The Civil War Gazette reviews books, software, films, battle or war related sites, museums, exhibits, artwork, web sites, interviews, and many other related items of interest to the Civil War enthusiast.
Publishers or those interested in having a product reviewed should send a review copy of the item to:
The Civil War Gazette
Attn: Editorial review team
2000 Mallory Ln., Suite 312
Franklin, TN 37067
Review copies of items are not returned.
All media kits should also be sent to this address, or emailed to tellinghistory[at]yahoo.com
How do we rate our reviews?
We use a five cannister rating system:
means a product is not recommended.
means a product is cautiously recommended.
means a product provides a service or value to the right audience.
means a product is confidently recommended.
means a product is unquestionably recommended and has our highest praise.
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Here are some recent reviews I have done.
Beaufort, South Carolina: Pages from the Past (American Chronicles)by Gerhard SpielerEdition: PaperbackPrice: $19.99
The author, a longtime resident of Beaufort, a writer for the Beaufort Gazette, and an historian, provides a very entertaining almost Lake Wobegonish look at Beaufort – pronounced Bew-furt – South Carolina.
One can read through it in a couple hours with just 120+ pages. It’s really meant to whet ones appetite more than anything else. There are generous pictures.
It lacks even a basic bibliography or an index. Keep the bibliography but gimme an index, c’mon. The book also lacks maps. One map is provided (1721) but the author teases the reader by trying to describe a part of Beaufort from maps made in 1716 and 1729.
The book is sourced with numerous firsthand quotes from explorers and pioneers as far back as the 16th century.
Of the more interesting things I learned is:
- Where the term ‘cowboy’ originated in 1741. The answer is surprising.
- The origin of the word ‘buckaroo’ (apparently sourced in the Gullah culture).
- Many 18th and 19th century plantation houses in the Beaufort region were not the palatial Gone-with-the-Wind types.
- Beaufort even has a National Cemetery were between 6,000 – 7,000 Union soldiers are buried; including about 120 Confederate soldiers. And guess what? The cemetery still has burial plots available for veterans of service.
Overall, this is a fun book but not one would cite in a serious bibliography. Nonetheless, impress your friends by being one of the very few to know the real origin of the ‘American Cowboy’.
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The South Carolina Encyclopedia by Walter Edgar
Edition: Hardcover
Amazon Price: $43.87
There are single books on South Carolina that are available for the serious student. For example The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina: 1514-1861 will give one a sweeping history of the early origins of SC (early 16th century) up to 1861.
But for the interested student, researcher, or just plain SC admirer one can’t go wrong with this excellent resource: The South Carolina Encyclopedia.
It is compiled by almost 600 authors. The selections are balanced to give the reader a macro view of South Carolina, not just from an historical perspective. I keep it nearby when I’m reading a book about SC or even a magazine article or a web page.
Each article usually is followed by 2-3 recommended books for further reading. There is a nice index too.
One thing that would have made this resource better would have been to bold type each item entry within the text of each article. In other words, one might be reading about Beaufort and find a word in bold in the article (i.e., Robert Smalls) which would key the reader that ‘Robert Smalls’ also has an article entry for the encyclopedia.
It would have also been nice had the editors suggested a few other ‘related’ articles for each entry.
Highly recommended. Every public library should own this.
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For Cause & for Country: A Study of the Affair At Spring Hill & the Battle of Franklin, by Eric A. Jacobson
Edition: Hardcover
Price: $29.95
In For Cause & for Country: A Study of the Affair At Spring Hill & the Battle of Franklin
Historic Carnton Plantation author and historian Eric Jacobson has provided us with an up-to-date, accurate, comprehensive and lively treatment of the Battle of Franklin (30 November 1864). Jacobson also amply covers the pre-Franklin action in Spring Hill, Tennessee.
The Battle of Franklin was arguably one of the bloodiest five hours during the American Civil War (1861-1865). There were roughly 10,000 casualties, with probably 2,500 killed outright.
The narratives moves briskly in For Cause & for Country: A Study of the Affair At Spring Hill & the Battle of Franklin. The author covers a lot of action in this book. Jacobson is generous with his citations from the Official Records, authentic letters and diaries, and post-war recollections and accounts, especially from the National Tribune.
His treatment of the key leaders, on both sides, is fair. Jacobson knows when to intersperse battle action with an appropriate soldier first-hand account.
Jacobson is trust-worthy in his research, reliable in his interpretations, and fair in his critiques.
If you have buy one book about the Battle of Franklin start with this book by Eric Jacobson.
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Yearning to Breathe Free: Robert Smalls of South Carolina and His Families
by Andrew Billingsley
Edition: Hardcover
Price: $26.56
Robert Smalls (1839 – 1915) is a little known figure outside of South Carolina but he deserves to be known by everyone, especially by those who love great stories.
I stumbled upon the story of Smalls’s infamous escape as a slave during the American Civil War (May 1862) by accident. Several years later after thorough ongoing research has rewarded my diligence with finding this book by Billingsley.
The author takes a sociological approach throughout making it for an interesting angle to consider the life and accomplishments of Smalls.
There are several other fine books available about Robert Smalls – mostly out of print – so this edition is updated, accurate, fairly comprehensive and a rich source for understanding Smalls.
Well-documented and carefully researched.
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Gale Library Of Daily Life: American Civil War, by Steven E. Woodworth
Edition: Hardcover
Price: $222.00
A new two-volume, 600 page set, titled – Gale Library of Daily Life: American Civil War – has just been published and it is a vital addition for the serious student of the American Civil War. The Gale Group sought submission from scholars and historians to complete this excellent resource with over 200 articles included in the set. The publisher is Gale Cenage Learning.
The two-volume set focuses on the daily life of soldiers and civilians, North and South, during the Civil War.
A key feature of the essays will be excerpts from first-person accounts to illustrate the lives of men, women, and children, including slaves and their families, during the epic conflict that shaped America.
The writers were able to access Gale Group’s proprietary database of primary resources including “memoirs, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, excerpts from other published works.” Professor and prolific author-historian Steven E. Woodworth at Texas Christian University was the senior editor for the work and also wrote a few of the articles.
The set breaks down into nine major areas, with numerous sub-areas under these major headings. Volume 1 is broken down into four major categories: A Soldier’s Life, Family and Community, Religion, and Popular Culture. Volume 2 breaks down into five major categories: Health & Medicine, Work & Economy, Politics, Effects of the War on Slaves and Freedpeople.
The articles are well-written, readable and accessible, and expertly edited by Woodworth and the editorial team. Each article also lists 4-10 recommended reading sources at the end. There is also a very nice 10-page annotated bibliography in volume two.
There are a generous selection of original pictures or photos but not too many. There is also an eight-page chronology of the Civil War.
This two-volume set is a MUST for public libraries and should be a top priority for individuals who are serious about studying the Civil War. Subscribers to North & South Magazine or Civil War Times would be ideal readers of Gale Library of Daily Life: American Civil War.
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