This detailed and beautifully illustrated book tells the story of Col. Hiram Berdan s brilliant conception: the U.S. SharpShooters; a specialized 2-regiment unit of marksmen recruited from the farming and backwoods communities of the North. Known for their distinctive green uniforms; Sharps breech-loading rifles; and risky tactics; the SharpShooters fought at battles such as the Peninsula; Chancellorsville; Gettysburg; and the Wilderness. The book covers their training; tactics; and weapons and is a must-have for Civil War enthusiasts and anyone interested in the history of special forces. Features paintings by acclaimed Civil War artist Don Troiani.
#2201629 in Books 2011-09-09Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.40 x 1.28 x 6.35l; 1.65 #File Name: 0810867648390 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Essential Hinduism Reference--Ancient Indic Concepts through Modern Philosophical and Religious MovementsBy Darren L. HacklerProfessor Jeffery D. Long's new book; Historical Dictionary of Hinduism: New Edition (Scarecrow Press); is a major accomplishment and an essential scholarly reference acquisition for libraries; academic institutions; researchers; and any reader interested in learning more about the world's most enduring religious system: Hinduism. Following on the scholarly work of his first two books; A Vision for Hinduism: Beyond Hindu Nationalism; and the popular Jainism: An Introduction (Introduction to Religion); Long provides readers an essential; understandable reference regarding Indic thought; concepts; writings; religion; myth and history.Professor Long's deft handling of the subjects in this reference includes an introductory essay and chronology covering thousands of years of the evolution of Hinduism; Indic religious and philosophical movements; gods; goddesses; concepts; religious corpus; myth; people; and rich history. Historical Dictionary of Hinduism includes an essay that places entries into overall context; explores the main theories regarding how the third largest religion in the world evolved--from British colonial rule to Hindu nationalist theories; to modern academic theories about the Indus-Sarasvati; aka Mohenjo Daro-Harappan civilization to classical texts and to the development of India.The Historical Dictionary of Hinduism contains over 300 pages of terminology (cross-referenced); an extensive bibliography on primary sources; philosophical texts; religious works; an extensive list of secondary sources; and books about various aspects of ancient Hinduism; classical Indian history; colonial rule; to the diversity of modern Hindu sects and movements.Individual entries cover Hinduism through all of its many evolutions; iterations; and interactions with other religions; philosophies; and cultures including Jainism; Buddhism; and even Islam and Christianity. Entries on daily religious practices; devotions; terms; activities; beliefs and about historically important individuals abound. Philosophical references are diverse; ranging from modern Hindu Vedanta (based upon the 8th/9th Century philosopher Shankara; later saints and Ramakrishna's teachings' accepting the scriptural validity of the Vedas with universal tolerance); to yoga to tantra; to philosophies that are popular in the West (e.g. the Transcendentalist Movement; the Theosophical Society; Transcendental Meditation; or even the Hare Krishnas) to specific gurus and important historical figures.Other terminology in Historical Dictionary of Hinduism covers basic daily rituals; puja (prayers); bhakti devotion to specific devas (deities) or avataras (divine incarnations); to darsan (a blessing while in the presence of a deity; saint or guru); to festivals; holidays; and modern Hindu religious activities. Religious entries and explanations cover rituals; myths; the identities and iconography of gods and goddesses; Vedic and classical religious practices derived from the Rig Veda and later Vedas; Upanishads; the Mahabharata; the Bhagavad Gita; to collections of sutras and commentaries by specific philosophical or religious schools.There is a wealth of terminology regarding persons and concepts associated with the independence movements from the mid-19th Century to Gandhi; to independence and the modern state to the expression of Hindutva (Hindu nationalism). Entries reference important individuals including authors; saints; political figures; writers and national leaders. Terminology explanations associated with Hindu nationalism and various philosophies explain how specific groups identify who a Hindu is.Whether you need a reference for understanding the historical context of India's scriptures; philosophies; ancient Vedic thought; the history of the classical or colonial periods to modern India; Long's Historical Dictionary of Hinduism is the essential reference monograph.This reference provides a useful pronunciation guide. By using new standard spellings of Anglicized Hindi; Sanskrit; Indic languages; and Devanagari alphabet; this book is extremely useful for casual readers; students or for academic researchers. With the extensive lists of primary and secondary sources; there is enough information to keep a devotee; historian; or a student reading for years to come--hopefully; with a few new works by Professor Long.On a personal note; I was thoroughly impressed (perhaps; daunted is a better description) with the level of scholarship and obvious command of the wide-ranging subjects.Thanks for the great read!Every college; university; municipal library or private collection should acquire the Historical Dictionary of Hinduism for its scholarly reference value.
