On the morning of December 12; 1862; the Union gunboat Cairo; nosing her way up the Yazoo River north of Vicksburg; Mississippi; triggered two Confederate demijohn mines. Within minutes the 512-ton ironclad had sunk six fathoms to the muddy bottom with no loss of life -- the first armored war vessel ever downed by an electronically activated mine. A whole new era of naval warfare had begun.In Hardluck Ironclad Edwin Bearss tells how he and two other Civil War historians discovered the Cairo almost a century later -- still intact at the bottom of the Yazoo; her big guns loaded and ready to fire; much of the gear aboard just as it was that December morning when the crew abandoned her -- and how; almost miraculously; she was later salvaged and restored.
#153703 in Books Michael Bronski 2012-05-15 2012-05-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x .78 x 6.00l; 1.04 #File Name: 0807044652312 pagesA Queer History of the United States
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Rarely have I read a book that makes me think so much; a book that needs a highlighter in handBy GaryRarely have I read a book that makes me think so much. I have to read it with a highlighter and wish I had a photographic memory to retain it all. This book defies being read quickly. Like for "A People's History of the United States;" this book makes me look back at history but through a different lens. Although I bought the book to look at Queer history; I didn't realize this books is really a history of sexual; gender differences; and "othering." Perhaps that's what queer history is; but I'm more familiar with gay history and have not encountered this wider view of all non heteronormative behavior before. While I thought it would be like other history books; recounting dates and facts; this book is far better in that it attempts to give the reasons behind the history. It forces you think bigger. I have a degree in Religious Studies; an interest in spirituality and social commentary. I found the information on Transcendentalism and the development of an American ethos very interesting. This is a book that I will reread many times. If I'm gushing it's because I haven't read a lot of gay/queer history so I don't have enough experience with it to compare it with other texts; as other reviewers here might.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Perhaps speculation at best; but never the lessBy CustomerAs a scholarly work it needed a few more examples of early Americans. Perhaps speculation at best; but never the less; when referring to the early arrivals in America; one can only suspect at best on their private lives of whatever kind.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy nickGreat Book about Gay history in the United States
