Recruited as sharpshooters and clothed in distinctive uniforms with green trim; the hand-picked regiment of the Ninth New Jersey Volunteer Infantry was renowned and admired far and wide. The only New Jersey regiment to reenlist for the duration of the Civil War at the close of its initial three-year term; the Ninth saw action in forty-two battles and engagements across three states. Throughout the South; the regiment broke up enemy camps and supply depots; burned bridges; and destroyed railroad tracks to thwart Confederate movements. Members of the Ninth also suffered disease and starvation as POWs at the notorious Andersonville prison camp in Georgia. Recruited largely from socially conservative cities and villages in northern and central New Jersey; the Ninth Volunteer Infantry consisted of men with widely differing opinions about the Union and their enemy. Edward G. Longacre unearths these complicated political and social views; tracing the history of this esteemed regiment before; during; and after the war—from recruitment at Camp Olden to final operations in North Carolina.
#284951 in Books Arcade Publishing 2011-09-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.75 x 5.90 x 5.75l; .70 #File Name: 1611453232272 pages
Review
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Interesting and Unique Perspective …By DACHokieWhile the life of Adolph Hitler has been well-documented in text and film; our understanding of his ultimate demise is heavily based on words and memory of Traudl Junge (nee Humps). HITLER’S LAST SECRETARY provides a fly-on-the-wall perspective that reveals one of history’s most notorious figures as being rather dull.I first saw Traudl Junge on several episodes of the “World at War†(the fabulous and comprehensive British documentary of the Second World War) and found her eyewitness account of Hitler’s last days quite memorable. As Hitler’s youngest secretary; she became a trusted member of his inner circle (he even dictated his last will and testament to her). From the peak of his power in 1942 to his cowardly demise underneath the ruins of Berlin; Junge saw Hitler in a variety of lights: relaxing atop the Eagle’s Nest; bantering with Nazi lapdogs; surviving an assassination attempt and his somewhat odd relationship with Eva Braun … she saw it all. While much of the book centers on her casual observances; Junge provides enough extraordinary details to make it all worth reading and I found it hard to put the book down once I started reading.Even though Junge wrote the book a few years after the war; I never sensed that absolution was her purpose in writing the book … she simply had a story worth telling. There are points in the book where hindsight comes into play; but most of her story is pretty straightforward. She makes no bones that Hitler’s charisma and power were hard to ignore and admits that working for him was a pleasant experience overall. Of course; one wonders to what extent she was aware of the atrocities being committed under her boss’ order. There are instances in the book where the Nazi’s pervasive attitude toward Jews is known/accepted (including one moment where a respected woman with Jewish lineage appears to have been “spared†by Hitler); but this is an issue that Junge opts not to indulge … the war is what takes front and center. The reader is left to judge whether Junge’s account was intentionally void of such particulars or that she simply wasn’t privy to certain matters. The individuals she is exposed to on a regular basis represent a “who’s who†of Nazi war criminals (Himmler; Boremann; Goebbels; etc.); so it is plausible to assume she was aware (to some degree) of Nazi atrocities.While the movie “Downfall†(which draws heavily from Junge’s experiences); portrays Hitler as a raging madman reaching the end of his rope; the book doesn’t deliver any of the movie’s intensity. In fact; much of the book details a different side of Hitler … less of a madman and more of a simple; boring and somewhat strange man. Junge’s interactions with Hitler are always described as being pleasant. She notes many of the man’s idiosyncrasies; including his hypochondria (requiring daily “injectionsâ€); his penchant for napping in front of guests; the affection he has for his dog (“Blondiâ€) and his oddly platonic relationship with Eva Braun. In fact; Junge speaks more negatively about Hitler’s bootlicking followers and confidents. Simply put; the book does not paint Hitler as the detestable person we know he proved to be. But; it is not difficult to believe that Junge’s experience with the man never led her to draw such a conclusion at the time as he was always kind and respectful toward her. While some may view her book as “humanizing†such a despicable figure; I have always felt the stereotypical depiction of ruthless dictators as a monstrous “supervillains†tends to inadvertently aggrandize these people and make them larger than life. Junge’s observations of Hitler do not portray him as anything special.HITLER’S LAST SECRETARY offers a smooth read; even though it mainly consists of one long chapter (one reason it was hard to put down). I found the details provided about Hitler and his inner circle quite fascinating: the interior of the Berghof retreat; Eva Braun’s clothes and demeanor; Hitler’s eating habits; his opinions on mundane topics (like his disdain for smoking) and frank commentary on those close to Hitler. Junge provides a much clearer image of the chaos that erupted deep within the bunker in the war’s final days; including Goebbels decision to poison his six children; Hitler/Eva Braun’s wedding ceremony; as well as their suicides and the subsequent disposal of her bodies (which she doesn’t witness first hand). Even though Junge’s own account ends with her emerging from the bunker; Melissa Muller provides an informative and interesting final chapter that picks up where Junge’s writing stopped. This final chapter serves as a biography of Traudl Junge from the war’s end through the 1990s.HITLER’S LAST SECRETARY is a worthy read as it offers a fascinating peek inside the machine responsible for mankind’s greatest tragedy. While some readers may question the author’s intent or be turned off by her unapologetic/straightforward approach to the subject matter; it is hard to ignore the historical significance of Traudl Junge’s observations.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Quite A Page TurnerBy LynchedI'm giving this book five stars because I have discovered quite a lot from reading it. The way it was written caused me to feel as though I was right there; in which I experienced a sense of suspense during my reading of the moments right up to the very end of the Third Reich. I especially appreciated the special attention to details. I have read many books about Holocaust survivors and the inhumane conditions that Jews had to endure; as well as the horrific ways millions of them were murdered. This would be the very first account of the Nazi Party members; but especially Hitler's close entourage; that I've read which gave an inside look of their day to day lives; conditions as it were for them up to the very last moments before the Russian invasion. I absolutely despise the National Socialist Party for their role in bringing about Hitler's sickening 'Final Solution'. I just find it interesting the way the Party members continued to follow such an obvious criminal regime; without thinking for themselves. Then to witness their beloved leader to go out like a coward. What a slap in the face that must have been. Anyone interested in history and especially WWII will find this book to be very enlightening and informative.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. InterestingBy MikeMcThe fact that she was in close contact and felt that he was a kindly almost father figure shed a new light on the way we can be misled by emotions. A more personal account than the usual history where we get the dates and events but not the everyday interactions
