Published in 2012, “Jackson: The Iron-Willed Commander,” authored by Paul Vickery, offers an insightful examination of Andrew Jackson’s ascent from humble origins to a pivotal figure in American history, focusing on his military achievements and presidential tenure. The book highlights Jackson’s unwavering determination and leadership, particularly during the War of 1812, underscoring his pivotal role in shaping American nationalism. Through exploring Jackson’s significant contributions and the challenges he overcame, Vickery portrays a leader whose influence was crucial during a formative period in the United States, leaving a lasting imprint on the nation’s trajectory.
Jackson The Iron Willed Commander
My Thoughts
Old Hickory himself! As I was reading this, I was reminded of General Mattis. Jackson was loved by his men because he was one of them. (Or at least they saw it that way.) As a general he was fantastic and seemed to do no wrong. Of course, his treatment of the Native American’s will always follow him. He is one of those people who make you wonder if it is the events that make the man or the man that makes the events.
Published in August of 2022, “All Roads Led to Gettysburg,” revisits the Civil War’s crucial battle with a novel lens, disputing the idea that the engagement was coincidental. He explores the pre-battle maneuvers and geographical considerations that funneled the opposing forces to Gettysburg, underscoring the roles of transportation routes and natural landscapes in dictating the battle’s dynamics. Harman’s analysis redefines our understanding of this historic clash, suggesting a degree of inevitability to the confrontation due to strategic and environmental factors.
All Roads Led To Gettysburg
My Thoughts
This book took a fascinating look at the geography and terrain of the civil war era and made a convincing case of the inevitability of the outcomes. I had heard quite a bit about the railroads of the North and how that helped win the war. However, this went over and beyond to roads, waterways, and so on.
Published in May of 2022, “Lieutenant General James Longstreet: Innovative Military Strategist: The Most Misunderstood Civil War General” is a biography of James Longstreet during the Civil War. An argument is made that he was a greater general than history portrayed him and, if General Lee had followed his recommendations, several battles would not have been fought or would have worked out much better in the favor of the Confederacy. (E.g. Gettysburg.)
Lieutenant General James Longstreet
My Thoughts
I love a good Civil War book in general. However, this one went a little bit further in the weeds than I would have liked. He did make a compelling argument about Longstreet’s ability but I don’t have the expertise to fact check him. Still, it seemed very detailed and I enjoyed it.
Published in July of 2023, “Lexington: The Extraordinary Life and Turbulent Times of America’s Legendary Racehorse” is a book by Kim Wickens who is a lawyer who became interested in Lexington when she heard so many Triple Crown winners were descended from him. Lexington, the horse, was a legendary 19th-century American Thoroughbred racehorse known for his exceptional speed and dominance on the track. Born in 1850, he quickly gained fame as a two-year-old, winning all of his races and establishing a reputation as one of the finest racehorses of his era. Renowned for his striking appearance, impressive stature, and remarkable athleticism, Lexington continued to achieve victory throughout his racing career, earning him the title of one of the greatest American racehorses of all time. His legacy extended beyond the track, as he became a highly influential sire, passing on his exceptional genetics to future generations of racehorses, shaping the sport for years to come.
Lexington
My Thoughts
Initially, I saw the title of the book “Lexington” and the publication date of last month and thought, “Sweet! A new book on the Civil War!” Obviously, this wasn’t the case. I was very surprised the book was about an 170 year old horse. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on the context, I’m interested in everything and this was something I had no idea about.
Horses… Of all the things I’ve been exposed to in my life, horses cause the biggest allergic reaction. I can just stand downwind from a horse and find it hard to breathe. Long story short, I’ve not enjoyed them at all. I have ridden a few over the years, while heavily medicated, and just didn’t see the attraction. I would take a motorcycle over these giant smelly animals with a mind of their own any day of the week. Still, I’m certainly able to read a book and this seemed to be a good opportunity.
Almost everything about the story was new to me. I loved the tie ins to the Civil War and how Lexington and his offspring played such an interesting role. General Grant’s horse “Cincinnati” was famous in his own right and was Lexington’s colt. In fact, so many of Lexington’s children ended up throughout the United States the author makes the claim that it would be nearly impossible to find a Thoroughbred horse without being somehow descended from Lexington. We might as well call him the Abraham of horses.
Written back in 1953, A Stillness at Appomattox is the last book in the “Army of the Potomac” series by Bruce Catton. It picks up with General Grant’s entrance into the war and the battle’s in Spotsylvania.
A Stillness at Appomattox
My Thoughts
A very enjoyable read! I like history and particularly when it is in my backyard. I hopped in the car and went to the Spotsylvania battlefield to visit where most of this book took place. It really is amazing what we can learn by paying attention to the people who went before us.
Recommendations
I really enjoyed the book. However, it hasn’t been sanitized for modern readers as it was written in the 50s and directly quotes the people who lived in the 1840s. If you are so easily offended, perhaps a history book isn’t for you.
Grant by Ron Chernow is the biography of the Commanding General of the Civil War and our 18th President. Mr. Chernow takes us through the early life of Hyrum Ulysses Grant, on through West Point where he became styled Ulysses S. Grant, through his business exploits, through the Civil War, through both terms of his Presidency, and on through the his tragic death.
Grant
My Thoughts
Growing up, I’ve heard the name Grant more associated with “General” than President. Though he was both, I think that is more of how we think of him.
I was very touched by his honesty and saddened by how he was taken advantage of… Not to be too Pollyanna, I believe there are people like him everywhere. People do the right thing everyday without much fanfare.
I was glad to hear the story and it knit a good deal of history together for me.
Recommendation
Very good read but sooo long. It is well over a 1000 pages so buckle up! However, I must say I didn’t get bored the entire time. That says a lot…
Bill O’Reilly’s book on the assassination of Lincoln comprises the end of the civil war and the few days after the funeral of one of our best known presidents. It was published in 2011 and was on the best seller’s list for 65 weeks. There were some criticism of the book and there were changes made in subsequent versions.
I enjoyed the read and feel I learned a great deal. I do feel there were more than a few points where I stopped and thought, “there’s no way we know that”. Mostly, this is when the author tries to read the thoughts of the people as they are going about their day. Yet, I feel the book gave a balanced look at what happened and even gave time to discuss the conspiracies.
Yet another of the “Great Courses” series, The American Civil War is a lecture given by Professor Gary W. Gallagher, Ph.D. of the University of Virginia. This lecture series is over 24 hours of lecture. As such it took me a while to get through… Professor Gallagher takes us from what lead up to the war before the election of 1860 and details everything through the early parts of reconstruction and how we remember the war today. It was recorded in the early 2000’s.
The American Civil War
Comments
I live in Virginia and continue to be very interested in what happened during the civil war. Although this was a long lecture, I was kept engaged and found myself wanting to know more. I very much enjoyed Professor Gallagher’s presentation of each side and how he touched on many of the theories and popular misconceptions about the war. I feel he gave a balanced account to what had happened and he made sense of a subject highly sensationalized and used for propaganda on both sides. I still want to know more about it and I feel I have been given a good foundation.
Recommendation
This lecture series is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of material and it will take some time to get through it all. However, I highly recommend it to all Americans. Both those who want to know more about the war and those who should want to know more.
