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Thanks go out to The History Press and Southern Illinois University Press for sending along a couple of new release books.

From SIU Press comes 1863: Lincolns Pivotal Yearedited by Harold Holzer and Sara Vaughn Gabbard. Contributors include Frank J. Williams, Craig L. Symonds, John Marszalek, William C. Davis, Bob Zeller and others.

From the publisher:

Thank you to my good friends at The History Press for sending along a couple of their new release books.



From author, blogger, educator, and Antietam park ranger John Hoptak comes an exciting new book on Gettysburg. Confrontation at Gettysburg: A Nation Saved, a Cause Lost (Civil War Sesquicentennial) is  best described by John himself.

From his blog:  As is stated in the book’s introduction, I set out on this project not attempting to pave new ground, nor to mine any new, undiscovered sources. From the start, I approached this more as a storyteller than a historian. Students of the battle will find nothing new here, for the intended audience all along was not those who already possess an understanding of the battle but those who are seeking a concise narrative; those who are seeking, perhaps for the first time, a general understanding of why the battle was fought, how it unfolded, and what happened as a result. My sources were by and large secondary, with the works of Coddington, Sears, Trudeau, Woodworth, Symonds, and especially Pfanz serving as my guides and providing the framework. Confrontation at Gettysburg is a short work, coming in at around 250 pages of text, with nearly 100 images and illustrations (including a number of incredible hand-drawn maps by my good friend Mannie Gentile, which will knock your socks off, supplemented by maps by Hal Jespersen), with a total of just over 90,000 words. . . retailing for $16.99. As with all things Gettysburg, the criticisms will surely come; for not focusing enough on the cavalry actions, for example, or perhaps my handling of Lee, Meade, Chamberlain and a host of others. But this, of course, is to be expected. My intention from day one was to write a clear and concise narrative of the campaign, a synthesis, with the hope being that I could both inspire further study and repay the faith placed in me by Doug Bostick and everyone at the History Press.



The Second Battle of Cabin Creek: Brilliant Victory (Civil War Sesquicentennial)is a new book from author Steven L. Warren.

From the publisher: The commander of the three-hundred-wagon Union supply train never expected a large ragtag group of Texans and Native Americans to attack during the dark of night in Union-held territory. But Brigadier Generals Richard Gano and Stand Watie defeated the unsuspecting Federals in the early morning hours of September 19, 1864, at Cabin Creek in the Cherokee nation. The legendary Watie, the only Native American general on either side, planned details of the raid for months. His preparation paid off--the Confederate troops captured wagons with supplies that would be worth more than $75 million today. Writer, producer and historian Steve Warren uncovers the untold story of the last raid at Cabin Creek in this Jefferson Davis Historical Gold Medal winning history.

Be sure to check out the Facebook page for the book. There are already a lot of great photos there.

A couple of new releases have arrived in my mailbox over the last few weeks.

Thanks to the good folks at Random House for sending a copy of Bruce Levines new book The Fall of the House of Dixie: The Civil War and the Social Revolution That Transformed the South.

From the dust jacket:  In this major new history of the Civil War, Bruce Levine tells the riveting story of how that conflict upended the economic, political, and social life of the old South, utterly destroying the Confederacy and the society it represented and defended. Told through the words of the people who lived it, The Fall of the House of Dixie illuminates the way a war undertaken to preserve the status quo became a second American Revolution whose impact on the country was as strong and lasting as that of our first.

After seeing the "reviews" on Amazon this looks like it will be an interesting book. Those who refuse to accept that slavery was the driving force in the cause of the war seem to have taken it upon themselves to post a bunch of 1 star reviews with little real thought or insight.


Thanks go out to author David C. Reavis for sending along a nicely autographed copy of Upon These Steps: Brothers in NC 23rd Regiment.

From the book cover: Two brothers are faced with whether or not to join the Confederate Army. One decides to voluntarily enlist, while the other joins only after being drafted. The brothers’ episodes reflect the chronicles of the “Granville Rifles,” a Company within the NC 23rd Regiment. From the Battle of Bull Run to Sherman’s occupation of Raleigh, the plight of each boy gives the reader an insider’s glimpse of the war. Left behind on the family farm are their parents and siblings. Relive what a Southern family had to endure during the war years. All major events seem to originate on the home’s unique circular rock steps. Soldiers leave for and return from war, slaves are freed, Yankees pay a visit, and suitors come a calling. The epic story of this Southern family is a unique blending of historical fiction with a storyline that reflects the resilience of the human spirit. The book is the result of over 35 years of genealogy research of the author. All characters are based on actual people living during the Civil War, with many events being based on eyewitness accounts as recorded by the soldiers in letters written home.

Mr. Reavis is retired from the State of North Carolina and has been doing genealogy research for over 35 years. Please be sure to see his websites www.reavishistory.com and www.uponthesesteps.com . Theres is also a Facebook page for the book here.