The battle of Belmont was the first battle in the western theater of the Civil War and; more importantly; the first battle of the war fought by Ulysses S. Grant. It set a pattern for warfare not only in the Mississippi Valley but at Fort Donelson and Shiloh as well. Grant's 7 November 1861 strike against the Southern forces at Belmont; in southeastern Missouri on the Mississippi River; made use of the newly outfitted Yankee timberclads and all the infantry available at the staging area in Cairo; Illinois.The Confederates; led by Leonidas Polk and Gideon Pillow; had the advantages of position and superior numbers. They hoped to smash Grant's expeditionary force on the Missouri shore and cut off the escape of the Illinois and Iowa troops from their boats. The confrontation was a bloody; all-day fight that a veteran of a dozen major battles would later call "frightful to contemplate." At first successful; the Federals were eventually driven from the field and withdrew up the Mississippi to safety. The battle cost some twenty percent of his troops; but as a result of this engagement Grant became known as an audacious fighting general.Using diaries and letters of participants; official documents; and contemporary newspaper accounts; Nathaniel Hughes provides the only full-length tactical study of the battle that catapulted Grant into prominence. Throughout the narrative; Hughes draws sketches of the lives and fates of individual soldiers who fought on both sides; especially of the colorful and enormously dissimilar principal actors; Grant and Polk.
#1910213 in Books M Keith Harris 2014-11-24 2014-11-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.83 x .91 x 5.48l; .0 #File Name: 0807157724232 pagesAcross the Bloody Chasm The Culture of Commemoration Among Civil War Veterans Conflicting Worlds New Dimensions of the American Civil War
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An excellent and timely book!By Tyson KautschHUZZAH! This book is an excellent treatment on the topics of reunion and reconcilation; memory; and remembrance. Dr. Harris goes right to the people who mattered most - the surviving veterans who did the fighting on both sides of the Civil War. Dr. Harris goes beyond the public pronouncements of reunion and delves deeper into the thoughts and feelings (in public and private gatherings) on these veterans in post-1865 America; all the way into the early 20th century. While photo-shoots of aged veterans shaking hands make for nice stories; underneath the surface bitter memories and reflections on both sides struggled with each other with the shaping of our understanding of the war and it's causes and legacy at stake. A timely book as 150 years later our nation still in many respects continues to struggle with the legacy of the war; and its impact on America today.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A gem of a bookBy Richard PilgreenYears ago; I saw the pictures of the soldiers of the north and south shaking hands and eating together at Gettysburg and I suppose; telling each other old war stories; as if now; all was OK and now they were all comrades. My mind went back to an old memory of mine that I retained from my youth where my Grandmother spoke of her brother. He had had his stomach opened up by a German bayonet in WW1. He never fully recovered and went to his grave despising Germans and all things German. I always suspected that reconciliation between the veterans of the north and south; though both sides wanted it; could not really take place until the entire generation of combat vets had passed on. Too much had happened to them. I feel good at having come across this very excellent book by M. Keith Harris. I would never have known any of the combat vets that he writes about and he writes about many of them; both north and south and you find yourself trying to get into their mindset to better understand them. I'm glad I have this book and will look forward to any and all future efforts by Dr. Harris5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. making it a pleasure to read for anyone who appreciates good historical analysisBy Patrick YoungThis book explores commemorative traditions developed by Union and Confederate veterans after the Civil War. The author; Keith Harris has a deep knowledge of a breath of post-war writings and activities by veterans and their organizations. His research shows that Civil War veterans were not quick to reconcile with their old enemies; that they sought to control how their respective struggles were interpreted by coming generations; and that they maintained strong commitments to elements of the causes that they had fought for.The book is very well-written; making it a pleasure to read for anyone who appreciates good historical analysis.
