Synopsis
A journalistic telling of the human stories behind the history
books. More than 101 vignettes from all walks of life, all aspects of
this tragic conflict---meet the soldiers, sailors and slaves, the
politicians, the women, and so many other faces in the crowd! Drummer
boys, free blacks, a few villains, and heroes of all kinds, even "Old
Abe the Soldier Bird". Read about Robert E. Lee's rebound from near
failure...Stonewall Jackson's off day in battle...Abe Lincoln's
personal spy in the South...a mysterious stalker following General (and
Mrs.) U.S. Grant the night of the Lincoln assassination. Not every
Civil War book is all about battles. Not this one, anyway. Sure, you'll
read about various combatants and their stories---major battles ARE
treated, but so are the civilian onlookers (and sometime victims!).
Meet both the major personalities and the so-called "little people"
also contributing to the social history of their age. As a special
feature, please welcome the truly dramatic story of Varina Howell
Davis, Forgotten First Lady of the South!
From the Publisher
Best Little Stories from the Civil War, now in 5th edition, is the third in our Best Little Stories series of historical books. Previously published were Best Little Stories from World War II (1989) by C. Brian Kelly, now in 7th edition, and Best Little Stories from the White House (1992) by C. Brian Kelly, including First Ladies in Review by Ingrid Smyer, now in 5th edition. The Kelly-Smyer couple have sold more than 64,000 copies of their three self-published historical books. He is a former newspaper reporter (The Washington Star for 16 years), former editor of Military History and World War II magazines and currently is a columnist for Military History (Best Little Stories again!), a lecturer in news-writing at the University of Virginia...and a transplanted Yankee. His wife Ingrid, also a writer-researcher, hails from Alabama. They both love their history, their book work, book people in general, their children and their grand-children! Here's what Practical Homeschooling (November/December 1996) had to say about our series as a whole: "Some books you just can't put down....All three of these books fall in the 'can't put down' category. Each includes 101 short stories that put flesh on historical figures and give life to dates and places." Next on our fast-developing list? What else but Best Little Stories from the American Revolution (including Select Founding Mothers)?
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
