History Books

I was fortunate enough to see the Gee's Bends quilts when they toured in Houston, and they are astonishingly beautiful. The women who made these quilts found an artistic outlet in their functional craft, and these quilts represent the truest form of modern art, sewn well before painters used oil and canvas that mimic the quilt designs. This book does a beautiful job of presenting the quilts for the enjoyment of all those who can't see them in person.

In July 2006, I saw the exhibit of the Quilts of Gees Bend at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco I didn't fully realize the importance of the quilts, so I didn't buy the book and regretted it. The quilts and their story, are haunting. Since then I have heard the quilts referred to as the the most outstanding example of US art.

Whenever I talked to quilters, I wished that I had the book to show them. Now I have it and I am very happy with the purchase. The book is beautiful and the photograhs of the quilts are great.

Because of the personal stories, the beautiful layout and large, clear colorful pictures this book was like candy to read. I learned about the history of the area, the closeness of the community and families, and the sharing and pride of a folk art. I love when people find an outlet for their art in surprising and practical ways.

The book "The Quilts of Gee's Bend" by William Arnett is a great book of history within a particular culture that is rich in resourcefulness and creativity. It easy to read if one enjoys life stories that are true and down to earth. The pictures complete the full circle of this culture- use what is available and enjoy the outcome. The world could learn a lot from this book. The Quilts of Gee's Bend: Masterpieces from a Lost Place

I remember the first time I saw photographs of the quilts of Gee's Bend in a magazine about seven years ago. I couldn't wait to learn about the amazing artists whose vision the quilts portray. This book is more outstanding than I imagined it could be. It is powerful, beautiful, sensitive, and historically accurate. I recommend The Quilts of Gee's Bend to anyone with an eye for artistic genius and a love for discovering a community of women willing to express themselves outside the box of convention. How refreshing and inspiring! Simply Exceptional!!

A very well done book. Big glossy pictures of some of the greatest Baseball artifacts in America. Probably the closest I will get to seeing these in person.

As a lover of the old days of baseball (prior to the 1970's) , and with an interest in various types of artifacts pertaining to the old days, this book wonderfully broadened my horizons. The sections on baseball cards was especially fascinating for me as i do some collecting to add to some as i had as a kid (50's-60's).
would recommend this book to anyone remotely interested in the old days of baseball or collects baseball memorabilia.

I purchased this as a gift and the recipient was thrilled with it. I did sneak a peak before giving it away and enjoyed it immencely.

Stephen Wong has created a drop-dead gorgeous look at some of the game's great artifacts, and many will be surprised to learn that they are not at the Baseball Hall of Fame nor even at the Smithsonian (despite the book's title). The game's artifacts extend way beyond the cards and gimcrack collectibles sold at the ballpark, and Wong has deftly toggled his focus from collectible to collector and back again, providing a memorable prose portrait of the lively game played off the field. I cannot recommend this brilliantly conceived book highly enough.

This beautiful book belongs in every baseball enthusiast's library, but it would be a mistake to keep it on the shelves. Author Stephen Wong has partnered with the Smithsonian to publish the most stunning book on baseball on the market. It deserves to be on your coffee table not only because of its wonderful photographs but also due to the wonderfully rich way he presents the history of the game. Wong gained remarkable access to the sport's foremost collectors, combing through hundreds of images and memorabilia items. The payoff is tremendous for anyone with an interest in baseball or, for that matter, in American history and culture. Readers will learn the essential facts about the game, and the fascinating tidbits, such as the origins of the curve ball. They then get to see remarkable shots, some most unusual - from folk art statues to Don Larsen's enshrined shoes from his perfect game to the bricks of former stadiums. In fact, this book should be placed in the Hall of Fame!

A very good read - very unflinching in terms of sexuality - quite bawdy in places.

What a trip! We just moved to the South a few years ago (First Atlanta, now the Delta), and I'm wishing someone had recommended this a while back. It helps with so many things! All the contradictions, the unexplained rules, the assumptions and the wacky productions...King helps it all make sense, with great humor and flair. If you enjoy this, I also recommend Gayden Metcalfe's books: Being Dead is No Excuse (about funerals in the South) and Somebody is Going to Die if Lily Beth Doesn't Catch that Bouquet (Southern weddings, obviously). Enjoy!

This book was delivered earlier than expected. I had read the hardback copy which I lost through loaning it. The book is about southerners and for an southerner, it explains all the people I have come to know.. I know every character described in the book.

This is my second reading of this book, separated by 15 years. I fondly remembered it as an hilarious work, yet this time halfway through I realized that I, and most of my family, lurk in the pages. We Southerners have families loaded with women who "go to pieces" and men who think they still live in the Middle Ages. We have legacies of spoiled, sassy belles and proud, wounded gallants still fighting the War Between the States. Sometimes we leave Mama's house shuttered for decades because "she never wanted her things disturbed". That which would cause hardly a concern in Omaha becomes a major issue in Richmond. Although the names change the cast is the same. It's all here, and none of it is made up-each character continues to thrive by the thousands in the South. If you want to understand Southerners you cannot just eat burgoo and wine jelly with custard-Southern Ladies and Gentlemen is a must for any true aficionado of this beautiful culture.

Indispensable for both natives and transplants. Absolutely the best analysis of the Southern mindset that I have ever encountered -- I'm a native -- and a dangerously funny read to boot. Ms. King writes with a caustic wit wrapped in an ever-so-delicate velvet glove. I quote her insights often, and almost always end up having to get yet another copy to give to someone. The South really has its own flavor -- from Faulkner to Foxworthy -- and Florence King has it all neatly summed up. Everything I have read of hers so far is worthwhile.

This book covers it all, from the beginning all the way to the end. A great read, couldn't put it down. Historical accurate and very touching, two thumbs up!

To my knowledge, no other comprehensive presentation of the Pacific theater brings home the chilling reality of the US Marine Corps island campaign as Strong Men Armed by Robert Leckie. It's all here: the frenzied horror of amphibious assault under massed fire, the slogging through sodden, malarial jungles, the hand-to-hand slugfest required to rid each island of an entrenched and implacable foe, and the truly uncommon selflessness that led to a multitude of Medal of Honor recipients.

Gaudalcanal, Bougainville, New Britain, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other Pacific assaults are presented in detail from the perspective of enlisted and commissioned marines. Both infantry and air wing receive their due as Leckie is equally skilled at describing the Marine Corps aerial domination of the Japanese fighter and bomber.

I've read my fair share of WWII history and it is in awe and suspense that I ripped through this gritty, sometimes ghastly, yet ultimately inspirational book. Leckie's Strong Men Armed is a military masterpiece. I cannot offer a stronger recommendation. 5+ stars.

Robert Leckie's vivid account of WWll Marine Corps history is a must read for any military enthusiast. Reading this gripping tale of Leathernecks fighting their way through the steamy jungles of the far east isles with such distant names as; Guadacanal, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, will leave you with an unequvical respect for the valient men who sacrificed their lives for our country. As a former Marine I have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid in the Pacific Theater. This book will never let me forget the cost in blood and lives my beloved countrymen paid, so that we may have our freedom. Leckie's book memorializes our fighting Marines: Men like, Manila John Bastilone, Chesty Puller, Red Mike Edson, and countless others who,"went above and beyond the call of duty", for the love of our country, God, and Corps. STRONG MEN ARMED, should be read by every boot, NCO, and Commissioned Officer of the United States Marine Corps as a reminder of the heroic and gallant sacrifice our Marines paid for our way of life. May the Marine Corps live forever!

An excellent overview of the US Marine Corps campaigns in the Pacific against the Japanese. The author conveys the intensity of the violence and difficulties faced by both the marines and the Japanese. I had not appreciated how tenuous the Guadalcanal campaign was and how close to disaster it came. Leckie also outlines the gradual shift of the Japanese attempts to defeat the marines (i.e. 'win') to a strategy of inflicting as many casualties as possible, knowing they would ultimately be defeated, in the hopes that the US would be forced to negotiate a peace settlement. As I read the book, I was struck by the similarities with the present anti-terrorist campaign in Iraq. They cannot win in a classic military sense, but are willing to carry on in the hope they will inflict as many casualties as possible, breaking the will of the US. Overall, an excellent read and a very good reference for anyone's library.
JM Garrick
Cdr USN (Ret)

Robert Leckie is one of the best writers of history and this maybe his best work. This is a clear, concise, comprehensive account of the Island War in the Pacific. Clearly written, Leckie puts his reader into the picture while teaching, producing a potent combination of entertainment and learning. You can get hooked on history reading Leckie; I did as a teenager.

Robert Leckie lived many of these actions and his personal experiences makes the narration more real as the reader senses his feelings and experiences. However, this is a history not a personal account and we never get lead down the path of experience. This is the best account of the Island War ever written by a top-flight author.

This book is very good for anyone who wants to really know what Jews went through during the Holocaust. Until We Meet Again holds your attention, and is for anyone and everyone.
In the time of the holocaust under Hitler's rule there was a two teenage lovers, a boy named Meyer and a girl named Manya. They lived in the little town Hrubieszow, Poland,in a ghetto like all the rest of the Jews. Then the day came that they were transported out of the ghetto to the first concentration camp. They were torn from each other and their families as the were moved from one concentration camp to the next.But before they departed, Meyer and Manya made a promise to each other: No matter what happens, stay alive until liberation and meet back at Hrubieszow. Will they both survive the brutal and vicious days of the holocaust? Will they make it to each other in time? Read this true story of love, life and survival and find out.

-written by: Kelsey Bishop

In the small town of Hrubieszow Poland, two lovers Meyer and Manya attempt to escape to terrible hands of the German Nazi Soldiers. When many atempts to escape fail, both lovers suffer deportation, seperation, and close-to-death situations. Going to camps such as Flossenburg and Aushwits both Manya and Meyer struggle to hold on, but at the same time rely on one day being together back in Hrubieszow. When both of them believe they will never be reunited with they're families after the war has ended, Meyer and Manya's son Michael Korenblit finds out some informations on his mothers family while making this book.

This book is the most amazing, Holocaust book I have ever read. There is not one book that has takin my breath away or have drawn tears to my eyes such as this one has. Imagine having nothing to hold on to, Do you think Manya and Meyer would have survived without one another? As hard as it got, thoughts of being with eachother kept Meyer and Manya still holding on. I recomend this book to anyone, because out there there really is a God and if you ever loose everything, faith is one thing you cant loose.

I think this is an incredible book and I don't think the Editorial Review does it any justice. The Editorial Reviewer understood that the story was incredibly moving and wanted it to be written more fairy tale-like, however it is not any fantasy-like because it is and was SO REAL and I think Korenblit perfectly captures its highly-emotive atmosphere. I suggest this as a read not only for historical information about the Holocaust but as an overall life-lesson that love can make you strong and that among all evil there will always be some good.

I met M. Kornblit, received his book, and read it in two days! It caused me to be thankful for every minute I live in a peaceful country, every morsel of food I partake, every single material thing I have...It is truly the most unforgettable book I'll ever read.

I'll admit that this book started out a little slowly for me, but by about chapter 18, I began to be drawn more and more into the story of teenage sweethearts Manya and Meyer, Manya's little brother Chaim, and their friends (even though the writing style employed wasn't always that dramatic or riveting). The story begins when Manya and one of her brothers, Chaim, make the very difficult decision to leave their family in the hiding place in the wall of their house in the ghetto of Hrubieszow to join Meyer's family hiding in a haystack, in 1942. Perhaps I would have been more drawn into the story initially had it begun earlier on and slowly introduced the characters and situation, instead of starting off rather in media res. And perhaps the events might have come even more alive for me had the book been written in the first person instead of by two secondhand parties. It also kind of kills the dramatic surprise by revealing at the beginning that Chaim was discovered in early 1982, with the reader knowing all along he survived instead of only saving it for the epilogue, when it would have had far greater dramatic effect.

All that said, however, the book does a rather good job at conveying the increasingly trapped and horrific situation the characters found themselves in. Many of the decisions they made, and breaks from outsiders they got which ended up contributing to their eventual survival, could be attributed to only luck, since many other people in similar situations might have had far different fates for making or not making those same decisions. After leaving the haystack, Manya, Meyer, and Chaim returned to the new ghetto in Hrubieszow, where they were put to "legitimate" work, though always in constant danger of brutality and deportations. Sometime in 1943 (the book isn't very good at all about giving a specific timeline of when exactly a lot of this stuff happened), Chaim was taken, and then a bit later on Manya, Meyer, and a few of their friends were deported as well. Initially the young lovers were in the same camp, but were eventually separated, promising to meet again in Hrubieszow at the end of the war. The two of them went through a seemingly endless stream of camps over the next two years, suffering bestial treatments and conditions, but got through with a little help from their friends, and, most importantly, their love for one another. Under such intense times, what would have been just a routine teenage romance in ordinary time turned into something much more serious, emotions magnified as people turned and clung to those they already had a powerful connection to, nurturing and keeping alive the one remaining thing that they still knew for sure, that kept them sane, human, hopeful, normal. It seems amazing to people living in comfort in the present day that love could have survived and even flourished under such awful inhuman conditions, but after reading a powerful story such as this one, it doesn't seem like a surprising phenomenon at all.

I realize that this is standard reading for the USMC, but it is billed as a tome for the civilian as well. I found it a bit too general for tactics, both for personal protection, as well as for law enforcement. OK as a general overview of battlefield/global warfare, but not easily adapted to other uses.

Warfighting has a very rare characteristic for a book: it depictes much more than it expresses across its pages.

I'm a former Alumnus of the most prestigious Italian Military School (Nunziatella, est. 1787), and in a sense a bit of someone with the military gene inside, having had my grand-grandfather in the Army and my father in the Air Force.

Presently I'm a manager involved in the medical field, working for one of the top pharma companies worldwide.

Looking at this book with both types of spectacles, I found a very remarkable piece of work, which deserved a very special place in my library, side to side with groundbreaking books like "The Prince" by Machiavelli, "The art of war" by Sun Tzu and "About war" by von Clausewitz.

Warfighting depicts the operating modalities of a recognized military Corp, the US Marines, and gives precious insights to commanders, for example about how leveraging skills and manouvering when fighting against a numerically stronger adversary.

When simply substituting the words "officer" or "commander" in the text with "manager", Warfighting becomes a leading-edge manual about ways of conducting business in the modern world, by lean, mobile and highly professional organizations more than by the old-style molochs.

Only tens of pages, dense of significance, something you will never forget.

Amazing.

Good book to instill leadership qualities in your workforce. This should be the basis for required college course in all business degree programs.

If you're into winning any sort of competition, not just warfare, this is an excellent book to read, concise and to the point. You can read it in a few hours and be forever changed by it. My only criticism is that, judging from the endnotes, it leans a bit too much on Carl von Clausewitz and too little on modern thinkers such as John Boyd, a USAF fighter pilot whose impact on Marine Corps tactics is considerable and widely acknowledged. As the disasters of subsequent German history would demonstrate, war is not, as Clausewitz believed, diplomacy taken to a new level. Wars are much more costly and difficult to extract oneself from than a conference in Geneva.

Also keep in mind that it's not enough to win a war. You also need to win the peace that follows. During World War I and for several years afterward there was a fierce debate over how to make a peace that would last. Pacifists thought the world would come to learn that wars don't pay, an idea so absurd no one mentions it today. Internationalists thought the League of Nations could keep the peace, even though it soon failed its first test, a war between Poland and Russia that immediately followed the war. Militarists, a group little seen immediately after such a bloody war, continued to insist on the importance of bigger and bigger battleships. Even Churchill, although he later regretted it, thought for a time that disarmament would work.

In retrospect, there was only a few who got it right and the one who got it right the best was a popular English writer, G. K. Chesterton. In 1932 he would warn that Germany was going to find itself a dictator and that the next war would break out over a border dispute between Germany and Poland, precisely what happened in 1939.

If you want to win a war, read this book. If you want to learn how one war can be used to prevent the next war, read Chesterton, who bluntly wrote in 1917 that, "Peace without victory is war without excuse." Chesterton also gave some of the most telling arguments against pacifism ever put into print, noting that: "the real point against the cause of Pacifism is that it is not a cause at all, but only a weakening of all causes. It does not announce any aim; it only announces that it will never use certain means in pursuing any aim. It does not define its goal; it only defines a stopping-place, beyond which nobody must go in the search for any goal."

--Michael W. Perry, Editor of Chesterton on War and Peace: Battling the Ideas and Movements that Led to Nazism and World War II

Elegant in its simplicity, powerful and profound in its application -- this is a superb, practical primer on leadership.

I enjoyed reading about Archer, Zahra(the Union spy), Arminata(Hariett Tubman), Archer's brothers, and mama. As always there is our history(black America), told by one of us, and a little erotica. However, the erotica is not lewd and is simply a small part of the story.

I love the Le'Veqs! I could hardly wait for this one to come out after I read the profile and found out it was about one of my favorite families (it's a tie between them and the Vachons). This one is defintely in my BJ's Top 5. 1. Indigo, 2. A Chance at Love, 3. Before the Dawn, 4. Winds of the Storm, 5. Jewel.

This series is Stellar. Not only are they well written and identifiable romance novels, they also take you on a journey in the life of the people of those times. It is a truly remarkable and educational reading experience. These period pieces are my all time favorite!

Another Beverly Jenkins hit. I've just about read all of Beverly Jenkins books and trust me this woman can deliver the best...it's never a disappointment with anything she's written. This is a wonderful historical romance book, if you are interested in black history and what black people have done to make the many contributions that we've had to this country, read this book. Beverly does an extensive amount of research when she writes historical books, or any book for that matter and is excellent with providing further insight and websites to further your knowledge. This is another book that doesn't disappoint.

Indigo was the first book I read by Beverly Jenkins. Afterwards, I purchased most of her books. I've also purchased a couple of the books that she lists in her Author's Note. Her characters are so life-like. Sometimes I wish I could be transported back in time to see what life was really like for 19th century African Americans.

I purchased this book as I was begining treatment for Depression and even though it may have "nothing to do with zen", the message of the book does bring a zen-like peace when I read it. I would recomend this book to anyone going through tough times.

This book is a great example of good things coming in small packages. At only 142 pages, it can easily be read over a long weekend and the only reason you'll stop reading is when you stop and reflect on what's inside. Prentiss presents some great elemental concepts of thinking and perspective in a clear, easy to read manner.

I will admit some of the descriptions and anecdotes were a bit tough to grasp at first, but when Prentiss tells the story of his reaction when his new car got scratched everything in the book seemed to fall into place for me. When that happened, I actually went back to page one and it was as if I was seeing through some kind of fog for the first time.

For me, this book is a great first step - I've since picked up several other books on Zen thought and Buddhism and I hope I'm as happy with learning from them as I am with this great little book. Prentiss' book has also inspired me to act on a daily basis - to create good habits and to stop playing the victim card so often. This book will stay in my permanent collection and I will be purchasing copies for my friends and family soon.

I love this book! It's small, yet profound. One of the best books I've ever read and I read a lot! I've bought several more to give to others. If you are thinking about getting a copy - get one and then once you read it, you'll probably want to get more for your friends/family. I also recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's books- very very good.

Once in a while, along comes a book that simply 'blow's your mind'and at the same time increases your understanding about life like nothing else does. The Zen art of happiness is just such a book.
Before I read it I used to wonder why adverse occurances in my life happened. In fact I used to dwell constantly about them making myself unhappy into the bargain.
The author, Chris Prentiss asks the reader to start off by accepting the premise that these so-called 'adverse events' are perfect for us and exactly what we need to work on in order to strengthen our weaknesses.
Not only that, he maintains that 'the Universe' (some would say God) knows our every word, thought and deed and responds by sending these occurances to us.
He maintains that we constantly contravene 'Universal Laws'(example is the law of cause and effect)that are as real as gravity and unlike man-made laws, never change and are applicable to everyone no matter where they live on the earth.
The book is only 160 pages long, but is packed with information that feels 'intuitively true'.
I am now into my fourth time of reading and I am still as excited by his work as I was the first time.
If you want to become happier by making sense of life, then get this book that I rate as one of the best I have ever read.

I think this is a great little book. I am a Christian... where as some Christians think reading a buddhist book goes away from Christ, many of the topics and practices of the buddhist are very Christ like. Where the author may speak about the energy of the universe, I just see that as God. Great reminders here to remove our focus off ourselves and think of our neighbors... and isn't that also what Christ taught! Great book for anyone trying to grow in who they are... I will read this one over and over.

Bravo! This book should be in every teacher's professional library! The world we live in today exposes children to the many ugly sides of humanity. Too often the people they look up to and aspire to become are not worthy of their devotion. Dennis Deneberg and Lorraine Roscoe have presented kids with an opportunity to meet real heroes. I use this book each year to define what it means to be a hero and to help 5th graders look beyond "famous" to see quality of character. This book inspires children to the best! Thank you Dennis and Lorraine! I am ready for the next edition!

Great Book --- I love the way it is written. It gives the reader not only information about a wonderful variety of American Heroes but asks questions about how the reader might be challenged to a higher standard. I'm looking forward to introducing my grandson to this book. I'm sure he will find many heroes in the book that he will want to find out more about.

As a 5th grade teacher in a mostly rural area, this book has allowed my students to get to know so many different American heroes. I was so impressed with the book myself, that I read the whole book cover to cover in one night! I have had parents of my students ask if their child could bring the book home so they (the parents) could read it and enjoy it as well. Our school wrote a grant in order to purchase about 50 copies of the book and it was probably some of the best money our district has ever spent! I highly recommend this book for readers of all ages - it's a gem!

My New Year's resolution..one of them, is to read more with and in front of my children. I brought this book home and read to them one or two of the figures. They LOVED it. We read from it almost every night now. They fight over who gets to pick the figure we read about and actually ask me to go and get it. It's really nice that they are learning about older historical figures but also recognize some of the faces they are reading about. I try to make my kids understand that great people are not born that way they are normal people who aspire to greatness. This is a great way to teach them that and then some!!

I read all these great reviews, so of course I got the book. It's good. I like that each hero has two pages, and the book is thought-provoking.

But it's slanted...

These _are_ good heroes to admire, but for the life of me, I can't think why a book like this would include Sandra Day O'Connor and exclude Clarence Thomas.

I prefer the Childhood of Famous Americans series -- the books are more in-depth and enjoyable, and more politically neutral.

Just finished reading "All for the Union", and it's well worth the effort. A quicker, light read -but highly interesting and lives up to its buzz.

I won't repeat the very good commentary in previous Amazon book reviews, but I will offer these observations:
- As this diary is a day-to-day account by a front line Union officer, I'm surprised at how much idle time there was- especially during the winter months (ala Revolutionary War).

- It's amazing that units in the same corps can be so frequently rotated in & out of the front line battle. During the siege of Petersburg, the rotating (and advancing / retreating) was frequent. My thought when reading the book was that the high-level Generals better know what they are doing, as the unit leaders closer to the front probably DON'T have much visibility into "big picture" plans and tactics.

- Glad I never have to rely upon foraging off the land, and eating hard tack and other nasty field provisions. Tough folks, these soldiers. Especially my people, the Irish, who suffered bad injuries when playing horse games on their days off..

Enjoy this very good Civil War book!

We have works on the Civil War written by generals (e.g., the memoirs of Ulysses Grant and James Longstreet) and other officers (E. P. Alexander, Moxley Sorrell). However, equally valuable is the view from the bottom, by the foot soldiers. From the Confederate side, the paradigm example is Sam Watkins, "Company Aytch". From the Union side, Elisha Hunt Rhodes fills the bill. He rose through the ranks, and his diaries and letters provide a first-hand, ground-level view of the war in the east. As the Introduction by one of his descendants notes (Page xv): "He participated in every campaign of the Army of the Potomac from Bull Run to Appomattox with rapid promotions up to the rank of colonel in 1865."

Incidents are described plainly and with an eye from the front. On pages 15 and following, he describes the march to Bull Run, the state of the troops, the weariness experienced on that march. Then, the battle itself and aftermath are described in an economical manner. Here and after, his observations of fellow soldiers and officers is most useful, giving the reader a sense of what he was perceiving.

On pages 106 and following is his description of his regiment's (2nd Rhode Island) and his corps' (VI Corps under General John Sedgwick) march to and role at Gettysburg. While the corps arrived late, its uniting with the rest of the Army of the Potomac was a great morale boost for the Union forces, as this Corps was the largest in the northern army, bringing it to full strength at this bloody conflict.

Then, his description of the bloody battle at the Wilderness, where he took the measure of Grant, after vicious fighting. In his diary on May 7th, 1864, he noted (page 138): "If we were under any other General except Grant I should expect a retreat, but Grant is not that kind of soldier, and we feel that we can trust him." In that phrase, he captures nicely the bulldog tenacity of Grant as a General, and identifying what was different from him compared with other commanders of the Army of the Potomac.

His rendering the campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, where General Phil Sheridan jousted with Jubal Early's forces is is insightful. He speaks of the classic surprise assault on the Union position while Sheridan was off consulting with Washington. The surprise attack rolled up the Union lines for a time, although the VI Corps held pretty well. His description of Sheridan's role is interesting, as his simple coda for this indicates (page 185): "Hurrah for Sheridan!"

And, finally, these lines (page 221): "Glory to God in the highest. Peace on earth, good will to men! Thank God Lee has surrendered and the war will end soon." Thus, his response at Appomattox Court House.

As with Sam Watkins' observations, so, too, with Rhodes'. These observers provide a valuable and insightful perspective on the war from the ground level. Well recommended for those interested in the soldier's view of the Civil War.

Whie the Army of the Potomac suffered the usual soldier hardships we also have to realize these soldiers suffered some very bad generals in comparison to the Army of the Tennessee. We see the participants sense of this in the memoir. It is best placed in the heirarchy of the Civil War memoirs it must be placed beside Sam Watkins's "Co. Aytch." High praoise indeed.

Anyone who is interested in the Civil War has to read this book. All for the Union is the diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes and covers the four years that he spent in the Union army. Entry by entry, the reader can watch Rhodes go from an enthusiastic young man, to hard, weary soldier. Appalled by the death and destruction early in the book, by the end, laying down to sleep between the dead and dying barely justifies a comment. A wonderful read.

If you are interested in more than big names and big battles this book is well worth reading. Elisha Hunt Rhodes shares his experiences from his enlistment as a boy having never been away from home until his mustering out as a man having earned the rank of Col. He writes in an honest straight forward manner about every aspect of daily life. His strong belief in duty, sense of right and wrong and his ever important sense of humor show in everything he writes. He's an optimist that made it through the war with all these attributes intact. Thankfully for us he kept this diary so that we can understand a little more about life during the Civil War.