Behind the "Big Houses" of the antebellum South existed a different world; socially and architecturally; where slaves lived and worked. John Michael Vlach explores the structures and spaces that formed the slaves' environment. Through photographs and the words of former slaves; he portrays the plantation landscape from the slaves' own point of view.The plantation landscape was chiefly the creation of slaveholders; but Vlach argues convincingly that slaves imbued this landscape with their own meanings. Their subtle acts of appropriation constituted one of the more effective strategies of slave resistance and one that provided a locus for the formation of a distinctive African American culture in the South.Vlach has chosen more than 200 photographs and drawings from the Historic American Buildings Survey--an archive that has been mined many times for its images of the planters' residences but rarely for those of slave dwellings. In a dramatic photographic tour; Vlach leads readers through kitchens; smokehouses; dairies; barns and stables; and overseers' houses; finally reaching the slave quarters. To evoke a firsthand sense of what it was like to live and work in these spaces; he includes excerpts from the moving testimonies of former slaves drawn from the Federal Writers' Project collections.
#2809308 in Books Scott L Sr Mingus 2014-08-18 2014-08-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.30 x .90 x 5.90l; .0 #File Name: 0807159131336 pagesThe Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign June July 1863
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. The lively account of the Louisiana Tigers during the Gettsyburg Campaign of June and July 1863By Joe OwenNoted Civil War Author Scott L. Mingus; has written an outstanding and lively narrative about the role the Louisiana Brigade played in the Battle of Gettysburg. Part of the Army of Northern Virginia; the Louisiana Tigers under Brigadier Harry T. Hays were well known for their hard fighting; hard drinking; and erasable behavior to both friends and foes alike. These soldiers were from all parts of Louisiana and the men were from all different backgrounds. Put together; they formed one effective fighting force and were a key part of General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia.The author gives the history of the brigade from June to July 1863; leading up to the Battle of Gettysburg; the Battle itself and the few weeks after the battle. What a hard fighting brigade this was; Beginning with the Second Battle of Winchester the Louisiana Brigade swept thru the battlefield towards the Union lines and their "Rebel Yell" put genuine fear into the hearts of the enemy Union Soldiers. Mr. Mingus gives the interesting history of the brigades march thru Gettysburg; and tells humorous tells of the Louisianan's encounters with the Pennsylvanian Civilians along the way. These men did put the "fear of God" into the Pennsylvanians who thought the soldiers were going to rape; pillage; and plunder every house and farm they encountered. This was not the case. The Confederate Soldiers were under orders from General Lee to behave honorably and thus they did. The author then tells the first two days of the Battle of Gettysburg and what the Louisiana Tigers did during the battle. Mr. Mingus gives very interesting details of the Tigers assault on East Cemetery Hill; and the great price they paid for trying to take the battle into the Union lines. These were ferocious fighters; but the Union Lines especially the soldiers from Ohio; Pennsylvania and New York surprised the Louisianans in their equal tenacity and bravery. The Louisianans ALMOT achieved victory (much like the fellow soldiers from Mississippi in General William Barksdale's charge just a few hours earlier); however the Louisianans withdrew leaving the Union Lines intact. The author closes with the the Tigers' withdrawal from Gettysburg and their retreat into Virginia. Mr. Mingus gives the stories of what happened to a few of the men left behind after the battle. Many died from their wounds in the days and weeks after the battle. Some were able to rejoin their regiments; some deserted; and some who were captured took the oath of allegiance to the United States. I find an interesting tale in the book of how a man from Pittsburgh; PA was in New Orleans when the war broke out and was forced into enlisting in a Louisiana Regiment. After he was captured at Gettysburg; he told his captors his story and then voluntarily joined the Union Army for the rest of the war.The rest of the book are the Appendices including the order of battle for East Cemetery Hill; a recap of the weather during the entire Gettysburg Campaign; a day-by-day chronology of the Tigers' movements and campsites; and the text of the official reports from General Hays for Second Winchester and Gettysburg.This is the first book of Mr. Mingus that I have read. He is the author of many other books about Gettysburg and the Civil War. After reading this excellent book; I definitely look forward to reading the rest of his fine works about the different parts of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War. He is a fine author with outstanding narrative and this book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to anyone who wants to know more about the Battle of Gettysburg and The Civil War!6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Great bookBy CustomerRecently I have not read a better publication concerning the Gettysburg Campaign. Gettysburg has seen its fair share of publications over the years including many books that focus solely on some aspect of the battle. There are books that talk only about the horses of Gettysburg; the artillery; the cavalry; the struggle for Little Round Top; Devils Den; The Wheatfield; Culps Hill/Cemetary Hill and so forth. Many of them are very good and many of them aren't so good. Scott Mingus has taken a very "over-published" topic and found a new angle for his readers to enjoy. This book focuses solely on the experiences of the Louisana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign. Mingus has done an exceptional job acquiring the infomation necessary and going the extra mile to dig up the fascinating facts that make a book like this worth reading. I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in the Gettysburg Campaign. Its detail; its organization is amazing. The only drawback is that the publisher has not included enough maps to depict the Tigers experience. However; Mingus has assembled all the key infomation that is needed and what makes this work so impressive is his ability to transport his readers back in time and make you a part of this brigade as it attempted to sieze Cemetary Hill from the Federals as the sun began to set on July 2; 1863. Excellent work Scott6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Excellent; just missing a map or two.By Joel ManuelI had a direct ancestor in the Louisiana Brigade (Company C; 6th La; wounded at Second Winchester) so I was excited to read this book; which details the actions of the Louisiana "Tigers" of Hays' Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign; from the time it left the Fredericksburg area until the retreat across the Potomac after Gettysburg. It is well-researched and skillfully written; using Union and Confederate primary sources to give a full picture of the Tigers' triumphs and tragedies during that campaign. In this way we get to see what the Tigers were doing at a given time; and how their actions impacted and were viewed by the Federal units they were facing.The book's main problem has been noted in a couple of other web reviews: although it has maps tracing the brigade's moves during Second Winchester; it has NO maps for its two major actions at Gettysburg: the decisive defeat of the Eleventh Corps on July 1; and the briefly-successful attack on East Cemetery Hill the following night. Anyone who has more than a passing interest in Gettysburg will still be able to visualize these movements in his head; but I still think it's a major oversight for a respected press like LSU to leave out a map of those actions; which can be confusing.This is not a fatal flaw; however. Mingus' book contains probably the best account of the attack on East Cemetery Hill we will be able to get for a while; and some of the descriptions of the horrors of that night will move even the most hardened reader. The chapter on Second Winchester is equally fascinating. Appendixes include Harry Hays' reports on those two battles; a list of brigade members killed during the campaign; and weather conditions faced by the Tigers. In the end; I would recommend this book to anyone interested in Gettysburg itself or the Louisiana Brigade in particular; and I look forward to reading the author's study of General Gordon's activities concerning the Wrightsville bridge over the Susquehanna; "Flames Beyond Gettysburg."
