“If a full company is needed for some easy service; e.g.; Provost-Guard; a German company is never taken. If an entire company is required for rough service; e.g.; several days or several weeks as Train-Guard; a German company will be ordered whenever possible. As this happens on a company basis; so it happens to individuals in the mixed companies. As a rule; the German has to wade through the mud; while the American walks on the dry road. The German is a ‘Dutch soldier’ and as a ‘Dutchman’ he is; if not despised; is disrespected; and not regarded or treated as an equal.†-- Gottfried Rentschler; March 10; 1864 John Daeuble’s diary and Gottfried Rentschler’s letters provide a fresh and much needed addition to Civil War literature. Originally written in German; these rare documents cover the participation of two immigrants in the historic battles around Chattanooga; the pursuit of Longstreet’s corps in East Tennessee; and Sherman’s grueling Atlanta campaign.More than one third of the 6th Kentucky; U.S.; came from Germany; and these comrades describe their experiences from the perspective of “Dutch†soldiers as well as chronicling the military actions of their regiment. Although around 200;000 German immigrants served in the Union army; stereotypes abounded as to their lack of patriotism and courage. Daeuble’s diary and Rentschler’s letters help to counter these stereotypes. Daeuble concentrates on the physical aspects of the war; describing the day-to-day conditions of service; while Rentschler; who was covering the war for a German-language newspaper back home in Louisville; presents information about marches; battles; and camps in more formal language.Daeuble’s richly detailed diary entries and Rentschler’s lengthy letters are important additions to the still-incomplete mosaic of the Civil War; not only because of their engaging content but also because they help fill significant voids created by an almost complete lack of published sources from Kentucky’s Union soldiers and by the shortage of primary source materials about German immigrants who fought in the war.Joseph R. Reinhart is a retired partner of the accounting and consulting firm Coopers Lybrand. He is author of A History of the 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry U.S.: The Boys Who Feared No Noise and coauthor of the entry on Germans in the Encyclopedia of Louisville. He lives in Louisville; Kentucky.
#449260 in Books Shambhala 2001-05-01 2001-05-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.50 x .50 x 5.50l; .80 #File Name: 1570626227272 pagesISBN13: 9781570626227Condition: NewNotes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Review
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Reincarnation of the Light bringerBy CustomerThe book is a gem for the Occult anatomy of the human body n cultural information relative toReligion n mores of Tibet. Also n adventure to be remembered. *****0 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy RafaelSó far its excelent.26 of 26 people found the following review helpful. Ian Myles Slater on: A New Incarnation of an Old FavoriteBy Ian M. SlaterThe present work is a translation of a book originally published in French as "La vie Surhumaine de Guesar de Ling le Heros Thibetain; racontee par les bardes de son pays" in 1931 (and reprinted under shorter variants of the title); and in English in 1933 by Ryder Co.; London (reprinted 1959) and in 1934 by Claude Kendall; New York; as by Alexandra David-Neel and the Lama Yongden; and translated "with the collaboration of Violet Sydney." (The description of the translation from Tibetan at the end of David-Neel's 35-page Introduction does not go into details on the turning of French into English. The results are; at least; quite readable.)I originally became acquainted with Gesar in the 1960s through a rather dingy-looking rebound library copy of the 1934 edition; and was delighted to find it; years later; in a crisp-looking paperback reprint; with a new foreword (by Chogyam Trungpa; who presumably finds the translation acceptable); but otherwise unchanged.For those not interested in problems of Tibetan history; and the mutual adaptations of Tibetan civilization and Buddhism; the story is more than worth reading as an heroic romance. (Which is how I originally came to it; along with Cuchulain; Finn; and pre-Malory versions of Arthur and Lancelot). There have been some other books on Gesar published in recent years; some including interesting additional material; but the other popular retellings seem at least partly dependant on the doubly-translated David-Neel prose version of his stories. (Which were actually told in verse; and can reasonably be described as a series of epics.)That there is no comparable one-volume version in English is not surprising. There is in fact no complete "canonical" version in Tibetan to translate; instead; many tellings of episodes and sequences of episodes have been recovered; in written or oral form. David-Neel and her Tibetan associates came up with a reasonably connected story. Until a qualified student of Tibetan language and literature produces a representative selection of these texts in English of manageable length; the David-Neel version will have to satisfy the curiosity of the rest of us. What may be the third volume of the major "Library of Tibet" Gesar translation project; directed by Robin Kornman; was in fact scheduled for publication in January 2004. There are also tantalizing reports of Kornman's projected 800-page version of the Gesar story for Penguin; which as a single volume would be a good replacement for David-Neel. This has apparently been scheduled for publication in late November of -- 2007!*Fortunately; the version available is highly enjoyable. It offers the reader a self-consciously Buddhist treatment of the story of a military hero; a fighter and conqueror who is presented as an incarnate defender of the Dharma; and Tibet; against a variety of essentially demonic enemies. In this way; the ethos of the old Tibetan royal and noble dynasties is adjusted to the ideology of Mahayana Buddhism; and the traditions of the Vajrayana schools which prevailed in Tibet.Gesar's story; in this account; is set motion by Padmasambhava; the "Lotus-Born Sage" and "Precious Guru" who is regarded the "Apostle of Tibet;" and one of its supernatural guardians. This wonder-working Bodhisattva recognizes that the time has come to beget a mighty hero; to oppose a previously vanquished demon; now triply-incarnated in human forms; and sets about the accomplishment of this goal. (Yes; it *does* sound a bit like Joss Whedon's original version of the Chosen One and her Watcher; reborn through the ages to defend humanity!) It is not merely an ordinary biography; therefore; but covers the hero's previous existence as a higher being; and the circumstances of his conception and birth; as seen from an essentially divine point of view.Whether you are looking for entertainment or edification; the open-minded reader should find it worthwhile.*Update; April 2013: Robin Kornman's translation is in at least three volumes; and will appear from Shambhala; not Penguin. Volume One; "The Epic of Gesar of Ling: Gesar's Magical Birth; Early Years; and Coronation as King;" is scheduled for official release July 9; 2013. The hardcover editions; at least; will be expensive; I'm waiting for a paperback printing!In the meantime (that is; while I've been ignoring this review); Christopher Pennick has produced a three-volume retelling; under the series title of THE SONGS AND DEEDS OF GESAR; KING OF LING (2009-2011). The individual volumes are: "Warrior Song of King Gesar;" "Crossings on a Bridge of Light;" and "The Brilliance of Naked Mind." All three are available in reasonably-priced Kindle editions.
