Virginia Books

Earl J. Hess's new "Trench Warfare under Grant and Lee: Field Fortifications in the Overland Campaign" is as good a piece of Civil War scholarship as I have read in years. It is at the most fundamental level a narrative history of military operations in the Overland Campaign of May and June, 1864: the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Cold Harbor, but it is a narrative history that focuses particularly on how field fortifications evolved over the course of those six weeks of heavy combat and it details how the use of field fortifications influenced the course of that campaign. In his earlier volume, "Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War," Hess dispelled the old myths that such entrenchments were a direct consequence of the power of rifled-muskets or that their use suddenly sprang into being in the spring of 1864 (he documented three years of field fortifications, although not on such a scale as became standard by the end of the Overland Campaign) and that these entrenchments were somehow merely the fruit of the teaching of Dennis Hart Mahan at West Point. Or to quote the author: "The use of field fortifications evolved during the Civil War not due to some irrational fear, but due to a real and potent threat: the continued presence of an enemy army within striking distance. Their use was a rational and logical response to that threat."

Hess reserves most of the technical details of entrenchment and breastwork design for an appendix, leaving his main narrative fast-moving and compelling. "Trench Warfare under Grant and Lee" is an important contribution to Civil War literature and should find a ready spot on the bookshelves of any serious student of the era. I look forward to his planned third volume, to examine field fortifications during the Petersburg campaign.

Inevitably, it must be asked how Hess views the Overland Campaign in balance. Was it a Union or a Confederate success? Although Hess does not absolve Grant of errors in too hastily ordering attacks or in failing to recognize the power of impromptu fieldworks, Hess concludes: "Grant's most significant achievement in the Overland campaign was not in capturing territory, or in positioning his army close to Richmond, or in reducing the fighting strength of the Army of Northern Virginia by 50 percent; rather it lay in robbing Lee of the opportunity to launch large-scale offensives against the Army of the Potomac. In laying claim to the strategic initiative, Grant won an important physical and emotional victory over Lee, and he did it with fewer losses than his predecessors had suffered in attempting the same goal ... Most important, he did not give up the strategic initiative and thereby brought the war to an end. The Overland campaign was as much a watershed in the strategic course of the Civil War as the Seven Days."

By the time of the Overland Campaign, the star of Earl Hess's second volume on Civil War fortifications, the idea of bravery that most soldiers had when hostilities began had just about fizzled out. In that more innocent time, soldiers and officers thought it cowardly to hide behiind entrenchments, or anything else for that matter. Battles were about sticking out your chest and, in plain view of the enemy, marching and shooting. (For a good account of this transition, see Linderman's Embattled Courage.)

Three years of the harsh reality of war changed all that, and by the time of the Overland Campaign, troops on both sides were digging in fast and furiously whenever they got the chance. Aside from the Vicksburg and Petersburg campaigns, nowhere was the entrenchment so obvious as in the Overland one. Most Civil War buffs know about the entrenchments at Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. But many will probably be surprised (as was I) that entrenchments were also dug in The Wilderness and at the Bermuda Hundred.

Hess' account of the evolution of fortifications in this stage of the war is well-written and entirely accessible to the nonspecialist. He tends to protect Grant from the general's worst critics, arguing (much as does James McPherson) that the huge cost of federal lives in the Overland in fact did succeed in strategically defeating Lee.

The photographs are priceless. I've actually never seen most of them before. Moreover, the line drawings of fortifications and entrenchments are brilliant. All in all, highly recommended.

This is the second book in a series on fortifications in the eastern theater during the Civil War. The first book covers the war up to this point, while reading the first book is not required; it is worth taking the time to do so. 1864 produced a major revision in how digging in and fighting behind entrenchments is viewed by both armies. Open field battle gives way to fighting from behind entrenchments as both sides maintain close contact for months. The war is no longer open fields with a mile between the armies. Both sides dug into the earth often closer than skirmish lines were in 1862. The book details this change and the impact on the commanders and men.

The author continues working fortifications into the overall campaign giving the reader an excellent history of the Overland Campaign in the process. This presentation keeps the subject fresh while presenting the nuanced tactical differences in a logical sequential manner. This is very much a battle history but the emphasis is on how fortifications changed the campaign even as the campaign changed fortifications.

Earl Hess is one of our best authors. In this series and this book, he manages to give the reader a rich learning experience coupled with an enjoyable read. This is not a beginner's book but can be enjoyed by anyone with some knowledge of the Civil War.

As a person very attracted to the colors & shapes of Viking Glass, I have enjoyed this book immensley! I have been able to identify most all pieces in my collection from this book and learned about new patterns, colors, shapes to look for in the future! I'm also looking forward to seeing a new book that covers 70's & beyond! Hope he's working on one! Thank you Dean Six!

As a glass collecting enthusiast I have read my share of collecting books through the years, and I have to say that this is the most visually appealing and informative books I have ever read. Viking made beatiful and colorful pieces of glass, and Dean Six's book captures the beauty of the glass while putting the pieces in a logical and historical context.

I highly recommend this book not only for the serious Viking collector, but for anyone who collect glass, is interested in history or enjoys a beautiful decorative arts book.

Beautifully compiled by Dean Six, the Schiffer edition of Viking Glass 1944-1970 is a superbly organized and presented collector's price guide enhanced with more 520 color photographs of the exceptional, painstakingly handmade glassware produced by the Viking Glass Company of New Martinsville, West Virginia from 1944 to 1970. Glorious color and design mark virtually every page of this beautiful display volume which will prove an invaluable reference for professional dealers and dedicated collectors.

This slim volume is like a slender candle that sheds much light over a topic that seems so confusing. Until you read this book, you may never understand why the Mid-East "Peace Process" was still-born. Orr weaves together short essays that leave an indelible impression on the tangled origins and uncertain future of America's closest ally in the Mid-East, Israel.

This slim volume is like a slender candle that sheds much light over a topic that seems so confusing. Until you read this book, you may never understand why the Mid-East "Peace Process" was still-born. Orr weaves together short essays that leave an indelible impression on the tangled origins and uncertain future of America's closest ally in the Mid-East, Israel.

The only thing to say about this collection of insightful essays is that it is perfect. Nowhere else can one find such succinct, incisive writing about a topic so deliberately obfuscated as the Middle East. In one essay, Orr writes an exact history of Israel in nine pages. Major news media organisations, such as TIME and NEWSWEEK, would do well to follow. Their pages-long analyses of Israel and the Palestinians lack the focus and commitment to honesty that Orr exudes on every page.

Orr's credentials are rock-solid, too: he is a citizen of Israel and a former member of the Israeli Defence Forces, so he knows that nation from the inside. While he believed at first in the righteousness of Israel's cause, as a soldier and member of civilian society he came to see the true, criminal nature of the state. He compares its siege mentality to that of the Nazis, a comparison only a Jew can make.

If you haven't time to digest great tomes on Israel and the Middle East, sift through this one-hundred page beauty and emerge a more enlightened man.

THIS BOOK IS AMAZING!!!! I COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN!! I've read it 4 times and I cry everytime, Mary is amazing in the book as well as in person!!! I recomend to all

This book is absolutely amazing. It made me sob, laugh, smile, sigh, and get chills down my spine. You don't have to be a horse lover in order to enjoy this book- (even though I am) you just have to be someone who wants a detailed, heart-warming story that you will never put down. Mary Mitchell Barnes describes the relationship with her horse, Chinkers, in such a touching way. She treated him like a human and a life-long friend instead of "just a horse." I think that is what really made this book fantastic. I am so glad I read this book because no other one can match this. A must read for anyone!!!!!

This is a truly WONDERFUL book. I couldn't put it down. It's a hearwarming story of the power of animals (and one horse in particular) and their effect on our lives and souls. The story flows, cativates, and entertains. The author's style is warm and believable. She made me laugh and cry. I wish all books were this good.

The Virginia Germans by Klaus Wust

The University Press of Virginia

1969

Contents:

Part One: 17th Century Forerunners covers the First Germans in Virginia.

Part Two:

In the Piedmont
In the valley of Virginia
First Consolidation
Indian Wars
Revolutionary War
Part Three:

Distribution of Colonial Stock
Bilingual Politics
Slavery
The German Churches
Cultural Resources
Folkways, Crafts & Arts
Vanishing Traces
Part Four:

Isolation and Nativism
Civil War and Reconstruction
German Americanism
Prohibition and World War
Notes

Bibliography

Index

Maps:

German Settlements 1714-1745

German Congregations in 1810

This is a great foundational work on the beginnings of the German element in Virginia. Sections cover the beginnings in the early 1600s and follow through to WWI. Most of the focus is on pre 1850 German settlements but also included is a chapter on the Civil War. If you can find it, get it!

I bought this book when my wife and I visited the Mennonite culture center in Lancaster County, Pa., in Jan. 1992. I've rarely enjoyed a book more, primarily because I was able to read it in very general information about the roots of part of my family, colonial era German-Americans living near persent-day Bristol, Va.-Tenn. who migrated over the Appalacians into Harlan County, Ky., around 1800. Wust describes the migration of the Germans down the Shenandoah Valley, settling the Allegheny side and leaving as remnants 3 isolated Va. German-speaking villages (non-Mennonite) even today. We did not visit those villages, but according to a Mennonite harness-maker in Dayton, Va., two of them still existed at that time. This is not something that you can learn about from official tourist info centers. Many of the German family names mentioned by Wust still exist in E. Ky., often in Anglicized form (Stambach=Stumbo or Stambaugh, Diehl=Deal, Joachim=Yoakim, etc). Written for hillbillies (and others) in search of their roots.

As a native Virginian, I don't know why it took me so long to discover this book. It's a great reference to have for both residents and visitors. I spent the first two hours just looking up points of interest and trivia about the Old Dominion. Virginia has so many historical sites that touring the state is like taking a class on the formation of America. A tourist can visit Revolutionary War Sites, Civil War Battlefields, scenic old towns, and the beautifully restored great houses, like Mount Vernon in Alexandria , Monticello in Charlottesville, Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg and, of course, the James River Plantations. Williamsburg is a must see for everyone.

This book's Introduction gives a little background of Virginia and some general history. The handbook is then divided into the five regional areas of the state. They are the Northern, Central, Coastal Plain, Southwest and the Shenandoah Valley. Within these divisions information is given on the counties and major cities. In each place, the historic sites, annual events, shopping places, museums, hotel accommodations, recreation areas, dining and local transportation are all listed and given detailed descriptions.

I think that the best way to truly critique a guide book is to read about an area that you know pretty well and see how the authors handled that region. All of the major sites were mentioned in my area and the accommodations and things to do were all covered. I checked out the restaurants listed and there were eight mentioned. I would have left out two. One major restaurant was not included. Other than that minor point, the authors gave a pretty accurate description of my area. This book is very concise and I believe it to be a very helpful guide to traveling in the great state of Virginia..

"Recommended for visitors who want to research a trip ahead of time and take the book along for repeated reference. Covers the parks, scenic highways and historic attractions of the state, including tips on everything from shopping and dining to hotels and entertainment. An excellent destination guide." The Bookwatch

This guidebook does a good job of presenting its information in a concise, meaningful way. You can easily flip through its well-marked sections and feel as if you are taking a trip all over Virginia! I like that each section (History, Shopping) starts with a quick intro, telling you the overall feel of that area. It's not afraid to tell you that one city is more known for its nightlife while another is known for its shopping malls. The beginning of the book includes an overall look at Virginian history, major cities, climate, major roadways and wildlife - great information for newcomers to have!

I wish programmers of many applications I use had read this book. It provides significant insight regarding how the interface affects the user; any programmer who reads the book will have happier users.
The book proves its own points via its own beautifully done "user interface".

This is a great book for a number of reasons:

1.It is short and practical.

2.This book is surprisingly thorough. I thought that this book might be too tactical and too focused on Microsoft Windows. It turned out to be full of general principles that could be applied in any software design situation. In fact it is full of information that would help any type of design process.

3.This book is well written and easy to read. I enjoyed reading this book.

4.Most of the principles in the book are timeless. Even though the examples are dated the principles can be applied today.

5.This book is written by someone who has had a huge impact on lots of real world software. The book reflects a lot of successful experience with high profile products. It is obvious that the author knows how to work with engineers and designers under high pressure situations and still manage to ensure strong design.

This book is a good introduction to the principles of interface design and how it affects the usability of a software product. It includes many examples and illustrations of the ideas outlined in the book. The content is easy to read and the full-color graphics are high quality. I think it is well worth reading and very helpful for both programmers and designers. My only caveat is that due to Howlett's work experience at Microsoft, many of her examples involve Microsoft products that follow the Microsoft interface standards. These standards may be limiting to some software products. But I was impressed with the overall quality of the information.

Virginia Beach can be a bit overwhelming and this book made my trip less stressful.

I didn't actually walk any of the suggested walks, but did see many of the sights highlighted in this book.

This little book is packed full of information. It's arranged in a logical manner and it's inexpensive. What more can you ask for?

As a resident of Virginia Beach I found new insight into the area. This informative guide is packed with history, information on natural resources and local trivia. I was not surprised to see Jackson's credentials. She knows her stuff! Congratulations Virginia Beach!

a great manual for a insider's look at a otherwise typical beach resort. the author shows you how with a little foot work you can visit first hand things that have a little more signifigance than a tacky t-shirt shop.

My daughters, ages 8 and 6, listened intently as I read 'Way Down Deep'. We truly enjoyed this book. We found it difficult to stop reading each night as they would ask for 'one more page'. The characters are colorful and vivid and charming. We laughed out loud when the townspeople turn the attempted bank robbery into an 'opportunity' and adopt the bank robber and his family. We breathed a sigh when Ruby made her decision about where her home is... who her family is. We will certainly re-read this book in the future.

Way Down Deep is a small town that is cradled between hills in the Appalachian Mountains. This special town "did not do things by the book". In 1944 on the first day of summer, a small redheaded girl is found abandoned in front of Way Down Deep's courthouse "she was in her petticoat, just sitting there on that bench where the old-timers like to hang out and swap lies" A toddler she can only respond that "woo-bee" is her name so the town adopts Ruby informally, " if Ruby's people were dumb enough to lose something as valuable as a child, then finders keepers, losers weepers". The sheriff whose "heart was way too soft and his mind too fuzzy for sheriffing" looks the other way rather than try to locate any relatives when Miss Arbutus who runs the rambling three-story boardinghouse called The Roost volunteers to raise the little girl until "her people" are found. Ruby, now eleven, thrives on the love extended to her by the townspeople. The setting is well established: A charming little map shows: Busy Street and Ward Street where there are businesses like Bevins's BarberShop, Pure Gas Station whose owner also runs the Boxcart Grill and the medical office of Mr. and Mrs. Doctor, one is a dentist, the other is a doctor.
The cast of delightful characters include: a man who arrives with a goat which he offers Miss Arbutus in exchange for lodging and food; this goat loves to stand on a Studebaker to view his new town, Ruby's classmate Reese who loves to sing but sings off-key "In his own mind he was the second coming of Hank Williams, but to everybody else he was as off-key as a hillbilly slung up drunk on moonshine", Mrs. Thornton Elkins a "cultured lady" whose husband died in their first year of marriage so she moves into the Roost to recuperate for a few weeks, then a few months, then a few years; when she runs out of money, donations of food items and bolts of dress material are left for her so she could wear "simple but stylish dresses". One day an inept bank robber who is easily confounded, scared of real guns and so carries a plastic gun, cries when he tries and fails to hold up the town bank successfully. When it turns out he arrived in town on a bus and plans to leave on a bus, the townspeople are too polite to suggest to him a getaway on a bus was not the best idea. Nevertheless, the townspeople "adopt" his family since he is down on his luck. When Ruby is eleven years old, an uncle shows up to reclaim her; the interior motive proves to be that she is required to take care of a constantly angry and bitter grandmother. Ruby ingeniously starts telling her stories about the nurturing town where she grew up. Later when Ruby insists on returning to Way Down Deep, the grandmother wants to move there too where she might finally have some friends. This is a charming and uplifting story of a community that treasures its children (the adults put on a Kid's Day to celebrate all of them) and offers help to those in need. Yes, the residents are nosey and news travels fast, yet who would not want to live in this unique town where the residents are respectful of each other's idiosyncrasies and extend their love and care to residents and strangers alike. This is a powerful story of redemption and acceptance that is humorous and filled with interesting characters.

Ruth White's WAY DOWN DEEP tells of a toddler found abandoned in a small town. Miss Arbutus takes her in and she leads a good life - but when Ruby is twelve a new family arrives in town with news of her past - and to learn more she must travel far from her newfound home. Is it worth it? A fine story of bonds and community connections evolves.

If you feel a little guilty after reading `The Well Ain't Dry Yet 'you were probably raised to believe eavesdropping is impolite. Sure, eavesdropping on the lives of fictional characters may not seem such a crime-after all, we do it all the time with books, TV, films, etc. But there's something about the characters and settings of Belinda Anderson's collection of eighteen short stories that just might fool your conscience.

We know these characters as people before even turning the first page. They are our friends, our enemies, our neighbors, our relatives and sometimes even ourselves. We wouldn't be surprised to find them in line with us at the grocery store or sitting two pews down from us at church. And like any community, Anderson's characters pass through one another's lives (stories) just as easily as the people they remind us of pass through our own.

For instance, if you don't currently have a cranky, troublesome neighbor like Mr. Wood from the story `Rainbow Ranch', you either have before or one day will and can take a tip on how to deal with him now. Or if you haven't yet been run off the road by a de facto member of the crazy old lady drivers club, who meet monthly in the story `Delivery', count yourself lucky and keep both eyes on the road when driving near the Princeton Cracker Barrel. And though you probably haven't driven around for years with your dead sister's ashes taking up space in your trunk, you can probably sympathize with the long-standing jealousy leading the main character of `Hauling Evelyn' to do so.

Some of Anderson's tales take on a dark subtext, such as `Marital Bliss', or infuriate you at the pure selfishness of people, as the story `Junior' does. Ultimately, though, even these stories remain hopeful that a better day is just around the corner.

`The Well Ain't Dry Yet' is cross-section of life as we know it in West Virginia. Anderson's characters feel as though they were living their lives before we opened the book and will go on living them after we've closed it again. She's merely allowed us to eavesdrop on them for a little while, with perhaps a little guilt for having done so. This is Anderson's true accomplishment.

(This review originally appeared in the Reader's Corner weekly column of the West Virginia Daily News, April 1, 2002 edition.)

This is a touching book with realistic characters that could almost be our neighbors or friends. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of this book is the ability of each character's tale to stand on its own, but also work together as one book or "novel." Anderson is a very talented writer whose work will indeed delight her readers. She is truly one of the most memorable writers of Appalachian fiction as well as one of the most talented writers I have ever known. Her work is very touching and her characters' tales tug at our heart's strings and invite us to feel something for someone we have never met before. But a closer look shows that these characters may not be such strangers at all. Their pain is so real and so familiar.

A great work, certainly meant for the shelf or even the coffee table of all frequent readers of fiction.

In The Well Ain't Dry Yet, prize-winning author Belinda Anderson shares with her audience her insider's eye about a collection of people who come from the hills of West Virginia, but who could have come from just about anyplace where the people have spunk and care about each other. Characters in The Well Ain't Dry Yet, such as quilter Twilight Dawn Johnson, who puts bits of other people's lives in perspective to patch together a lifetime of memories and hopes in each quilt for her friends and neighbors, remind us of ourselves and our neighbors at our best and funniest moments.