The heart of this book is the remarkable Civil War diary of the author’s great-grandfather; William Benjamin Gould; an escaped slave who served in the United States Navy from 1862 until the end of the war. The diary vividly records Gould’s activity as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off the coast of North Carolina and Virginia; his visits to New York and Boston; the pursuit to Nova Scotia of a hijacked Confederate cruiser; and service in European waters pursuing Confederate ships constructed in Great Britain and France. Gould’s diary is one of only three known diaries of African American sailors in the Civil War. It is distinguished not only by its details and eloquent tone (often deliberately understated and sardonic); but also by its reflections on war; on race; on race relations in the Navy; and on what African Americans might expect after the war. The book includes introductory chapters that establish the context of the diary narrative; an annotated version of the diary; a brief account of Gould’s life in Massachusetts after the war; and William B. Gould IV’s thoughts about the legacy of his great-grandfather and his own journey of discovery in learning about this remarkable man.
#906964 in Books Steven E Woodworth 1999-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.02 x .60 x 5.98l; .87 #File Name: 0803298137262 pagesSix Armies in Tennessee The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Very Good Overall View of the Battles - More Maps PleaseBy John BenintendiI will be visiting Chickamauga and Chattanooga this coming October and I was looking for a book to introduce me to the subject. I asked a friend of mine which book I should start with so as to get a good overview of the battles. He suggested this book. I have Cozzens books on both battles but since these battles; espeically Chickamauga; are confusing; I was told that I should not begin with those books but with ones that provide an overview of the battles.I think the advice I recieved was good advice. This book is a very good book in providing a 10;000 foot view of the battles. It does not go into great depth as to units involved in the battles. However; I found the book easy to read and the writing to be very good. However; the one problem I have with the book; and why the 4 star rating; is that for someone like me who does not have a good grasp of the battles really need maps. This book is very much lacking in maps. This book does not need regiment level or even brigade level maps; corps level maps would do just fine given that this is an overview of the battles. I found it difficult at time to know where the various units were in relation to the field as a whole as well as their movements. Other than the map issue; I found this book to be a wonderful introduction in the confusing battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga.If you are wanting to learn about these battles but have very little knowledge of them; like me; then this is a very good book to begin with. I was also told that after this introduction to read "Bushwacking on a Grand Scale" which is where I will moving to next.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good account of these lesser known campaigns.By JakeThese campaigns are well covered by the author; who writes highly readable histories of the Civil War. This account explains why Union General Rosecrans was successful to a point; but seemingly lost his head at Chickamauga when the battle got out of hand. As well; the author Woodworth lays out why Rosecrans was sacked; discussing three aspects of that decision: Ol' Rosie's meticulous planning that led to his paralysis when things were not perfect; Rosecrans' inability to see how his campaigns fit into the larger Union strategy of fighting the Confederate armies in the eastern and western theaters; and Lincoln's need to support the incumbent War Democrat candidate - also supported by Rosecrans - for Ohio governor against Copperhead candidate Clement Vallandigham. The book also treats Confederate General Longstreet's phlegmatic; to say the least; leadership when detached from the Army of Northern Virginia to work with Confederate Army of Tennessee commander Bragg; examining it in light of Longstreet's own aspirations for an independent command and his inability to figure out what Union General Grant was up to with regard to opening the "cracker line" to feed troops in Chattanooga. I found Woodworth's discussion tying Confederate General Lee's well-known practice of pitching his tent closest to Longstreet's while on other campaigns to the observation that some generals need more supervision than others has made me begin to rethink my view of Longstreet. Grant's frustration with Union General Thomas also is fodder here; although I'm still not clear on why this relationship was so poor.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I really enjoyed this bookBy Brian HalmaI really enjoyed this book. Woodworth is very straightforward; and you will know his views very quickly. I enjoyed Peter Cozzen's trilogy that touches on this campaign with 2 books; and this book was a nice contrast. Woodworth provides context on the strategy; what people like Grant; Rosecrans; Bragg; etc.; were trying to do and how their situations shaped their strategic choices and created a logic that they followed. At the core of any discussion of the Army of the Tennessee is the high command structure. Woodworth gives both Bragg and Rosecrans their due. Woodworth addresses their flaws but also provides a rationale for their approach and strategic choices; helping us understand the limits they felt and/or were not able to overcome. All in all; very enjoyable and informative.
