August 2010 - American Civil War

Since it's been decided that August is for the American Civil War, Here is the thread so everyone knows what we are reading next month.

I will probably read The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. It's been sitting on my TBR shelf for years, so it will fit nicely with my 1010 Challenge as well!

I've got Amelia's War by Ann Rinaldi and Dances With Wolves by Michael Blake on my TBR shelves, both will work.

I'm planning a category challenge for the Civil War next year but I'd like to tie the Civil War reading in August to my current categories.

So, in August, I plan to read about the Sultana disaster in Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maritime Disaster in American History by Alan Huffman, to tie this in to my disasters category.

Also, if you know me, you know that I love to read about baseball and can tie almost any topic to baseball, so I'm planning to read Baseball in Blue and Gray: The National Pastime During the Civil War by George B. Kirsch.

>4 lindapanzo: Linda, that last one sounds so interesting!

#5 I hope so. Most of my baseball reading involves major league baseball so this is a bit different for me.

I know that it is said that the "inventor" of baseball (the stated inventor but not the real one) fired the first shots in response to the Confederate attack at Fort Sumter. Mostly, though, I imagine the book is about how the Civil War popularized baseball.

I'm planning on Voices of emancipation as my non-fiction read. I haven't made up my mind about my fiction selection for August. My TBR piles include Gone with the Wind, The March, and Cold Mountain. I'm not sure I'm ambitious enough to tackle GWTW in August. I work in an academic setting, and the month gets progressively busier. I'll probably end up reading The March.

I have a category for the Civil War in my 1010 Challenge so this works perfect for me. I just have to decide which of the many Civil War books on my list I want to read in August. Here are my choices:

Lincoln and his Admirals
The two American Presidents : a dual biography of Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee
Desperate engagement : how a little-known Civil War battle saved Washington, D.C., and changed the course of American history
Confederate Ordeal: The Southern Home Front : The Civil War
The South vs. the South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the Course of the Civil War
Why the South lost the Civil War
Out of the storm : the end of the Civil War, April-June 1865
RED Badge of Courage
this Republic of Suffering
Don't know much about the Civil War
Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief
With Malice Toward None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln
Team of Rivals (Lincoln cabinet)
A House Reunited

I keep pushing off reading my copy of Original Sins: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom by Peg Kingman, but I got it for Early Reviewers, so need to get it done and a review posted soon. Hopefully the August theme will keep me focused and I'll get it read for this group.

I've ordered Thomas Keneally's Confederates from Betterworld.

I don't know if I'll be able to jump in here as soon as August, but if I can, I think I'll read None Shall Look Back. Caroline Gordon is a wonderful and under-appreciated writer.

I haven't been compelled to read many books regarding the Civil War - so this will be a good chance to stretch out my genres. Funny, I just finished Confederates in the Attic last month after putting it down a few times. I really enjoyed his journey and documentation of current Southern attitudes and activities regarding the Civil War - especially the re-enactments.

I'm choosing Now the Drum of War: Walt Whitman and His Brothers in the Civil War. I love Walt Whitman's poetry but have never read about his part in the war. I'm looking forward to it.

sojourner, you do realize that the Civil War is for August, right?

I have March by Geraldine Brooks and The March by E.L. Doctorow set aside. I've been focusing on the Reconstruction era, so it will be interesting to go back a bit.

I have settled on The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane.

#14 I've read and enjoyed both those books :).

It was my first time reading anything by those authors and both books spurred me to read everything ever written by Brooks and Doctorow.

I will definitely be starting Gone With The Wind but the Group Read carries on into September, so I probably won't finish it during August.

I have a few other Civil War books I want to read so will be deciding between March by Geraldine Brooks, Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles, My Name Is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira and Soul Catcher by Michael C. White.

It just occurred to me that Lincoln's Dreams by Connie Willis would probably be a great read for this theme, but alas, I'm pretty committed to The Killer Angels. If I have time next month, maybe I'll read both! :)

I can't seem to pick a book for August. I really recommend Killer Angels, though. I read it a few years ago and was just amazed at how much I enjoyed it. I hated Brook's March though. And seriously, Cheli, you are making us look bad! JK! That's a long list!

I have a biography I wanted to read, Fighting for the Confederacy, but can't find it at either local library. I may skip this month. We'll see.

Glad you liked The Killer Angels -- this gives me motivation finally to take it off the TBR shelf. I tried to read March last year but couldn't get past the first chapter!

I might read Cold Mountain. I forgot that it was on my list.

Yeah, March just wasn't for me. I did finish it, but it was a big disappointment.

Wait a minute...I'm NOT reading all those books in August, those are just the ones I'm considering. I'll probably still be reading Team of Rivals since it's 900+ pages long and I'm not even past page 300 at this point.

Well, I think March just went to the bottom of my list. I will probably pick up one of the others that I listed.

I read Cold Mountain when it first came out and found it extremely depressing and I don't do depressing.

Hmm, maybe I will rethink that one.

i somehow ended up with two copies of Cold Mountain, I think one was a gift, but since seeing the movie I don't want to read the book. The movie was distressing to watch - all that cruelty!

I expected to hate Cold Mountain but liked it pretty well. Admittedly, I like cruel, graphic, and depressing though. It's probably not for everyone.

I put an order into the library for Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles so that will be the first Civil War novel that I tackle in August.

I'm waffling on my fiction choice for August. I'm not sure the The March will fit well with the remaining slots in my 1010 categories. I only have a couple of books left in my history category, and I have more potential candidates for those slots. I'm thinking about a couple of library books instead that would also fill in empty slots for my 50 States challenge: Elkhorn Tavern by Douglas C. Jones, set in Arkansas, and Numbering All the Bones by Ann Rinaldi, set in Georgia.

I'm beginning with Killer Angels and will also plan on With Malice Toward None: the life of Abraham Lincoln. I read Ghost Riders by Sharyn McCrumb several years ago and really liked it. It's part of her Appalachian Series, which link the past with the present.

29>> I'm doing the 50 state challenge too and have only managed to visit 27 states so far, but I wasn't aware that there was a time table had been put on it. I thought it was an open-ended challenge. If that is true, couldn't you do Arkansas and Georgia next year?

30>>I had had With Malice Toward None on my possible list for this month too, until I was told that the author spent a great deal of effort putting the reader into Lincoln's mind. That wasn't what I was looking for, so I dropped. it. You'll have to give me your opinion.

>31 cyderry: No, there's no timetable on the 50 states challenge. I'm participating in several geographic challenges and, for that reason, one of my 1010 categories for this year is a places category. Since I'm running low on slots in my 1010 history category, the other 1010 category I have for a book on the U.S. Civil War is my places category. I could, of course, revisit a state I've already visited, but I would prefer to fill in a state I haven't already visited in my 50 states challenge.

Ah, the blissful tyranny of challenges.

I'm sticking with March by Geraldine Brooks, which I have been wanting to read for some time, and The March by E. L. Doctorow.

I think if The March was really calling to me I could make it fit in my 1010 categories. I'm just not in the mood for it right now. Both of the library books I found are more interesting to me right now than any of my TBRs.

I will be reading Look Away!: A History of the Confederate States of America by William C. Davis.

I was also considering Jubilee by Margaret Walker but doubt I will be able to get to it.

Well, I'm working hard at Team of Rivals. This is a definitely fascinating book and I'm only 1/3 through the 900+ pages.

I'm somewhat tempted by several books mentioned on this thread, but I think I've had my fill of the Civil War for a while after reading Raintree County for the June 19th Century challenge. Although it took me most of the month to read this magnificent novel, I highly recommend it.

I thought that Someone Knows My Name might work for this month, but it appears to take place in the 18th century in Africa and Canada. I bought it for July's Freedom theme, but didn't get to it, so I may just go ahead and read it this month and skip the Civil War topic. I'm really looking forward to September's monarchy theme.

Rats! Since I've already ordered through the Pines system, I'll give it a try.

Have you read the Diary of Mattie Spenser--it's set in the Civil War era, but ends up in Colorado, I believe.

#37
Crescent City by Belva Plain is based on a diary kept by a Jewish girl who lived in New Orleans through the civil War. It is a quick and easy read, but the incidents are true.

I finished Enemy Women by Paulette Jiles today. I have posted a review, I gave it 4 stars and was totally captivated by the author's writing and the story.

I am going to try to fit some more Civil War reading into the month, but it will have to wait a couple of weeks until I get back from my upcoming trip.

I finished The March by E L Doctorow and I'm inspired to read more about the American Civil War. I think I'll try either The Killer Angels or The Red Badge of Courage next. The March tells of the Union army's march through the south of America from the perspectives of many different characters. Highly recommended - I'm going to give it 4 stars.

I didn't manage to join the RTT month read for July - July just flew by in too much of a blur - but I will join August's theme read. I have Geraldine Brook's March waving at me from my book piles but I picked up a library book that fits the bill nicely that I will be starting it later today. The Rebellion of Jane Clarke by Sally Gunning is set in Cape Cod and Boston on the cusp of the start of the Revolutionary War, and appears, based on the fly cover to focus on how the war divided families. Looking forward to starting this one!

Okay - so I got around to cracking The Rebellion of Jane Clarke only to discover it is about the wrong war - the earlier war with the British, not the Civil War that occurred 100 years later - so I have abandoned it. Our local library has slim pickings for fiction choices that focus on what they classify as 'United States History Civil War' but I did locate the novel Only Call Us Faithful by the Canadian author Marie Jakober. The novel tells the story of the double life of Elizabeth Van Lew, a well-born Richmond, Virginia resident that operated a spy ring of 12 people during the war, feeding the Union side Confederate Army secrets and plans. Espionage is more my thing than military battles scenes so I think I am now set for this month.

#44 I was at a loss for a book for the August read, and just about settled on skipping this month. But Only Call Us Faithful looks good - like you, espionage is more interesting to me than military history - and the library has it on the shelf so I'm going to give it a try. Thanks!

#45 - It was a toss up between Only Call Us Faithful or The Halifax Connection, another Jakober novel. The Halifax Connection focuses on the counter-intelligence espionage activities from within Canada, with all the Confederates flooding Montreal and Halifax during the war. Both looked good, so I will probably be reading the second one, just not in time for the August theme read.

#46 They don't have The Halifax Connection, so I'll stick with Only Call Us Faithful. If I like the author, then I'll begin hunting for more.

I'm about 3/4 of the way through Baseball in Blue and Gray. While it's got its interesting moments, it's more of a parallel story to the actual war.

It touches on how the well-to-do would pay for a substitute to go into the Union army in his place but didn't go into detail. (Back then, teams were organized around occupation, post office worker, newspaper guys etc.)

It talks briefly about how they'd play baseball in the prisoner-of-war camps during the first year or two of the war, but again, not much detail.

Sometimes interesting but mostly pretty dry and somewhat disappointing. It doesn't go much beyond what those early history of baseball books do and certainly doesn't tie the game much to the war.

Well, I'm at Chapter 21 of Team of Rivals. I am so glad that I got this book both in hardback and audio from the library. (912 pages would have generated big muscles by the end if didn't listen to some!) It is very interesting telling of the different aspects of how Lincoln handled his cabinet members during the war. They all ran against him for the Repulican nomination and yet he is able to get the best out of each man. According to this, Lincoln was either a completely brilliant negotiator or a master manipulator.

My wife stole the copy of Original Sins I was planning to read this month for this challenge, so I did some digging and realized that Little Women takes place during the Civil War. Not sure how much it actually deals with the war (sorry, never read it), but seems the father is away fighting, so it must have some undercurrent running through it. Just started, so we'll see how well it fits this group challenge.

I chose Killer Angels for first read in unabridged books on tape. So far I'm loving it in spite of my general avoidance of all things American Civil War. My a/c went out Friday night with daytime temps of 95+, so I've been hiding out in my den (I have a little window unit there) all weekend.

I finished Voices of Emancipation last night. I can't say I learned anything that I didn't already know. It was worthwhile because it personalized the history.

I'm about halfway through None Shall Look Back. So far, I'd say it's an engaging story and excellent writing. I can't quite tell yet what direction she (Caroline Gordon) is taking and what meaningful deep truth she plans to highlight. I'm sure it's coming though. More later....
(the sad truth is that I read this in college. I don't remember it so I assumed I just conveniently skipped it, but there's notes in the margins to prove I actually read it. I remember nothing. This says some thing either about the book or about my college years-- we'll see which.)

Well, The March, about Sherman's march through Georgia and the Carolinas is a wrenching read. It's very good, but it's hard to read more than a few chapters at a time.

Just finished None Shall Look Back by Caroline Gordon. Here's my review:
I read this book for a LT group theme read "American Civil War". (I also read it in college for a Southern Lit class many years ago). It was a quick and compelling read and Gordon's writing is excellent. She really captures the South and Southerner not just through her story, but through her use of language (and without being confusing and inaccessible). The novel takes place in Kentucky during the last year of the Civil War primarily and tells the story of a wealthy land owning family plus friends and cousins-- those who go to war, and those left behind at home. The chapters trade back and forth telling of the battles and of the difficulties at home.

I personally found the the battle scenes overly detailed and somewhat tedious-- troop movements, breastworks, flanks, etc. I'm just not terribly interested in this stuff. I also kept getting all the Generals mixed up-- you can't just refer to "The General" when there's ~10 of them. The scenes on the farm were much more interesting to me. It was a bit hard to be all broken up by the ending since it was pretty obvious all along how it would end. (The South loses and the hero gets killed!!). Gordon is not known for happy endings, but she doesn't tell her sad tales with a bit of melodrama or sappiness, which I appreciate.

The most interesting aspect of the novel was the perspective on the war. It's told by a war-fighter with close access to the leadership. There's strong insinuation that the leadership of the Confederate Army was weak, slow in making critical decisions, drunken, and ultimately at fault for their loss (most of the leaders were historical characters). I don't know how historically accurate the details of the leaders or the battles are. I had not seen the war painted this way before. The folks at home were also shown to have faults-- overly proud, stubborn, etc. Gordon was a Southerner herself, and certainly the book has a "pro-South" feel to it, but she didn't hide the defects or paint a picture of perfection and bliss. It's much more real than many Civil War stories. Recommended. 3.5 stars.

I'm about to start The Killer Angels! I should be able to finish it this month for the Civil War theme.

Oops - Original Sins: A Novel of Slavery and Freedom by Peg Kingman does not take place during the Civil War. I abandoned another challenge (TIOLI) specifically to read this for the RTT August challenge, but by the time I figured out we weren't going to get into the Civil War, the book was too good to abandon. So I'll treat it as a primer to life prior to the Civil War and why it was pretty obvious something would have to happen.

See the full review here

Oops #2 - the other read I had planned for this month, based on tags on LT, was Little Women. Of course most of you were probably well aware that it had very little to do with the Civil War (I think it was mentioned twice and it serves as the source for why the father is out of the picture), but I'm about 3/4 way through, and the war is already over. Oh well, another good book, and right or wrong, it gave me the impetus to read another classic.

When it came time to commit to a fiction read for the Civil War, naturally none of the several books I own about it would do. After a little searching, I found a fairly obscure book at the library that would also count toward an as-yet-unread state for my 50 states challenge. I've generally avoided westerns for most of my life, so I wasn't sure how well I would like Elkhorn Tavern by Douglas C. Jones. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book that tells the story of the Battle of Pea Ridge and its effect on one family in the community. My review is here: http://www.librarything.com/work/495315/reviews/63509593

"Mama and I were Southerners, but not Rebels. We were for the Union but not the Yankees. You have to be from Maryland to understand it."

(I love this quote because I think of Maryland as part of the North. They never serve me sweet tea when I'm there and that's the deciding factor, isn't it?)

Amelia's War by Ann Rinaldi is a fictionalized account of the real-life ransoming of Hagerstown, Maryland by CSA Brigadier General McCausland in July 1864.
As a southern girl, I knew about Sherman's march to the sea and I had heard the famous story of how Savannah escaped the torch, but I never knew that towns had been blackmailed for money. We all know that war is horrible, but this just brought another facet of the horror into focus for me.
I tell myself that I read Rinaldi's young-adult books because I love her style but it seems she can teach adults a little history too.

Many A River by Elmer Kelton was a good book with a focus on the Civil War in West Texas. Giving details of General Sibley's march into New Mexico and how,through the Confederates over-confidence at the battle at Glorieta Pass, the Union managed to attack and take over the Confederate supply train. Killing all the animals and burning all the stores forcing the Confederates to return to Texas when the original plan was to march all the way to Colorado to gain control of the silver mines. A source of money that was badly needed by the Confederacy.

Thanks to this month's challenge, I read March by Geraldine Brooks. March is the father of Little Women fame, imagined here as a vegetarian abolitionist. He joins the army as a chaplain because he doesn't think it right to send young men to fight for a cause he believes in, while he sits safe at home. He's a man of principle, thrust into situations where the right thing to do is often unclear or impossible and the most noble act can have unforeseen consequences. It's also a story about the toll war takes on marriage.

Victoria - I've been to Hagerstown quite often, so I've got to take a look at Amelia's War Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

I'm a little more than 1/3 of the way through The Killer Angels, and I am really liking it! For some reason, I thought it would be very dry and boring, but it's definitely proving me wrong.

I am 1/4 of the way through Only Call Us Faithful. So far I am really enjoying the story. Can't speak to the historical accuracy but now that the weekend is here I will be able to settle in a comfy chair and finish the book. Will post back here on the thread when finished.

#64 Lori, I'm about 1/2 through Only Call Us Faithful and agree that it is very enjoyable - and told in an unusual way. I'll look forward to comparing comments with you next week.

To complete this month's challenge, I read a non-fiction history of the Confederacy Look Away!: A History of the Confederate States of America by William C. Davis

I finished The Killer Angels today. I really enjoyed it and learned so much from it. It's a marvelous account of the Battle of Gettysburg and some of the men who fought it. My review is at my thread.

59>> Victoria I was just notified by the library that Amelia's War is in.
Hope to pick it up Monday.

I just finished Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell. A great Civil War read and still one of my all time favorite books!

Stayed up late last night to finish Only Call Us Faithful by Marie Jakober. Loved the book. I have to say I learned more about the American Civil War reading this book over the past week than I ever learned in all my years of education - keeping in mind that the majority of my education is Canadian with a three year stint in the American education system, for grades 3 - 5. That or I don't remember most of what I was taught, as we are going back a few years! ;-)

As there is no review on the book page I will try and find time later today to post a review.

Found your review and gave it a thumbs up.

Thanks cmbohn - I forgot to post here when I had the review up. ;-)

>68 cyderry: Hope you enjoy Amelia's War cyderry! Sorry for the late reply, I have just gotten back from a vacation where there was no internet connection. I am so far behind on my LT threads.

Victoria, I just picked it up from the library so I may try to squeeze it in this month.

We all seemed to read different books for the Civil War. I'm wondering, putting aside the slavery issue, did anyone see anything that was acceptable about the South's stand?

#75 That's an interesting question, but I don't have an answer for it. What I am curious about is how people who grew up in southern states were taught about the civil war while they were in school. Coming from Kansas - a free state - we learned that the "south" was the enemy, and the losers in the war. But how do you learn about the war when you live in the south?

My mother, who went to school in Kentucky in the early 1900's was taught that the Yankees were the invaders & the Confederates were defending their property . I had asked her this when I was in the 5th grade & showed her my history book which she said did not get all the facts right or something similiar. As this was 100 years ago, I am sure that over time, different interpretations appeared. We had pictures of her uncles who had ridden off as young men, only one of which returned home, then headed west. Mom thought Gone with the wind belonged with the Bible as a sacred text. That whole family had this attitude toward African-Americans. They loved them. They wanted to protect them. But they thought of them as children who needed protection. They were very much against the Klan & those with similar beliefs. But as
my mother fell in love with Eleanor Roosevelt (The whole extended family supported FDR,) her thinking changed, & she agreed with Eleanor that all people shou
ld be served in resturants, & treated with respect.

I grew up in East Tennessee, a part of the state that for the most part remained loyal to the Union in the Civil War. I don't remember anything from history classes that made it seem like teachers were taking sides. The Civil War seemed to be covered objectively.

My daughter's studying the Civil War in fifth grade, so I took her to our local Confederate Museum (I'm in SC) where we got the story of the War of Northern Aggression. I brought home their reading list, if anyone wants to get into the Confederate point of view. I live here and I don't understand it. It seems to be based on an argument of "no one tells me what to do, so no one has the right to tell me I can't enslave someone else". It's pretty much based on not seeing African Americans as human beings. I've also had slavery justified to me as the slave-owners being really nice to their slaves and Northerners 1. profiting from slavery in the South (needing cotton for the mills), and 2. treating mill workers worse than the plantation owners treated their slaves.

I grew up in Texas and schools towed the line on being objective, but begrudgingly. In general I was taught (not in school but everywhere else) that the world would be better now if only the South had won. There are still many Texas who think they would like to secede. As far as I can I can tell it is all completely irrational. People feel Southern so they hate Northern and want to blame their problems on things that happened before their great grandparents were born rather than taking responsibility for their circumstances. It was obvious when a teacher felt this way, but they did not teach it outright.

I have a course of books that I plan to finish this year about the Civil War era. A few that I am really interested in reading are If the South had won the Civil War, Why the South lost the Civil War, The South vs. the South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the Course of the Civil War, and Confederate Ordeal: The Southern Home Front : The Civil War.
I really want to see some of the war from the Southern viewpoint.

Great comments here everyone! I think the American Civil War is an interesting example - along with many other examples! - of where revisionist history has left its mark. The story I read Only Call Us Faithful did raise some interesting points about the South's involvement in the war that gave me some food for thought. The points raised were:

That social status for the propertied gentry of the South was based on what you owned, not who you were, like with the landed gentry system of England. Lose your property, which includes your slaves, and your social status is diminished accordingly. Even if you were property-less in England, your were still considered by society to be landed gentry - Lord, Earl, etc - based on your family pedigree, even if they did gossip about you or shunned your from their social gatherings. Is it correct to assume that this distinction existed?

An interesting rebuttal was raised to the factories and industrial evolution of the manufacturing North - that the slaves on the plantation were treated better by their owners than the 'free' factory and mining workers of the North. I really can't comment on that but I find it an interesting comment given the lack of labour laws back in the mid-1800's.

That is my two cents to this fascinating discussion. Sorry I can't contribute further but it really is a topic I only have minor knowledge of.

Maybe only a minor discussion, but at least our readings made us think a little bit about the changes that were a reaction to the war.

Re: the argument that slaves in the south were treated better than workers in the north. I've no doubt that this argument was made, and perhaps even believed by those who made it. But I think it was nothing more than justification for keeping slavery intact. No doubt, some slaves were humanely treated. And, no doubt, many northern workers suffered terrible working conditions. But - in the big picture - those northern workers were free to leave their jobs and do something different. They were free to get a job at a different mine or factory - although conditions might be even worse. They were free to go west and claim a homestead. They were free to get an education or training and learn to do a different job. Even though on an individual level those people may not have felt as though they had any options but to stay in those horrible jobs, they actually made the choice to stay rather than leave and risk starvation. That is not a choice that even the best-treated slaves had.

I've also been reading Only Call Us Faithful and Ikernaugh points out an interesting distinction that was raised in the book. Not all southerners were alike, and not all of them were equally supportive of the Confederacy. It seems to have been the "landed aristocracy" who were most adamant about fighting for states' rights (read, "the right to own slaves"). I bookmarked a quote from the book that I planned to use if I review it: "The South wasn't all rich.... It wasn't all white. And by God, it wasn't all Rebel!" (pg 239 - emphasis in the original). What I think would make an interesting study is the opinions of the war in the North. How many northerners were opposed to the war? and why? Did they support the south's right to own slaves, or because of pacifistic beliefs?

I love all the comments about how the war has been taught in the south. I think it's very interesting that there is still such a feeling of "us vs them". Of course, I guess I'm guilty of the same thing! Growing up in a northern state, I've been taught to believe that slavery was always wrong, even during the revolutionary period, and that the compromises made during the constitutional convention which allowed slavery to remain, and even specified that a slave counts as 3/5 of a person, were only for the greater good of establishing the union. We learned that it was inevitable that slavery would end, just as it was inevitable that the south would lose the war. We had "right" on our side. heh.

What is truly amazing, I think, is that the country was actually able to heal and move on. Albeit with many painful scars.

I grew up in the South, though at least half my schooling was in Florida which is no kind of Southern, at least not in Miami. I don't ever remember studying the Civil War in school and history was my interest. Even in college, in Atlanta, My American History courses didn't have time for the Civil War.

The only discussion I even remember at home was that my great-great-grandmother "refugeed" to Augusta with her daughter to get out of Sherman's way and never saw her husband or twin sons again.

Has anyone come across fiction or non-fiction about Sweetwater Creek, Ga? (There's a State Park there now.) An off-shoot of Sherman's army burned the mills and town and transported the women and children to a holding camp in Tennessee, I think, and then dispersed them across the Ohio River.