black cavalry unit in Mississippi, renowned African-American historian Allen Ballard weaves factual events with the fictional account of an escaped slave, Joe Duckett, who flees to join the Northern Army.
When Duckett escapes his life of bondage to become a cavalry scout, he grows to be more than a free man -- he becomes a hero. Duckett and his hard-riding regiment roam the Mississippi Delta, freeing slaves and keeping vital waterways open for the Union. As the war approaches its final, tragic days, Duckett embarks on his most dangerous mission yet: to return to the plantation from which he escaped in order to reunite with his wife and daughter.
More than just an account of the Civil War, Where I'm Bound is an affecting portrayal of the psychological effects of war. Through the character Duckett, some of war's greatest tragedies are painfully evoked -- the agonizing separation from family, the horrendous mission of having to kill another man, and the cruelty and moral corruption that occur when men's passions are their greatest weapons against one another. This story of one man's ability to meet such overwhelming challenges brings to life the noble fight for freedom as displayed by African-American soldiers as well as the effects of that fight on an entire country and culture.
Dr. Ballard's first work of fiction is a striking blend of historical fact and dramatic storytelling brilliantly illustrating the accomplishments of African-American Civil War soldiers. Where I'm Bound is destined to become a classic novel of the Civil War.
Customer Reviews:
The prof can tell a good story..........2001-05-22
Allen Ballard knows how to tell a good story. His characters come alive as we accompany them through the tragic events in 1864-1865 western Mississippi. Both white and black characters come across as real people, and I was sorry to leave them when the book was all-too-soon finished.
Loved it..........2001-05-13
My Book Group read this book last month and thought it was terrific. The book did an excellent job describing what life in the south was like (for both soldiers and civilians - particularly the women) during the Civil War. It was an interesting read and it really made us "feel" life at that time. I had to put down the book a couple times as I got so emotionally involved with the characters and their lives. I'd strongly recommend this to historical fiction buffs. I don't think it is a book only for folks interested in black history - I would recommend it to all. I am very impressed that this is the first novel this author has written and I'll keep my eyes out for more by him.
We Die Free.......2001-03-26
"Where I'm Bound", is a work of historically-based fiction by Mr. Allen B. Ballard documenting the 180,000 African American Men who fought for the Union Army during this Nation's Civil War. Like the "Buffalo Soldiers" who served this Country in its Western Frontier, the 1,000 commissioned officers in World War I, the 370,000 "Doughboys" of World War I, or the Tuskegee Airman of World War II fighter pilot fame, these men and women fought and died for ideas and beliefs for which they have never been fully rewarded.
Rewarded may be the wrong word, perhaps recognition was all they sought. The tragedy of what they sought was something that their white counterparts took for granted, or in some cases took away from them. These African-American Soldiers were in some instances freedmen, in other, slaves who had escaped and then joined the Union Army to march directly back and fight those who enslaved them. They fought to reunite their families, they fought for what they were told would be waiting for them if the Union won, they fought for what the white men they fought and died with had enjoyed under the words, "we hold these truths to be self evident". The truths were self evident if you were white, male, and owned property. If you did not meet these criteria the words were as meaningless then as they are today.
Mr. Ballard recreates the horror of hand-to-hand fighting that was often a part of any given battle in this Country's Civil War. His story is fiction, however it is based upon real individuals that lived and fought, and the battles they fought and gave their lives in. His story contains all that was insidious in this war, however he also brings balance by depicting events that this reader did not expect to have actually happened. The events resolved themselves as one would hope they would, and that was why they were surprising to read, and an even greater surprise to read they are historically accurate.
Those who believed he was their savior refer to President Abraham Lincoln repeatedly in this book. They believed he was going to make them citizens a century after they had been excluded from the populace unless counted as property. What would they have felt, and how would they have fought if they knew this same President, "did not believe blacks and whites could live together"?
There were 180,000 black soldiers in the Union Army. How many African Americans do you see when the reenactments of some of the battles take place? How many paintings by those who chronicle that period of History celebrate the blood that was shed that was as red as any, but valued less because of its source?
If there were a vantage point from which those who have died can see what has resulted from their sacrifice, what changes would they see and what it is they died for, how would they feel? Their decision to fight and in their moment of death they may have indeed been free. But did their deaths bring the freedom they thought they were dying for? The answer is pathetic, as any cursory review of the century following the end of the Civil War will show.
This is an important book that I hope will cause the writing of many more. History is only as worthwhile as it is complete and accurate. African Americans, Native Americans, and other minorities have fought and died for the freedom we all enjoy. Because of books like this History becomes more valuable, for if you were to judge the contributions of African Americans by the number of monuments that have been raised to honor them, you would think they were barely present, much less a powerful positive element in the history of this Country.
Appallingly bad and historically inaccurate.......2001-02-13
Considering that this book is fiction, one might be able to ignore the many historical inaccuracies. Ballard rakes up every atrocity tale, every story of white abuse of African Americans, ever told. Some, like the massacre of black soldiers at Fort Pillow, have some historical veracity. Some, like myths of slaves being randomly shot by Confederate cavalry, have no foundation in any historical document I have ever seen.
But even if one ignores these things, one still has the stiff, unsympathetic, unrealistic characters and the boring, monosyllabic writing style to contend with.
Someone really should write a good book on the African American experience during the American Civil War. Where I'm Bound, sadly, is not that book.
it was their war, too..........2000-12-29
i have been having good luck picking good black books lately, and "where i'm bound," continues my hot streak. the protagonist, joe duckett, is a runaway slave in mississippi, who joins the union army and becomes a trusted soldier and war hero; we also get to see two views of of blacks fighting in the war: one, from the yankee side and two, from the confederate side. what i loved about this story was that mr. ballard not only throughly reasearched his subject, but he told his story in a way that even a newcomer to u.s. civil war history could easily digest. the battle scenes are picturesque; you can see the blue and gray troops on the field charging at each other, the madness and blood flowing in the name of war. i loved the way mr. ballard penned his characters: all of them were multi-faceted and human and were just as much a part of the story as joe. kenworthy, the confederate captain, was the most interesting character because ballard showed through him what war does to a man's mind. kenworthy beacme so caught up in killing, that the line between right and wrong became blurred. captain stiles, the union soldier, valued his black troops and showed his admiration for their feats in battle. i loved ballard's use of quotes from black gospel songs: they seemed to forecast to the reader what was going to happen next. joe was an easy character to like; he seemed larger than life, but his slight drinking problem and knack for mischief made him human, thus believeable. my only complain about the book was that several of the likeable characters: zenobia, pauline, etc die. i know ballard wanted this story to reflect reality, but i was so engrossed in their lives, i wanted them to overcome their adversities and succeed. but this book gets a five star rating. ballard has written a wonderful "thank you" to black men and women who fought in one of the bloodiest wars in u.s. history and also strove to prove themselves worthy to be called americans.
Book Description
A popular history of the English Civil War--one of the great turning points in Western history--told through the harrowing experiences of the men and women who lived through it
In this compelling history of the violent struggle between the monarchy and Parliament that tore apart seventeenth-century England, a rising star among British historians sheds new light on the people who fought and died during those tumultuous years. Like the Magna Carta or the American Revolution, the English Civil War resolved fundamental questions of sovereignty and political rights that are still the guiding principles of democracies today. However, the price of peace included the execution of a king, brutal persecution of Catholics and Royalists, and years of tyranny. Drawing on exciting new sources, including letters, memoirs, ballads, plays, illustrations, and even cookbooks, Diane Purkiss creates a rich and nuanced portrait of this turbulent era.
Purkiss peoples her story with fascinating characters, from the obstinate King Charles I to his opponents such as the poet John Milton, from the cruel and egomaniacal Oliver Cromwell to the self-styled prophet Lady Eleanor Davies, to witchfinders, revolutionaries, and ordinary men and women. The English Civil War's dramatic consequences--the rejection of divine right monarchy in favor of parliamentary rule--continue to influence our lives. In this colorful narrative, Diane Purkiss brings vividly to life the history that changed the course of Western government.
Customer Reviews:
Unique and Effective.......2007-04-05
A fantastic example of a bottom-up history that works. Dr. Purkiss paints a picture of the English Civil War using particular examples and stories from the common man, while keeping clear the role of political events, battles, and "great men". This book provides a detailed account of the causes and implications (without oversimplifying them) of the English Civil War on a grand scale while focusing on the impact it had on the people of England, something that is essential to understanding the period. If you are looking for an account of battles and diplomacy, there are better choices, but if you want to understand the mark the Civil War left on the English people, look no further.
Bit disjointed but still good.......2006-10-10
I was able to follow the narrative despite the author's focus on accounts of individuals. This focus gave me a better sense of what it felt like to be a participant in the war (whether or not you wanted to be). Also, unlike other books I've read on the English civil war, I was able to get a sense of which events were truly important: the battle of Naseby, for example, was not merely a defeat for the Royalist forces (as was Maston Moor) but a complete route which left the Royalist forces unable to recover. I do think that the book would benefit from a timeline of important events, so that reader can be reminded of the chronological order of vents. Also a list of the important "characters", with short biographies, would be helpful so that the reader is not confused when an eyewitness who has not been heard from in recent pages reappears.
In depth history, with a focus on the people involved.......2006-10-03
If you want a history of the battles of the English Civil War, this is not the book for you. If you are interested in the human side of this horrific period, then this is a book for you. While the battles are mentioned, they are placed in a much broader context.
This is a history of the English Civil War, told to a considerable extent through the words of observers and participants. Letters and diaries of people such as Brilliana Harley; tracts by Garrard Winstanley (a leading Digger); the debate at Putney, between leaders and Levellers add a very human element to this history.
The befuddled King Charles I and his strong-willed Queen, Henrietta Maria, are portrayed in enough depth that the reader can come to understand how they sealed their fates by being unable to recognize a changing reality.
The book takes into account religious disputes, political currents, and military developments.
For any reader interested in this critical moment in English history, this is a book well worth purchasing and reading.
Poorly Written? No, just a different approach.......2006-09-04
It seems that Christopher Drost didn't really know what he was getting into with Diane Purkiss' new book. One should not read this for a comprehensive linear history of the English Civil War. In fact, there are chapters I breezed through because my interest in certain local details wasn't too high. But the forest-trees issue is precisely the point. For a good sense of the Elizabeth-James transition, one could read Leanda De Lisle's "After Elizabeth"; for the war from Charles' perspective, maybe Pauline Gregg's "King Charles I"; for the aftermath of the commonwealth, maybe Mark Kishlansjy's "A Monarchy Transformed." But these books are all broad-brush looks at how the war was perceived by royalist or Puritan leaders. Purkiss tells us what the war felt like from the ground up, and for that we should be grateful. There really isn't another work on the war that takes this particular perspective.
My Favorite Kind of History.......2006-08-23
Diane Purkiss doesn't get lost in amongst the Charles and James of the Stuart royal family, instead she concentrates on how the upheavals of the 17th century affected the ordinary person. She makes history real and textured. The everyday fabric of life presented in this book shows how the big event finds expression in small ways. Great research and great writing.
Average customer rating:
- A Hidden Gem
- Excellent first-hand account of the Civil War
- View the Civil War from a Soldier's Perspective
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With the 3rd Wisconsin Badgers: The Living Experience of the Civil War Through the Journals of Van R. Willard
Van R. Willard , and
Steven S. Raab
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 081170002X |
Customer Reviews:
A Hidden Gem.......2004-06-23
The only thing that disappoints me about this book is that so few people have read it. Van Willard's diaries are very different from most other Civil War accounts. They are extremely well written; I was surprised that he wasn't a well-known writer, considering the engaging text. Willard doesn't go into the minutiae of daily life, but presents an all-around account that is on a completely different level than other soldiers' diaries or letters.
You won't be disappointed with this book!
Excellent first-hand account of the Civil War.......2001-09-25
Fantastic reading! One gets the feeling that you've just discovered a set of dusty old diaries written by your great-great grandfather. The only thing missing is the original quill pen writing and the smell of old paper! There is no mistaking this was written by a man who was there. The author was no ordinary soldier-he was obviously intelligent and well educated by the way he retained and portrayed so vividly the events and topics of the period. This is not a military history, although there is much historical fact recorded. He discusses not only the battles and life as a soldier, but also the current thinking of both the Union supporters and the rebellion supporters. The editors comments are helpful, often providing important relavent information and correcting historical mistakes. Not all of the text was written on the front lines. Much of it was written in recent retrospect, and probably with the help of other soldiers accounts; so it isn't entirely first hand. Nonetheless, it's as close to the original story one can get. The discussion of the battle scenes is detailed enough to evoke real empathy toward all who lived during the war, yet is sparing of any gory detail. I'm not a military buff. I'm a history buff. I enjoyed the reading for its originality. It puts you squarely back to the 1860's.
View the Civil War from a Soldier's Perspective.......2001-06-22
This isn't just another Civil War soldier's diary; Van Willard wrote 5 complete journals or "books" during his enlistment with the 3rd Wisconsin Infantry. You will discover that Willard was a very insightful and educated fellow, as he offers his thoughts and opinions about the war, the south, slavery, immigrant troops, the Iron Brigade, officers and so forth. Viewing the war from his eyes offers the reader an entirely different perspective than what we are used to finding in other Civil War books and diaries.
I highly recommend this book for any civil war buff or for anyone interested in the finest regiment to ever leave the Badger State, Wisconsin's 3rd Regiment of Infantry Volunteers.!
Average customer rating:
- A scholastically important primary source
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The Christian Soldier: Religious Tracts Published for Soldiers on Both Sides During and After the English Civil Wars, 1642-1648 (Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies)
Manufacturer: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance S
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0866983015 |
Customer Reviews:
A scholastically important primary source.......2003-12-12
Researched, compiled and edited by Robert Fallon (Professor Emeritus, Lasalle University, Philadelphia), The Christian Solider is an inherently fascinating and scholastically important primary source consisting of religious tracts published for soldiers on both sides of the English Civil Wars from 1642 to 1648. Hallmarked by a carefully annotated scholarship, The Christian Solider offers insight into the justifications used to resolve the seeming paradox of having a Christian faith while employing a deadly sword, then contemporary views upon royalty, and so much more. A revealing glimpse into history, religion, and human psychology, The Christian Soldier is an impressive and strongly recommended contribution to British History reference collections.
Book Description
Paul Dickson, one of the country's leading authorities on American slang, offers the first comprehensive collection of fighting words and wartime phrases Americans have used from the Civil War to the Iraq War. This definitive dictionary, updated and expanded to include the events of September 11 and the war on terrorism, is arranged war by war and reveals military slang at its most colorful, innovative, brutal, and ironic. Dickson also shows how language mirrors the unique experience of each conflict. For example, World War II brought unprecedented linguistic experimentation, innovation, and abbreviation, including "dogface", "quisling", "blitz", and the immortal "GI" as well as the rich stew of pidgin English used to communicate with the native peoples of the South Pacific. Raw frustration and cynicism surface in the slang of the Vietnam War, with a record number of synonyms for the verb "to kill", including "blow away", "dust", "get some grease", "waste", and "zap".
Beginning with a brief overview of the Revolutionary War, War Slang reveals the thoughts, attitudes, and environments of America’s fighting men and women from the last 230 years. An incomparable reference work, WAR SLANG serves the language lover and military historian alike by adding a brilliant and provocative new dimension to the understanding of war.
Average customer rating:
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Soldiers and Strangers: An Ethnic History of the English Civil War
Mark Stoyle
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0300107005 |
Book Description
The Civil War fought between Charles I and his Parliament is one of the most momentous conflicts in English history. This book provides a wholly new perspective by revealing the extent to which the struggle possessed an “ethnic” dimension, and the impact of that on the forging of English national identity.
Stoyle reveals the acute fear of foreign invasion that gripped England after 1640, when the insular English were placed on the brink of what they perceived as a national emergency. Stoyle sets the creation of the New Model Army within that context, arguing that its appearance represented the culmination of a campaign by Oliver Cromwell and others to forge a purely “English” military instrument, one purged of the foreign solders who had been so prominent in earlier Parliamentarian armies. This self-consciously “English” army eventually succeeded in wresting back control of the kingdom by defeating the king’s forces, re-conquering Cornwall and Wales, and expelling all foreign agents.
Book Description
In April 1861, Dick and Tally Simpson, sons of South Carolina Congressman Richard F. Simpson, enlisted in Company A of the Third South Carolina Volunteers of the Confederate army. Their letters home--published here for the first time--read like a historical novel, complete with plot, romance, character, suspense, and tragedy. In their last year of college when the war broke out, Dick and Tally were hastily handed their diplomas so they could volunteer for military duty. Dick was twenty; Tally was twenty-two. Well educated, intelligent, and thoughtful young men, Dick and Tally cared deeply for their country, their family, and their comrades-in-arms and wrote frequently to their loved ones in Pendleton, South Carolina, offering firsthand accounts of dramatic events from the battle of First Manassas in July 1861 to the battle of Chickamauga in September 1863. Their letters provide a picture of war as it was actually experienced at the time, not as it was remembered some twenty or thirty years later. It is a picture that neither glorifies war nor condemns it, but simply "tells it like it is." Written to a number of different people, the boys' letters home dealt with a number of different subjects. Letters to "Pa" went into great detail about military matters in Lee's Army of Northern Virginia--troop movements, casualties, and how well particular units had fought; letters to "Ma" and sisters Anna and Mary were about camp life and family friends in the army and usually included requests for much-needed food and clothing; letters to Aunt Caroline and her daughter Carrie usually concerned affairs of the heart, for Aunt Caroline continued to be Dick and Tally's trusted confidante, even when they were "far, far from home." The value of these letters lies not so much in the detailed information they provide as in the overall picture they convey--a picture of how one Southern family, for better or for worse, at home and at the front--coped with the experience of war. These are not wartime reminiscences, but wartime letters, written from the camp, the battlefield, the hospital bed, the picket line--wherever the boys happened to be when they found time to write home. It is a poignant picture of war as it was actually experienced in the South as the Civil War unfolded. My dear Aunt With pleasure do I attempt to scratch you a few lines. I have passed the line of sentinels and am now far out in the woods sitting on the ground writing with a pencil about long enough to ketch with two fingers and on a little piece of plank about as large as my paper, so you must excuse this scrawl....We are now in the land of danger, far, far from home, fighting for our homes and those near our hearts. I have been from home for months at a time, but I never wished to be back as bad in my life. How memory recalls every little spot, and how vividly every little scene flashes before my mind. Oh! if there is one place dear to me it is home sweet home. How many joys cluster there. To join once more our family circle (I mean you all) and talk of times gone by would be more to me than all else besides...your Most affectionate nephew R W S
Customer Reviews:
Long lost history.......2007-07-23
I must admit to being slightly prejudiced about this book. I stumbled on it during an ancestor search and found some of my relatives within the pages...Taliferro and Broyles. It was a great read and provided so much first hand insight into what it was like to live during the Civil War.I am so thankful that the authors thought the material was worthy of a book. I am sharing it with other family members.
Far, Far From Home.......1999-12-19
This happens to be my fathers book, however I am compelled to comment despite my potential bias.
Firstly, the authors are Edward W. Simpson Jr. and Guy R. Everson (ie. not R.W. Simpson - he was a historical figure in the book). Dad found the letters hidden in a storage chest. He transcribed them over a period of four years and both authors spent another 3 years documenting the accuracy of the movements. Secondly, I am pleased to say it is truly one of the most wonderful bits of history that actually reads like a novel (important for me because I am not a Civil War buff). The story was a compilation of letters, written by a soldier dipicting everything from grand strategy, individual combat, to challenging personal experiences. The Simpson brothers (ie. the letter writters) served in Longstreets Corps under Robert E. Lee, in the Army of Northern Virginia. I am amazed at the courage that war required and how the letters capture the essence, the struggle, and the pathos of our Civil War.
Average customer rating:
- An ideal resource for writers of historical fiction
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The Language of the Civil War:
John D. Wright
Manufacturer: Oryx Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1573561355 |
Book Description
America's language changed, along with its history, because of the Civil War. Nowhere is the point more riveting than in The Language of the Civil War. This is a unique compilation of slang, nicknames, military jargon and terminology, idioms, colloquialisms, and other words are expressions used (and often originating) during the American Civil War. Organized like a standard dictionary, this volume contains approximately 4,000 entries that focus primarily on everyday camp life, military hardware, and military organization. This one-of-a-kind reference work will make it easy for readers to learn the origin and meaning of such Civil War terms as Buttermilk Rangers, jackstraws, Nassau bacon, pumpkin slinger, and stand the gaff. Language of the Civil War contains words originating during the American Civil War. Besides explaining terms and phrases no longer in use, the entries also provide the origins of many common expressions or the original meanings of many familiar sayings that have since changed meaning or connotation. Although many of the terms arose from the nature and needs of life in the military camps, others were in common use in civilian society across both the North and the South. Illustrated with 50 photos and drawings, the volume is a unique resource for students, scholars, reference librarians, and Civil War enthusiasts and reenactors.
Customer Reviews:
An ideal resource for writers of historical fiction.......2002-05-07
The Language Of The Civil War compiled by journalist John D. Wright is an impressive reference (accessibly organized in the style of a dictionary) of slang, nicknames, military jargon, idioms, colloquialisms, and other words that originated in or were commonly used during era the American Civil War. Meticulous in its comprehensive attention to detail, The Language Of The Civil War is an essential addition to Civil War reference collections, and sheds considerable linguistic comprehension and background on the language and terminology endemic to virtually all primary sources and first-person accounts of America's bloodiest war. In addition to being invaluable for academia in general and Civil War buffs in particular, The Language Of The Civil War is also an ideal resource for writers of historical fiction set in the Civil War era and seeking authenticity and realism in their work.
Book Description
Ambrose Bierce didn't just write about the Civil War, he lived through it--on the battlefields and over the graves--and in doing so gave birth to a literary chronicle of men at war previously unseen in the American literary canon. The fact that some of these stories verged on the supernatural, others on factual reporting, and others on the fine line between humor and morbidity in no way detracts from their resonance to both the history of the war between the states and the imaginative historical literature in the tradition of Washington Irving.
Shadows of Blue & Gray collects all of Bierce's Civil War stories (twenty-seven in total) with six of his memoir pieces on his own experiences on the front lines.
This collection includes such classics as "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge," "A Horseman in the Sky," "Parker Addison, Philosopher", and "A Bivouac of the Dead"; as well as lesser known stories and sketches such as "The Mockingbird" and "Two Military Executions" and memoirs of his experiences at Shiloh, Chickamauga, and Franklin.
Customer Reviews:
short stories.......2007-03-28
A very good way to get a look at the civil war through short stories. Should be mandatory reading in every high school in the nation.
Chilling to the bone!.......2006-05-14
Ambrose Bierce participated in many of the great Civil War battles. While I realise this book is written as fiction I would submit to the reader that it is fact. Ambrose has this gifted way of speach that brings to life the horrors he witness. You will shiver with goose bumps! You won't sleep with the lights out after reading his stories. No way!
I could not put this chilling book down. It was as if it was possess! Ambrose disappeared in 1914 a old man who walked into Mexico. Maybe he is still walking and telling these stories. I would like to think so.
LEST WE FORGET, OR BE SWAYED BY THE HISTORY BOOKSý.......2003-05-06
It's easy to look back and view wars as things of glory - the history books tend to lead us in that direction by viewing the action from lofty heights, speaking in terms of armies and strategies and generals. The reality - as those who have `been there' know too well (and no, I'm not claiming to be a veteran) - is that the old adage is all too true: war is definitely hell, and we should never, ever forget that fact.
Ambrose Bierce is known today mainly through his fiction - many fine examples of which appear in this collection - and through THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY. He `might or might not' be the subject and/or inspiration for Carlos Fuentes' novel THE OLD GRINGO, also made into a film. His stories have a decidedly `creepy' feel to them - he was no Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps, but he was a talented writer nonetheless...and as not only the short stories, but also the non-fiction pieces collected here demonstrate, he was a careful and articulate observer. We are truly blessed that he chose to recount what he had seen, both in the form of short stories and memoirs. His disappearance in 1914 in Mexico has added to his mystique over the ensuing years.
The most famous of the short stories contained in this volume is undoubtedly `An occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge'. I remember reading it in high school (NO, I won't say how long ago that was...) - and it was filmed to great effect by director Roberto Enrico in 1962, and was subsequently aired in the US as an episode in the last season of THE TWILGHT ZONE on CBS. It won an Oscar in 1964 as Best Foreign Short Film. The story is a masterpiece of suspense - it's a great literary epitaph for Bierce.
Bierce served in the Civil War - he enlisted at its outset and saw quite a bit of action. He rose through the ranks to lieutenant and served on the staff of various high-ranking officers. It is his observations and experiences - and his empathy with the troops, the enlisted men, the common man - that lend such a value to his writings. Too much `Hollywood-izing' has been forced upon the truth - about the Civil War and almost everything the film industry touches. It's a treasure to have the pieces here to vividly remind us of what the experience was really like.
There is humor here as well - Bierce's wit was an acerbic sword, and he unsheathed it on the high and low alike, without sparing himself in the process. His characterizations of the generals under whom he served, as well as the enlisted soldiers, the post-war opportunists, and the intellectual crowd with whom he mingled both in the US and abroad, are rich indeed.
The language is understandably a bit archaic in places - but I found myself getting used to it pretty quickly. As a result, the book took me a bit longer to read than the contemporary fiction I normally favor - but it was definitely worth the time. I can recommend this collection to aficionados of fiction and history buffs alike - a great read.
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Books Index
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