Missouri Books

Collapse At Meuse-Argonne: The Failure Of The Missouri-Kansas Division by Robert H. Ferrall (Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University), is the story of the American Thirty-Fifth Division during World War I. This military expeditionary force was composed of National Guard units from Missouri and Kansas. Engaging in the battle of the Meuse-Argonne with no previous battle experience and only a minor amount of training, as well as a few weeks of garrisoning in a quiet sector in Alsace, this division and its thousands of men quite literally fell apart in the face of enemy forces in only five days. Historian and academician Robert Ferrall does an impressive work of original scholarship to describe what the problems were (including incompetence officer leadership at the highest levels). The focus upon this single battle offers a "window-in-time" perspective that will prove invaluable for a broader understanding of the difficulties of World War I era frontline combat. Collapse At Meuse-Argonne is a superbly researched and presented body of work that is strongly recommended for both academic library collections and military history buff reading lists.

As indicated in the previous review, Dr. Ferrell's thorough research has resulted in what, up to this point, must be considered the definitive study of 35th Division's administrative ineptness, training shortcomings, and combat operations before and during the Meuse campaign. (It should be noted that this ineptness was widespread in the AEF, and far from isolated within 35th Division.) Anyone interested in the history of the AEF should certainly examine this book. I understand that "Collapse at Meuse-Argonne" is just a small part of what will be a comprehensive study of the larger Meuse-Argonne campaign, and if the present work is any indication, every student of the First World War should eagerly anticipate eventual publication of the larger account.

That being said, there are some shortcomings to "Collapse at Meuse-Argonne." The first would be a shortage of maps. Only two are provided, one of northern France showing major rivers and principal population centers, and another showing the portion of the Meuse-Argonne sector in which the division operated, which mainly shows Route Nationale 46, the River Aire, Buanthe Creek, and the principal villages in the area. A smaller-scale map showing 35th Division's sector in the broader context of First Army would have been welcome (from the map provided, one wouldn't know 28th Division was on the left and 91st Division on the right), as would a map showing the principal topographic features in the area, such as Montfaucon and the ravine at Exermont, as well as the local transportation net. A table showing the 35th Division's order of battle and principal officers also would have been helpful.

The index is also not as useful as it really should be. For instance, critical geographic locations, such as Varennes, Cheppy, Very, Charpentry, Baulny and Exermont do not appear in the the index at all. References to George Patton are indexed, but tanks are not. This is not insignificant, as at the beginning of the campaign most of the American-operated tanks were assigned to 28th and 35th Divisions in I Corps. (One platoon was assigned to the far left regiment of 91st Division in neighboring V Corps, but they accomplished little.) To those interested, additional references to tanks appear on pages 39-40, 51, 52, 57, 58, 89, 95 and 96. And, although tanks are mentioned in passing in the text, one is left wondering if any of the operational reports submitted by units of the 35th Division discussed the support (or lack of support) provided by the tanks.

There are also a few minor errors. One rather niggling error appears on page 39, where Varrennes is cited as the location where Louis XVI was captured in 1796 during his attempt to escape the Revolution (it actually happened in June 1791 - and the unfortunate "citizen" Louis Capet was beheaded not long after). A bit more substantive is Dr. Ferrell's misidentification of Patton's 1st (later 304th) Tank Brigade as the "First Provisional Tank Regiment" (28, 37). As in the contemporary British Tank Corps, there were no tank regiments in the AEF. (The plan developed by Patton's superior, the underrated Samuel D. Rockenbach, was to create several tank brigades for the AEF by spring 1919, each brigade to be comprised of two light tank battalions and one heavy tank battalion. Glacial American tank production and the sudden advent of the Armistice prevented the plan from being implemented.)

The style of identifying military units is also a bit clunky. Standard practice is to identify divisions by arabic number (e.g., 35th Division), corps by roman numeral (e.g., V Corps), and armies by spelling them out (e.g., First Army). Instead, Dr. Ferrell spells all of them out (e.g. Thirty-fifth Division, Fifth Corps), which makes the text busier than need be, which in turn makes it more difficult to locate citations to particular units within the text.

These cavils, however, should not prevent the interested reader from benefiting from Dr. Ferrell's scholarship. Recommended.

This book is just a beautiful pictoral of Missouri and I'm using it to show people outside of the USA where I live and how beautiful our state is. The book purchased was great - shipping seemed a little high - so not much benefit from getting it at the bookstore.

This book has some very beautiful pictures of Missouri. It shows Missouri's versatilty through some of the great cities and vast country and farmland scenes. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is interested in, or loves Missouri.

This book delivers what it promises... 4 battles you surely would not have studied (unless you happened to be a "local" to one of the sites), seperate from one another but tied together by the crimson thread of Courage.

Great Stuff!

I highly recommend reading this book if you are a fan of Military History, a student of the "Civil War", or simply attracted to real acts of Heroism & Courage from an era blessed with a level of integrity and grit that is only a faded memory to America today.

To borrow the words of Shakespeare, "Courage mounteth with occasion". Far from the grand movements of the armies, the great battles and the central figures of the Civil War, one finds thousands of examples of personal courage of men who met the occasion, but have been largely forgotten by history.

Mark Crawford in "Confederate Courage on Other Fields" does great justice to four of these lesser-known stories of sacrifice, bravery in the face of great danger, suffering, and devotion to duty by men fighting for the Confederate cause. I found each tale to be well researched, insightful and easy to read.

"'Tisn't life that matters! `Tis the courage you bring to it" -Sir Hugh Walpole. I believe Colonel Charles Blacknall of the 23rd North Carolina Infantry, as described in Crawford's book, exemplifies the courageous leadership exhibited by many men of the south. A wealthy, educated planter, Blacknall hated drilling, the study of tactics and many of the trappings of the military. However, belief in a cause led him to great accomplishment, at a price of personal sacrifice, ultimately his own life. As you read his letters, and gain insight into his devotion to his family, and his love and understanding of his men, you will admire this fellow who gave all for what he believed in.

My primary reason for buying this book was my lifelong interest of events in the bitter struggle for control of Southeast Missouri. Though considered a backwater of the War and often ignored by historians, the violence of partisan and guerilla actions in these border counties profoundly affected everyone living in the region. Instead of a five-hour skirmish or five-day battle, the fate of this area was sealed in five years of ugly, shocking bloodletting and destruction. Most folks fled. In many parts of Southeast Missouri and Northeast Arkansas the bitterness remains to this day. Crawford's treatment of the conflict between Major James Wilson on the Union side and Colonel Timothy Reeves on the Confederate side is the most fair, accurate and honest I have read. A consequence of this contest was the execution of prisoners on both sides. In reading this account you will come to appreciate the bravery and gallantry of men caught up in a struggle without rules and often driven by revenge that discouraged noble actions.

You will finish this book with an expanded understanding of the "Brother's War", and the tremendous sacrifice of the average Confederate soldier as he faced danger in a courageous or fearless manner. I hope Mark will consider a sequel exploring the courage of Union men. I heartily recommend this book!

The second offering in the Meg Darcy P.I. series picks up where CEMETERY MURDERS left off. Darcy gets a late night call from enigmatic police detective Sarah Lindstrom and learns that the cop's ex has been murdered...in Lindstrom's home...in Lindstrom's bed...with a baseball bat. Darcy takes her in for the night. The normally unflappable and distant Lindstrom is stunned and disbelieving. She is a suspect and it's personal, too, so she is not allowed to work with the police on the case. Because of this, she does something totally unexpected and asks Darcy to help investigate the case.

The course of the investigation reveals that Lindstrom and Darcy are both in danger, so the grieving cop grudgingly allows Darcy to stay at her house. The combination of stress and anguish makes for a taut and fearful situation for both women as they seek the killer.

Meg's wit and longing shine in this installment of the series. It gets bogged down in the relationship angst once or twice in the middle, but very quickly regains steam and takes the reader to a satisfying and slightly unexpected resolution.
~Lori L. Lake, Reviewer for Midwest Book Review, and The Independent Gay Writer.

may be the best so far, though there is huge pleasure in tracking the evolving relationship betweem Darcy and Lindstrom from one book to the next. Like its predecessor, it stands out for the clear and unassuming prose style with which the first-person narrative draws us into Darcy's wryly self-deprecating, and surprisingly literate point of view. The cool and accomplished Lindstrom--whose career and safety are put in jeopardy in this story--is a very suitable counterpart to the stubborn and vulnerable Meg. As in the other volumes, the erotic encounters (intense yet handled with a light touch) are skilfully woven into the narrative. With its rich depiction of the St. Louis locales, compares well with Redmann's angstier Micky Knight series (set in New Orleans) and Kate Allen's kinkier Alison Kaine series (set in Denver).

This is a two-part book. Part One is an overview of the English and Canadian fur trade. It explains how the Hudson Bay Company, North West Company, and others conducted the trade and competed with one another. It provides considerable detail about the French, English, and Indian peoples involved in the trade. There is some discussion of the American impact on the fur trade after the Louisiana Purchase. Part Two contains excerpts from journals kept by the fur traders: John Macdonell, David Thompson, Francois-Antoine Larocque, and Charles McKenzie. Not only is this a good source book for people interested in the fur trade; it will also interest some Lewis and Clark fans. Larocque was at the Mandan and Hidatas villages on the Missouri at the same time as the Corps of Discovery; the interchange between the English and the Americans is noted in the journals of both. Larocque came down the Yellowstone River horseback from the future site of Billings, Montana, to the mouth of the river in 1805. Clark came down the river by boat in 1806. This is an academic text and provides many helpful footnotes. It takes some effort to read but it is worth the effort.

This is a well written and engaging look into the importance of the Mandan and Hidatsa Indian villages as a pivotal point in trade systems during the late 1700's through early 1800's. Being located along the Missouri River in present day North Dakota, the Mandan/Hidatsa Indians traded horses, robes and furs to Canadian Fur Companies in return for guns and ammunition. They would then trade these goods for other commodities from various Northern Plains Indian Tribes, who previously may have traded with other tribes or the Spaniards further south. In part one, the authors give a lengthy but excellent and relevant chronological introduction as to the fur trade history of this geographical area. Part two includes five journals (or excerpts) of some of these Northwest Fur Company traders' first hand accounts depicting life as it was: John Macdonell's descriptions of the Indians, geography and trade in the 1790's; David Thompson's narrative describing his harrowing 1797 journey from Fort Assiniboine to the Mandan villages in the dead of winter; Larocque's two narratives, the "Missouri (1804)" and "Yellowstone (1805)" Journals, the latter of which, in the company with Crow Indians, he may possibly have been the first white man to descend the Yellowstone River, pre-dating William Clark by more than a year. The final narrative is of Charles McKenzie's four journeys to the Mandan villages (1804-1806), the first two in company with Larocque's expeditions. This is a fascinating read for fur trade enthusiasts and/or those whose interests are in early western exploration.

It deals with diplomacy throughout the Second World War when Turkey was a non-belligerent but not an ineffective bystander. Though she bound to Great Britain and France in mutual assisatance treaty since October 1939 broke her pledge to them and to all allied forces and declared war against Germany and Italy on February 1945 just before Yalta Conference when the fighting was all but over to be qualified in her inclusion of United Nations Organization. Thirty years later the Turks invaded Cyprus and revealed that, after all they had been dissastisfied with what diplomacy had gained for them. The book is very instructive for policy makers and leaders of the world and should have a reading copy of this outstanding book to better understand that diplomacy in nowadays should observe standards of honesty and integrity.

Book examines Turkey's relations with the major powers during WWII. It includes historical background on the 20s and 30s. Shows how Turkey swayed from Axis to Allies depending on events and avoided Nazi invasion. Some of the more interesting parts of book are not on Turkey but about events in Syria and Iraq and rest of mideast. Extensive Japanese intrigues in Baghdad, for example, sometimes at crosspurposes with German designs. Japan considered Iraq in their sphere

WHAT CAN I SAY! I LOVED THE BOOk, YOU WILL TO!

I have always felt it is better to be informed before going on a vacation instead of taking the laissez faire come-what-may attitude. I like spontaneity, but I am afraid I will miss out on some of the really good stuff.

Unfortunately, this book is several years old, and much of the information is out of date. However, the historical information, the outdoor activities info, and general information on the Branson area is great. The weakest section is on the many performers and shows that make Branson famous, and that is the result of so many changes in the theatre lineup since this book was written.

There is an excellent section on restaurants that makes you want to travel to Branson just for the meals. Many of these restaurants have survived the years, but many new ones have appeared since this was written.

I use this book as a guide - if a specific restaurant appeals to me, I use the Internet to try to verify and update the info. This is a very good book, a true five star rating, if only it was more current.

This series of books is awesome. They are all excellent and Christian oriented. I highly recommend them for excellent reading. Thank you for the opportunity to review.

The book is about Breanne Baylor on another adventure. This time with outlaws/robbers. She ends up with them and shares Christ with them.You will have to read the book to see how they react and how she came to be with the outlaws. If you have read any of the other Angle of Mercy Series you are sure to enjoy this book.

Great Book! One of the most accurate accounts of FDR & Stalin

Telling the truth takes guts when it comes to a sanctified icon, backed by well established and fed ignorance. The brave author tells it the way it is, as far as he knows. "Some of my best friends are communists" came from the mouth of FDR when a congressman attempted to alert him of the "imaginary" danger of communist theft, subversion and outright treason in his administration. If the author takes a good look at what is to be found behind these words, he might have to think twice before he gives his findings to the printer. But in long run he will feel good.

"...It was folly to believe that if Russia was treated as a friendly ally that country would respond in kind", said in 1957 Nicholas Roosevelt. A folly it was, for which a hundred excuses are found. A folly glorified to this day by almost all.