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ANTIETAM
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$25.00
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Croker, Richard,
TO MAKE MEN FREE:
A Novel of the Battle of Antietam.
NEW copy. Hardcover with dust jacket.
(HarperCollins, 2004). 448 pages.
~~~ From Kirkus Reviews: "A capable imagining of American history's bloodiest battle,
punctuated by whizzing Minie balls, howling legions, and gloomy pronouncements by Lincoln and Lee.
Documentary filmmaker Croker-a son of the South, where traditionalists still call the horrible fight
at Antietam Creek, Maryland, the Battle of Sharpsburg-strikes a fine balance between genre conventions
("he moved inexorably against the badly outnumbered but greatly determined Rebs") and modern touches
meant to humanize players since engraved and enshrined (George McClellan suffers from neuralgia, Clara
Barton braves riding on a man's saddle). Occasionally he channels a little overwritten period prose:
"His face, already red from Virginia's summer sun, now glowed with blood as he finally surrendered to
his rage." And, strange to say, he even surrenders himself to the Great Man school of history, such that
his main characters rarely rank below field grade, while common soldiers largely serve as extras meant to
be slain or at least mauled. Still, for the most part,
Croker delivers a tale that would do a Bruce Catton or Shelby Steele proud. He is conscious of the myriad historical accidents that went into two great armies' not-so-chance encounter not so far from Washington, conscious of the shades of meaning over which contemporary historians are now arguing. On the latter score, Croker does a credible job of exploring the depths of Northern resistance to Lincoln's call for the emancipation of Southern slaves; late in the narrative, Lincoln-who is as besieged as any general in the field-quashes a small rebellion in the making after hearing two midlevel officers discuss the wisdom of negotiating a peace by allowing slavery to endure,even as poor headache-plagued George McClellan threatens mutiny before a much larger audience. ("I wish to make an example," Lincoln intones, and so he does.) For all the political intrigue and human-interest background, however, there's plenty of mayhem for those who like their historical fiction awash in blood, as Croker's surely is. A solid debut, well researched and delivered."
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$26.00
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McPherson, James M.,
CROSSROADS OF FREEDOM: ANTIETAM: The Battle that Changed the Course of the Civil War.
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1001).
Maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, 203 pages.
~~~ The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, was the bloodiest single day in American history, with
more than 6,000 soldiers killed. Here, James M. McPherson paints a masterful account of this pivotal battle, the events
that led up to it, and its aftermath. McPherson vividly describes a day of savage fighting in locales that became forever
famous - the Cornfield, the Dunkard Church, the West Woods, and Bloody Lane. Antietam was a critical victory for the
Union. It restored morale in the North and kept Lincoln's party in control of Congress. It crushed Confederate hopes of
British intervention. And it freed Lincoln to deliver the Emancipation Proclamation, which instantly changed the character
of the war. McPherson brilliantly weaves these strands of diplomatic, political, and military history into a compact,
swift-moving narrative that shows why America's bloodiest day is, indeed, a turning point in our history.
~~~ From Library Journal: "An appropriate selection for the publisher's Pivotal Moments in American
History series, this pithy monograph by McPherson (Battle Cry of Freedom) argues that the bloody clash at
Antietam on September 17, 1862, in which over 6000 Union and Rebel troops perished, would ultimately determine the
outcome of the Civil War. Earlier in the year, Lincoln's armies appeared near victory with such successful western
campaigns as Shiloh and Forts Henry and Donelson and the surrender of New Orleans and Memphis. However, during the
summer months, the pendulum of battle swung toward the Confederacy, culminating in the Army of the Potomac's drubbing
in the Seven Days Battles and the enemy's drive into Maryland. McPherson brings alive Gen. George McClellan's overtaking
of 'Bobby' Lee near the village of Sharpsburg, thereby checking his invasion of the North. The Federal victory at
Antietam, limited as McPherson concedes it was, blunted Lee's momentum, eclipsed the likelihood that foreign countries
would recognize the Confederacy, reversed a disastrous plunge in the morale of Northern troops and civilians, and afforded
Lincoln the chance to issue his long-awaited proclamation of emancipation. A fine study; recommended for the classroom and all libraries.
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$35.00
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Catton, Bruce,
GLORY ROAD:
The Bloody Route from Fredericksburg to Gettysburg.
Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1952. VG/VG. Apparent first edition. Minor
chipping to jacket,
which is in mylar protector. Original "$4.50" price still on
jacket. Map on endpapers. Notes, three full-page maps,
index, 416 pages.
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CHATTANOOGA
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$20.00
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Bowers, John,
CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA:
The Battles that Doomed the Confederacy.
Avon Books, August 1995., NEW, First PAPERBACK edition. Map,
photographs, bibliography, index, 266 pp.
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$30.00
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Cozzens, Peter,
THE SHIPWRECK OF THEIR HOPES:
The Battles for Chattanooga.
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket.
(University of Illinois Press, 1994) First Edition, NOT
BOOK CLUB. Full-page
illustrations by Keith Rocco. Order of Battle, notes,
bibliography, index, 515 pp.
~~~ "Beyond question the most thoroughly
researched and well-written account to date of the loss of Chattanooga."
~~~ Currently in print at $34.95.
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CHICKAMAUGA
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$20.00
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Bowers, John,
CHICKAMAUGA & CHATTANOOGA:
The Battles that Doomed the Confederacy.
Avon Books, August 1995., NEW, First PAPERBACK edition. Map,
photographs, bibliography, index, 266 pp.
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$30.00
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Gallagher, Gary W.,
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY CAMPAIGN OF 1862 (Military
Campaigns of the Civil War Series).
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. (University of North Carolina Press, 2003).
280 pages.
~~~ In eight new essays, contributors to this volume explore the Shenandoah Valley
campaign, best known for its role in establishing Thomas J. "Stonewall"
Jackson's reputation as a Confederate hero.
~~~ In early 1862, Union troops under George B. McClellan had arrived within
range of Richmond and threatened to take the Confederate capital. Robert E. Lee
ordered Jackson to march north through the Shenandoah Valley, hoping to tie down
Federal forces that might otherwise reinforce McClellan's troops. The strategy
worked, and for two months the Confederates evaded and harassed their Union
pursuers. Jackson's speed and audacity boosted plummeting Southern morale, and
he emerged from the Valley as the Confederacy's greatest military
idol.
~~~ Contributors address questions of military leadership, strategy and tactics,
the campaign's political and social impact, and the ways in which participants'
memories of events differed from what is revealed in the historical sources. In
the process, they offer valuable insights into one of the Confederacy's most
famous generals, those who fought with him and against him, the campaign's
larger importance in the context of the war, and the complex relationship
between history and memory.
~~~ In print at $34.95.
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GETTYSBURG
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$20.00
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Foote, Shelby,
STARS IN THEIR COURSES: The Gettysburg Campaign.
Modern Library, NY, 1994. NEW copy.
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Meligakes, N.A.,
GETTYSBURG:
THE NATIONAL SHRINE. "PEOPLE'S PICTORIAL EDITION" WITH OVER 500 PHOTOGRAPHS
ASSEMBLED IN ONE VOLUME.
N.A. Meligakes, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, 1948, reprinted 1952.,
VG, stiff color pictorial wraps,
Oblong, 12"x 9". Staple binding, reinforced
with scotch tape, not yet discolored, and so neatly done as to be almost
invisible. Ink signature on cover, at top: lettering unaffected. Some minor
creasing & edgewear, but still a tight
copy, with colors bright & unfaded.
None of the flaws are conspicuous. One dime-sized grease spot on title
page, in
upper right corner, text unaffected. Interior clean, though with
an occasional corner turned down (photos & text
unaffected). 64 pp.
Many full page and double page panorama photos: all photos captioned.
Buildings, battlefields,
monuments.
$30.00
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$25.00
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Schultz, Duane,
THE MOST GLORIOUS FOURTH: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4th.
NF/VG. Minor flaws to jacket, otherwise tight & bright. (NY: Norton, 2002).
Photographs, notes, bibliography, index, 447 pages.
~~~ July 4, 1863, saw the end of two battles, Vicksburg and Gettysburg, that together inalterably changed the course of the Civil War. It was a glorious day indeed for the Union cause. In this work of history, Duane Schultz interweaves the narratives of these two storied battles, fashioning a blow-by-blow account at once panoramic and intimate." Focusing on that pivotal Independence Day and the days and weeks leading up to it, Schultz vividly portrays not only the major players of the war but also the multitude of soldiers and civilians caught up in its sweep, whether it be Lincoln impatiently pacing the floor of the telegraph office as he awaits news from the front, General Meade frantically plugging the gaps in his tenuous line, or a Vicksburg family trying to make a home for itself in a cave while waiting out the Union siege. Throughout, Schultz weds a sympathetic eye with an unerring ability to trace the narrative thread through the chaos of events.
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MANASSAS
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$25.00
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Martin, David G.,
THE SECOND BULL RUN CAMPAIGN: July-August 1862.
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. (Da Capo Press, 2001). Maps, illustrations,
Orders of Battle, "Guide for the Interested Reader", index,
299 pages.
~~~ Second Bull Run (or Second Manassas, as it was known in the South), is considered to be one of the great examples of Robert E. Lee's military genius. It was also the final humiliation for John Pope, the Union general who had been personally selected by Abraham Lincoln to come East and lead the Union army to victory in northern Virginia.
~~~ In the summer of 1862, George McClellan's Union army was bogged down east of Richmond. In order to break this stalemate, Union officials decided to create a new army in northern Virginia and send it against Richmond from the north. Confederate commander robert E. Lee, fresh from his costly victory against McClellan in the Seven Days Battle, made a bold decision to risk leaving McClellan in place in order to strike a decisive blow against Pope's new army.
~~~ Second Bull Run was the culmination of a series of maneuvers by which Lee, Longstreet, Jackson and Stuart outmarched the larger Union command and outgeneraled its confused commanders. The book's campaign approach also shows the relationship of the culminating battle to the related battles at Cedar Mountain, Groveton and Chantilly.
~~~ The Second Bull Run Campaign includes 14 specially commissioned maps by Paul Dangel, the most up-to-date order of battle available, and special sidebars on leaders, units, incidents and controversies of the campaign. Connections between the First and Second Bull Run battles are examined, the battlefields as they are today are described, and suggestions for further study are made in a descriptive bibliography and reader's guide.
~~~ Paperback currently in print at $18.00; hardcover OUT OF PRINT.
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MARCH TO
THE SEA
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$30.00
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Bradley, Mark L.,
THIS ASTOUNDING CLOSE: The road to Bennett Place.
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina
Press, 2000). Illistrations, appendices, extensive notes, bibliography, index,
404 pages.
~~~ Even after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, the Civil War continued
to be fought, and surrenders negotiated, on different fronts. The most notable of these
occurred at Bennett Place, near Durham, North Carolina, when Confederate General Joseph
E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Union General William T. Sherman.
In this first full-length examination of the end of the war in North Carolina, Mark
Bradley traces the campaign from the Battle of Bentonville in March 1865 to the
surrender at Bennett Place on April 26. ~~~ Alternating between Union and Confederate
points of view and drawing on his readings of primary sources, including eyewitness
accounts and final muster rolls of the Army of Tennessee, Bradley depicts the action
as it was experienced by the troops and the civilians in their path. In addition to
Generals Sherman and Johnston, he includes cameos of such Tar Heel State notables as
Governor Zebulon B. Vance, Senator William A. Graham, and University of North Carolina
president David L. Swain.
~~~ Currently in print at $37.50.
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SHENANDOAH
VALLEY
CAMPAIGN
of 1862
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$30.00
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Gallagher, Gary W.,
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY CAMPAIGN OF 1862 (Military
Campaigns of the Civil War Series).
NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. (University of North Carolina Press, 2003).
280 pages.
~~~ In eight new essays, contributors to this volume explore the Shenandoah Valley
campaign, best known for its role in establishing Thomas J. "Stonewall"
Jackson's reputation as a Confederate hero.
~~~ In early 1862, Union troops under George B. McClellan had arrived within
range of Richmond and threatened to take the Confederate capital. Robert E. Lee
ordered Jackson to march north through the Shenandoah Valley, hoping to tie down
Federal forces that might otherwise reinforce McClellan's troops. The strategy
worked, and for two months the Confederates evaded and harassed their Union
pursuers. Jackson's speed and audacity boosted plummeting Southern morale, and
he emerged from the Valley as the Confederacy's greatest military
idol.
~~~ Contributors address questions of military leadership, strategy and tactics,
the campaign's political and social impact, and the ways in which participants'
memories of events differed from what is revealed in the historical sources. In
the process, they offer valuable insights into one of the Confederacy's most
famous generals, those who fought with him and against him, the campaign's
larger importance in the context of the war, and the complex relationship
between history and memory.
~~~ In print at $34.95.
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$25.00
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(Neil) Richard R. Duncan (ed), ALEXANDER NEIL AND THE LAST
SHENANDOAH VALLEY CAMPAIGN:
Letters of an Army Surgeon to his Family, 1864. White Mane Publishing Company,
1996. NEW copy, hardcover with dust jacket. Photograph, map, notes, bibliography, index, 140 pages. Neil was
Assistant Surgeon of the 12th West Virginia Regiment, and served during the Battle of New Market, Winchester
and Cedar Creek, and the occupation of Richmond.
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SIEGE OF
VICKSBURG
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$25.00
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Schultz, Duane,
THE MOST GLORIOUS FOURTH: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, July 4th.
NF/VG. Minor flaws to jacket, otherwise tight & bright.
(NY: Norton, 2002).
Photographs, notes, bibliography, index, 447 pages.
~~~ July 4, 1863, saw the end of two battles, Vicksburg and Gettysburg, that together inalterably changed the course of the Civil War. It was a glorious day indeed for the Union cause. In this work of history, Duane Schultz interweaves the narratives of these two storied battles, fashioning a blow-by-blow account at once panoramic and intimate." Focusing on that pivotal Independence Day and the days and weeks leading up to it, Schultz vividly portrays not only the major players of the war but also the multitude of soldiers and civilians caught up in its sweep, whether it be Lincoln impatiently pacing the floor of the telegraph office as he awaits news from the front, General Meade frantically plugging the gaps in his tenuous line, or a Vicksburg family trying to make a home for itself in a cave while waiting out the Union siege. Throughout, Schultz weds a sympathetic eye with an unerring ability to trace the narrative thread through the chaos of events.
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