Books in Civil War Georgia series

Before her wider fame as the author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott achieved recognition for her accounts of her work as a volunteer nurse in an army hospital. Written during the winter of 1862–63, her lively dispatches appeared in the newspaper Commonwealth, where they were eagerly read by soldiers' friends and families. Then, as now, these chronicles revealed the desperate realities of battlefield medicine as well as the tentative first steps of women in military service.Writing under a pseudonym, Alcott recounted the vicissitudes of her two-day journey from her home in Concord, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C. A fiery baptism in the practice of nursing awaited her at Washington Hospital, were she arrived immediately after the slaughter of the Army of the Potomac at the battle of Fredericksburg. Alcott's rapidly paced prose graphically depicts the facts of hospital life, deftly balancing pathos with gentle humor. A vivid and truthful portrait of an often overlooked aspect of the Civil War, this book remains among the most illuminating reports of the era's medical practices as well as a moving testimonial to the war's human cost.

In 1915 the United Daughters of the Confederacy leased the land and commissioned Gutzon Borglum, later the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, to carve the Lost Cause memorial on the mountain where the second Ku Klux Klan was resurrected by William J. Simmons. Proceeding intermittently over six decades, the project was given added impetus in the wake of the South's massive resistance to racial integration. Capitalizing on this impulse, the state of Georgia funded the completion of the project in 1958 for use as a tourist attraction. Opening as a theme park in 1970, Stone Mountain now draws some five million visitors a year, exceeded only by the Disney theme parks in Orlando, Florida. David Freeman's Carved in Stone narrates the development of Stone Mountain from natural wonder to historic site to recreational park. This elegantly written story recounts the fits and starts of the Stone Mountain project, tracing the mountain's changing meaning over time. Readers of Georgia history and enthusiasts of Confederate iconography will find Freeman's work a fascinating story.

Winner, The Grateful American Book PrizeLeander and Polly are two teenage Union soldiers who carry deep, dangerous secrets. Leander is underage when he enlists and Polly follows her father into war disguised as his son. The war proves life changing for both as they survive incredible odds. Leander struggles to be accepted as a man and loses his arm as a consequence. Polly mourns the death of her father, endures Andersonville Prison, and narrowly escapes the Sultana steamboat disaster. As the lives of these young, brave soldiers intersect, each finds a wealth of courage and learns about the importance of loyalty, family, and love. Like a River is a lyrical atmospheric first novel told in two voices. Readers will be transported to the homes,waterways, camps, hospitals, and prisons of the Civil–War era. They will also see themselves in the universal themes of dealing with parents, friendships, bullying, failure, and young love.

Whose side are you on? The war has begun, sides have been chosen, and the die has been cast! With the repercussions of recent events in Civil War spreading across the Marvel Universe, see how every action can have enormous consequences - even in Peter Parker's life. Now, one of Spider-Man's oldest and most insidious foes - the Chameleon - decides to make his move against the wallcrawler! His first step: gathering a new super-team of Spider-Man's deadliest foes and striking him where he is most vulnerable!COLLECTING: SENSATIONAL SPIDER-MAN 28-34

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1917, James Ford Rhodes's History of the Civil War, 1861–1865 stands among the essential works in American history. Remarkable for its scholarly research, objectivity and engrossing narrative style, this volume is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding studies — and the first unbiased history — of the Civil War.The book presents a neutral approach to the bloody struggle, neither distorting nor coloring the facts. Rhodes worked methodically, collecting the evidence, considering the opinions of others, and then precisely and lucidly presenting his own conclusions. Distilling material from official military records, diaries, reminiscences, letters, memoirs, newspapers, manuscripts, books, and interviews, the author produced an essential, carefully weighed, and complete account. The critics agreed: "a clear outline of the Civil War . . . it is well worthy of the welcome it has already received." — American Historical Review. " . . . the author's notable faculty of summarizing without leaving out the spirit, the life, and the color of events . . . infuses his narrative with unusual power to re-create the time of which he writes." — The New York Times.While the narrative is neutral, choosing neither villains nor heroes, the ideological direction of Rhodes's work is surprisingly current. In accord with such present-day interpreters of the Civil War period as James McPherson and Ken Burns, Rhodes saw the Civil War as essentially a fight for freedom, and focused upon Abraham Lincoln as the deciding factor in the granting of freedom and the winning of the war.This Dover edition contains a cogent new introduction by John Herbert Roper, Richardson Professor of American History, Emory and Henry College, Emory, Virginia.

Born a slave in Virginia, Elizabeth Keckley (c. 1824–1907) went on to become a talented dressmaker and designer, with some twenty employees of her own. Catering to the wives, daughters, and sisters of Washington's political elite, she included among her clientele Mary Todd Lincoln, who became her close friend and confidante.Keckley's behind-the-scenes view of wartime Washington not only provides fascinating glimpses of nineteenth-century America, but also offers candid observations on interracial relationships and the free black middle class. Here also are absorbing details of life in the Lincoln White House, as well as an insider's perspective on the men who made Civil War politics and the women who influenced them. A touching and revelatory work, filled with incisive social commentary, this inspiring narrative by an admirable woman will be an important addition to the libraries of anyone interested in African-American and Civil War history.

In 1854, after serving in the U.S. Army for 11 years, Ulysses Simpson Grant (1822-1885) resigned his commission and found himself out of a job and out of money. Over the next seven years he tried his hand at several occupations but succeeded in none. Only the outbreak of the Civil War and Grant’s eventual command of the Union Army provided the opportunity to display the military brilliance for which he would best be remembered.Following the war and two scandal-ridden terms as President of the United States, Grant again fell on hard times after involvement in some disastrous business dealings. Suffering from terminal cancer, he hoped to secure his family’s financial future — at least in part — by publishing his memoirs. That remarkable work — considered by many authorities among the finest military memoirs ever written — is reprinted here, complete and unabridged.Concentrating primarily on Civil War military campaigns, Grant’s firsthand accounts of those campaigns offer students and historians an incomparable vantage point on the conflict. There are also excellent observations of the Mexican War and glimpses of Grant’s personal life — boyhood, the years at West Point, his marriage to Julia Dent, and more. Throughout, Grant displays a calm detachment, generosity, integrity, and intelligence that are deeply moving.The present volume reproduces the unabridged text, lengthy Appendix and all illustrations from the original two-volume edition published in 1885-86. The work is further enhanced by the addition of historic photographs by famed Civil War photographer Mathew Brady and others.In this affordably priced unabridged edition, Personal Memoirs of U. S. Grant will be eagerly welcomed by students of American history and the legions of military enthusiasts and Civil War buffs.

"Army Life in a Black Regiment has some claim to be the best written narrative to come from the Union [side] during the Civil War. Higginson's picture of the battle which was the origin of "praise the Lord and pass the ammunition" and his reading of the Emancipation Proclamation to the black regiment are unsurpassed for eloquence." — historian Henry Steele CommagerOriginally a series of essays, this important volume was written by a Union colonel from New England, in charge of African-American troops training on the Sea Islands off the coast of the Carolinas. A lively and detailed wartime diary, the book offers a refreshing portrait of life in the Union Army from an officer's point of view, recording opinions of other commanders and capturing the raw humor that develops among the men in combat. Higginson's descriptions of the soldiers, routines of camp life, and southern landscapes are unforgettable, as is the account of his near escape from a cannon ball. An unusual historical document intended to introduce new generations of readers to an American past that should not be forgotten, Army Life in a Black Regiment will be invaluable to students of Black History and the American Civil War.

As preserver of the Union and emancipator of the slaves, Lincoln occupies a unique niche in the pantheon of American leaders. People from around the world admire his eloquence as a spokesman for democracy and fighter for the oppressed. In this landmark biography, published fifty years after Lincoln's death, an English author recounted for his countrymen the remarkable story of Lincoln's life. Lord Charnwood's comprehensive biography, among the first major books about the sixteenth president, presents a sensitive and literate portrait, tracing Lincoln's rise from humble origins to the highest office in the land and recapturing the profound humanity of his character. From the grinding poverty of his boyhood in the backwoods of Kentucky and Indiana and his early struggles as a prairie lawyer, the author charts Lincoln's elevation to the Illinois legislature, Congress, and the presidency, culminating in his role as commander in chief during the bloodiest struggles in American history. Beautifully written, this unabridged edition also offers profound historical insights into the factors contributing to the Civil War, including economic and political conditions, territorial expansion, foreign and domestic policies, and slavery. This splendid profile of an epic figure whose relevance endures and grows with the passage of time is essential reading for admirers of Lincoln, students and scholars of American history, and anyone who appreciates a well-written, engrossing biography.

WHAT Was the Civil War All About, Anyway? The first-shots, nation-divided, winners, losers, blood, guts, glory, and not so glorious story of America's only Civil War! This book on basically "What Was the Civil War All About, Anyway?" takes a unique approach of exploring "what" in bite-size, digestible, entertaining pieces. Instead of the rote, pat answers usually given in books for children, this book actually offers a more practical, thorough, intense look at how Americans got into this mess, and lets students-GASP!-draw their own conclusion. The author, Carole Marsh, believes that kids have strong opinions about war, and are entitled to their own Monday morning quarterbacking as to what was good, bad, right, wrong, etc. regarding this war of brother against brother. This book includes a combination of funky, radical, text-based, non-fiction graphic novels awash in drama and commentary with speedy but thorough stories, all in first person, and often the words of an actual participant. This book is FUN TO READ. Civil War, fun-it can be done! Absolutely no "content warning" on these books, except BEWARE: You may not be able to put it down, kid! Click to view four sample pages. Click to view a book review.Lexile Measure: 800On Monday, February 7, 2011, award-winning author and Gallopade CEO Carole Marsh spoke with Public Radio WABE's Steve Goss. They discussed this new 6-book series that is aimed at motivating elementary and middle school students to learn about the Civil War. to listen to the full interview.