September 2023 MBR The Civil War Shelf

The Civil War Shelf

The Big Book of Civil War Sites
Eric Ethier, author
Cynthia Parzych, editor
The Lyons Press
www.lyonspress.com
c/o The Globe Pequot Press
www.globepequot.com
9781493072026, $34.95, PB, 432pp

https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Civil-Sites-Personalities/dp/1493072021

Synopsis: Originally published in hardcover in February 2011, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites" by Professor Eric Ethier is now available for a new generation of Civil War history students and non-specialist general readers in a new paperback edition from the Lyons Press. This detailed history and survey of American Civil War sites is the consummate travel reference for all America's Civil War battlefields. Whether exploring the Southern states or the Eastern theater, history-focused travelers and Civil War buffs finally have ready access to in-depth and thorough listings of all major sites, including historical background information, travel options, museums, and events.

Critique: Now in a newly updated and expanded paperback edition, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites: From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, a Visitor's Guide to the History, Personalities, and Places of America's Battlefields" must be considered an essential and core addition to personal, professional, community, college, and university library American Civil War collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists. Comprehensive, illustrated, and thoroughly 'user friendly' in organization and presentation, "The Big Book of Civil War Sites: From Fort Sumter to Appomattox, a Visitor's Guide to the History, Personalities, and Places of America's Battlefields" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $19.99).

Editorial Note: James C. Bradford (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Bradford), is an Associate Professor of History at Texas A&M University. He is also the editor of numerous books, including A Companion to American Military History and Atlas of American Military History.

Force of a Cyclone
Caroline Ann Davis, author
Robert M. Dunkerly, editor
Savas Beatie LLC
989 Governor Drive, Ste. 102, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216394, $16.95, PB, 192pp

https://www.amazon.com/Force-Cyclone-December-1862-January-Emerging/dp/1611216397

Synopsis: All of Middle Tennessee held its breath when the new year dawned in 1863. One day earlier on December 31, Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of Tennessee faced off against William Rosecrans's Federal Army of the Cumberland just outside Murfreesboro along Stones River. The commanders, who led armies nearly equal in size, had prepared identical attack plans, but Bragg struck first. His morning attack bent the Federal line back upon itself.

The desperate fighting seesawed throughout the day amid rocky outcroppings and cedar groves. The Federals managed to avoid a crushing defeat and hold on until dark as the last hours of the old year slipped away. The cold and exhausted soldiers rang in the New Year surrounded by the pitiful cries of the wounded punctuated by cracks of skirmish fire while the opposing generals contemplated their next moves.

With the fate of Middle Tennessee yet to be determined, President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect on January 1, 1863. The president had signed the proclamation back in September of 1862, but he needed battlefield victories to bolster its authority. The stakes being gambled outside Murfreesboro were enormous. Determined to win the battle outright, Bragg launched another large-scale assault on January 2. The fate of the Army of the Cumberland and the impact of the Emancipation Proclamation hung in the balance.

President Lincoln himself would often look back on that fragile New Year's Day and ponder all that was at stake. "I can never forget whilst I remember anything," he told Federal commander Maj. Gen. William S. Rosecrans, "that about the end of last year and the beginning of this, you gave us a hard-earned victory, which, had there been a defeat instead the nation could scarcely have lived over."

Critique: With the publication of "Force of a Cyclone: The Battle of Stones River, December 31, 1862 - January 2, 1863", co-authors Caroline Davis and Robert Dunkerly explore a significant turning point of the Civil War, and one that had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides of any Civil War battle. Enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of numerous b/w illustrations, maps, and a 'Stones River Driving Tour', "Force of a Cyclone" is part of the Savas Beatie 'Emerging Civil War Series" and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library American Civil War History collections. It should be noted for students, academia, dedicated Civil War History buffs and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "Forces of a Cyclone" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $8.99).

Editorial Note #1: Caroline Ann Davis studied American History at Ball State University in Muncie, IN, and historical preservation with a concentration on public history at Georgia State University in Atlanta, GA. In 2015, she worked at the Stones River National Battlefield through the Student Conservation Association. During her summer there, she began researching the battle and the surrounding area's history and led tours of the battlefield. This is her first book in the Emerging Civil War Series from Savas Beatie.

Editorial Note #2: Robert M. (Bert) Dunkerly studied history at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA, and historic preservation at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. He led tours of the battlefield and researched its history, preservation, and its National Cemetery. Bert is the author of three other books in the Emerging Civil War Series and is active in historic preservation and research. (https://emergingcivilwar.com/contributor/robert-m-dunkerly)

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