Booknotes III (July '14)

New Arrivals:

1. The Bluffton Expedition: The Burning of Bluffton, South Carolina, During the Civil War by Jeff Fulgham (Lulu, 2013).

You know it's a slow release season when I can finish a book before it even gets listed in the latest Booknotes. Books about Civil War South Carolina seacoast operations remain startlingly rare, so books like this tempt me to take a chance with a self-published manuscript by an unknown author. It's a better than average effort in that regard, but with extra large print and lots of background material it feels more like a long article padded out. If you're interested in the constant amphibious raiding that occurred in and around the sea islands and inland waterways between Savannah and Charleston [Civil War Bluffton sat atop a piece of high ground overlooking the May River a short distance west of Hilton Head Island], it might be worth it to you to check it out.

2. A Lincoln Dialogue by James A. Rawley, edited by William G. Thomas (Univ of Neb Pr, 2014).

"The final project of James A. Rawley, a preeminent historian of the Civil War era, A Lincoln Dialogue cross-examines Lincoln’s major statements, papers, and initiatives in light of the comments and criticism of his supporters and detractors. Drawn from letters and newspapers, pamphlets and reports, these statements and responses constitute a unique documentary examination of Abraham Lincoln’s presidency."