Book Review: Co Aytch or a Side Show of the Big Show Sam Watkins was born in 1839 in Tennessee where he enlisted to join to the First Tennessee Regiment and fight alongside the Tennessean Confederate Army. During his time in the Civil War, Watkins identified himself as Maury Grays. In his memoir, Co. Aytch or a Side Show of the Big Show, Sam distinctively displays details to describe his life changing experiences from conflicts that arose from the war such as when he discusses his battle at Shiloh. Being that Samuel endured the Civil War himself, his vivid descriptions are even more believable. Furthermore, in Co Aytch, Watkins constantly reminds readers that he, in no way, “intends to write history; rather, he sought to convey his own impressions of a ‘few sketches and incidents from the observation of a ‘high private’ in the rear ranks of the rebel army, …show more content…
Watkins illustrates the history of the Civil War through the perspective most like an average, gentle man; he even writes small eulogies for those fallen before him. In addition to his outstanding use of descriptions that allow readers to visualize his experiences and share his emotions, Watkins also uses slightly humorous tactics to bring ease to the horrors of the greatest, bloodiest war in history. After the enactment of laws like the conscription act and the law allowing only those with twenty negros permission to go home, Watkins described the Civil War as “a rich man’s war, a poor man’s fight.” Watkin’s main purpose was to portray those “fellows who did the shooting and killing, the fortifying and ditching, the sweeping of the streets, the drilling, the standing guard, and who drew eleven dollars per month and rations, and drew the ramrod and tore the cartridge.” Unlike most writers, Watkins does not leave the reader questioning what or how things were during that period; he writes very descriptively and spares little to no detail about the subject,
In “What They Fought For 1861-1865,” prize winning author James M. McPherson writes a conflicting non-subjected book that explores the major motivations of the men who enlisted and fought the Civil War. McPherson examines in a non-biased tone the reason why the men in gray and blue fought in the bloodiest war in American history. James M. McPherson discusses the significant characteristics of the theme and ideas of the book that explores ideology. Within the conflicting book, McPherson analyzes the major theme and idea of ideology or “what Civil War soldiers believed they were fighting for” (McPherson pg. 1). McPherson encounters the quarrel that many historians disagree upon: whether or not the soldiers during this war knew their intentions of fighting the war.
The Harlem Hellfighters, written by Max Brooks, is a fiction book based off the African American 369th Infantry Regiment in 1919. In this novel, Brooks concentrates mainly on the major obstacles African American soldiers faced during World War I. He focuses on how these challenges affects their lives and is very thorough when expressing his own opinions and perspectives. He talks about the hardships and social aspects of their daily lives as well as the harsh reality of the war, that make it more appealing to the readers. Brooks centralized theme was about the challenges and discrimination of African Americans during the war, how it affected their lives emotionally and physically, and what was done to amend these challenges.
Critical Reasoning & Battle Analysis: The Battle of Picacho Peak Cheryl Schaffer Senior Leader Course-Class #18-003-02 Critical Reasoning & Battle Analysis: The Battle of Picacho Peak The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyze the events that transpired during the brief engagement in Arizona territory known as the Battle of Picacho Peak. The Confederate States of America (CSA) was expanding westward to reach the shipping ports of California and acquire precious ore found in Arizona to sustain their war effort and livelihood.
An uncharacteristic take on rural black politics, Steven Hahn’s A Nation under Our Feet: Black Political Struggles in the Rural South from Slavery to the Great Migration transports readers into a world of faith, power, and family across the rural South. Diving into a period that spans nearly one hundred years, Hahn, an author, specialist, and professor, addresses the political culture of newly freed slaves as they maneuvered through challenges of freedom, Jim Crow laws, and religion. Hahn pens, “ [A Nation under Our Feet] is a book about extraordinary people who did extraordinary things under the most difficult…” (1). The author successfully presents such book in this sequential timeline and geographical mapping from Texas to Virginia. Through his synthesis of vast primary literature on slavery, Civil War South, and the Great Migration, Hahn supports his arguments and presents readers with a new look into the past.
Chandra Manning’s book about soldiers, slavery, and the Civil War was a combination of her views and a collection of thoughts from soldiers about what started this war. Manning read many different collections of soldiers’ journals and pieces of newspapers to develop her understanding. Her impression on what started and caused the war all pointed to the topic of slavery. Soldiers found themselves talking about slavery rather than other topics such as issues that went with along the government. From her research she outlined the soldier’s views of the war and proved that this war was in fact about slavery.
Thomas Goodrich masterfully tells the story of the Lawrence Massacre with details that take the reader to chaotic streets of Lawrence, Kansas on August 21, 1863. This town of only 3,000 residents was attacked by four hundred pro-Confederate “raiders” from Missouri led by William Quantrill. The bloody massacre that ensued left over 150 citizens dead and 200 buildings destroyed. Goodrich’s account of the Lawrence Massacre epitomized how violent and barbaric guerilla fighting was in the Civil War. Goodrich used multiple primary sources such as newspapers and eye-witness testimony as well as contemporary studies done on the events at Lawrence to tell the complete story of the massacre.
Despite the many years after the Civil War ended in 1865, the war’s significance was still great enough to have caused such controversy with the public over its meaning. In David W. Blight’s Race and Reunion, the meaning of the war changes throughout the period of Reconstruction not due to the misconception of it solely, but due to what we wanted to interpret from the war (or rather, what we remembered from the war that eventually changed over time). Blight argues, “I am primarily concerned with the ways that contending memories clashed or intermingled in public memory, and not in developing professional historiography of the Civil War” (Blight, Prologue). With this being said, the meaning of the Civil War changed through what people felt and
The novel The Slopes of War by N.A Perez forecasts the gruesome story if the Union Vs. Confederate war. At the time, President Abraham Lincoln was running the country and wanted to abolish slavery. The bonds between families were tested throughout the duration of the war. As the book progresses one of the main characters, Bekah Summerhill finds herself and develops into this new young woman.
Isaac couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Some ragtag group of rebels trying to break away from America? This was unacceptable. “Now, they have their reasons, Isaac,” Said his mother. “Don’t think they’re just a bunch of dumb evil monsters.
Teresa Garcia, 20405211, History 1301-13 Row 5. Lowe, Richard. “Willis August Hodges.” In The Human Tradition in the Civil War and Reconstruction, edited by Steven E. Woodworth, 213-222. Wilmington: Scholarly Resources Inc., 2000.
Ken Burns is a historical documentary filmmaker. He made a documentary about the civil war that was criticized and seen my many. Many Americans viewed the war in a different way based on the information or lack of information provided by Burns. Rose and Corley share the dangers that come with filmmakers shaping the way people view historical events. In this essay, we will view the weaknesses of Burns films.
Life for the Union Soldier was not only brutal on the battlefield, but the camp life for a Union soldier was just as cruel. With the lack of personal hygiene, unsavory and repugnant food, and the shortage of clothing made living, a very difficult thing to do. Growth in the number of people with diseases was also a contributing factor to the massive amounts of death within the camp and as well as the post-battle wounds that often left either a man with one less limb or put in a mental institution. A Union Soldier’s life during the Civil War was cruel and horrific during their stay at the camps.
The main character, Newton, plays a massive role in this book, as he is the captain of a group of Confederate deserters called the “Knight Company”, which is also described in detail. Not only this, but the author includes information about the Jones County legacy, information that has been confused and warped over time but is now being backed up by facts in this book. These main elements, as well as many others, describe the times and hardships of the people and situations in the Civil War well.
The living legacy of the United States Civil War is a complicated time in American history one finds difficult to describe. The ramification of the war prior, during and after still haunt the current citizens who call The States their home. Tony Horwitz’s book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War looks at the wide gap of discontent that still looms in the late 1990s. For some southerners, the Confederacy still lives on through reenactments, stories and beliefs. For others in the South, reminders the land was dedicated to the Confederacy spark hatred and spite.
He explains that a lack of perspective and superficial analysis meant that the constructive accomplishments of the Civil War era had been ignored . Essentially, “the two-dimensional characters that Dunning’s followers highlighted” reflects exaggeration and a failure to acknowledge the abolitionists’ efforts as “the last great crusade of the nineteenth century romantic reformers.” In additional Some of Stamps works have also focused on the idea of a ‘guilt theory’ where he details that the political impacts of succession during the Civil War era resulted in southern defeat due to an “internal collapse of morale among southerners.” However the plausibility of this argument remains questionable due to stamps lack of empirical evidence.