Many Americans; argues Michael C. C. Adams; tend to think of the Civil War as more glorious; less awful; than the reality. Millions of tourists flock to battlefields each year as vacation destinations; their perceptions of the war often shaped by reenactors who work hard for verisimilitude but who cannot ultimately simulate mutilation; madness; chronic disease; advanced physical decay. In Living Hell; Adams tries a different tack; clustering the voices of myriad actual participants on the firing line or in the hospital ward to create a virtual historical reenactment.Perhaps because the United States has not seen conventional war on its own soil since 1865; the collective memory of its horror has faded; so that we have sanitized and romanticized even the experience of the Civil War. Neither film nor reenactment can fully capture the hard truth of the four-year conflict. Living Hell presents a stark portrait of the human costs of the Civil War and gives readers a more accurate appreciation of its profound and lasting consequences.Adams examines the sharp contrast between the expectations of recruits versus the realities of communal living; the enormous problems of dirt and exposure; poor diet; malnutrition; and disease. He describes the slaughter produced by close-order combat; the difficulties of cleaning up the battlefields―where tens of thousands of dead and wounded often lay in an area of only a few square miles―and the resulting psychological damage survivors experienced.Drawing extensively on letters and memoirs of individual soldiers; Adams assembles vivid accounts of the distress Confederate and Union soldiers faced daily: sickness; exhaustion; hunger; devastating injuries; and makeshift hospitals where saws were often the medical instrument of choice. Inverting Robert E. Lee’s famous line about war; Adams suggests that too many Americans become fond of war out of ignorance of its terrors. Providing a powerful counterpoint to Civil War glorification; Living Hell echoes William Tecumseh Sherman’s comment that war is cruelty and cannot be refined.Praise for Our Masters the Rebels: A Speculation on Union Military Failure in the East; 1861–1865"This excellent and provocative work concludes with a chapter suggesting how the image of Southern military superiority endured in spite of defeat."― Civil War History"Adams's imaginative connections between culture and combat provide a forceful reminder that Civil War military history belongs not in an encapsulated realm; with its own categories and arcane language; but at the center of the study of the intellectual; social; and psychological currents that prevailed in the mid-nineteenth century."― Journal of American HistoryPraise for The Best War Ever: America and World War II"Adams has a real gift for efficiently explaining complex historical problems."― Reviews in American History"Not only is this mythologizing bad history; says Adams; it is dangerous as well. Surrounding the war with an aura of nostalgia both fosters the delusion that war can cure our social ills and makes us strong again; and weakens confidence in our ability to act effectively in our own time."― Journal of Military History
#927361 in Books Charles Rappleye 2011-11-01 2011-11-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 1.90 x 6.12l; 1.45 #File Name: 1416570926640 pagesRobert Morris Financier of the American Revolution
Review
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. The Hidden Financial Side of the RevolutionBy Daniel PutmanIt’s safe to say that without Robert Morris the American Revolution would; at a minimum; have been very different and quite possibly never have succeeded. It also remains clear that Morris; who was rich before the Revolution; got richer because of it. But it is much less clear; as Charles Rappleye shows; how much Morris profited when he should not have. Rappleye comes down at the end with the claim that Morris did not abuse his power in his work on the “Secret Committee†during the Revolution or as chief financier for the country immediately after the Revolution. Morris was largely responsible during certain critical years for keeping Washington’s army supplied and; in the immediate aftermath of Yorktown; keeping a very unstable new government afloat.Rappleye does not shy away from Morris’s flaws; e.g.; his intense love of luxury; even in difficult times. Morris was a close friend of Washington and a highly congenial man who cared deeply for his family but above all he was the ultimate American deal-maker in the last half of the 18th century. As Rappleye points out; many historians as well as many of Morris’s contemporaries did not approve of his methods but it was Morris’s incredible financial skill that gave the shaky new United States an economic future. Evidence clearly shows that he was ten years ahead of Hamilton in proposing debt relief; the structure of a national bank; and the role of a more centralized federal government. As he approached his 60th birthday; Morris seemed to lose his incisive skills when it came to large investments. His land schemes; along with international factors beyond his control; landed Morris in debtors’ prison and he died not in prison but bankrupt.Rappleye has a fascinating last chapter about how Morris’s reputation fluctuated after his death from Morris the financial genius to Morris the corrupt politician who ended up where he belonged. This biography is a dramatic and well-told story of a critically important Founder whom few know about. When Morris is mentioned today; it is often in a few paragraphs or as a footnote. This is the full story of the most important figure in the early finances of America. I highly recommend the book.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An Extraordinary character - Highly Recommended...By R. S. PerezIt's hard to imagine that more Americans are not familiar with Robert Morris. He was an important and significant participant in the founding of this country. This is really great history. Start by googling Robert Morris founding father and follow a few links. That should be enough to get you interested in wanting to know more about Mr. Morris.The book helps to put all of this in an historical perspective; particularly regarding the interactions and politics of all of the important players involved in our nation's founding. It's obvious that the author; Mr. Rappleye; did a lot of research and worked quite hard to provide this important detail in order to immerse the reader in the tone and texture of early America and colonial life.I had issues with the author's writing style; a bit too much repetition regarding Mr. Morris' standup reputation; and particularly with his handling of sequencing and time lines. The interesting character and depth of Mr. Morris easily overcomes these short comings and pulls you back in.I'm now reading Brand's book on Franklin. Another extraordinary character.Bob P0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Excellent biography of one of three founding fathersBy DrGregMaguireExcellent biography of one of three founding fathers; including Washington and Hamilton; without whom this country probably wouldn't exist. He signed the Declaration of Independence; the Articles of Confederation; and the United States Constitution. At times during the early days of our country; Robert Morris singly financed the government; as well as ran the government. He was also a pioneer of free trade and capitalism; and believed in a unified; strong national government. With Hamilton; he created the first national bank in the US; The Bank of North America in Philadelphia. Unlike Thomas Jefferson; who would run at the sight of a redcoat; Morris stayed in the evacuated city of Philadelphia to run the US as the British were encamped on its river bank; while Jefferson and Hamilton were in the thick of a land battle against the world's largest military. I also highly recommend Washington and Hamilton by Knott and Williams.
