First published in 2002 by the South Carolina Historical Society; Dark Hours was the second of two landmark Civil War research projects carried out by Randolph W. Kirkland; Jr. The companion volume on South Carolinians killed in military service; Broken Fortunes; was published in 1995. Highly prized by collectors and historians; both of Kirkland's monumental projects have now been restored to print as Civil War Sesquicentennial Editions by the University of South Carolina Press. Representing more than fifteen years of research drawn from some two hundred different sources; Kirkland's Dark Hours is a compendium of the 11;238 South Carolinians held in captivity as a result of their service to the Confederacy. Kirkland's list includes the individuals' names; ranks; units; where and when they were captured; where they were held; when they were moved; their final dispositions; and sources to assist researchers. This volume is the most complete record ever published of South Carolinians held in Union captivity during the Civil War. In his introduction Kirkland provides meticulous details and background information to the circumstances; implications; and nuances of the federal prison system during the war. He also includes appendixes outlining source codes and abbreviations for place names and ranks along with extracts from official documents concerning prisoners of war.
#420892 in Books 2014-10-23Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 10.00 x .69 x 7.99l; 1.80 #File Name: 160888046X288 pages
Review
37 of 37 people found the following review helpful. Overall; a Fine Piece of WorkBy JCI first encountered Robert Lundgren's work when I read his articles on the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal a few years ago. These articles were fascinating and highly detailed accounts of the damage the USS Washington inflicted on the IJN Kirishima; and that suffered by the USS South Dakota in the same fight. Having greatly enjoyed them; when I saw he had written a book on the Battle off Samar; the most dramatic part of the Battle of Leyte Gulf; it was an instant buy for me.The book's design reminds of some Civil War Battlefield guides I've used. In them; first is a map of the battle ground at a given time followed by excerpts from the contemporary writings of generals and soldiers; field orders; unit reports and the like about what they saw and did with occasional portraits; engravings or art. In Lundgren's book; the Map of the battleground s replaced by a track chart showing the course of the USN and IJN ships over a specific time period; usually a half hour segment. Then he incorporates excerpt's from numerous ship after action reports; commanders' reports; aviator's observations and especially damage reports focused on the same time period. Mixed in are many photographs and stills from film shot during the battle; most of which I had never seen before. Some were amazingly dramatic; especially those of a kamikaze about to strike the one of the CVE's (Locations 4551-4582). Lundgren's work gives the reader a dramatic; you are there sense of what happened off Samar.The author doesn't neglect to discuss the controversial decisions made by Admirals Kurita and Halsey that figured so much in the battle's outcome; but it is less a critical analysis of their decisions than an effort to let us see how the information the admirals had available could have led to the choices they made. Lundgren does particularly well in showing how Kurita reached the seemingly inexplicable decision to stop the pursuit of Taffy 3.I really enjoyed the book and read it within two days of purchase. I must give one caveat; however. At times Lundgren's embrace of "nitty gritty" details exceeded even my considerable appetite. Here's an example: "The projectile penetrated door A-0201 and then the deck of A-0201 at frame 27 tearing a hole 24 inches by 36 inches. It then entered stateroom A-0103 and struck bulkhead 26; tearing a hole approximately 48 inches by 60 inches in stateroom 0101. It continued into the outboard bulkhead of compartment 0101; distorting and pushing this bulkhead outward for four feet between frames 24-25." His description continues on in this vein for several more sentences--and that's just describing the first shell hit on a CVE! More hits; and more descriptions like this followed. I ended up skimming over such bits of excess.I enjoyed reading the book and don't regret the time or money spent.15 of 15 people found the following review helpful. Illuminating look at a famous battleBy Kindle CustomerRobert Lundgren has gone from having a casual interest in warships to producing professional quality work. The World Wondered breaks down basically moment by moment all the details that happened to all the major ships off Samar; both USN and IJN. In so doing he has not only provided a better and more evenhanded accounting of the battle; but has shown; or at least provided a very strong case for reinterpreting large portions of the battle; specifically the part played by the IJN battleships. This is coupled with a lot of Photos I've never seen before; giving some valuable context to the text.The writing style is somewhat dry and he uses a shifting narrative to bounce back and forth between various ships. This is very helpful in showing how each side thought the battle was going while they were in the midst of it; and of showing how things could be misinterpreted in battle; but it may not be for everyone. Some technical details that will make warship nuts like myself smile may be too much for more casual readers But for anyone who has any interest in Samar at all; this is a must read.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Fills in Some Gaps on One of the Most Famous Naval Engagements of WWIIBy John E HockingThis small book has a great title; named for the famous message Halsey received from Admiral Nimitz. I've read everything about this battle I could get my hands on; starting with Morrison. The book fills in some gaps in that it organizes; to the extent possible; what was going on at every minute. However; for me; it seemed a bit overly sterile or matter-of-fact; and this may have been the author's intent. Plenty of books provide a narrative that tells the story of this famous battle.I was reminded of "Friday;" the character played by Jack Webb in the old "Dragnet" TV show. He'd ask for; "just the facts;" without embellishment. I don't mean to suggest that this approach doesn't make an important contribution to the extensive literature on the battle. It did make the book less interesting; *for me*; than others about this last major Naval engagement of WWII.
