Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Booknotes (January '13)

New Arrivals:

1. Railroad Defenses of the Blue Grass: The Defenses of the Kentucky Central Railroad, Lexington & Frankfort Railroad and Kentucky River during the Civil War (1861-1865) by Charles H. Bogart and William M. Ambrose (Yellow Sparks Pr, 2012).

The title gives you a good idea of the scope, and there is also some limited information about a number of Confederate raids that tested these defenses. In addition to the text, the book is a remarkable compilation of photos, drawings, and maps. There's no web link for online ordering, but the following information came with the book:

Yellow Sparks Press, 201 Pin Oak Pl, Frankfort, KY 40601
$25 + $4 shipping. Contact:  frankfortrail@fewpb.net

2. Bluejackets in the Blubber Room: A Biography of the William Badger, 1828-1865 by Peter Kurtz (Univ of Ala Pr, 2013).

This 'ship biography' traces the William Badger's entire service, as merchantman and whaler before the Civil War to a supply ship during the conflict.  It supported the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at places like Beaufort and Wilmington.

2 comments:

  1. It's only January 3 but I think Kurtz has already won "title of the year".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If you're going to publish a book about a supply ship, you have to have a catchy title!

      Delete

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