The storied Iron Brigade carved out a unique reputation during the Civil War. Its men fought on many hard fields; but they performed their most legendary exploits just outside a small Pennsylvania town called Gettysburg on the first day of July in 1863. There were many heroic actions that morning and afternoon; but the fight along an unfinished deep scar in the ground north of the Chambersburg Pike was one never forgotten; and is the subject of Lance J. Herdegen’s and William J. K. Beaudot’s award-winning (and long out of print) In the Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg: The 6th Wisconsin of the Iron Brigade and its Famous Charge.The railroad cut fighting was led mainly by the “Calico Boys†of the 6th Wisconsin Volunteers. Detached from the balance of the Iron Brigade; the Badgers of the 6th charged nearly 200 yards to meet a Confederate brigade that had swung into what looked like an ideal defensive position along an unfinished railroad cut northwest of town. The fighting was close; brutal; personal; and bloody—and it played a key role in the final Union victory.The Wisconsin men always remembered that moment when they stood under “a galling fire†in an open field just north of the pike. Using hundreds of firsthand accounts; many previously unpublished; Herdegen and Beaudot carry their readers into the very thick of the fighting. The air seemed “full of bullets;†one private recalled; the men around him dropping “at a fearful rate.†Pvt. Amos Lefler was on his hands and knees spitting blood and teeth with Capt. Johnny Ticknor of Company K down and dying just a handful of yards away. Pvt. James P. Sullivan felt defenseless; unable as he was to get his rifle-musket to fire because of bad percussion caps. Rebel buckshot; meanwhile; smashed the canteen and slashed the hip of Sgt. George Fairfield. Behind the Wisconsin men; Lt. Col. Rufus Dawes watched a “fearful†and “destructive†Confederate fire crashing with “an unbroken roar before us. Men were being shot by twenties and thirties.â€While frantically loading and shooting; the Badgers leaned into the storm of bullets coming from the cut 175 yards away. The Westerners pushed slowly into the field and—at that very instant when victory or defeat teetered undecided—the “Jayhawkers†in the Prairie du Chien Company began shouting “Charge! Charge! Charge!†And so they did. Young Dawes lifted his sword and shouted “Forward! Forward Charge! Align on the Colors!†It was at that moment; remembered Cpl. Frank Wallar; a farmer-turned-soldier who would soon make his name known to history by capturing the flag of the 2nd Mississippi; “there was a general rush and yells enough to almost awaken the dead.â€Out of print for nearly two decades; this facsimile reprint and its new Introduction share with yet another generation of readers the story of the 6th Wisconsin’s magnificent charge. Indeed it is their story; and how they remembered it. And it is one you will never forget.
#218905 in Books PublicAffairs 2015-09-08 2015-09-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 1.25 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 1610395735384 pagesPublicAffairs
Review
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful. Fascinating and in-depth history of the Russian Internet since its foundationBy Veni MarkovskiIt took me about 24 hours to read the whole book - and when I closed the last page; I felt like; well - I want to read more!It is an in-depth history of the Russian Internet; and the way it has developed since its very first days.Putting aside the even more history about the phone communications interception and monitoring (which; by the way; is also amazing - just search the names of the people; who 'worked' there - Lev Kopelev and Alexander Solzhenitsyn; and you may be surprised to find out what they did there); the part about the Internet development is quite precise*.The authors have done a number of interviews; and have used public (and obviously some not-so-public) sources of information; and have managed to put them in an order that makes it an intriguing reading; at moments catching the reader's breath.The reader (in particular the reader from the USA) might be also fascinated by the description of Mr. Snowden's adventures in Russia - there are some facts; which were not widely known until this book was published.The American reader will also find more details about the authors of the Russian Internet policy - and these details are much more precise and factual; than similar accounts; shared for example by Richard Clarke in his book Cyber War.Here's a quote from the book; which is among my favorites (p. 304):"[Kolesnikov] insisted that what the authorities had done to the Internet was entirely immaterial: 'Look; did it affect your morning coffee?'"Today; a year after this conversation took place; the Russian Internet continues to change; and develop; and in some cases; it may have affected the morning coffee of some people.I highly recommend this book - you will have fun reading it._______* - I happened to have worked and traveled a lot of times to Russia since 1990s; and especially in the first decade of the XXI century; so I can confirm personally many of the stories that are described in the book as factually well written.** - On the picture - my copy of the book; with preferred food and drink for such a reading.12 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Interesting argument that needs better editingBy A reader in Tucson; AZThe authors provide an interesting discussion of the unique features of Russian Internet censorship that distinguish it from the kind practiced in other countries. I particularly liked the analysis of SORM and its connection with the Soviet past. The thesis of continuity with the past is fascinating: today most international Internet traffic moves through one Internet exchange point (MSK-IX) in a way that is similar to how most telephone calls in Moscow during Soviet times went through one major telephone station. The artificial bottleneck; of course; facilitates control and censorship.My only criticism is that the book often reads like an overly literal translation of an original Russian manuscript. For example; the authors use the word “perspective research" (perspektivnye issledovaniya) ("This section took orders and research commissions on perspective research from all the agencies ...") when what they really mean is either “prospective†or “future researchâ€. They say “fixing†(fiksirovat’) ("Nossik also wrote that 'fixing of all incoming and outgoing Internet traffic of 75 million Russian users requires; without any exaggeration; petabytes and exabytes of disk space'") when this verb should almost always be translated as “recordingâ€. Other sentences could be rewritten for better diction: "He expressed fear that the Internet was building beyond their control†should be “He expressed fear that the Internet was developing beyond their control.†“Andreevsky Flag†disguises the fact that that it is a flag with St. Andrew’s cross. The transliteration of Russian names is sometimes inaccurate: “Lev Mishkin†should be “Lev Myshkin†if the Internet handle is supposed to be modeled on the Dostoevsky character. The authors also fail to use an accurate transliteration system for the Russian sources in the footnotes. I translate Russian for a living; and I can say that the book would have benefited from being more carefully proofread by a native speaker.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. There is nothing nice I can say about the Cheka's newest abbreviation - ...By TruthSeekerYou need to read this book if you are concerned about government surveillance anywhere; or if you are a student of Russian history. The authors give us a concise history of surveillance both in and out of the former Soviet Union and today's Russia. The treatment of government response to new technology is enlightening and cause for concern.There is nothing nice I can say about the Cheka's newest abbreviation - FSB. It is just a new name for a bunch of thugs wrapped in government titles. Putin is a former intel officer who has maneuvered his way into a dictatorship. I feel sorry for the citizens of Russia who deserve better.This book is a keeper.
