Since I began Civil War re-enacting in 1988; there have been two schools of thought regarding the uniform of the Confederate soldiers. One is that the Rebels were never ragged; that was just a romantic myth started after the war. The other school of thought is that the Rebels were always ragged and wore whatever they could get their hands on. I decided that the best way to discover the truth is by investigating; what the soldiers themselves said regarding their clothing through letters; diaries and memoirs. This book uses the soldiers own words regarding Confederate uniforms and includes many surprising anecdotes and some "firsts" regarding incidents of the Civil War.
#429750 in Books 2016-10-17Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x 1.10 x 6.10l; .0 #File Name: 162157475X352 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. It could have been fascinating. It wasn'tBy book loverMADAM PRESIDENT by William HazelgroveI was disappointed. I was looking forward to this book having recently read another book that referred to Mrs. Wilson’s acting in the President’s stead.The facts are all here but the writing is very pedestrian. It reads like a college student’s research paper. There is no attempt to construct a cohesive storyline. The chapters jump from Ellen (first wife) to Edith (second wife); from before World War I to during the war and other chronological leaps with no linkage or connection to the preceding chapter. There are notations of the year under the chapter headings; but nonetheless; the jumps are disconcerting and unnecessary.The book does describe the machinations of Doctor Grayson to keep Edith as the President’s voice; the disconnect of Vice President Marshall who made it very clear he didn’t want the job of presiding over the country; and the frustration of the politicians who were quite deliberately keep from any contact with the ailing and incapacitated President. As a result Wilson’s dream of a functioning League of Nations was lost.Such a shame. This could have been a riveting and frighteningly true tale of politics; illness; laws; privacy; the League of Nations; ambition; wifely concern; the public’s right to know; medical practice and chicanery. It wasn’t.2 of 5 stars2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Wilson liteBy Edward Amos DrIt is a pleasant read; a good book for an airplane where you know you are going to get interrupted and if you miss a little bit of narrative; so what. I concur that the main problem is the author's technique of skipping around the years with Wilson. This may be a nice way to write a novel; but for anything historical; it is an annoying nuisance. Most of what is here has been covered before in better books such as Levin's "Edith and Woodrow" and the Cooper/Berg Wilson biographies. The author seems to have been poised for a Hillary victory last fall; with little references to Edith being a precursor to the election of Ms. Clinton. The overall story is more than interesting but with this writing style most readers of American history will find themselves scrambling for a more weighty look at one of our most fascinating Presidents and his tragic last years in office.A lightweight book; disappointing but again; if someone lends it to you for that flight from New York to Dallas; be thankful and gracious.By the way; note that Woodrow and Edith are the only Presidential couple to be interred in DC; but they are not together. She is several floors below at the National Cathedral. I find that a little disappointing too.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. A Riveting Read of Power and LoveBy Deborah JacobWilliam Elliott Hazelgrove does an admirable job of capturing Edith and Woodrow Wilson as well as any novelist who develops characters. What I found most intriguing is the structure of this tale about how Edith Wilson became "Madam President." This made all the difference in the book. A chronological presentation would have been boring. Flashbacks would have been trite. The author skips back and forth in time with little regard for chronological order at all; and it works almost like having the effect of a magical realism novel. Sometimes readers will likely forget what year it is and the author's method forces readers to dig back into the book. This results in a brilliant use of textualization. This would have been higher on my list of favourite history/biographies if not for two glaring faults:1. The author's constant need to tell readers Edith is functioning as president -- one or two mentions is enough because the author does an admirable job of showing this.2. A totally unnecessary last chapter that summarizes the entire book. Again; the author showed all of this. The book ended on a high note in the next to the last chapter.Still; Edith's story is soundly presented; and gladly those two flaws did not ruin the read.
