The road to Gettysburg began at Brandy Station on June 9; 1863 during the American Civil War (1861-1865). However; the cavalry clash in Culpeper County; Virginia; counts for more than just the opening round of Lee's second invasion of the North. The battle showed both sides that the Federal cavalry had now come of age; that Blue and Gray horsemen were now equal in ability. Early in the morning on June 9; Pleasanton launched his men; split into two divisions; across the Rappahannock at Beverley's Ford to the north of Brandy Station and Kelly's Ford to the south. Stuart was caught completely unaware by these maneuvers and his lines and headquarters were nearly overrun until reinforcements helped to stabilize the situation. Following 12 hours of bitter fighting the Union forces withdrew back across the river; having matched the Confederate cavalry in skill and determination for the first time in the War between the States in what was the largest and most hotly contested clash of sabers in this long and bloody war.This book describes the battle with a step-by-step analysis of the proceedings; illustrated with detailed maps; birds-eye-views and full color battlescene artwork.
#1339911 in Books Southwater Publishing 2008-12-16Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 11.96 x .46 x 9.18l; 1.45 #File Name: 1844765199128 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. It says Incas; but this deals with all South American Andean peoplesBy M. HeissThis book gloms together all the Andean peoples under the book title Incas.These people were not all Incas. They lived and developed their cultures at Chavin; Tiwanaku; Nazca; Chinchorros; Chimu; Moche. The time periods go from 5000BC till after the Spaniards in the 1500s AD; to some information about the people today.The book does a good job on the continuity of religious beliefs: dualism; the Staff Deity; and ancestor worship. Some common features of Andean cultures were temple platforms; sunken courts; ritual sacrifices (animal and human); and the cult of death.With the rise of the Incas came an advanced; unique calendar.The book needs one good map of South America and many maps showing the rise and fall of different groups' influence through time.The book is spectacular. The photos are beautiful and there are LOTS of them.Like other cultures; the Andean cultures had:a monkey god 12a beheading god with multiple faces; multiple arms; holding up a knife and a head 60a god with snakes on the head 67serpent themesa god with the head of a cow 15navigation using reed boats 35; 62; 79; 82Asian-looking eyes 14A place called Sipan; lots of place names with Chin and Chan syllablespeacock themes 17spider themesa god with a serpent tongue 59diamond patterned wall construction 42; 80checkerboard pattern wall construction 42cayman/crocodile images 54tiger images 55human images wearing turban 65; 100a rainbow serpent god 66a god with weeping eyes 67child sacrifice 68giant stone statues 76trapezoid doorways 84litter with palm bearer 86images of bearded old men 92images of moustaches; Asian featured men 100Great book.10 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Too Broad in ScopeBy K. RollinsThe title of the book as given on the title page is "The Myths and Religion of the Incas: An illustrated encyclopedia of the gods; myths and legends of the first peoples of South America with over 200 fine-art illustrations"; but this is misleading. The book is not specifically or even primarily about the Incas. It's not even limited to ancient peoples in the part of the Andes the Incas conquered. It covers a wide range of cultures; including Huari; Chavin; Chimu; Calima; Moche; Pukara; Nazca; Lima; Paracas; and Tiwanaku; as well as the Incas. In addition; illustrations from these widely disparate cultures are placed side by side; which would be very confusing for someone trying to learn about the Incas.As a separate note; I'm not sure "the first peoples of South America" is accurate either. The oldest human remains found in South America have been in Chile and Argentina. This book deals primarily with what is now Peru and Ecuador.The illustrations are beautiful and nicely printed on glossy paper; but they are not clearly tied to the subject of the chapter. Many; including photos of Lake Titicaca; seem to be included simply because they're nice photos. Lake Titicaca photos appear on nine pages in the book. The sunken courtyard at Tiwanaku appears on pages 20; 22; 36; 39; and 74. A photo of the textile with the winged figure carrying the staff appears on page 6 as a close-up and on page 12 as a more inclusive shot; but there is no guide to the reader to check the other page to get a fuller understanding of the textile.This book has some stunning photos. I wish some had more close-up detail; and a roll-out of the vases would be helpful; but the photos themselves are very good.However; I would not recommend this book for someone interested in learning about the Incas. It's very confusing to include a dozen other cultures from varying time periods. It also makes the subject impossible to cover well. It might work better as "Ancestors of the Incas" with a series of chapters covering specific aspects of earlier cultures that were later absorbed into Inca beliefs.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. INCAS! IM COMING BACK!By Elena AINCAS !IM COMING BACK !
