Missouri Books

History books generally get a bad rap because so many end up dry in the details, dry in the telling. Thankfully, the Enemy Among Us avoids this trap, and with an emphasis on telling the story in the words of the people who were there, David Fiedler offers a delightful account of when 15,000 German and Italian POWs came to Missouri in WWII.

The Enemy Among Us is richly spiced with first-person accounts from many perspectives of the POW camps, from prisoner and guard, camp worker and ordinary citizen, and beyond. Accounts of friendship, escape, mischief and romance keep it lively, and Fiedler's eye for detail and human interest make his narrative sparkle.

The Enemy Among Us offers first an overview of the POW program, and then works its way geographically through the Missouri camps. The four big camps (Clark, Crowder, Leonard Wood and Weingarten) each merit their own chapter, and subsequent chapters examine the smaller branch camps as they were clustered in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas, in the Missouri Bootheel, in central Missouri, and other parts of the state. Fiedler closes his book with a chapter that details the POWs' return to Europe, their experience after the war, and in some cases, their return to the U.S. as visitors or immigrants. Over a hundred photographs put faces on the people involved and provide a nice accompaniment to the text.

Because of its easy-reading examination of a fascinating, yet little-known subject, The Enemy Among Us will appeal to just about anyone, whether WWII history buff or someone simply interested to hear about the time when 30 POW camps dotted the Missouri landscape, and German- and Italian-speaking soldiers worked in the fields.

There's not much I can say about this book that hasn't already been said. It is absolutely wonderful, very colorful and easy to follow, it doesn't bore you to death with useless facts. The stories are rich and fascinating and the pictures captivating.
If you have even the tiniest bit of interest in POWs in America or Missouri - this is a definite must-have.

David Winston Fiedler provides a noteworthy read with this study of Prisoners of War held in captivity throughout Missouri. He exposed the shortcomings and successes that the America's POW program achieved. Obviously a student of Dr. Krammer's work "Nazi Prisoners of War in America", Mr. Fiedler delves into details and places that Krammer didn't have time to cover concerning particular states - in this case, Missouri. The author uses numerous primary source documents to recollect the treatment of many prisoners. It is particularly fascinating that many former German Nazi's were treated with better regard in certain areas of the state than were American black soldiers who had fought for their country. In that, the Germans were allowed to frequent "white only" establishments that blacks were restricted from entering, a peculiar and disheartening dichotomy to say the least. Certainly some regions in Missouri were quicker than others to accept these POW's as would be understandable. The very kind treatment and acceptance that many of these men, particularly Germans soldiers in German communities in Missouri witnessed, seems to have served to promote a positive image of the victorious America.

There are photos expressively dispersed in the book, which help to bring lucidity to the overall picture. The fact that so many prisoners were in America will shock the non-historian, as well as the casual reader. It will be equally surprising for most to read the elaborate measures taken to accomodate these POW's. How they retained their culture and discipline is also very interesting, especially the Germans. Although, to Germans this"Gehorsamkeit" or obedience to authority is not shocking, it is fascinating nonetheless. The references are well annotated throughout the book, although my only qualm (and it's a small one) is the failure to employ some of the original language if only in short exerpts akin to the writing of William Manchester. I think some things are lost in translation and would have been interesting to read. All in all a very fine work. A must have for collectors of WW2 history, and Missourians,(which I am not, although I attended Wash U) as well as worth reading for anyone interested in obtaining greater depth of American military history post WW2. Bravo Herr Fiedler.

Growing up in Missouri, I never knew about Enemy POW's being here during WWII. This book really does a fine job of painting a picture of life for both the POW's and the Missourians that worked with and befriended them.

The photographs are excellent and Fiedler does a wonderful job of sharing a fascinating story!

Especially in light of the current news about POW's, this book is very timely and interesting.

This is not a bad book at all. I honestly enjoyed it for a number of reasons. First, there are not a lot of books dealing with the Italian Campaign in WWII. This book covers one man's journey from Anzio to the Italian Alps. Second it mentions a number of military units not commonly written about, such as the joint Canadian and American 1st Special Services division and the South African 6th Armored Division.

On another note, I get the feeling that while the author was very young at the time of the war, he grew up very quickly, but still had some adolescent tendencies that he struggled with. I suppose this is part of his growing up in a twisted world. The book ends abruptly, and I won't spoil it for you. But I did enjoy the fact he admitted he came back from the war, troubled, angry, addicted to cigarettes and alcohol. Probably, because I have found myself in the same shoes.

At the age of 21, Loyd M. Wells was drafted into the army and commissioned a second lieutenant after attended O.C.S. He was later promoted to first lieutenant with the First Armored Division and saw action in North Africa, Italy, and Germany, winning the Combat Infantry Badge, the Purple Heart, and the Bronze Start. In From Anzio To The Alps: An American Soldier's Story, the late Lloyd Wells (1919-2000) leaves contemporary readers with a vividly written story about the night of February 21, 1944 when American troops came up to the caves at Anzio and what happened during the last offensive in Italy when armored infantry troops found themselves on the perimeter of a major attack. But more than just an accounting of battles and front line conditions, From Anzio To The Alps is a personal story of how young soldiers found themselves transformed by one of the most widespread and lethal wars in recorded human history. Here revealed is the humor, the sadness, the terror, and the tender moments of a war which is now remembered first hand by fewer and fewer participants more than a half-century later. A terrific read, From Anzio To The Alps is a welcome addition to the growing library of World War II biographical accounts and strongly recommended for personal and community library collections.

Lloyd M. Wells' wartime memoirs, "From Anzio to the Alps: An American Soldier's Story" is a fascinating slice of personal history. First, it is worth mentioning that this is NOT a broad perspective history or even one giving a wealth of big-picture information about the action the author was personally involved in (the Italian Campaign). While Wells tries (with some success) to place action within some context, "From Anzio to the Alps" is ONE soldier's story - as the subtitle states. The prose presented is based upon Wells' personal diaries that had lane dormant for decades before he decided to tell his story. The historical viewpoint presented by Wells, with exceptions for context, is largely from wherever Wells was at the moment he originally jotted down his feelings of the period. The reader is taken on an amazing journey with Wells from his entry into the Italian campaign (he actually started, not on the coast near Anzio as the title suggests, but near Cassino - his armored infantry unit was moved to the Anzio sector after just days before engaging the enemy) to the heady days post V-E day and Wells' 'lusts/loves' of Italy and Paris.

The personal view of war, not just combat but reflection on how the war changes men, was the most compelling and recurrent theme of this book. Wells does an excellent job pouring his heart into the story while at the same time restraining himself from being self aggrandizing (as others from the Greatest Generation have fallen victim to) or sappy. Thus the reader feels many emotions as if he/she was there with Wells and his comrades in arms. One will undoubtedly walk away from this book with a greater appreciation for how very young boys left their homes (many, if not most, for the first time) for war on foreign soils as naïve and uncultured, full of honest optimism, and through the period of a few months to a couple of years grew into cynical men with more human experience than most would have desired who were older than their years and much more appreciative of their lives. Readers can't help but empathize with veterans of foreign wars for all they go through emotionally leaving and then readjusting to civilian life.

Wells' prose is solid as they come and a reader can get through this book (251 pp.) quite fast because its text construction is so well done and the story so compelling. Anyone interested in a personal story of war told with literary zeal and engaging emotion should pick up "From Anzio to the Alps". 5 star read!!!

I bought this book because my father served in North Africa and Italy and I wanted some history on those theatres of the war, which my father had not shared with me.
Instead of another historical account, filled with facts and figures, I found a very personal story of one man's experiences.
A few pages into the book, the author offers a translation of commonly used army expletives of the time. It let me know right away that this was going to be a candid and sometimes humorous memoir.
For anyone who would like to see the war through one soldier's eyes, I would recommend this book.

This is one of the best books on movie palaces. The writing is sharp--Dr. Bagley is a professional journalist and teacher of writing.

All her research is original--so this is the only book where you can find this information. The photos are sensational and someof them are breathtaking of the architectural designs on such theateers as the St. Louis Fox or Powell Hall.

This book is a treasure and I wish Dr. Bagley would write more.

I enjoyed reading Mary Bagley's book, The Front Row. I remember going to these old movie palaces when I was a kid. I like the way the movie houses are verbally described and the history of them related. I have found the book to be extremely accurate and a good photo collection.

The detail and time that went into such a book, it's hard to put it in words. After reading it and looking at the photos you can't help but wonder where have all the great movie houses have gone. If you talk a walk into the neighborhood of such places you would be ah struck to see the change. I feel that she has gone through great pain to try and capture the once thearters that use to be. It's hard to find people like this to go through the detail in discovering such movies houses. Thanks Mary for doing such a great job.

My name is Sarah Bagley, and I'm Mary Bagley's niece. I just wanted to say that It's one of the best books that my aunt has ever written.

I used this book for morning meditation. I would read one column each day and let my thoughts take me wherever they led me, almost always closing with prayer.

I highly recommend the book. --Joe Barone.

A superbly written book in which the author reveals and shares so many personal details of his life, making it most personal, inspiring, humorous and enjoyable. In a day when so many journalists have an agenda, it is delightful to read past essays from a journalist who does not have an agenda, is not to the right or to the left attempting to impose an attitude or set of beliegs on the reader. The author has compiled a second book of essays, which I have not been able to find...

Never in my life have I encountered an author with such colorful grace in describing life, and the way which Bill Tammeus writes is the same way that we'd each like to author our own. He is truly an artist of our time, working in words like others do in oils or clay. If you're willing to be caught reading a book cover to cover, than "A Gift of Meaning" is the literary genius to take you on your journey.

Bill Tammeus notices things as one who participates widely in life. He asks you to notice the meaning of these things with him, even as he assumes you will interpret them yourself. His range of subjects is remarkable. And no matter his focus--family, the news, war, politics, sports, AIDS, celebrated heroes, the "soft underbelly" of the media, pop culture, and much more--he always is scratching at what it means to keep human life human.

Tammeus' seasoned writing, thoughtful organization of topics and column length pieces (about two pages each) make reading effortless and a joy. His wit and self-effacing humor jump out of almost every page. But just the moment you chuckle with him, he takes you through his own personal pain and your eyes well up. Whether he is graced and elated or is staggering under grief, he touches you deep inside, because he writes so honestly from his own inner depths. No matter the subject, he leaves you full and enriched.

The author opens with personal reflections on the burial of his mother in a muddy Illinois plot in 1996. In the Epilogue he writes poignantly about what the world lost with the senseless death of his beloved nephew Karleton (and of all the others) in the first plane to hit the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. From his first word to his last, Tammeus packs his 250 pages with life. Thus, "A Gift of Meaning" makes a wonderful gift. I have already given copies to several people I love.

St. Louis is an architectural treasure, much like many of our other rust-belt cities. Cleveland, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh also fall into this category. These cities retain much of their old classical buildings from a time when the idea of grand public architecture meant something to the eye and was a source of civic pride. St. Louis is a fine example of this idea, and a real treat for American urban architecture lovers. The book itself is quite dated, published in 1989, but the authors do an excellent job of choosing the structures they know we will want to see. All the classics are here, all with at least one photograph and a nice descriptive essay. Also, the authors have taken the time to bring us many of the most interesting old structures from the surrounding towns as well. A new addition would be a real treat.

I remember the first time I visited St. Louis, I was expecting a run down, dirty, industrial mess, much like Detroit, so you can imagine my surprise with what I found. I loved the city, it was clean and quite beautiful, especially the area around Forest Park. This book does a fine job of capturing the St. Louis I experienced, I especially appreciated that every entry is accompanied with a requisite photo, that should be de riguer in a book of this sort. This book is divided up and it covers not just the city, but the environs, which is essential. If you have any interest in St. Louis, or quite frankly if you have any appreciation in architecture then you will not be disappointed in this wonderful book.

This has been the reputed de facto standard for St. Louis architecture. As one who has such as an interest as a hobby, I am more than thrilled to learn from the information this book provided. My understanding is that a possible update may one day present itself...I hope so.

This is one of the best guidebooks for a city's architecture I've seen. The entries cover not only St. Louis proper but also the entire metro area, reaching far into the suburbs in both Missouri and Illinios. Every entry has at least one photograph, a rarity for such books. The maps are clear and concise; a regional map shows where each local map is located. Also includes a number of color photographs in the introduction pages. About the only thing I would fault the book for is skipping a few of downtown's historic towers; however, the book does an excellent job of directing city explorers to St. Louis's most interesting areas.

THIS IS THE STORY OF THE 1993 KC CHIEFS WHO ALOMOST WON IT ALL. THE CHIEFS OF 1993 WENT OUT AND DID SOMETHING TO IMPROVE THEMSELVES BY PICKING UP 2 OF THE BEST BIG GAME PLAYERS OF THEIR TIME, MARCUS ALLEN AND JOE MONTANA. THE BOOK GOES INTO GREAT DETAIL HOW THE TEAM WAS PUT TOGETHER AND THEN GIVES A DETAILED LOOK AT HOW THEIR SEASON WENT. ALOT OF BEHIND THE SCENES INFO IS AVAILABLE IN THIS BOOK ALONG WITH SOME GREAT INTERVIEWS AND GAME BY GAME RESULTS IN MAKING THIS A MUST READ FOR ALL CHIEFS FANS.

This book rocks my world. I love the Chiefs and the Bob Gretz's daughter Liz is really cool.

this book is sooo cool!!!!! bob gretz should win the noble prize!!!!! i loved it so much that i read it in a day!!! i couldn't put this book down! i would buy it if i were you!!!!!

Hail to the Chiefs changed my life. Before I was a bum out on the streets on Moscow, now I'm a successful astronaut. Hail to the Chiefs showed me the true meaning of life. Bob Gretz is my hero. He should win the Nobel Prize for Literature this year. Buy this book, it will change your life.

Anyone who has ever worked in an organization has witnessed the paralysis that sets in with failure, reprimand, disappointing results or unfulfilled expectations. That recognition is palpable throughout this book. The deepening loss of power that follows seemingly small pitfalls or mediocre human interactions is extremely damaging and spreads to each and every aspect of an organization. Martin does a great job of both carving out the territory of these viral disempowerments, and of showing us how to bring greater authenticity to our work and communication to turn around these conditions. A correction in the psychological or cultural environment can be powerfully segued into an opportunity for more strategic thought and alignment of behavior with an organization's vision. Having seen so many of these cultural viruses do irreparable harm to both people and business results, the book has become a wonderful addition to an arsenal of tools that is never complete. I highly recommend The Responsibility Virus to business-people of any level of authority.

Amie Devero, Author of Powered by Principle: Using Core Values to Build World-Class Organizations

Ever notice how offices (maybe even yours) are split between the doers and the idlers? Ever notice the resentment that accrues in workplaces where control freaks do everything and ne'er-do-wells do nothing? Ever wonder how such jaded office environments came to be, and whether they ever could change?

Well, step right up, dear reader, because this book decodes the phenomenon that cruelly saps the morale out of even the most capable of offices. Labelling this task imbalance as the `responsibility virus,' Roger Martin seeks to render a diagnosis and prognosis of this nefarious sickness. Martin, with the assistance of psychological and biological principles, explains how the basic `fight or flight' response leads many to assume too much or too little responsibility in times of stress. This results in a causal chain reaction where the other workers correspondingly take positions on the opposing end of the spectrum to best complement this initial game opening. As Martin ably explains, these positions are never static; over-responsible persons eventually become under-responsible, and vice versa. This is essentially a never-ending dance that may eventually destroy an entire office.

So what to do, you ask? Martin proposes four separate strategies that are designed to purge the workplace body of this virus, all of which may be used on their own or in combination with the others, depending on the state of the virus' evolution and the players' goals. These different methods all have the share the same central goal: maximizing inter-office collaboration and thereby ridding the workplace of the responsibility virus. They are all very easy-to-understand and readily adaptable to many workplaces. Martin's generous use of case examples also provides a context to identifying problems and their respective solutions.

Martin's most intriguing strategy is to redefine the nature of true leadership and, by extension, corresponding `followership.' Martin entreats the reader not to accept the canard of the `man on the horse;' the heroic, all-knowing, all-powerful leader who can jump into the fray at any given moment and single-handedly solve a vexing problem, while his minions listlessly stand by waiting for the hero to save the day. Rather, true leadership fosters collaboration; followers contribute to the best of their abilities and open lines of communication are maintained throughout the various levels of management.

In all, this is a persuasive read that is very ably argued. Although I felt the conclusion was a bit rushed (where Martin makes a u-turn from his central argument that people's actions are dictated by their governing values), readers would be hard-pressed to write the book off as unhelpful. Use it in your business life or even your personal life; the book is a powerful suppressant of the responsibility virus.

This book explains in very simple terms why some people are so driven while others just go on a cruise and the relationship between the two.
If you ever feel overwhelmed at work and often find yourself wondering why others don't pull their own weight - this book is for you.
If you feel like you could do so much more at work if only given a chance but lack the confidence or the knowledge to go for it - read this book.

Roger Martin has lain down business organizations in the therapist chair, but you won't notice it because the author avoids skillfully the psychological labels currently in vogue.

If you often wonder about why you end up working more than others, why some people don't understand what you clearly state or why everybody sees what is wrong in the company and they don't do anything to fix it, this book is for you. It goes to the root of the problem, explains it plainly and offers a step by step program to solve it. The book also provides a better understanding of what's behind the Enron debacle and the government agencies mishandling of security issues before, during and after September 11.

It doesn't matter if the reader is a CEO, a manager, a professional or a secretary, he or she will find familiar faces and situations; people that could be your boss, your vice-president of sales or your managing editor. Why do we have the chance to see ourselves and others in these pages? The book is simply about human nature. It deals with the underlying emotions, culture and language that make many bureaucracies what they are: an incompetent and unfulfilled mass of otherwise intelligent, good and hard working people.

Martin explains that lack of collaboration between leadership and other parties in the organization brings an unbalanced approach to responsibility. The author describes what he calls the "heroic leader", which takes more responsibility that he or she should. Conversely, the other parties react giving up responsibility. Once the leader is unable to meet the goals, he or she sits back and takes the position of the followers. Meanwhile the frustrated followers take responsibility for their part, but because they can not attain the needed broad or bold solutions, parties induce the leader to take again more responsibilities that he or she can handle, and the infectious cycle of dependency starts again.

The mysterious Responsibility Virus is nothing more than the very human fear of failure. According to Chris Argyris, cited in the book, there are "governing values" that guide the way we interpret and deal with the world. They reside so ingrained in human nature that they apply to people across ages, cultures, economic status, and educational levels. Humans-Agyris claim--will always try to win, maintain control, avoid embarrassment and stay rational in any situation. Fear of failure triggers the governing values and they make us either take more responsibility (fight) or abdicate responsibility (flight).

Martin proposes the use of some "tools" to improve collaboration (choice structuring process), eliminate the mistrust and misunderstanding (frame experiment) and to balance capability and responsibility (responsibility ladder) among the parties in the organization. All these tools have the general objective of untying the person from the situation that requires attention and put aside the biased frame of mind from which we see the problem. Once all the parties involved in decision-making have a better perspective of the issue, they are in a position to find a middle ground between capabilities and responsibility.

It is at the end of the book, redefining leadership, when Martin describes the leader as what sociologists or psychologists would call a mature personality. According to the author, a leader should be capable of splitting responsibility through dialogue, apportioning responsibilities in keeping with capabilities, but more importantly, making apportionment discussable and subject performance to public testing. Although he doesn't mention it, you have the sense that it is the leader a significant carrier of the responsibility virus and also accountable for spreading his or her fear of failure throughout the organization.

In these times of leaders finger-pointing at each other and frustrated managers turned into audacious whistle-blowers this book is a timely required reading to understand not only organizations but the world around us.

This book was probably one of the most relevant, gripping and epic history books I have ever read. The numerous parallels between the Iraq war and the Boer War make it all the more powerful.
Most Brit academics are long on tangential, spurious fact and short on prose. This is were Farwell parts with his contemporaries. It can be read by the casual historian (skip some of the long sieges) or the consummate soldier, as Byron fully illustrates the flaws and strength of each protagonist at every major turning point. He does not hold back personal judgment which adds much needed context. He imbues these real characters with life allowing this to become more Epic than history book.
As an avid reader of insurgent doctrine this ranks up there with: Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife, A War Like No Other and Guerrilla Warfare (Che not Mao).
While it is a hefty read I dare you to put this down after the first couple chapters. You will not be disappointed.

Simply put, one of the greatest, most detailed and yet most readable histories, military or otherwise, to ever have been published. If you have even a passing interest in history, this book is for you. The parallels that can be drawn to our present day situation in the middle east are shocking, and this book was written quite a while ago.

Quite easily the best book on the topic of the second Anglo-Boer war. If there were but one book you read concerning this timely subject, it is this one. The author leads the reader on a fast-paced but thorough and enjoyable tour of the people and places involved. The intermixture of battlefield strategic and tactical decisions are interspersed with human stories of the men who carried out the orders and the political forces that fueled the conflict. A must have for the panoramic big picture with detail enough to satisfy the most avid military historian. It is a work I come back to again and again.

This is an absorbing, well written account of a neglected (by American readers anyway) war at the turn of the last century. Rather than being a dry academic text, Farwell's writing style serves to bring the war to life 100 years after the fact. Seamlessly mixing descriptions of tactical battlefield and operational decisions with the geo-political/strategic back drop of the war, intertwining the personal narratives of the men who were carrying out orders and executing political/military decisions (which I'd say was very "Ken Burns" if Farwell's book didn't pre-date Burns' work by almost a decade).

Coupled with other accounts of the war, like Goodbye Dolly Gray (another excellent book) written by Rayne Kruger, the average reader can understand some of the causal factors of South Africa's apartied system and gain an insight into the history of a long troubled region.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader looking for a fast-paced non-academic history of the Boer War. You won't go wrong.

This is a good book to read for anyone wanting to see how a good man dealt with adversity. Allen places much emphasis upon Davis' Christian faith, and how it helped him to be the sort of man who can be worthily imitated. The book also contains a goodly amount of historical information which is not commonly known. It could have used some tighter editing, as there were a few points where I was not quite sure about whom Allen was writing, and had to go back and re-read the paragraph, but, all in all, I was both informed and edified by this book. About the review by Kirkus, I can only conclude that that reviewer is an anti-Christian, anti-Southern bigot, as he obviously had already decided about the book before reading it.

Felicity Allen's recent biography, Jefferson Davis, Unconquerable Heart, transcends mere history. Such a sensitive and comprehensive work, therefore, may perplex the hardened historian, who is often pleased only with cold chronological facts that fit comfortably into his own predispositions. Allen's intricately documented work has the touch of a true poet who deftly and profoundly reveals not only the heart and soul of a great (and often misunderstood) American but also a way of life gone forever.

No scholar can fail to appreciate Allen's exhaustive research,, nor any layman fail to be amazed at her mass of fact and significant detail. But if fact is the body and bone of biography, truth is its revelation. And this is the outstanding accomplishment of Felicity Allen: she has recovered the heart and soul of an honorable and courageous American patriot who thought and fought and fell with his young nation.

Oxford Stroud

What Mrs. Allen succeeds so brilliantly at is showing the human side of the man. I must admit that I was no fan of Jefferson Davis in his role as the President of the CSA. However, thanks to Mrs. Allen, I was able to see him in a much different light - as an American patriot and a human being. In the passions that colour anything dealing with the War of Northern Aggression, it is sometimes difficult to remember that everyone involved had a life before that tragic conflict. I can't help but be grateful for the way in which Mrs. Allen brought that point home in her book. While I will still take issue with many of his wartime decisions, I can't help but be proud that our nation produced a man like Jefferson Davis. Thanks for the insight and the education Mrs. Allen!

Since becoming interested in the 19th Century, and the oasis of information concerning that time period, I'm still baffled as to why the 21st Century historian cannot understand the greatness of men like Jefferson Davis. All the modern historian can do is point out cultural problems of times past (slavery: as if the South was the only place on earth that had them). After reading the standard review from Amazon, I had to chime in on this great book. I've read William J. Cooper's Jefferson Davis as well as Jefferson Davis himself. Is it not interesting that modern day Jefferson Davis antagonists' (Just read James Mcpherson's preface in 'The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government") can only talk of slavery, as if this is the only motivating factor which drove J. Davis to become a relunctant secessionist, while ignoring our own cultural problems that are far worse and grandiose in scope. Modern day/ post-modern historians cannot grasp the larger picture of history. Their worldview does not allow for such truth gazing. F. Allen does a supurb job of showing us a Davis who was triumphant, depressed,ultimately defeated, caring for Negros, and a dedicated Episcopalian who knew who his Saviour was. Many of J. Davis' associates supported gradual emancipation (Bishop Meade of Va and Bishop Leonidas Polk) as to help assimulate the Negro into society. The Northern invasion of the South precluded any such cultural assimilation to take place. Read this book- It is partisan, but isn't every historian coming to work the task of history with his/her presuppositions? F. Allen is not ashamed of this and her logical conclusions about the man and his times is as accurate as a historian can get. Cheers for independent scholars who have not abdicated the task of passing story to fellow countrymen!

Doris Mueller researched and wrote about an intriguing Confederate of the Civil War that harassed the Union troops, by traveling fast with his troops to evade the Union soldiers. General Ulysses S. Grant gave Meriwether Jeff Thompson the "Swamp Fox" name for his adventures in the treacherous swamps of southeast Missouri, also known as the Bootheel region near Arkansas, Kentucky, and Tennessee borders.
Jeff Thompson's legacy before, during and after the Civil War is "larger than life." He was a Renaissance man - poet, soldier, leader, fighter, politician, engineer, entrepreneur, industrialist, husband, father.
The story begins in his birth home of Harper's Ferry, VA - born a Southerner. Next, the pre Civil War years brings him to Missouri and as Mayor Thompson of St. Joseph, he officiates for the first Pony Express rider on April 3, 1860, setting off with mail to California. After Thompson learns about abolitionist John Brown raid of Harpers Ferry in October, 1859, Jeff Thompson instinctively knows he must go to Virginia to defend his birthplace. I wish author stated year when Thompson returns on page 25.
Jeff Thompson was a reckless soldier but beloved by his men and known as the "Poet Laureate of the Marshes." During the Civil War, he was a constant thorn in the side of the Union forces, but author Doris Mueller eloquently displays Thompson's poetry. After the Civil War, in 1865 Thompson was "one of the first Southern leaders to be `reconstructed,' He signed the oath of allegiance to the United States and served as a model for others by speaking in favor of rebuilding the South." and "On the same day, he sent a letter to President Andrew Johnson asking to be reinstated as a citizen of the United States."
However, I have one suggestion on a way to improve.
In the chapter, Thompson's Early Years, add the "slavery question" as the only unresolved question of the original 13 colonies when our founding fathers declared independence from England on July 4, 1776. John Adams needed all 13 colonies to agree on all words in the Declaration of Independence. The colony of South Carolina would NOT agree to " all men are created equal, including slaves." Benjamin Franklin convinced Adams to leave the slavery question for succeeding generations in order to get a consensus for the Declaration of Independence. In the chapter, Thompson's Early Years, Abraham Lincoln said "There is but one great question now before the American people." In 1776, there was but one question UNRESOLVED by the founding fathers and that was "the slavery question."
Then, of course in the chapter - The Man and His Legacy, expand on the concluding statements - "he was a descendant of Revolutionary War officers and is distantly related to George Washington." WOW! What better way to make M. Jeff Thompson's life and relatives part of Missouri history, as part of the North and South or Civil War history, and part of the Revolutionary Way history and independence of our founding fathers.
This is an outstanding story and I agree with Ann Bakis, another reviewer, make Missouri's Swamp FOX a movie.

Teacher Doris Land Mueller presents M. Jeff Thompson: Missouri's Swamp Fox of the Confederacy, an accessible and engaging biography of southeastern Missouri's Meriwether Jeff Thompson, who waged a guerilla war materializing out of the countryside to attack Union forces and evading traps set for them by Northern commanders. Dubbed "Swamp Fox" by General Ulysses S. Grant himself, Thompson had courage and skill despite leading poorly equipped and loosely trained soldiers, yet he was not invincible; captured in August 1863, and released twelve months later in a prisoner exchange, he participated in Sterling Price's ill-fated raid into Missouri. Yet after the war, he was one of the first Southern leaders to seek reinstatement as a U.S. citizen, and strived to allay hostilities among fellow Southerners. Thompson was also known as "Poet Laureate of the Marshes"; M. Jeff Thompson: Missouri's Swamp Fox of the Confederacy includes numerous excerpts of his writings to supplement the straightforward biography and occasional black-and-white photographs and illustrations. A welcome addition to Civil War biography and reference shelves.

As someone who is originally from the Show Me state, it took Doris Land Mueller's M.Jeff Thompson: Missouri's Swamp Fox of the Confederacy to show me that my home state could produce a genuine swashbuckling hero of the Civil War. Thompson, a charismatic leader and resourceful guerrilla tactician, caused the Union forces some considerable trouble before they caught and imprisoned him. Wherever your Civil War sympathies lie, you have to be fascinated by the daring Thompson as he is brought alive by Mueller's very able pen and meticulous scholarship. His story would make a great movie, and one that you will want to see after you read this book.

A rare and exciting glimpse of the involvement of so many committed soldiers that served in the military who were from Missouri. This should be required reading for high school students. The heritage of our past family members who were caught up in the turmoil cannot be told often enough and this book enhances and develops our understanding of those times.