Books with author JAMES WILLIAMS

Trusting a stranger has its advantages.Valrin and his crew are captured. On an mysterious island, still locked in a dark cell underground, Valrin must work with a young female Dragonrider who has lost her dragon. A dragon Valrin believes is the only way they'll be able to break out the rest of his crew...But this island is not just sacred ground to the Cult of Marog but yet a ruin of an old warlock, feared by the local villagers who believe their own horrid death is upon them. As a lone volcano rumbles to life signaling the imminent destruction of the Island a deeper origin to a vile evil is hidden in the the dense jungles. The very jungles that Valrin must enter if he hopes to save his crew.The workings of the Clockmaster tick closer to a coming darkness and no one will be able to stop what is brooding within the inferno beneath the island...Not even a goddess.

This particular reprint has been carefully re-typeset to correct scanning errors in previous editions. Some of the illustrations have been colorized (Kindle edition) to add somewhat of a sense of reality to the subjects. Pvt. John J. Williamson kept a diary and meticulously documented his experiences as a cavalryman under the command of the famed John Singleton Mosby. After the war, he supplemented his diary with official orders and correspondence from both Federal and Confederate commanders and officials. The clever Mosby and his talented soldiers usually outwit the Federals. It is a thrilling ride and a stimulating read.

Mosby’s Rangers were some of the most feared Confederate troops of the American Civil War. Under the command of Col. John S. Mosby they executed small raids behind Union lines, raiding at will and then vanishing quickly into the countryside to remain undetected. Formally known as the 43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry, they were formed after the Partisan Ranger Act of 1862. By the summer of 1864 Mosby had around four hundred men at his disposal in six cavalry companies and one artillery company. Their success led to the area around Fauquier and Loudoun counties becoming known as “Mosby’s Confederacy”, due to the grip that he and his men held on the area. James Joseph Williamson was private who fought under Mosby from April, 1863, through until the end of the war. He records in fascinating detail the activity of Mosby and his men from their companies organization until the moment that they were disbanded. Williamson provides brilliant insight into the campaigns that Mosby’s men fought, how they were organized, who led them, the difficulties they faced, as well as their greatest victories. The effectiveness of Mosby and his small band can be seen in these two statements: General Lee said that Mosby was “zealous bold, and skillful, and with very small resources he has accomplished a great deal.” While on the Union side, “General at one point reported that seventeen thousand of his men were engaged in keeping Mosby from attacking his weak points, and thus away from active service on the firing line. Finally it was not safe to send despatches by a courier unless a regiment was sent along to guard him." Yet, after the war, Grant held no animosity against his former foe, and stated “I have come to know Mosby personally and somewhat intimately. He is a different man entirely from what I supposed. … He is able and thoroughly honest and truthful. There were probably but few men in the South who could have commanded successfully a separate detachment in the rear of an opposing army, and so near the borders of hostilities as long as he did without losing his entire command.” Thus demonstrating the respect that Mosby and his men engendered with their enemies even after the war. Mosby’s Rangers is a perfect book for anyone interested in the partisan activities of Mosby and his men through the course of the American Civil War. James Joseph William was one of Mosby’s Rangers from 1863 through until the end of the war. His book was first published in New York in 1896 and he passed away in 1915.

i>The American Cowboy spans three generations of cowboys in the American West, from the young trail boss of the very first cattle drive from Texas north to the railroads, to his grandson, born after the open range had been fenced in. Discover the danger and thrill of life on the frontier as the history of the cowboy unfolds through the expansion of the cattle business, the growth of the railroads, and the coming of the farmer. Will James brings to life the spirit of the American cowboy.