Abner Small wrote one of the most honest; poignant; and moving memoirs to come out of the Civil War. He served as a non-commissioned officer in the Third Maine Infantry during the summer of 1861; experiencing battle for the first time at First Bull Run. As a recruiting officer; he helped to raise the Sixteenth Maine Infantry and served as its adjutant. The Sixteenth Maine gained fame for its heroic delaying action on July 1 at Gettysburg; where it lost 180 of its 200 men. It went on to serve in Grant’s Overland Campaign in Virginia. Small was an articulate observer of all this. He wrote his memoirs with a keen sense of the irony of life during wartime; and with a gift for expression. His descriptions of the dead at Gettysburg; his characterizations of famous men such as Major General Oliver Otis Howard; and his reflections on the emotions of men under fire are outstanding. Small was captured in the battle of Globe Tavern on August 18; 1864. His account of prison life at Libby; Salisbury; and Danville is gripping. Small was exchanged just in time to lead his regiment in the final days of the war. His book reveals more of the inner soldier than almost any other account written by a Union veteran.
#223982 in Books 2013-06-17 2013-06-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.15 x 6.13l; 1.45 #File Name: 0822353393464 pages
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Biography as History::History as BiographyBy being_and_timeLittle Manila in Stockton doesn't really exist anymore. This DOES NOT mean the Stockton Filipino American community doesn't exist. In fact; Mabalon demonstrates that in spite of the disappearance of Little Manila as a spatial entity; the Stockton Filipino American community has evolved and persisted to the present day as a vibrant community coping with city politics and economics. The community has also had to deal with historic and contemporary social forces (especially labor expoitation; racism and newcomers).Mabalon grew up in Little Manila; so its history is also a major part of Mabalon's and vice versa. Thankfully; Mabalon's narrative is spiced with numerous oral history quotations from "old-timers" -- a generation that will soon be lost. While there is some hope in the future for a community with memory; it can only happen IF newer generations of Filipino Americans gain an appreciation of their past and by reading Mabalon's very readable (but long) book! Little Manila is in the Heart is sometimes a bit disjointed but is full of emotion and purpose. Many Filipino American communities need to have similar accounts written like Mabalon's.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Narratives making history come aliveBy Ricardo De La TorreThis is not your ordinary history book. Dr. Mabalon has called on the tool of personal narratives to bring history to life. For once in my life; I was not bored by the topic. Normally; history is just not my thing. But I could not put this book down. I was pulled in by the people in the book and their stories. It really makes the reality of the past something you can connect to. I could see how the stories of my Mexican relatives related to the stories of the manangs and manongs in the book. I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in Filipino-American history; California history; farm labor history; and immigration history.5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Magnificent historical documentation! FIRST OF ITS KIND!By Aquarius339Dr. Dawn B. Mabalon wrote this book as her thesis for her doctorate at Stanford University. She is now an associate professor of History Cal State University at San Francisco! It took her 20 years and thousands of interviews ; intense research on undocumented stories hence verbal interviews with people who lived; worked; and knew Little Manila in Stockton CA.. She had some 1;276 notes in the book; several personal stories about families and individuals that impacted Stockton's Filipino Community since their emigration from 1902- 1940. She explored the real world of racism and prejudice against Filipinos in the early days into the 21st Century Filipino; on which a document was written by Alma Marie Alcalá published in the Filipino newspaper The Philippine Review! Dr. Mabalon's mastery of historical events is a masterpiece to the Filipinos in that era when Little Manila was a thriving; bustling place now replaced by the crosstown freeway. But at least there is the Filipino Center; a low cost housing building adjacent to Filipino stores; an office space or hall where the all Filipino American Legion Post #798 Manual A. Roxas have their meetingsand social events ;. There used to be an import/export store there plus a nice Filipino restaurant now gone. The Filipino Barrio Festival takes place there at the Filipino Center yearly in June.Dr.Mabalon's book is a pivotal point in Filipino -American history which had never been documented before now. She wrote a magnificent history of Stockton's Filipino Community.and how it was weaves into today's society after all the years of low; work wages for field labor; why so many Filipino men "MANONGS" never married; the inclusion of all the Filipino men who volunteered to fight with the Americans during World War II; the baby boom; and to the good years of the district known as Little Manila in downtown Stockton. In-depth and interesting stories; keep you glued to the book; as she once aspired to be a journalist! Perhaps this book was her calling in this lifetime. And make no mistake about it; she thoroughly documented as much as she could to reveal the history of what really went on with the brown skinned man in Stockton CA! KUDOS TO DR. MABALON FOR DOCUMENTING OUR PEOPLE'S HISTORY IN AMERICA FOR IT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE BEFORE AND YOU ARE A CHAMPION FOR TAKING ON SUCH A GREAT CHALLENGE! MAKIBAKA HUAG MATAKOD! BAHALA NA! SALAMAT NAMÃN DR.MABALON FROM THE ENTIRE FILIPINO COMMUNITY'S HEART!
