Tag Archives: American Civil War

Confederates in the Attic

Posted on April 3, 2014 by smellincoffee

Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War© 1999 Tony Hortwitz432 pages           For most of the United States, the Civil War is like any other entry in the history books, of interest but not very consequential. . … Continue reading →

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A reading from "Confederates in the Attic"

Posted on March 31, 2014 by smellincoffee

Awakening the next morning in a $27 room at Salisbury’s EconLodge, I recognized the appeal of dwelling on the South’s past rather than its present. Stepping from my room into the motel parking lot, I gazed out a low-slung horseshoe … Continue reading →

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This week the library: NaNoWriMo, Sharpe, and histories

Posted on November 26, 2013 by smellincoffee

We’re in the last week of National Novel Writing Month, and I can cheerfully report that I am not woefully behind, having faithfully plugged away almost every night. If I can make up for a couple of missed days, I should … Continue reading →

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A Chain of Thunder

Posted on May 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

A Chain of Thunder© 2013 Jeff Shaara ‘Twas at the Seige of Vicksburg,Of Vicksburg, of Vicksburg,‘Twas at the Seige of Vicksburg,When the Parrott shells were whistlin’ through the air… July 4th, 1863 was an unfortunate day for the Confederate States … Continue reading →

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Selma

Posted on February 25, 2013 by smellincoffee

Selma: A Novel of the Civil War© 2008 Val McGee396 pages On the cover: Sturdivant Hall, a local home-turned-museum. Today, Selma, Alabama is a small town on the Alabama river, largely forgotten save for its role in the Civil Rights … Continue reading →

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The Bloody Ground

Posted on February 12, 2013 by smellincoffee

The Bloody Ground© 2001 Bernard Cornwell398 pages In the fall of 1862, Robert E. Lee took the initiative after a string of triumphs over the bungling Union army and launched an attack into the north, aiming to bloody the Federal army’s nose … Continue reading →

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This week at the library: Little Ice Age, and Bernard Cornwell

Posted on January 23, 2013 by smellincoffee

Last night I finished Battleflag, third in the Nathaniel Starbuck series. Seeing as I just finished and commented on Copperhead, posting extensive thoughts on Battleflag seemed redundant. Nate is still the son of a Boston abolitionist preacher fighting for the south … Continue reading →

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Copperhead

Posted on January 21, 2013 by smellincoffee

Copperhead: Ball’s Bluff, 1862© 1993 Bernard Cornwell417 pages Nathaniel Starbuck is a man with a mighty grumpy enemy.  Wealthy Virginian planter Washington Falcouner rescued Starbuck from a mob, asking him for his service in arms alongside his son, Adam, in … Continue reading →

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The Great Railroad Revolution

Posted on December 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Great Railroad Revolution: A History of Trains in America© 2012 Christian Wolmar448 pages The United States’ history is one written with novelty: born in the dawn of the industrial age,  America was a blank slate for technologies with the … Continue reading →

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This Week at the Library (30 November)

Posted on November 30, 2012 by smellincoffee

This past week I read A South Divided, by David Downing, which covers  the same ground  in part as David Williams’ Bitterly Divided, in that it examines the importance of southerners who worked against the confederacy. But whereas Williams argued … Continue reading →

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