Booknotes IV (June '14)

New Arrivals:

1. The Civil War as Global Conflict: Transnational Meanings of the American Civil War edited by David T. Gleeson & Simon Lewis (Univ of SC Press, 2014).

In recent years, a few books have explored in new degrees of depth the international dimensions of the Civil War. This one has twelve essays involving a rainbow of domestic and international contexts (countries under discussion include Spanish Cuba, Brazil, Britain, Russia, the German states, Santo Domingo and more) and a concluding round table discussion. Follow the link to view the full table of contents.

2. This Jolly Little Gunboat: The USS Winona On the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River 1861 - 1863 edited by Patrick E. Purcell (Camp Pope Publishing 2014).

Students of the naval war on the lower Mississippi will have frequently encountered the 90-day gunboat Winona in their readings. This book is the edited diary of coal heaver (not my preferred seaman job) Montgomery P. Griffis. Editor Purcell contributes both narrative sections and diary annotations. According to the description, there is substantial coverage of river operations between December 1861 and August 1863.

Also, a "Coming Soon" note on the publisher's website mentions a pair of titles -- Confederate "Tales of the War" Part 4: Spring 1864: From Winter Camp to Pleasant Hill and Jenkins Ferry as well as a regimental history of the 22nd Iowa.