Georgia Books

Read my review of "Castles in Wet Sand" by the same author. It is the sequel to this book and the same review applies to both.

This book is an absolute treasure trove of information for those seeking not only information about those buried in Colonial Park Cemetery, but also for those looking for an insight into the early years of Savannah's history.

Elizabeth Carter Piechocinski does an excellent job of telling both the background information for a general overview, and the minute details that will make any history buff happy.

Dr. Smith has done it again. He has covered a complex subject with in depth scrutiny. From that he has produced a work that puts forth a great deal of information in a manner that the reader can easily grasp. If you can't learn history from Dr. Smith, you can't learn history.

This collection of Georgia interviews of the WPA slave Narratives (interviews with ex-slaves done in the 1930s) is a fine addition to the series. Pretty good stuff here with excellent storytelling. What's really fascinating is the former slave of Georgia Sen. J.H. Hill (whose name is not given) and his recollection of the Atlanta Riot of 1906 as well as slavery. That's the beauty of this series. These accounts give you a lot of well-told firsthand information that the history books missed. BTW-This is a tad thicker than other volumes of the series.

One of the 200 Most Important Confederate Books for the Reader, Researcher and Collector. Richard Barksdale Harwell Author of In Tall Cotton As listed in In Tall Cotton: [This is] a fictional treatment of Harris' early teen-age years as printer's devil for The Countryman, a remarkable country paper roughly modeled after The Spectator that was published during the war years by Joseph Addison Turner at Turnwold Plantation near Eatonton, Georgia. Harris dedicated On the Plantation to Turner and says in an "Introductory Note": "Some of my friends who have read in serial form the chronicles that follow profess to find in them something more than an autobiographical touch. Be it so. It would indeed be difficult to invest the commonplace character of Joe Maxwell [i.e., Harris] with the vitality that belongs to fiction. Nevertheless, the lad himself, and the events which are herein described, seem to have been born of a dream. That which is fiction pure and simple in these pages bears to me a stamp of truth, and that which is true reads like a clumsy invention. In this matter it is not for me to prompt the reader. He must sift the fact from the fiction and label it to suit himself."

"The Origin of the Milky Way" is a collection of 26 Cherokee stories told by Davy Arch, Robert Bushyhead, Edna Chekelelee, Marie Junaluska, Kathi Littlejohn, and Freeman Owl. The stories are written as they were told by the Cherokee storytellers, so they read like poetry. The rhythms of English can sound like the Cherokee language if the stories are read aloud as they are written. The stories are divided into seven groups or chapters: Living with People, Living with Animals, Living with Plants and the Earth, Living with Spirits, Living with Monsters, Living with the Cherokee Language, and Living with the Past and Future. Some of the stories are intended to teach ways of getting along with others, while others such as The Trail of Tears teach of historical events experienced by the Cherokees.

A fascinating chapter on the Cherokee language tells of the syllabary invented by Sequoyah, a gifted Cherokee. The story of the Origin of the Milky Way is written first in English, then in phonetic Cherokee, and finally in Sequoyah's syllabary. The importance of continuing to teach the living Cherokee language as a unique cultural heritage is emphasized. The Cherokee language is related to the language spoken by the Iroquois of upper New York State and the Great Lakes region. To further aid the reader's enjoyment of the stories and learning about the Cherokee people, the book has a glossary, map of Cherokee lands, timeline of Cherokee history, and suggested further reading resources.

The charming black and white illustrations also enhance the story chapters. Also available in a hardcover format, "The Origin of the Milky Way" can be enjoyed as a delightful collection of tales to instruct children, but it is really much more than that. It contains a living history of a proud nation of very gifted people.

Nancy Lorraine
Reviewer

AN ORNAMENT TO THE CITY: OLD MOBILE IRONWORK features lovely full-page color photos by Sheila Hagler and accompanies an exhibit telling of Mobile's elegant ironwork, which has graced both public places and buildings alike. Mobile's ironwork once extended past the city's center and can be found all around the area: while much of it is gone today, AN ORNAMENT TO THE CITY celebrates the history and appearance of what remains. Any interested in ironworking art will find it a fine acquisition.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

"Our Connection with Savannah" is the latest offering from Russell Brown, author of To the Manner Born, the acclaimed biography of General William H. T. Walker. His clear style and attention to detail has resulted in a concise yet comprehensive history of the evolution of a small and obscure Confederate battalion from Georgia.
The 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters formed in Savannah during the spring and summer of 1862. Following the promotion of its first commanding officer, Major (later Brigadier General) Robert H. Anderson, leadership passed to Major Arthur Shaaf, a former U.S. army lieutenant from Maryland who had served with the 4th U.S. Infantry in Indian territory.
Brown calls the creation of the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters "an experiment once noble and harmful." Confederate companies were composed largely of men from the same community who were accustomed to "the comfortable companionship of their neighbors and friends." Although elite units had been successful in other armies, the idea of separating men from their home companies and regiments to form a special battalion met with a degree of resistance. Nonetheless, Anderson and Shaaf molded the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters into a small force recognized for its efficiency at drill and bravery in battle.
In all, no more than 360 officers and men served in the battalion's ranks (the maximum strength was 270 men during May 1863). The men of the battalion came from all over Georgia, but the unit considered Savannah its home city. The Sharpshooters first camped in the vicinity of the Georgia seaport where it aided in the defense of nearby Fort McAllister, located southwest of Savannah on the Great Ogeechee River. Later assigned to the brigade of General William H. T. Walker (the Walker-Wilson-Stevens-Jackson Georgia brigade), the battalion departed its home state and took part in the abortive effort to relieve Vicksburg, seeing action at Jackson, Mississippi in May and July 1863.
The Sharpshooters proceeded to join the Army of Tennessee at Chattanooga in August 1863 and participated in the battle of Chickamauga which reduced the battalion to forty-nine effectives. By November 1863 only twenty-five effectives were present, too few to be of much help when the Yankees pushed the Rebel army off of Missionary Ridge. The Sharpshooters strength "resurged" to 129 effectives while camped near Dalton during the winter of 1864, but further attrition during the Atlanta campaign and the battalion's decimation at Jonesboro in September 1864 left just forty-eight officers and men. Most of the battalion's remnant who made the ill-fated trek into Tennessee were captured at Nashville on December 16.
The Sharpshooters likely acted as brigade skirmishers, pickets, or flank guards but once battle was joined, the battalion would regroup as a unit and take its place on the left of the line. While the battalion's effectiveness waned as its strength dissipated, the Sharpshooters rightly enjoyed a reputation for steadfastness and gallantry under fire. Loss of men from the ranks due to desertion, disease, or battle tremendously impacted the remaining soldiers of the undersized 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters, an issue Brown presents as an underlying theme of "Our Connection with Savannah."
Research and documentation is always Brown's strong suit. The author combed compiled service records, entries from Lillian Henderson's Roster of the Confederate Soldiers of Georgia, 1861-1865, census schedules, city directories, county histories, genealogies, and newspapers to assemble a detailed battalion roster. More importantly, he incorporated this information into his narrative, delving into the lives of the rank-and-file, exploring their pasts and recounting their comings and goings from the battalion as it formed and deployed. This task is often neglected in unit histories dealing with a larger body of men. The battle history of the 1st Battalion Georgia Sharpshooters notwithstanding, the manner in which Brown integrates the personal experiences of the individual soldiers into a coherent narrative is the compelling aspect of this book.

Chip Bragg
Thomasville, Georgia

Unlike other pocket dictionaries, this dictionary fits in a pocket. It has over 600 pages of definitions and a durable plastic cover. The 50,000 definitions are much better than the usual 200-page vest-pocket dictionary definitions.

Excellent, highly detailed guide to south Georgia canoeing. Includes road and river mileage between public landings throughout south Georgia. Gives typical water characteristics on each stretch of river. Quality of each landing described in detail, too.