Booknotes (April '14)

New Arrivals:

1. The River Was Dyed with Blood: Nathan Bedford Forrest & Fort Pillow by Brian Steel Wills (Univ of Okla Pr, 2014).

For one reason or another, none of the published Fort Pillow histories have proven entirely satisfactory (to me, anyway). Maybe Wills's study, which examines the subject from a multitude of angles in a compact 200 page narrative, will be the best yet.

2. Manassas: A Battlefield Guide by Ethan Rafuse (Univ of Neb Pr, 2014).

Both major battles are the focus of this guide, with numerous additional side trips to sites associated with the campaigns but located outside park limits, including a Chantilly "excursion."

3. Battles and Massacres on the Southwestern Frontier: Historical and Archaeological Perspectives edited by Ronald K. Wetherington and Frances Levine (Univ of Okla Pr, 2014).

This is a collection of essays comparing the historical narratives of four mid-nineteenth century killing grounds in the Southwest -- Cieneguilla, Adobe Walls, Sand Creek, and Mountain Meadows -- with the physical findings of modern archaeology.