Civil War Memoirs

With a unique, witty, and conversational voice historian Robert O'Connell breaks down the often paradoxical, easily caricatured character of General William T. Sherman for the most well-rounded portrait of the man yet written. There were many Shermans, according to O'Connell. Most prominently was Sherman the military strategist (indeed, one of the greatest strategists of all time), who gained an appreciation of geography from early campaigns out west and applied it to his famed Civil War march.

Born in Virginia in 1818, Elizabeth Keckley grew up enslaved until she was able to purchase her and her son's freedom with money made from working as a seamstress. As she continued to perfect her craft, her styles caught the attention of the elite in Washington, DC. It wasn't until the day of Abraham Lincoln's inauguration that she crossed paths with Mary Todd Lincoln, who took Elizabeth on as her personal confidante and seamstress. Behind the Scenes offers an intimate look into the enslaved and free life of Elizabeth Keckley and the lives of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln.

This memoir is from a middle-aged Missourian who was part of the strange yet fascinating world of Civil War reenacting. I tell of my first taste of black powder, "seeing the elephant", fighting heat, rain, cold, mud, politics, movie stars, and live fire. From dog and pony show events to the 125th anniversary spectaculars involving thousands of participants, I reveal the inside skinny on the hobby, as I saw it, with plenty of humor to tickle the funny bone.

This memoir continues the adventures of a middle-aged Missourian who was part of the strange, yet fascinating world of Civil War reenacting. In Volume 2, Robert tells of a trip to Gettysburg, yet another movie, the coldest event that was ever attended, a brief tenure as an officer, a trip to Red River, and other amusements. As with the previous book, Volume 2 is loaded with personal anecdotes and humor.

The story of a Green Beret commander's heroism during the Vietnam War, and the long fight to recognize his bravery. When Col. Paris Davis was selected to lead one of the Green Beret A-teams organizing resistance to Communist incursions into South Vietnam, his commanding officer warned him that...

Life of a Klansman tells the story of a warrior in the Ku Klux Klan, a carpenter in Louisiana who took up the cause of fanatical racism during the years after the Civil War. Edward Ball, a descendant of the Klansman, paints a portrait of his family’s anti-Black militant that is part history, part memoir rich in personal detail.

Mary Jane Seacole (1805­-1881) was a British Jamaican nurse, author, world traveler, and businesswoman renowned for her work with the soldiers of the Crimean War.

A bracingly immediate memoir by a young man coming of age during the Syrian war, Brothers of the Gun is an intimate lens on the century’s bloodiest conflict and a profound meditation on kinship, home, and freedom. In 2011, Marwan Hisham and his two friends—fellow working-class college...

From Soldier to Statesman: The Relentless Rise of Ulysses S. Grant by Jasmine Dyggan is a sweeping, deeply human portrait of one of America’s most misunderstood heroes — a man whose quiet strength, humility, and perseverance reshaped a nation. From humble beginnings in rural Ohio to the highest office in the land, Grant’s journey was marked not by privilege or ambition, but by endurance and integrity.

This book is considered to be the best account of the Civil War ever written from the Confederate point of view. It is also the one most frequently cited by historians of the Western campaigns. Sam Watkins, a high private in the Army of Tennessee, brings a vividness and detail to his story unmatched in the genre.

Fort Sumter: Civil War Beginnings outlines the battle and explains how it came about. In less than an hour, you will meet the main participants, understand Union and Confederate troop movements, and learn how South Carolina initiated the first battle of the civil war. It's not the complete story, but enough to bring you up to speed, understand the issues of the day, and maybe encourage you to explore more on your own.

Written in the form of a letter to her granddaughter, the author of this little book describes her plantation childhood, her marriage and parenthood, and her experiences during the Civil War and Reconstruction. In response to what she believed were misconceptions about antebellum Southern slavery, she argues that while some slaveholders were cruel, the majority were conscientious about the well-being of their servants and looked upon them as members of the household.

Nella notte tra il 17 e il 18 luglio 1936, il colpo di Stato delle truppe guidate dal generale Franco segnò l'inizio di una guerra civile che dilaniò la Spagna per i tre anni seguenti: fu una vera e propria prova generale della Seconda guerra mondiale, in cui vennero sperimentate sulla popolazione quelle atrocità che avrebbero caratterizzato il conflitto successivo. Alcuni dei protagonisti furono gli stessi: Hitler e Mussolini inviarono truppe in aiuto di Franco, e Stalin sostenne con armi, uomini e denaro le formazioni comuniste.

John Bell Hood had done his job too well. In the fall of 1864, the commander of the Confederate Army of Tennessee had harassed Federal forces in North Georgia so badly that the Union commander, William T. Sherman, decided to abandon his position. During his subsequent “March to the Sea”, Sherman’s men lived off the land and made Georgia howl. Rather than confront the larger Federal force directly, Hood chose instead to strike northward into Tennessee.

Caesar is still remembered for winning a civil war and helping bring about the end of the Roman Republic, leaving a line of emperors in its place, but it’s quite possible that none of what Caesar did would’ve happened without the template for such actions being set 40 years earlier.

David Dixon Porter: The Life and Legacy of the Distinguished Union Rear Admiral during the Civil War chronicles Porter’s upbringing and how it prepared him for his important service in the Civil War. You will learn about Porter like never before.

By the age of 26, John Wilkes Booth had achieved success on the stage. He had rugged good looks and the fame he craved. Yet that wasn’t enough for the fanatical actor. On April 14, 1865, just a few days following the end of the American Civil War, Booth stepped into the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre in Washington and shot Abraham Lincoln. He subsequently managed an incredible escape until he himself was killed.

This memoir continues the adventures of a living historian as he approaches the golden years of his life. Nearly four decades in the hobby of Civil War reenacting, Robert talks of continued adventures into the 21st century that include several trips east of the Mississippi, as well as into Missouri, Arkansas, and Kansas. Involvement in 150th anniversary reenactments is given special mention as is participation in video documentaries produced by Wide Awake Films. As with the previous volumes, Volume Three is loaded with personal anecdotes and humor.

Boomer: In the Theater of Fearful Tragedies is a nonfiction account of the life of Colonel George B. Boomer, a little-known bridge builder and combat veteran who served in the Civil War of the United States. He was the son of a Baptist minister from Sutton, Massachusetts, who struggled with his Christian faith while searching for God's plan for his life. While his formal education was limited by a youthful disability of the eyes, he became a self-taught master bridge builder who learned to speak multiple languages while living in the state of Missouri.

The timely, powerful memoir of a man unjustly charged with a crime for helping his relatives, I Just Wanted to Save My Family offers a heartrending window into the lives of those displaced by the Syrian civil war and a scathing critique of the often absurd, unfeeling bureaucracies that determine their fates.