Jihad; the Muslim holy war against Christians and others; has raged for 1;300 years with bloody conquests in Europe dating from campaigns to convert the infidels in the 7th century to today's random acts of terrorism in the name of Allah. Yet this huge unrecorded "hole" in European history has been censored and stifled by political and literary authorities who have feared reprisals from angry Muslims trying to hide a legacy of brutality vastly more bloody and six times longer in duration than the atrocities of the crusades.This is the engrossing factual account of the immense and little-known Islamic military invasions of Europe; and the major players who led them; beginning around 650 CE. The Islamic Arabs (and later the Moors) occupied a number of the Mediterranean Islands; and invaded Spain and Portugal in 711 CE; and ruled over much of the Iberian peninsula for the next 800 years. France was attacked and invaded; as was Italy; and the European coasts all the way to Ireland and Iceland. The Muslims swept over the Balkans; besieged Vienna; and were intermittent masters of Greece; Bulgaria; Romania; and Hungary into the 19th century; destroying the Byzantines and conquering Constantinople (turning it into Istanbul). Ambitious and unrelenting; the Muslims also sought to conquer Austria and Russia.
#1980609 in Books Univ Tennessee Press 2008-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .80 x 6.00l; .0 #File Name: 1572336269232 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Way to go! Love It!By Adam J. KuglerI have read this book; and there are so many details that I did not know before. The connection of the battle to the battlefield after is just amazing. I have to say that if there was anyone who was interested more in the battle I would recommend this book to them so that they could get a brief look at everything there is to know about the battle. I think that Tim Smith has done a great job making sure that there was a lot of information packed into this book to educate the people about the battle and the battlefield all at once.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Excellent revisionist account on this complex battle.By McKieSmith's book is a detailed review of the historiography of the battle and he goes to length to consider the political; academic; geographic; environmental and military realities that were ay play in this battle.13 of 13 people found the following review helpful. Essays on ShilohBy Robin FriedmanThe Battle of Shiloh was one of the pivotal encounters of the Civil War. Fought in a remote location in south central Tennessee; north of Corinth; Mississippi; the battle showed the nation that the Civil War would be long and difficult. The Battle of Shiloh opened up the western Confederacy to the Union invasion that would ultimately prove its undoing. And the battle resulted in the death of a high-ranking and charismatic Confederate leader; General Albert Sidney Johnston. I read this excellent collection of essays during the anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh; (April 6 -- 7; 1862); and it made me long to visit the Battlefield again.Compared with other major Civil War battles; Shiloh has received little detailed attention and no collection of essays of which I am aware. This excellent collection of essays by Timothy B Smith helps to rectify the situation. Smith holds a PhD in history from Mississippi State University and is a former ranger at Shiloh National Military Park. He currently teaches at the University of Tennessee. Smith is the author of an earlier study of the establishment of Shiloh National Military Park; "This Great Battlefield of Shiloh." With this book of essays and another book; "Shiloh and the Western Campaign of 1862" soon to be published; Smith is establishing himself as an authority on Shiloh and its aftermath.This collection consists of nine essays; most of which were published earlier; on various aspects of the Battle of Shiloh and its aftermath; Shiloh National Military Park; and the historiography of the battle. One of the earlier essays; "Oft-Repeated Campfire Stories" examines what Smith describes as the "Ten Greatest Myths of Shiloh." This essay is a good overview of the battle for those with some familiarity with it and with the controversies it has engendered. Other essays dealing with more specific aspects of the battle include an excellent study of the role of the Union Navy during the battle; "Gallant and Invaluable Service"; a study of the frequently overlooked campaign against Corinth; Mississippi; which followed the battle; and a study of the role of Confederate General Alexander Stewart and his brigade in the chaos that was the Battle of Shiloh.The remaining essays in the book deal with the historiography and the commemoration of the Battle of Shiloh. The first essay in the book; "Historians and the Battle of Shiloh" is an overview of the different ways historians have described the events of the battle. Smith identifies three separate views found in the literature before introducing his own view; which emphasizes the topography of the battlefield and which tends to downplay the importance previous historians have given to action at the Hornet's Nest and Sunken Road. Smith further explains his view of the battle in his soon to be published "Shiloh and the Western Campaign" which consists of the text of a PhD dissertation by Edward Cunningham setting out what is becoming an influential account of Shiloh.Smith's essay "Shiloh Monument Dedication Speeches and the Rhetoric of Reunion" was; for me; the highlight of the collection. It it; Smith quotes extensively from speeches given by Northerners and Southerners at Shiloh from 1902 through the dedication of the Tennessee state monument in 2004. It is important to see this collection of speeches unearthed and explored. Smith emphasizes the themes of national unity and reconciliation that pervade these speeches. He points out that the United States of the present day has little of the spirit of unity that characterize these speeches and he offers thoughts on why that is the case. These speeches; and similar speeches at other Battlefields; deserve further study.The remaining three essays in the book study the establishment and history of the Shiloh National Cemetry and the lives of two early superintendants at Shiloh: David Wilson Reed; the "Father of Shiloh National Military Park" who was responsible for the historically most influential account of the battle; and Reed's successor; DeLong Rice; whom Smith portrays as Shiloh's "Poet Preservationist".Smith has written a thoughtful group of essays which will appeal to those readers with an interest in the Civil War and with a special fascination for the Battle of Shiloh.Robin Friedman
