Booknotes III (July '13)

New Arrivals:

1. Civil War Soldiers of Greater Cleveland: Letters Home to Cuyahoga County by Dale Thomas (The History Press, 2013).

This book combines narrative with excerpts from letters written by soldiers from the 103rd and 124th regiments serving in Kentucky and Tennessee, as well as those on the home front.

2. We Are in His Hands Whether We Live or Die: The Letters of Brevet Brigadier General Charles Henry Howard edited by David K. Thomson (UT Press, 2013).

A Mainer and Bowdoin College graduate, Howard fought in both eastern and western theaters, the former with the Army of the Potomac and the latter as reinforcements sent west in the wake of the Chickamauga disaster. The letters convey the central role that religion played in Howard's life and cover a long period before, during, and after the war (1852 - 1908).

3. Hidden History of Civil War Tennessee by James B. Jones, Jr. (The History Press, 2013).

The Hidden History books are story based series from The History Press. I glanced through an earlier entry and was decidedly unimpressed with its 'history-lite' nature, but this one looks entirely different, with a much more scholarly and professional approach to the research and writing. Makes me want to revisit some of the other titles.

4. The Raiding Winter by Michael Bradley (Pelican, 2013).

A published literature synthesis, Raiding Winter is an overview history of the series of western theater Confederate cavalry raids conducted by Forrest, Morgan, Van Dorn, and Wheeler from December 12, 1862 through January 3, 1863. The decision to include no maps or illustrations was not a good one.