Tennessee Books

Dr. David Madden founded the Civil War website at LSU and is a real student of the war. This book gives accounts by the survivors of the largest maritime disaster in our nation's history--more lives lost than on the Titanic. The disaster occurred so close to the Lincoln Assassination and Booth Chase and so near the end of the Civil War that it has been largely lost to history.

Many of the soldiers were former prisoners of war at Andersonville (GA) and Cahaba (AL) and were weakened from near starvation. My ancestor was a private in the 3rd Tennessee Cavalry (USA) that had been captured by Gen. N.B. Forrest at Sulphur Springs Trestle, Alabama (near Athens, AL). He survived the disaster, floated to shore at Memphis (the sinking was eight miles north of Memphis on the Mississippi at the Hens and Chickens Islands), walked home to Monroe County (south of Knoxville) and fathered six children, my grandmother included.

Dr. Madden's introduction to the book is worth the entire cost, as he covers the essentials admirably.

Books by Jerry Potter and Gene Salecker give more details on the disaster, the packet boat itself and the trial attempting to assess the responsibility for vast overcrowding, but these first person accounts are priceless.

The annual reunion of the Sultana Descendents will be held in Athens, Alabama on April 13-14, 2007 with Dr. Madden present and speaking.

J.C. Tumblin, Past-President
Knoxville Civil War Roundtable

If you ever travelled old US Hwy 41 from the North to FL, you probably passed through this area...may even have stopped at a "Tourist Court" or dined at The Monteagle Diner. This little book should appeal to all you Yankees who rushed to FL in the 20's, 30's, 50's and even the 50's.

Even more so, it should appeal to ANY SOutherner who recalls, or remineses about, these years and travel by car.

Makes a great gift too.

The Mountain Heritage Museum in Townsend, Tennessee now owns the wiskey still mentioned in this book. My husband and I donated the funds to build a secure building to house the still, and it should be completed this spring (2007). The book is very interesting and well worth reading. My Grandpa, like many others in his day, owned a still in the hills of southern Kentucky.

I was amazed at the life of Mr. Timblake. If you wished to get insight into the Pre Revolution Era life, then Read this Book.

Robert Trout has done an excellent job on putting together 3 different views on J.E.B. Stuart's Horse Artillery Battalion. If you are looking for information/history on the battles, course events, and the personal views of those in this battery, then this is the right book for you. The first part covers Lt. Lewis Tune Nunnelee and his daily diary that has survived all these years by his grandson, Lewis Tune Nunnelee II and was graciously offered to Robert Trout for publishing. These diaries are not only in Lt. Nunnelee's handwriting, but tells of the daily rigors of the battalion and the strategic events involved in this most popular leader. It includes Moorman's and Hart's Batteries under the leadership of J.E.B. Stuart and the lessons learned during battle.

Highly recommended for those that enjoy the REAL history of the War Between the States and the important details of an era that is almost completely lost.

I read a lot of Memphis books. I look at a lot of Memphis pictures. As the webmaster at MemphisHistory.com I can tell you that Mr. Dougan has provided a brilliant cross-section of both picture and narrative in this book of very manageable size.

Although this is, in many ways a picture book, Dougan manages to cover things others ignore. He touches on the four or five major industries of Memphis, from transportation to hardwood to mules and back to transportation. There are some unique pictures of early Memphis athletes as well.

This author has taken a limited amount of space and packed it full of spot-on history and incredibly attractive visual bites of the past.

As a 10 year resident of this city and one who is constantly baffled by the high levels of violence and crime I thought this book might make an interesting read. It chronicles 16 high profile murder cases in the city including the King Assassination, the West Memphis Three case, as well as a few lesser known cases. By no means is this book a thorough examination of any of the stories presented, but rather its a quick read that sheds highlights on the cases. Most any Memphis resident or former Memphis resident would enjoy reading this bit of local history.

Memphis Since Crump spends the first 70 of its 183 pages talking about the Crump era. After the death of Crump in 1954 this book only follows on in detail for the subsequent 14 years basically ending with the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King.

So why the five stars? This book is remarkably insightful, penetrating and meticulously researched. As a student of Memphis history I also felt fortunate to have a book that explained those post-Crump days of Orgill, Loeb and Ingram. The book dedicates much space to the reform efforts of newspaper editor Ed Meeman, hardware tycoon Edmund Orgill and lawyer / activist Lucius Burch who together tried to reform the government of Memphis, meeting with some limited success.

The book is written largely from an African American point of view. It deals much more freely with African American and civil rights issues than most history books. In that way it fills in a vacuum. Most books covering the civil rights struggle tend to begin with the sanitation strike rather than end with it.

Aside from his barely restrained, absolute contempt for E. H. Crump the author generally takes a positive approach with Memphians of that period.

There is a lot to be learned about the Memphis of the 1950s and 1960s from this book.

Russ Johnson
MemphisHistory.com

This book is almost a picture book, but it is done by experts. The book is put out by the West Tennessee Historical Society. While it does not drone on for 450 pages there is material here that exists nowhere else in popular literature. I run the major memphishistory site in the area, I have no connection to the book and I like it. It is written by smart folks who provided rare photos.

The Fishing Map Guide is the only source you'll ever need for information on lakes & rivers, fish populations and background information on the rivers, lakes & reservoirs of central Tennessee. Well written with easily understood maps & fishing tips.