For those of us in today's armchair and unable to taste battle; Seeing the Elephant may be as close as we will get to the real thing. Blue Gray Magazine "This is one of the better 'face of battle' books of the last decade. The authors have painstakingly reconstructed the terrible struggles at Shiloh as experienced by 381 Union and Confederate raw recruits who were members of 160 green regiments and batteries; and who survived the battle. The recruits were selected on the basis of their correspondence which; in the judgment of the authors; contained at least ten responses to seventy-six questions that were compiled from studies of military sociology and combat psychology. . . . Some stimulating new thoughts; challenges to other interpretations; and the authors' skill make it a significant study to those who believe that there is still much to be learned about wars and about the men who fight in them." Civil War History
#1263546 in Books 2012-02-14 2012-02-14Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.56 x 1.13 x 6.47l; 1.02 #File Name: 0312616120304 pages
Review
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. Interesting and highly readableBy bekeeneeIsabella; Ferdinand; the Borgias; Columbus; Magellan and Sir Francis Drake are just a few of the characters you will recognize; and there are many more that we all should know.As a frequent traveler to Spain and Portugal; I found the book very interesting. Mr Brown knit together the numerous threads of this story very well. This highly readable historical book gives enough to inform; without weighing it down with too much detail. While I was familiar with parts of the story; Mr Brown placed it in a different context and filled in the necessary details and included the "flesh and blood" motives.A previous reviewer; a self-described"student of the epoch"; missed the point when he criticized the book for presenting "nothing new." Mr Brown states that his book presents a diffent way to look at the topic and not an indepth history of one facet of the story. For those who want more he provides a bibliography and reading list for further research.I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to understand a bit more about how Spain and Portugal developed such wealthy empires; how they lost them; and what their legacy is in the world today.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Great history lessonBy ScottThis book is great for anyone who loves history and wants to read about this time period. It covers everything from the intertwined royal families of the Iberian peninsula to famous mariners like Columbus and Magellan to the Protestant Reformation. The Kindle version apparently wasn't edited and contains numerous typos and strange word breaks.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I am so happy I purchased my own copy to haveBy laprofe1After borrowing repeatedly from my library; I am so happy I purchased my own copy to have. A little know chapter in our history that continues to impact us to this day.
