Composed of Creole and Cajun citizen-soldiers; the Donaldsonville Canonniers were originally organized as a militia company in 1837 and were one of the most active and highly regarded Louisiana units during the American Civil War. Known as the Donaldsonville Artillery during the conflict; the Canonniers were a conspicuous part of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia; participating in a number of skirmishes; artillery duels; and battles; including: Yorktown; Williamsburg; Seven Pines; Seven Days; Second Manassas; Sharpsburg; Fredericksburg; Gettysburg; North Anna; Second Cold Harbor; Petersburg; and Appomattox Station. The Canonniers reorganized in July 1875 and were eventually accepted into Federal service during the Spanish-American War; before disbanding for good in November 1898. Gallant Creoles: A History of the Donaldsonville Canonniers records the history of this Louisiana militia company and also includes extensive biographies of each Donaldsonville Canonnier who served during the Civil War.
#612720 in Books Pegasus 2008-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.50 x 6.10l; 1.44 #File Name: 1933648767544 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. It's all Plato's Fault!By R. Ben MadisonTo VASTLY oversimplify Osborne's argument: It's all Plato's fault! One of the many roots of Western culture that Osborne identifies is Plato's philosophical distinction between the earthly appearances of things; and the "forms" that those things represent. This fundamental notion -- that there is an ideal form out there; somewhere; that earthly objects; institutions; and ideas only poorly approximate -- is bedrock to Western Civilization. We are a civilization that is never satisfied; always grasping; always reaching; always moving; to get closer to the ideal. Our justice is never Justice -- we can always be more just. Our freedom is never Freedom -- we can always be more free. Our holiness is never Holy -- we can always be more Holy. Our strength is never Strength -- we can always be stronger. Our purity is never Purity -- we can always be purer. We have built a world on the basis of disappointment with the way the world really is; and we feel our only escape is by tearing down the real world in pursuit of a "better" one. Osborne dares to tell us that the Western emperor has no clothes; and he forces us to confront the damage we have done to the world in relentless pursuit of "improvement." Best of all; he challenges our faith in the Enlightenment -- the same Enlightenment that gave us slavery; absolutism; capitalism; racism; imperialism; industrialism; pollution; world wars; drug-resistant diseases; the global obesity epidemic; and the twin threats of nuclear annihilation and world-wide climate collapse. All these great 'successes' of Western culture; with all the unplanned and horrific side-effects they generate; are rooted in our refusing to accept the world and ourselves as it; and we; really are. Instead we look for an improved world and improved people as they should be. Osborne names and shames us; and rightfully so.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An engaging introduction to world history.By Sean FarrellHistory can be a bit dry; and the idea of reading a book about the entire history of Western Civilization is more than a little bit daunting. Luckily; this book is written in fluid prose that keeps the reader engaged throughout. It also takes a unique way of looking at this history. Instead of focusing primarily on wars and politics; it takes a deeper look at the art; ideas; and movements that shaped the different eras our culture has gone through. It's one thing to simply state that something happened; it is another to give the reader a sense of why it happened; a feat that is handled with aplomb here. While you certainly can't expect everything of any importance to happen over the last several centuries to be covered in one book; one still comes away from this one feeling like they have a better understanding of human history. This is a must read; especially now; as it looks increasingly like we are on a path to repeat several of the mistakes we've made in the past.7 of 8 people found the following review helpful. PROVOCATIVE AND READABLEBy John L. LaymanFOR 27 YEARS I HAVE TAUGHT A FRESHMAN COURSE ON CIVILIZATION; AVERAGING 170 OR SO STUDENTS EACH SEMESTER. FOR MANY YEARS I USED TRADITIONAL CIVILIZATION TEXTBOOKS; BUT FOUND THEM INCREASINGLY ANNOYING: OFTEN DULL; OVER-DETAILED; TERRIFICALLY EXPENSIVE AND; TO ADD INJURY; EDITIONS ARE [UNNECESSARILY AND TRIVIALLY]CHANGED EVERY COUPLE YEARS; MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR STUDENTS TO BUY/SELL USED TEXTS. THE EXPENSIVE TEXTS MIGHT BE WORTH IT IF STUDENTS READ THEM; BUT MANY DON'T! SOME YEARS AGO I SWITCHED TO AN UNUSUAL SURVEY TEXT [SEE MY REVIEW ON NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC'S; CONCISE HISTORY OF THE WORLD: AN ILLUSTRATED TIME-LINE; AND ROGER OSBORNE'S CIVILIZATION: A NEW HISTORY OF THE WESTERN WORLD]. THE LATTER IS NEITHER A TRADITIONAL TEXTBOOK OR A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY; FOR WHICH I AM GRATEFUL; BUT AN ANALYSIS OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION. THE TEXT IS READABLE; INTERESTING AND AT TIMES A PASSIONATE CONDEMNATION OF HISTORIC TRENDS THAT MASQUERADE AS "PROGRESS." WHETHER AN ANALYSIS OF PLATO; ARISTOTLE AND THE RATIONAL MIND; THE RISE OF THE MILITARY STATE; COLONIZATION AND SLAVERY OR; TECHNOLOGY; IDEOLOGY; APOCALYPSE; OSBORNE MAKES THE CASE THAT; "THE HEART OF MAN IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS AND DESPERATELY WICKED" [QUOTING JEREMIAH THE PROPHET; NOT OSBORNE]! MY STUDENTS ACTUALLY LIKE OSBORNE [A STRANGE BUT HAPPY TURN OF EVENTS] AND FIND THEMSELVES PONDERING HOW HIS CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE EVILS OF GLOBALIZATION INTERSECT WITH THEIR LOVE-AFFAIR WITH FAST FOOD AND THE LATEST INTERNATIONAL FASHIONS.
