Originally commissioned for the Philadelphia Weekly Times and first issued as a single volume in 1878; The Annals of the Civil War contains more than fifty articles and encompasses a variety of important personalities and topics. Within these pages Longstreet evaluates Lee's performance in Pennsylvania and his mistakes at Gettysburg; Kyd Douglas pays tribute to Stonewall Jackson as both general and man; H.V. Redfield examines the circumstances of John Hunt Morgan's death; P.G.T. Beauregard discusses his brilliant fortification on Charleston Harbor; Joseph Johnson critiques Sherman's account of the Dalton-Atlanta operations; J.H. Reagan recalls his pursuit and capture that led to the last Confederate surrender; and much more. But the scope of The Annals is not limited to the achievements of the sword. Other articles focus on the political and personal aspects of the war. The exchange of prisoners; the carnival of fraud and profiteering that plagued both sides; Confederate Negro enlistments; the morale of Lee's army; as well as recollections of Generals Grant; Reynolds; Meade; Stuart; and Lee are also included. Today The Annals resides quietly in the highest ranks of Civil War literature. Its appearance in this first-ever paperback edition; and the measureless riches it contains; should quickly attract the wide audience that both its integrity and its primary accounts merit.
#570782 in Books Lipman Andrew 2017-02-21Original language:English 9.20 x 1.20 x 6.10l; #File Name: 0300227027360 pagesThe Saltwater Frontier Indians and the Contest for the American Coast
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy ShaunFantastic new take on European/Native American relations. A brilliant book and fluid read!22 of 22 people found the following review helpful. An outstandingly creative look at colonial history. The native Americans were maritime peoples; too.By lyndonbrechtAn outstandingly creative way to look at colonial history. The title is a little misleading in that it is only a small portion of the possible range; focusing almost entirely on the coastal area from Cape Cod to the Hudson River (such a concept could apply to the French efforts on the Gulf Coast or the Spanish say from Panama to Venezuela). This allows a comparison between the Dutch in New Amsterdam and the English in southern New England. The book also closely examines Indian (the term I'll use here; although carrying a lot of cultural baggage) peoples as sea-oriented--natives had a fairly extensive maritime technology including sizable dugout canoes; even occasional sails; and traded at some distance; fished and traveled considerable distances on a regular basis (for example; crossing from what is now Connecticut to Long Island). In other words; the book looks at the colonial encounter as a contact between two maritime cultures. Or three; actually: Dutch; English and coastal native peoples.There's some fascinating material in the book. Natives made and sold dugout canoes to colonists; both Dutch and English; and harvested extra corn for market sales; as well. The book has an excellent discussion of wampum; and an interesting mention of how these multicultural coastal communities were linked to the growing world market. There's also coexistence and alas; quite deadly wars; the decade from about 1634 saw about 2;000 Indians and more than a hundred settlers killed--and the later King Phillip's war saw a thousand settlers killed. Lipman notes a practice of the New Englanders in war; one that has gotten no mention in patriotic American histories; of demanding heads from Indian allies as proof of loyalty; the heads from enemies like the Pequots. The heads were apparently set on spikes as was done with Irish rebels and English rebels on the other side of the Atlantic. Indian captives (captured primarily by the English settlers) were used as personal servants or sold as slaves; in considerable numbers; the Indian slaves developed a bad reputation for resistance and were had to sell.There's a parenthetical mention of enslavement of Indians; 2 to 4 million with 600;000 taken over blue water to the islands and to Spain. There's an intriguing section on shore whaling; which lasted into the 1700s with Indians as the whalers and the fishery resulting from a kind of merger of the two maritime cultures. Apparently Indians were often in a kind of debt peonage not differing so much from slavery. The Indian presence in the American whaling industry was considerable; with natives forming members of very many whaling crews. This discussion segues into the continued existence of Native American communities throughout the area lasting into the present; a complication is that free black people (and presumably some escapees from slavery) married into Indian groups to produce distinctive mixed-ethnicity communities. Keep in mind that this book is more or less exploratory; and if as the author hopes; more historians do this kind of history; things will become better understood.The book is very well written; and has a certain verve not common among historians. It has a few illustrations; all useful; and some good maps.2 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Worthwhile venture into American Colonial HistoryBy Laurence J. BloomWorthwhile coverage of a part of colonial American history long neglected. This book answers several questions along the line of "I wonder why that happened? It doesn't make sense to me."
