Reviews (2)

Useful book
This book has details on just about every subject of Abraham Lincoln's life.It is well written and full of interesting photographs.I own several books on Lincoln, and consider this one to be one of the most useful.

An excellent reference on a variety of Lincoln subjects
This encyclopedia is an wonderful, and essential, reference for all students of Lincoln.Neely has compiled information on a wide variety of subjects related to Abraham Lincoln.Included are major issues such as slavery and temperance, organizations such as the political parties, andpeople important throughout Lincoln's life and career. ... Read more

Book Description

In All on Fire, William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879) emerges as an American hero, arguably on par with Abraham Lincoln, who forced the nation to confront the explosive issue of slavery.
Mayer maintains that Garrison, a self-made man of scanty formal education who founded and edited the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, not only served as the catalyst for the abolition of slavery, but inspired two generations of activists in civil rights and the women's movement.
Through Garrison, tragically torn between pacifism and abolitionist advocacy, we also meet a rich pageant of great 19th-century historical figures, including Frederick Douglass, John Quincy Adams,and Harriet Beecher Stowe. Mayer's consequential biography will be read for generations to come.
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Reviews (22)

Spectacular, rich and rewarding read about great U.S. hero
I cannot recommend it highly enough. A rich read about a great American hero for all times. Mayer obviously loves and admires Garrison, but this did not keep him from portraying this hero with his blemishes as well as strengths. The most startling thing about this great read is just how important Garrison was to America's most tumultuous time --- the abolitionist of all abolitionists, a leader who appreciated how deep religious beliefs and moral politics go together, who believed in the power of the written and spoken word, who helped perhaps as much as anyone in our history to move our nation and free it of slavery. Truly a companion biography to go with the best biographies of Lincoln --- no understanding of the Civil War can be complete without knowing about Garrison, and this is definitely the way to know about Garrison. To say it simply: no one can claim to be a Civil War buff without knowing about Garrison, and no one can know about Garrison any better way than by reading this book. Highest kudoes to Mayer!

Meticulously researched and powerfully imagined
All on Fire is a superb book. Written in a style that combines lucidity with passion, an enormous amount of factual information with a historical imagination that brings everything described to vivid life, it covers the years during which what may be the defining issue in American history led to civil war and to a settlement that transformed our lives. By focusing on one man Mayer is able to present a coherent, constantly dramatic narrative that never loses its way. Garrison himself is a unique phenomenon: thorny, admirably and sometimes infuriatingly faithful to a rigorously held set of principles that gave him the power to influence history by sheer force of will and intelligence. By following Garrison's thirty-five hears as editor of his paper The Liberator while reconstructing the history in which that journal participates Mayer brilliantly brings mid-nineteenth century America to life, simultaneously presenting people, places, and events with a novelist's imagination and animating moral and political issues with judicious understanding. The result is a powerful reading experience. Without preaching Mayer implicitly raises important questions about our own polital life: race and gender are enduring problems that one would expect, but the underlying question of the role of uncompromising adherence to personal ideals in public life asks us to think about our own politics. As a beautifully imagined recreation of a crucial period in American life (wonderful passages explaining the mechanics of typesetting and printing, for example, or describing travel by land and sea), as an analytic study of what lies beneath the surface of mere storytelling (the demographics of slaveholding, as a typical example), as a constantly illuminating exploration of political history, and not least as the studiously researched, moving, and sympathetic biography of a fascinating man, All on Fire is a book I can wholeheartedly recommend.

A Superior Biography
This is the last and probably the best book completed by the late Henry Mayer.

Mayer admired Garrison, the most important leader of the abolitionist movement. In this book, he succeeds in renovating the reputation of a great reformer and activist who has often been neglected or written off as a crank.

Garrison and the abolitionists were originally hardly more popular in the North than in the South. They were seen as disrupting the Union and were regarded with suspicion for their pro-black beliefs - public opinion in the North was only marginally less racist than in Dixie. Garrison's courage and consistent refusal to trim his convictions for popular acceptance led to a career with an outsized share of controversy, oppobrium, and in several cases physical danger.

Some reviewers have felt the book is too long, and it is hefty. But the length is necessary for Mayer to give a full portrait, which shows not only the man, but also the era he lived in. In particular, Mayer writes extensively about abolitionism as a movement. Abolitionists, and Garrison himself, struggled with many problems - whether to compromise by supporting politicians whose platforms called for less than full abolition, evolving from a paternalist movement of mostly privileged whites to a movement in which free blacks and escaped slaves could play a meaningful role, and reconciling the pacifist leanings of many to their role in a war against slaveholders - that will be of interest to contemporary political activists. Mayer also shows how, after abolition was accomplished, former abolitionists seeking new causes worked for other advances, including the first stirrings of the women's suffrage movement.

Garrison the Crusader
Rare is the book that well captures the temper and tone of the times as well as distilling the great arguments that have shaped our world. This book does exactly that and far more. This biography delves deeply into a man who has been reviled and scorned in both his era and ours. Admittedly, I too approached the book with the presumption of guilt for Garrison's complicity in setting the course of the nation toward our tragic civil war. My respect for the man, and the cause he championed, has grown immeasureably from reading this elegantly crafted work. Rich in detail and awesome in it's prose this is one of those books that one can truthfully say is hard to put down. Garrison the zealot, and Garrison the firebrand are well known stereotypes but they do little credit to a man who steadfastly and courageously fought for the equality of all races and the end of slavery. Equally appealing is Garrison the Christian who applied the tenants of his faith to the most confounding and perplexing issue that faced the new nation. Defiant in the face of death threats, and eager to confront all comers in debate, Garrison displayed a moral courage rare in the annals of history. This is the story not only of one man's struggle but also of social change and the abolition of a great evil. Much can be learned, and much enjoyment obtained, from this wonderful volume.

Inspiring story of a man committed to battle against sin
Garrison decided that slavery was wrong, and devoted his entire life to publishing The Liberator, a newspaper whose only mission was to end slavery. He did so, week after week, often without money, and occassionally despite violent attacks by pro-slavery forces. He refused compromise. He refused to accept "workable" solutions. Slavery was morally bankrupt, and he fought against it, using the power of words alone.

When he began his crusade, slavery was accepted, and most people thought it was here to stay. Garrsison was a voice crying in the dark. When he closed down The Liberator, slavery was over, and the vast majority of the country thought it was wrong.

Anyone who reads, anyone who fights for social justice, and certainly anyone who writes should read this book. It is hard to imagine anyone whose life reflects the axiom: "the pen is mightier than the sword" better than Garrison. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Long before leadership became identified as the catalyst for corporate success, the Civil War's winning general was showing the world how dynamic leadership is the crucial determinant of victory or defeat.

Ulysses S. Grant never sought fame of glory, nor did he try to tie his performance to personal reward. Instead, he concentrated on contribution and service. He looked upon being given increased responsibility not as increasing his power, but as increasing his ability to get the job done. "The great thing about Grant...is his perfect correctness and persistency of purpose." (Abraham Lincoln)

In this masterful retelling of Grant's story, Al Kaltman draws on Grant's writings and life experiences to present a series of practical lessons on how to get superior performance from the troops.

Going beyond mere "how-to's", Cigars, Whiskey & Winning deals with character traits, core beliefs, and fundamental values to reveal the secrets to becoming a winning leader that are as much about "who to be" as "what to do".And there isn't a chart, table, or checklist in sight-just a handy index of lessons for ready inspiration on demand. ... Read more

Reviews (29)

Good solutions for everyday problems
This book is an excellent summation of the lessons learned by Ulysses S. Grant in an easy-to-read format. The book is well-paced and divided, following Grant's victories and defeats in military, civilian and personal battles from his childhood through the Civil War, his presidency, and Kaltman even manages to draw cogent and sobering lessons from his death. For each chapter the author gives a short story and draws a lesson from it. Each lesson is less than two pages, giving the reader an ability to read for a few minutes at a time during a busy day without losing his or her place or train of thought. Because of the length Kaltman does not run his point into the ground like many management books. His simple explanations stand alone. Kaltman's innovative format is now being emualted by many management authors.

Don't be fooled by the easy read--this book contains serious lessons that I will ponder again and again and wish I had learned earlier in life. The oft-maligned Grant is a worthy hero, and Kaltman has extracted invaluable morals from his experiences. If the author's bias that Grant deserves a better place in history than he currently enjoys shows through in some places, it is a sentiment I share. And so will you after you read his book. I recommend this book as a gift for anyone struggling to learn the skills to survive and thrive in the battlefield of business.

A great book on managing, leading and facing life's issues!
Identical to the book on leadership using Robert E. Lee, Kaltman has taken issues faced by Ulysses S. Grant and placed them in similar context. Issues managers and people in general face are brought forth on how to deal with adversity, changes, demands, employees and other popular concepts are clearly written. Kaltman has put together a great book in regards to managing work related and also non-work related issues that can be very beneficial to anyone. The book is a rather quick read and covers many topics or situations Grant faced that could be represented towards leadership scenarios from his early beginnings to after the war. This book is full of great insight and lessons to be learned from either failures or successes that Grant went through. Many people can benefit from reading this facinating book on leadership and take what they learned and use it in everyday life. 5 STARS!!!

Very good, easy read!
This book has come in handy on many an occasion when a succint response to a workplace situation was in order. It is well arranged, easy to read, and VERY timely, considering it was "written" 100+ years ago! I would recommend it to both managers and "the managed" like myself. I don't usually go in for business or management reading, since I get enough of that corporate culture all week long, but I don't regret reading this one at all!

First in War but Then....
Here is another of the "leadership lessons from" volumes which seem to be published in an ever-increasing number. I was curious to know what Kaltman had to say about one of our nation's most successful generals who is also generally viewed as one of our least successful Presidents. The bulk of the book focuses on Grant the general but Kaltman adds a brief section in which he attempts to place Grant the President within an appropriate historical context. The material is organized within 11 chapters, ranging from "Seize Opportunities: April 1822-August 1848" to "Always Do What's Right: February-December 1865." Kaltman then provides a Conclusion ("The Quintessential Grant") and an Addendum (The aforereferened "Grant's Mismanaged Presidency"). The net result is much more than a portrait of Grant. Indeed, Kaltman has carefully examined all manner of primary sources from which he has selected what he considers to be those "leadership lessons" which are most relevant to our own time. (I wish he had included a Bibliography.) At the heart of this book is an essential paradox: the same leadership principles and strategies which enabled Grant the general to achieve great success are precisely the same which (for various reasons which Kaltman suggests) Grant rejected or failed to use while serving for two terms as President. I am among those who consider Grant's Personal Memoirs a literary masterpiece as well as one of the most valuable historical accounts of the American Civil War. Therefore I was not in any way surprised by the eloquence of Grant's remarks which Kaltman generously and skillfully includes together with appropriate comments by others best-qualified to comment on Grant, both in terms of his military leadership and qualities of personal character.

With regard to the title of this book, Kaltman shares three quotations from those who had direct association with Grant. One observer noted that Grant "smokes almost constantly" and the most famous is of remarks by President Abraham Lincoln concerning Grant's fondness for whiskey ("...if it made fighting generals like Grant I should like to get some of it for distribution"). However, the remarks which I found most revealing were made by Robert E. Lee to a professor at Washington College where Lee served as president after the Civil War: "Sir, if you ever presume to speak disrespectfully of General Grant in my presence, either you or I will sever his connection with this university." I urge those who share my high regard for Kaltman's book to read or re-read Grant's Personal Memoirs.

Interesting premise
It's amazing that Kaltman takes a military genius (but financial disaster) such as Ulysses S. Grant and magically transforms him into an example for busisnessmen. Poor Grant must be revolving in his grave. The premise of this book is to take pithy and brief remarks from Grant and relate them to the business world. It's an interesting premise and an extremely flawed one. Grant's genius was in writing and on the field of battle, not in making money or advising those grappling on the corporate ladder.

However, the book does have merit if it introduces the sublime character of Grant to average people with little or no interest in history. Serious historians will laugh off this sophomoric book, but managers might actually learn something about one of the greatest and most underrated figures in American history. Grant was an intensely honest, moral and highly intelligent man and reading his words can only enhance anyone's character, even those whose only interest is in chasing the almighty dollar. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Jumping into Jacksonian Democracy
If you have never heard of Sam Patch, it is because you are not living in the nineteenth century.Sam Patch was America's first celebrity daredevil, someone who made his fortune and his fame by spectacularly endangering his life, jumping from waterfalls.Paul E. Johnson, in _Sam Patch, The Famous Jumper (Hill and Wang), has not exactly brought Patch back to life.As Johnson explains, people like Patch did not have linear careers that lent their lives to being told as stories; they had episodes, not biographies.Patch only lived thirty years, and jumped professionally only for the last two of those, but he did have a wonderful career, and even some meaning within American history and sociology.Johnson has, though Patch's story, examined some details of Jacksonian America, industrialization, philosophies of art, and aspects of fame from self-endangerment and self-promotion rather than self-improvement and civic involvement.Patch was, after all, a lout and a drunkard, but it must mean something that he achieved such a level of fame that his feats could be cited by Melville, Hawthorne and Poe.Even Andrew Jackson's favorite steed was named Sam Patch.

Sam was around seven years old when he took up work in a mill; families in the early eighteenth century were being drawn to mill towns since mothers and children could easily get work.He was good at the work, and fiercely independent in the craft of "mule spinner".The independence manifested itself in his jumping as well.He learned the craft of jumping as other boys did, but when he moved to another mill town, his jumping acquired a social and political aspect that endeared him to the populace.He jumped to spite a rising industrialist in Paterson, New Jersey, and then in support of his own class when there was a dispute over how the town should celebrate the Fourth of July, and jumped again during the first labor walkout.People loved the jumps, and newspapers reported them.Patch became a working-class hero.He went on to jump into Niagara Falls twice, and finally in Rochester.On 13 November 1829, he took a plunge into the Genesee Falls, into which he had jumped successfully a week before.He was drunk, and hit the water out of control.It was months before the body was found, but respectable Americans had found a new cause to rail against; one preacher spoke of the "strange and savage curiosity" of the crowds who came to see the jumps, and another told his Sunday school class "... that any of them who had witnessed Patch's last leap would be judged guilty of murder by God."

Sam Patch could have been an emblem against the masses, but it did not work out that way.He became the subject of poetry, comic stories, and stage plays."What the Sam Patch!" became a common way of swearing.There was a Sam Patch cigar.He has even recently been the subject of a novel.Rochester has welcomed his memory as if it were that of a favorite son, and you can buy souvenirs at Sam's Gift Patch.There are those who insist that any American Dream must be built on hard work, domestic harmony, and sobriety.Johnson's able and well-researched portrait, with its many digressions into aspects of our fledgling democracy, shows a different sort of dream and a new sort of celebrity.Americans, bless their hearts,had from the beginning a delight in one who tweaked the nose of his betters and got fame for lots of wrong reasons. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Davis on Davis.
William Davis has written many has written many wonderful books about the Civil War and quite frankly he has come a long way as a writer since he wrote this book. In this book all too often his sentence structure is poor and I had to read some sentences two or three times to see what he meant. There are also a few typos in this edition but that is hardly Davis' fault. On the other hand there is a reference in the book about Bedford Forrest being from Alabama which is hard to explain. Overall though this book is well written and will certainly hold the reader's attention.

All in all, this is an excellent biography of Jefferson Davis. I would suggest that anyone who reads this book also read William Cooper's biography of Davis because the two authors take different approaches to their subject and together they offer a great insight into the life of President Davis.

This biography tends to delve more into the personality quirks that made Davis who he was and is sometimes very critical of these quirks. In fact, this book is sometimes much more critical of Davis than is Cooper but on the other hand there is plenty of praise for the subject also. The author tends to focus on Davis as commander in chief and generally on his relationship with his generals, especially Joe Johnston, Beauregard and Bragg. These three relationships Davis argues were devastating to the Confederacy and were examples of Jefferson Davis at his worst. Full credit is given to Davis however for realizing what he had in Robert E. Lee and for doing all he could to support his best general through good times and bad.

After all is said and done the author reaches what seems like a sound conclusion. Jefferson Davis probably did as well or better than any of the other possible choices the South could have picked as their leader. He made mistakes but it was he who set up the structure that kept the armies in the field for four years. Davis was the one who persuaded Congress to pass the laws that sent the armies men and food, Davis chose Lee for command when "Granny Lee" was not at all popular, and Davis dealt with the obstinate Governors who tried to keep men and arms to themselves when they were desperately needed elsewhere. In short, Davis held the new nation together longer than most any other Southern leader could have.

Finally, the author deals quite well with the process that brought Davis to near sainthood in the South after the war. It was a process that started with his imprisonment in Fort Monroe and ended with one of the largest funerals in Southern history. Together, Cooper and Davis cover most every aspect of the life of Jefferson Davis and the two books compliment each other quite well. What Davis misses, Cooper takes care of and what Cooper only touches upon, Davis completes. These two books will serve as the most complete biographies of Jefferson Davis for years to come, and they may never be surpassed.

Best Book on Jefferson Davis: A Much Challenged Man
WC Davis writes a thorough bio on one of the most unique icons in our history. Jeff Davis is shown from his youth, painful first marriage, through his political and military rise, to the senate and to the Chief Executive position in the Confederacy. WC's bio helps explain why Davis was so unwilling to give up to the point of unrealistic dreams during the final month of the war particularly when Lee's army collapsed. WC notes the sad loss of Jeff Davis' first wife that left him a social cripple for several years to his slow rebirth. His success in the Mexican war seemed to lead him to conclude that he was a superior military man and his role as the Secretary of Defense perhaps encouraged his perspective. More a man of criticism than bright ideas in the senate, he seemed to hold his perception of honor above all else. WC does a great job describing Jeff's relations with his generals particularly Lee who seems to placate Davis' need for detail unlike Johnson and Beauregard. At the end, Jeff Davis seems to hold the Confederacy by himself and his only last political hurrah may have been allowing Alexander Stephens to make his futile effort at peace in March 65. In the end, WC notes that Jeff Davis seems to rebound with the southern public aided by his cruel treatment at Fort Monroe by his captors; however, his two-volume book seems a disaster of disorganization. One has to respect Davis for holding the Confederacy together in spite of his true desire to be a general and particularly because of his ill health and fractured political support. The book answers the question of how Davis could ever imagine that the Confederacy could survive as he was riding with a small protective band through Georgia in his last hours acting more like a fugitive than the President of a country that could still rally.

best biography on Davis
Once more, William C. Davis have provided us Civil War readers with another pure winner. Of all the biographies I have read on Jefferson Davis, this book definitely proves to be the best. It highly readable, interesting as well as entertaining and after you finished with the last page, you actually feel like you know something about Jefferson Davis, his talents which was outweighted by his weaknesses. The biography paint a rather tragic figure of man who was so devoted to his cause but yet, did so much to defeat it. The irony will proves to be unforgettable to anyone who read the book. I would considered this book to be one of these so called "must read" book by anyone who have a slightest interest in the Civil War.

The Ultimate Biography
Before I was introduced to this book I knew nothing about the man in question outside of the fact that he was the first confederate President.

After spending a good month reading this biography of Jefferson Davis I feel like I know the man. William C. Davis does an excellent job portraying the life of Jefferson Davis. Here is a man who had his share of suffering, both physically, mentally, as well as numerous personal loses, but always seemed to bounce back and go on. The book moves along quite smooth, and William C. Davis has the gift of actually making you feel like your there when the many drama'a of Jefferson Davis unfold.

For anyone interested in learning about Jefferson Davis, this is the "meat" of books written about Jefferson Davis. When you finish reading this fine biography you will actually feel like you "know" Jefferson Davis and watched his life unfold right before you. I highly recommend this book to all beginners.

An inspiring account which encourages further research
The author has mastered the challenging task of introducing the reader to the person of President Davis without capturing him in a net of preconceived ideas. In this well told account he presents the positive as well as the negative aspects of Jefferson Davis' character and actions concisely and in a straightforward manner, even bluntly at times. In most instances he does not comment more than absolutely necessary thus leaving a lot of room for the reader to develop his / her own opinion or just to encourage further research on certain points. However, the author's strictly chronological and factual approach is balanced here and there with suitable relaxing anectotes from the President's life such as the story of soldier Jeems, with vivid descriptions of the President's happy and sad moments as well a couple of awe-inspiring contemporary descriptions of his person (the latter being quotes from contemporary sources). The author has endeavoured throughout his work to present Jefferson Davis objectively, not praising nor criticising him more than seems appropriate to facilitate understanding. The book should be compared to a photograph of the President rather than a painting the details of which have been processed by the painter's mind. Speaking from personal experience I can only say that this book has become a lamp to me which lights up the path to further research into the life and times of a very special man indeed. ... Read more

Book Description

Emma McCune’s passion for Africa, her unstinting commitment to the children of Sudan, and her youthful beauty and glamour set her apart from other relief workers from the moment she arrived in southern Sudan. But no one was prepared for her decision to marry a local warlord—a man who seemed to embody everything she was working against—and to throw herself into his violent quest to take over southern Sudan’s rebel movement.

With precision and insight, Deborah Scroggins—who met McCune in Sudan—charts the process by which McCune’s romantic delusions led to her descent into the hell of Africa’s longest-running civil war. Emma’s War is at once a disturbing love story and an up-close look at Sudan: a world where international aid fuels armies as well as the starving population, and where the northern-based Islamic government—backed by Osama bin Laden—is locked in a war with the Christian and pagan south over religion, oil, and slaves.

A timely, revelatory account of the nature of relief work, of the men and women who choose to carry it out, and of one woman’s sacrifice to its ideals. ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Could have been better
"Emma's War: An Aid Worker, a Warlord, Radical Islam, and the Politics of Oil--A True Story of Love and Death in Sudan" by Deborah Scroggins has plenty of fine moments and interesting insights into the aid industry and those who work in it -- the problem is that the good parts are few and far between. This book is not focused on its supposed subject (Emma McCune, a one-time British aid worker who married a Sudanese "warlord"), and its many excursions into other seemingly related topics somehow distract more than enlighten. A very good editor could have made this a much better book. As it is, I can only recommend it to people who are very, very interested in the aid biz or Sudan. I am sure that there are many other books on these subjects that would be more useful to the general reader.

Sudan - its tragedies and its young aid worker Emma
I couldn't put this book down. Having previously read "Til the Sun Grows Cold: Searching for My Daughter, Emma" by her mother Maggie McCune, I was interested in reading more about Emma's life in the Sudan.

The author cleverly interweaves the story of Emma, a young British aid worker who went out to the Sudan and subsequently fell in love with and married a Sudanese warlord, with the political situation there. It relates the horrors of famine, starvation, war, violence and terrible cruelty on the part of political leaders to their fellow countrymen. In the midst of this Emma wanted to make a difference. She did her best to try and help children and never minded being different herself and was loved and appreciated for it. However, being married to a warlord and becoming part of a very different culture in the end became the hugest of challenges though her loyalty to her husband appeared never to waver.

So many efforts have been made at providing humanitarian aid for the Sudan - almost all thwarted by people who were out for their own ends. I was shocked and saddened to read of so much political intrigue, hatred and prejudice - and of the devastation of what must in reality be a very beautiful country. What was brought home harshly to me were the tragic accounts of boy soldiers captured at a very tender age to be enlisted in the military. Mostly they died of starvation.

The book is well researched and written with feeling. I would recommend it to all who wish to know more about this particular country and its misfortunes and also about a very brave young woman, Emma McCune Machar, who tried so hard to play her part in providing humanitarian aid to the Sudan.

What happened to the book by McCune's own mother?
This is an excellent read, I believe it is going to be made into a film starring Nicole Kidman. I read an equally brilliant book about Emma McCune written by her own mother called 'til the sun grows cold'. It was moving and well written. I read it ages ago and it disappeared from book shops. Why wasn't it made the same fuss over as this book 'Emma's War'? I am wondering if Mrs McCune is upset about a journalist making money and fame out of her daughter's death, I think i would like to know what happened to Emma's own family and what they think.

Love and aid - where nothing is as simple as it seems
This is a wonderful book. It takes two of the most tricky subjects around, wild romantic love and the Western instinct to "aid" the stricken, and renders them in all their rich contradictions and complexity.

By focusing on the short life of Emma McCune, Ms Scroggins gains a narrative structure on which she can hang many coats. She is revealing in her insights into both the nobility and folly of the "aid" industry. She evokes the strained English gentility in which Emma was raised, and the louche milieu of the Nairobi whites where she later became a star, beautiful, passionate and promiscuous.

Over each of those options, she preferred life in the swamps and savannahs of southern Sudan - "not a beautiful country," as she told an interviewer, but a place where the "people are so charming."

Her passion for the velvet-smooth warlord Riek Machar is her triumph and her undoing, and arguably contributes to the needless death of thousands of people.

Strung along her narrative, Ms Scroggins writes the most accessible account of the dread realities of Sudan's civil war yet. It is an awful, awesome, compelling place, riven with famine, religious slaughter, slavery, oil, and treachery at every turn. And yet it is not - finally - a pessimistic account.

Another reader complained that Scroggins spent too much time recounting her hotel rooms and conversations with taxi drivers. I don't recall a single taxi driver mentioned. The few first-person references all seemed relevant and useful to me.

This is so well written, so smoothly accommodating of a love story, frontline journalism, and dark history - and so honest about the confusions that are inevitable in this mix that it should be required reading for anyone drawn to aid work, Africa, or to rampant, improbable love.

Emma's War: An Aid Worker, a Warlord, Radical Islam, and the
I could not put this book down once I started it: even though I was in between exams. It's well written and an easy read. Although the book is centered on Emma, it also includes some very educative elements of Sudanse history and that of the Sudanese Civil war. The only parts I found disturbing is the typical generalizations that's often found in a lot of writings about Africa and the peculiarity of certain attitudes often presented as only African. For example: The author introduced the reader in the first pages to what she refers to the Politics of the belly as being what all African politics is about; she also interpretes popular proverbs as confirming her theory that all of African politics is centered on the belly. I think she misses the point that; whereever you have a situation in a community or a country for that matter where the playing field is terribly skewed or the political structure is clientelist, or a political/power structure where the Big Man dominates all works of life, the politics of the belly inevitably results. When you hear the expression " oh he eats from Mr.T" for example: this translates to meaning that he earns his exisistence from Mr.T who is connected enough (usually politically) to make these provisions available. It's not necessarily FOOD. It could be opportunities!! occassional gifts of money or expensive presents in return for loyalty for instance. The relationships can be clan based, nationalistic, friendships, common business interest. You find these relationships and politics of the belly all over the ex soviet states, from Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Bellarusia, Moldova.. it's rampant in these parts of the world not only Africa as seems to be suggested by the author. It's also not inherently African either. Take out the rule of law that levels the playing field in any community and you will immediately see the emergence of the Politics of The Belly!! It's nothing inherently African - it's Human!!! I just thought I clarify this point. ... Read more

Book Description

This new edition of two of the greatest works to chronicle the Civil War provides the unique perspective of that great conflict as it appeared to its greatest generals. It is illustrated with over 400 drawings and photographs drawn from historically contemporary sources. The illustrated abridgement of the Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant is contained in this work. Fast-paced, colorful, lucid and laced with flashes of humor, it provides the most authoritative of all contemporary accounts. All the topics that are not covered in the excerpts are summarized by the editor. Historians have always lamented the fact that Lee, who died only five years after his surrender to Grant, was never able to write his personal memoir of his role in the Civil War. The most detailed and revealing view of this great general in action is by General Armistead L. Long in his classic Memoirs of Robert E. Lee. The edition of Long's Memoirs contained in this work is a shortened version of the original. Peripheral matter has been summarized and full texts of official correspondence and extended quotations by other writers have been deleted. What remains is vivid first-hand portraits of Lee just as the author set it down over a century ago. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Grant's "Memoirs" and Memories of Lee in one nice Gift Book
This is a lavishly illustrated abridgement of Grant's wonderful "Personal Memoirs" and of Confederate Officer Armistead Long's "Memoirs of Robert E. Lee", two of the major works of the Civil War (Lee never did get around to writing his own memoirs).

While it must be stressed that this is an abridgement, and the actual volumes themselves are worth purchasing on their own, especially Grant's, the clear text and the extraordinary and realistic illustrations makes this volume a perfect gift for the Civil War buff this holiday season, or a worthy addition to one's own Civil War Library even if you already have the separate volumes - as I do. ... Read more

Book Description

In 1948, as civil war ravaged Greece, children were abducted and sent to communist "camps" inside the Iron Curtain. Eleni Gatzoyiannis, forty-one, defied the traditions of her small village and the terror of the communist insurgents to arrange for the escape of her three daughters and her son, Nicola. For that act, she was imprisoned, tortured, and executed in cold blood.

Nicholas Gage joined his father in Massachusetts at the age of nine and grew up to become a top New York Times investigative reporter, honing his skills with one thought in mind: to return to Greece and uncover the one story he cared about most: the story of his mother.

Eleni takes you into the heart a village destroyed in the name of ideals and into the soul of a truly heroic woman. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

Terrifying and Touching
Nicholas Gage (Nicola Gatzoyiannis)wrote a book that was both terrifying and touching. It was terrifying because it exposed the brutality of Communism and touching because it told of a woman's undying love for her children, especially the boy who would one day pay tribute to her. The descriptions of torture Eleni and fellow villagers endured at the hands of the ELAS/DAG were some of the most horrifying things I've ever read. The scene where Eleni tells her son, Nicola, to be brave and gives him a gift of a cross is one of the most touching scenes of family love I've ever read about. This story is a must-read for everyone. It is both instructive about the moral degradation caused by Communism and about the courage of a family. Also read Nicholas Gage's followup, "A Place for Us: Eleni's Children in America," which chronicles events leading up to Gage's life today. Excellent writer!

A Powerful Biography
Eleni is a gripping story of man's inhumanity to humans; in this case the Greek Communist's inhumane treatment of its own men, women and children during the Greek Civil War in the late 1940s. Although this book is a biography, Nicholas Gage's narrative prose reads like a powerful novel. Every aspect of the hard-working villagers' life is depicted, right down to the peasants' ignorance, their superstitions, and their cunning and cruel treatment to each other for survival in the hands of the communists. Above all, this story is about Gage's mother Eleni who sacrificed herself to save her children. If you can read beyond the killings, the cruelty, the starvation and torture, you will find it difficult to put down this 470 page masterpiece. For the weak-hearted, simply skip those parts, it's worth reading.

One of the most powerful books written
Mr.Gage spoke at my college graduation and spoke about his mother Eleni. I pick up the book and was moved to tears.

A Son's Journey of Redemption and Forgiveness
I remember being totally captivated and touched by Eleni, reading it few years back. Deciding to read it again now, my positive attitude has not been diminished, although I can now see some flaws that I did not pay attention to the first time.
As a son's personal journey, obsessed by the death of his mother, and his burning need to exact revenge on those who have denied her her most basic rights as a human being, Eleni works brilliantly.
It is written is such a way that will totally engage you, admiring the courage and strenght of character of this brave woman who has shown unwavering sense of duty,and unconditional love and dedication for her children, that resulted in the ultimate sacrifice.
There are two tones in Eleni.
The first and last chapters are very personal,and deal with Gage's emotional state, his still unexpressed grief for his mother, and his investigative work,trying to put names on the blurred faces of her executioners.
Yet in most of the other chapters, Gage takes the tone of an objective narrator (or as objective as he can be), describing in literary prose the story of Eleni,Greece during the war,the traditional village life in the mountains,the struggles of the peasants trying to make ends meet,their deep faith laced with centuries old superstitions and tradition, and subsequently the events that lead to his mother's death after the communist take over of the Mourgana mountains.
What is so striking about Eleni, is how Gage's sorrow, and anger is so believable and raw after all these years, yet how majestic is the power of forgiveness he was able to find within him!
I loved the fact that at the end, Gage was able to exorcise the demons that had haunted him since he was nine, and when finally he faces the judge that sent his mother to her death, he finds Justice and his peace of mind through forgiveness and not revenge.
Yet, the flaws that I found in Eleni and which I mentioned above were mainly because of the prejudiced overtones of the book:
On one hand it is understandable coming from a grieving son, less so coming from an investigative reporter.
Naturally the communists take the full brunt of his prejudice, and although atrocities were committed during the war in the name of many ideologies, from fascism to communism, you can feel that his anger, because of his mother's fate is solely directed towards the red guerrillas.
Moreover, the historic animosities between Greeks and Turks do resurface again in his book,and the minority Turks of Greece are portrayed as aliens,conniving, ungrateful,and allying with the axis powers against their 'Christian' countrymen...(however we all know that collaborators were of every ethnic group and faith).
Having said all that, Eleni is still a wonderful read,(if you can weed out these prejudices),if only to admire courage, unconditional love, sacrifice, a son's dedication to his mother's memory and his journey of redemption during which he found a wonderful power few of us possess: forgiveness!

A powerful and inspiring story
I would like readers to know what an inspiration Eleni was for me: it helped send me on a journey home to the Aegean islands to follow the story of another catastrophe, this one involving the Greek sponge divers of the Aegean. That catastrophe also involved family. My book, The Bellstone: The Greek Sponge Divers of the Aegean, Reading Line: One American's Journey Home, deals with an epic poem my grandfather wrote a century ago on the island of Rhodes -- and the death many young men of valor on the sponge-fishing islands. Eleni surely is an even more personal and a darker story; still I understand now the passion of a family story and the quest to know truth the past can reveal -- if you pursue it relentlessly. To tell the story of Eleni, Nick Gage uses the power of his investigative reporting skills, his grace with the English language, and the will that his courageous mother instilled in him. Eleni is, I believe, one of the most powerful stories written in the English language. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Excellent Overview of Grant's Civil War Career
This is a well written book covering the campaigns and military career of U.S. Grant during the civil war.

Chapter 12 and the appendixes give a solid analysis of what made Grant a success and offers a great discussion of the attacks upon his record by his detractors.

Included within the book are statistical analysis demonstrating the losses suffered by Grant's armies were not out of proportion, especially when viewed in contrast to those suffered by Lee and his other opponents.

This book brings forth in a very readable style how and why Grant was a success as a general. It should be enjoyed by the novice and the expert on the subject of Grant's civil war career.

A Modest Revision of History
Perhaps it is the American tradition of rooting for the underdog. Perhaps it is the influence of movies like 'Gone With the Wind' that have created a golden image of the south (In spite of the South's Peculiar Institution - Slavery.) But for whatever reason, Robert E. Lee has been raised to almost God like esteem, while Grant has been considered a drunken butcher.

Of late, the reputation of Lee has suffered some. Incidents like Picketts Charge have been looked more closely in the reliaziation that Lee's most trusted Liutenant, Longstreet recommended against the Gettysburg campaign so heavily.

It is good to see that Grant is getting a new look. He led a masterful series of military campaigns, often over the objections of his superiors such as Hallack. And in the end, he won the war. Dr. Bonekemper does not go into the troubles Grant had as a civilian, either before the war or during his presidency. But after all, this is not a biography of Grant but a military history. Well done, well written, highly recommended.

Enjoyed this Book
I found this book thoroughly enjoyable. While I never thought of Grant as a "butcher", it gave me new insight into his merits as a commander and a person. It brought out a number of things that I had read in other contexts relating to the failings of other civil war generals and highlighted the strengths of Grant in avoiding their problems.

It was easy to read and understand. I recommend it highly.

A Myth No More
Historical myth, especially those connected to the Civil War, are not easily changed. Decades of authors have tried to embellish a myth until it is accepted as fact. Mr. Bonekemper does an excellent job of pulling together statistics, details and opinions concerning Ulysses Grant and then analyzing what these really mean. A case is meticulously built that Grant was a brilliant leader and apparently the only general who had an overall view of what needed to be done and how it would be accomplished. He not only understood the military actions needed on the battlefield but the political implications to Washington. Mr. Bonekemper refutes the myth that Grant was a butcher and shows how he generally minimized his overall loses by understanding the "big picture" and changing tactics when needed to overcome his opposition. The book is easy to follow and is highly recommended.

To the victor goes the spoils
Towards the end of the war Grant was losing 5000 troops per major engagment. Mary Todd Lincoln called him a butcher and wanted him removed. Abe wanted to end the war. Grant made no bones about his motive. To crush the south, and he did. I wonder if it was because he knew that sacrifice was necessary and with the Northern industrial complex behind the logistics and a draft in full swing (whew)... at that point Lincoln finally had a General who had the will to win at any cost. He could have won with one hand tied behind his back... the south was in poor shape. Yet Lee managed to give back worthily at just about every juncture, save Petersburg and the rear guard action into Appomatox. Was the book that good? No suprises here. ... Read more

Book Description

Told with immediacy and heart, The Oath is the story of a brave physician's dedication to saving lives in the Russia-Chechnya conflict.

In 1991, when the political conflict between Chechen insurgents and the Russian army began, Khassan Baiev was a wealthy plastic surgeon. But when Russia began to bomb his country, Baiev gave up safety and security and opened a small hospital in his hometown of Alkhan Kala. At times, the one-storey cement building was staffed by just six nurses and a handful of volunteers. Baiev was the sole physician.

Over the next six years, Baiev treated thousands of people under the most brutal conditions, using outdated tools and dwindling medical supplies, and with a constant threat of missiles overhead. A witness to the unspeakable horrors of war, Baiev treated anyone, Chechen or Russian, soldier or civilian. He became a marked man, hated by both sides in one of the world’s ugliest and least understood conflicts. After he treated a widely feared Chechen rebel leader, his home was looted and burned. A Chechen warlord stood him up against a wall and threatened to execute him for saving Russian soldiers.

Under threat from both sides, Baiev finally fled Chechnya early in 2000. Still tortured by the memories of his past, he has taken refuge in the USA. Throughout his whole ordeal, Khassan has maintained his commitment to medicine and medical ethics. When asked why he didn’t flee his country like so many others had done, he said, “I could have left before the war. But where would I have gone? Where was I more needed than Chechnya?” ... Read more

Reviews (8)

incredible surgeon with an incredible story
I read this book in between graduating from medical school and starting my residency. WOW! Dr. Khassan Baiev will amaze you this entire story. From living in the airport and being one of Russia's best judo athletes during medical school, to his impressive operations in unbelievable wartime settings. He is not just an incredible surgeon though. He is an incredible person with a truly amazing story. I have given this book to several nonmedical people, and they could not put it down either

Amazing!!!
Dr. Baiev has done a wonderful job of presenting the agony of his people. This is a must read for everyone. I was born on the Iranian side of the Caspian Sea. Many of the customs related by Dr. Baiev are very familiar to me. I have no doubt that the tremendous will power of the Chechen people will enable them to survive the current crises as they have done in the past. I highly recommend this book to every person of conscious.

Kudos to Dr. Baiev.

Horrifying, enlightening and edifying.
I truly feel privileged to have read this book, to have met the author and hear him speak (at the Northwest Book Festival in October 2003). I know of no modern book that brings home the horrors that citizens face during war, while offering the inspiration of the human spirit to go on in the midst of it all, like "The Oath." Baiev's horrific, personal story is worth the read in itself. However, the perspective he brings to the conflict and its origins is incredibly vital to the world situation today.

A Story of Strength & Tragedy
This book is a testimony to the power of human will, faith, and hope. Never before have I realized what strength and tragedy really meant.

"A Classic on the Effects of War"
Khassan Baiev's "The Oath: A Surgeon Under Fire" describes the wrenching field experience of a Chechen doctor who treated the wounded from both sides of the conflict, a work described at a recent American Enterprise Institute conference by Lawrence Uzell, editor of the Jamestown Foundation's "Chechnya Weekly," as "the most important to come out in some years, a classic on the effects of war." (from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty,"(Un)Civil Societies," www.rferl.org/ucs, 16 December 2003.

Some book stores may have erred in placing this book only in the back stacks under "health" or "medicine" where it languishes next to diet tips. It belongs prominently displayed in the "politics" and "European history" sections. CAF ... Read more

Book Description

Unlike generals Ulysses S. Grant and William T. Sherman, whose controversial Civil War-era reputations persist today, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan has been largely untouched by controversy. In LITTLE PHIL, historian Eric J. Wittenberg reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army’s greatest generals.

From his earliest days at West Point, Phil Sheridan refused to play by the rules. He was fortunate to receive merely a suspension, rather than expulsion, when as a cadet he charged a superior officer with a bayonet. Although he achieved fame as a cavalryman late in the Civil War, Sheridan actually began the conflict as an infantry commander and initially knew little of the mounted service. In his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, he gave a performance that Wittenberg argues has long been overrated. Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan secured his legendary reputation, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates and from his huge manpower advantage against the beleaguered Confederate troops of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early.

Sheridan was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against his superiors throughout the war, while he punished similar traits in his own officers. Further, in his combat reports and postwar writings, he often manipulated facts to show himself in the best possible light, ensuring an exalted place in history. Thus, Sheridan successfully foisted his own version of history on the American public. This controversial new study challenges the existing literature on Phil Sheridan and adds valuable insight to our understanding of this famous, but altogether fallible, warrior. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Stick to Law Mr Wittenberg
I found lawyer Eric Wittenberg's book on General Sheridan entitled "Little Phil" just appalling and frightening, that this book was even published and author is considered a noteworthy Civil War historian. Once again we have a non-military historian or professional trying to view the profession of arms through some ridiculous method or process, this time applying law as in a legal case. As a three-decade veteran of the military, I was shocked by the lack of general military knowledge, which is such a current fade of historians who are not in the same class as "SLAM" Marshall, John S. D. Eisenhower, Trevor DuPuy or even Stephen Ambrose, who got things wrong and crossed the integrity line, but most of his books are doctrinally accurate. Wittenberg's understanding of combat, war, the dynamics of changing tactical application, the levels of war and so much more, is dreadful. Saying that according to Dennis Hart Mahan that cavalry operations should be conducted by some military tactical manual and not change and adapt with the real-world fact of combat is so ignoramus that it would haunt any combat veteran. To say that cavalry was not to "fight battles" is so absurd, because, guess what? It was happening! They were fighting cavalry against cavalry battles as nations had since the Crusades and Ghenus Kahn and Napoleon. Mahan, according to Wittenberg, should run out at Haw's Shop and announce, "Stop! This is not in my book, you are not following my manual."
The author needs to stick with law, because he is no historian and lacks the training. To measure Sheridan like he was a race horse with a tally sheet is pathetic. What Wittenberg fails to see, that through Sheridan's aggressive operations, win or lose, he ripped the initiative from the Confederate cavalry and they had to fight him on his terms. There has never been a military leader who has not exaggerated or misused his reports to a degree, made tactical or operational mistakes, including Washington and Frederick the Great, and though winning the battle as Sheridan did at 3rd Winchester, the execution was flawed. Mr. Wittenberg's concept of war is to be a clean, gentleman's contest with no hurt feelings, fair rules and clear winners. Who cares if Sheridan fires a couple of officers in the heat of battle. He is the commander and lives are at stake. War is not a popularity context.
There are so many errors, flaws and ignorant comments, one-sided bias and just immature criticisms of Sheridan in this book that I could not finish it; the first time in my reading career. One example, in Wittenberg's assessment of the Overland Campaign he faults Sheridan for failing to link up with General David Hunter at Charlottesville and escort Hunter's army to join General Meade. This did not happen of course, but in Wittenberg's litany of Sheridan's failures he fails to address the fact that Hunter was defeated at Lynchburg and retreated west back into the Shenandoah Valley. Even if Sheridan would have gained Charlottesville, Hunter never made it. This is extremely prejudicial history for even a lawyer.
The scholarship is so bad, that Mr. Roy Morris and other biographers should share in the royalties of the dozen of so books sold. Where does one go to claim a refund?

Too one-sided
As another reviewer said, this book makes some good points, but ultimately is too one-sided. Phil Sheridan's image may be more untarnished than it should be, but if the author wanted to bring it into proper perspective, he could've accomplished that simply by giving us an honest, reasonable portrait, pointing out the shortcomings that others have tended to gloss over. Instead he has given us a diatribe. The author is an attorney, and I happen to be a judge. When a lawyer refuses to admit that his opponent has ANY evidence or legal authority in his favor, when it is obvious that he does have some, I tend to look more askance at that lawyer's entire argument. I had the same reaction reading this book. Instead of being content to bring Sheridan's lofty reputation back down to earth where it belongs, he "trashes" him, and thereby weakens the force of his argument. Had Wittenberg simply argued that Sheridan was not as good - even not nearly as good - a general as he is commonly thought to have been, one might be readily inclined to agree. But he essentially argues that Sheridan was a bad general, and the evidence does not support that argument. Those who like so-called "advocacy history" may enjoy this book; those who believe that historians should simply attempt to present what they believe to be the truth, without having an axe to grind, will likely not.

If you enjoy being challenged...
As stated in other reviews of this work, this book by noted cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg will challenge both established history as well as the preconceived notions of the reader. It is heavy-handed at times in criticism of Sheridan, but perhaps that is as it should be. For far too long, Sheridan's so-called "accomplishments" have gone down in history as unquestioned. Scholars will learn little of the truth of an operation or engagement by reading his official reports, and his Memoirs provide some of the best fictional reading the Civil War has to offer.
It is about time that a skillful researcher has balanced "accepted" history concerning this man with arguments of such a critical nature. Perhaps the true history lies somewhere in between - but one fact remains, and that is that Mr. Wittenberg is truly the first modern writer to take on the teflon persona of a man who, inarguably, crafted his own career out of the dust left from ruining others'. Several fine
American Civil War officers went to their deathbeds under the crushing defeats by Sheridan - not on the battlefield where they belonged - but within interpersonal relationships. Sheridan destroyed careers for no reason other than his own desire to capture the glory won by others. It is high time that he be taken to task for his shortcomings and ineptitude.
Sheridan certainly had a great deal of assistance, as well. He didn't have the power to accomplish his aims alone, and Wittenberg deftly exposes this as well. For anyone who is unchallenged by today's "coffee-table" type works that espouse the traditional legends surrounding those who made such an impact on the history of this country, and desire instead to be forced to both re-think and reevaluate those notions, this work will be a treasure to them. Wittenberg's book is no less than an in-your-face attorney's arguments against these notions. As with any lawyer worth his salt, all he or she asks is that you have been impressed enough by the presentation of evidence to intelligently form your own opinion. And ask yourself if what you've believed all along is your own opinion or that of another. In causing the reader to think that deeply, Mr. Wittenberg has accomplished his aims in the way they are known to be honorable - with the credit due to none other than himself.
Read this book. It will train you to ask the deeper questions and explore for yourself how history should remember those who shape it.

Thought-provoking, if overstated
The author is an attorney, and as he admits, this book is written like a legal brief. A lawyer's job is to present one-sided arguments, and that is what Wittenberg has done here. The result is a book that raises some valid points, but which overstates its case. It essentially is a compendium of every attack ever made on Sheridan, from his personality to his generalship.
While many of Sheridan's flaws and errors have been recognized both by his contemporaries and by historians, it is of some value to lay them out in a single book as a corrective to his largely untarnished image among casual Civil War buffs.
This could have been accomplished, however, without exaggerating Sheridan's shortcomings. Wittenberg, for example, tends to credit Sheridan's every detractor, no matter how biased they themselves might have been. At one point, he even quotes Southern newspaper reports from late in the war, which clearly smack of propaganda meant to reassure their readers that the CSA was in no danger of falling, to support his argument that one of Sheridan's cavalry raids was a failure. Likewise, he quotes Confederate leaders' postwar comments to the effect to the effect that they were unimpressed by Sheridan, without questioning whether their judgments were honestly made, or whether they were colored by resentment over the ultimate outcome of their encounters with Little Phil and his men.
Every success is chalked up to Sheridan's subordinates or colleagues, while every failure is laid at his feet, until one is left wondering how such an incompetent general could have inspired the unwavering confidence of both his commanding officer, Grant, and of his troops. A chapter near the end that recognizes Sheridan's achievements during the final campaign against Lee is so inconsistent with the rest of the book that it seems jarring to find it in the same volume.
As stated, though, Sheridan was far from perfect, and this book is not without some value for reminding us of his flaws. I can recommend it, however, only for readers with a solid background in Sheridan's Civil War career, who will be able to assess Wittenberg's arguments with a properly critical eye, much the same way that a judge would read an attorney's brief.

A thought-provoking reassessment of a renowned general
At the close of the Civil War, by wide acclaim the three top Union generals were Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, and Philip H. Sheridan. Although the reputations of Grant and Sherman have fallen and risen again a number of times, Sheridan's standing as a great general has gone almost unchallenged. Until now. Eric Wittenberg is a recognized authority on Union cavalry operations in the Eastern Theater and, based upon his earlier studies, he concluded that Sheridan's high reputation was undeserved, being a product more of Grant's blind faith in his subordinate (and Sheridan's own blatant self-promotion) than anything "Little Phil" actually did. Wittenberg by profession is a trial attorney and, as he openly acknowledges in his preface, this book is essentially a legal brief, setting forth his thesis that Sheridan has been over-rated and presenting the evidence in support of that thesis. He also states that he anticipates that some will not agree with him and that he looks forward to the debate to come.

Sheridan's career is described in four chapters, one dealing with the antebellum period and the first three years of the war, and then one each for his service as commander of the Cavalry Corps of the Army of the Potomac during the Overland Campaign and the early weeks at Petersburg, for his independent command in the Shenandoah Valley against Jubal Early's forces, and finally for his conduct of the pursuit of Lee's army to Appomattox. (For the Overland and Shenandoah periods, Wittenberg awards poor marks to Sheridan, but gives him a high grade for the Appomattox Campaign.) Together, these four chapters comprise a succinct but comprehensive history of Sheridan's Civil War operations. In addition, special chapters are devoted to Sheridan's harsh treatment of subordinates (George Crook, William Averell, and Gouveneur K. Warren), his frequent disobedience of orders, and the conspicuous distance between truth and what Sheridan wrote in his official reports and memoirs. There is also a final summary of Sheridan's flaws as well as his virtues. And Wittenberg does not deny that Sheridan was superb at motivating his men for a maximum effort and in building their confidence, recognizing that "Little Phil" did indeed make important contributions to ultimate Union victory, even if not as substantial contributions as traditional history has contended.

Readers familiar with standard assessments of Federal cavalry operations in the Eastern Theater during the final year of the Civil War (Stephen Z. Starr's history of the Union cavalry comes to mind) may be startled by Wittenberg's quite negative appraisal of that activity. Disputing Sheridan's claim of nearly unbroken success against the forces of Stuart and Hampton during the summer of 1864, Wittenberg contends that only Yellow Tavern can be counted as a Union victory. And Wittenberg concludes that Sheridan was consistently outgeneraled in the Shenandoah and that only his overwhelming superiority in numbers and material overcame Confederate opposition. Such a depiction of nearly total failure on the part of Sheridan's cavalry presents a paradox when it is recognized, as Wittenberg grants, that in this same period the morale and confidence of Union cavalry forces grew. Wittenberg believes the answer to this seemingly illogical inconsistency lies in Sheridan's remarkable ability to motivate his troops by the sheer force of his personality. I suspect that it is in this puzzle that Wittenberg may be most strongly challenged by Sheridan's modern admirers. Could a general convince his men that they were winning when they were consistently failing?

Unlike some other books of "advocacy history" which I have read, Wittenberg's book seems to me to be honestly written and honestly presented, maintaining a genuine air of fairness to its subject despite sharply critical conclusions. Too often, "revisionist history" is used as a derogatory label by those who do not understand the historical process. Eric Wittenberg's new book is an example of "revisionist history" at its best. The writing is clear and persuasive, and the argument presented inescapably leads the reader to re-examine the basis for old, comfortable assumptions. "Little Phil" does not pretend to supply the final answer, but it does offer thought-provoking questions that can lead to a better understanding of the closing year of the American Civil War. ... Read more

Book Description

All for the Union is the eloquent and moving diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, who enlisted into the Union Army as a private in 1861 and left it four years later as a 23-year-old lieutenant colonel after fighting hard and honorably in battles from Bull Run to Appomattox. Anyone who heard these diaries excerpted on the PBS-TV series The Civil War will recognize his accounts of those campaigns, which remain outstanding for their clarity and detail. Most of all, Rhodes's words reveal the motivation of a common Yankee foot soldier, an otherwise ordinary young man who endured the rigors of combat and exhausting marches, short rations, fear, and homesickness for a salary of $13 a month and the satisfaction of giving "all for the union."

"One of the best firsthand accounts I have read of campaigning and combat in the Civil War." -- James M. McPherson, author of Battle Cry of Freedom

"One of the most remarkable diaries I have ever read. Elisha Hunt Rhodes saw action from Bull Run to Appomattox and somehow survived, and his diary came to represent, better than any other I found, the spirit of the Union soldier." -- Ken Burns, director and writer of The Civil War ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Living History!!
Elisha Hunt Rhodes diary gives a very exquisite perspective of the Civil War not often found in historical works. Obviously moving, it provided much of the "color" commentary in Ken Burn's masterpiece documentary, as one of the few existing books that represented a soldier's view of the conflict from start to finish. Rhodes was with the Army or the Potomac for the whole ride, suffering the disasters in the first few years, then seeing the success of his comrades at Gettysburg, and determining to stay to "see it through". If you're really into learning about the Civil War, this is a book you shouldn't miss. An easy read, even for the occaisional history buff.