Download or read book The Life and Wars of Gideon J Pillow written by Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Commonly portrayed in Civil War literature as a bungling general who disgraced himself at Fort Donelson, Gideon Johnson Pillow (1806-78) is one of the most controversial military figures of nineteenth-century America. In this first full-length biography,

Download or read book Letters of Gideon J Pillow to James K Polk 1844 written by Gideon Johnson Pillow and published by . This book was released on 1906 with total page 12 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book General Gideon J Pillow written by John M. Jones and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Letters of Gideon J Pillow to James K Polk written by Gideon Johnson Pillow and published by Franklin Classics. This book was released on 2018-10-12 with total page 20 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. To ensure a quality reading experience, this work has been proofread and republished using a format that seamlessly blends the original graphical elements with text in an easy-to-read typeface. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Download or read book Polk written by Walter R. Borneman and published by Random House. This book was released on 2009-04-14 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Polk, Walter R. Borneman gives us the first complete and authoritative biography of a president often overshadowed in image but seldom outdone in accomplishment. James K. Polk occupied the White House for only four years, from 1845 to 1849, but he plotted and attained a formidable agenda: He fought for and won tariff reductions, reestablished an independent Treasury, and, most notably, brought Texas into the Union, bluffed Great Britain out of the lion’s share of Oregon, and wrested California and much of the Southwest from Mexico. On reflection, these successes seem even more impressive, given the contentious political environment of the time. In this unprecedented, long-overdue warts-and-all look at Polk’s life and career, we have a portrait of an expansionist president and decisive statesman who redefined the country he led, and we are reminded anew of the true meaning of presidential accomplishment and resolve.

Download or read book Theater of a Separate War written by Thomas W. Cutrer and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2023-04-04 with total page 609 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though its most famous battles were waged in the East at Antietam, Gettysburg, and throughout Virginia, the Civil War was clearly a conflict that raged across a continent. From cotton-rich Texas and the fields of Kansas through Indian Territory and into the high desert of New Mexico, the Trans-Mississippi Theater was site of major clashes from the war's earliest days through the surrenders of Confederate generals Edmund Kirby Smith and Stand Waite in June 1865. In this comprehensive military history of the war west of the Mississippi River, Thomas W. Cutrer shows that the theater's distance from events in the East does not diminish its importance to the unfolding of the larger struggle.

Download or read book Old Hickory s Nephew written by Mark R. Cheathem and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2007-07-01 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though remembered largely by history as Andrew Jackson's nephew, Andrew Jackson Donelson was himself a significant figure in nineteenth-century America: a politician, planter, diplomat, newspaper editor, and vice-presidential candidate. His relationship with his uncle and mentor defined his life, as he struggled to find the political and personal success that he wanted and his uncle thought he deserved. In Old Hickory's Nephew, the first definitive biography of this enigmatic man, Mark R. Cheathem explores both Donelson's political contributions and his complex, tumultuous, and often-overlooked relationship with Andrew Jackson. Born in Sumner County, Tennessee, in 1799, Donelson lost his father only five years later. Andrew Jackson soon became a force in his nephew's life, seeing in his namesake his political protégé. Jackson went so far as to predict that Donelson would one day become president. After attending West Point, Donelson helped establish the Jacksonian wing of the Democratic party and edited a national Democratic newspaper. As a diplomat, he helped bring about the annexation of Texas and, following in his uncle's footsteps, he became the owner of several plantations. On the surface, Donelson was a political and personal success. But few lives are so straightforward. The strong relationship between the uncle and nephew -- defined by the concept of honor that suffused the southern society in which they lived -- quickly frayed when Donelson and his wife defied his uncle during the infamous Peggy Eaton sex scandal of Jackson's first presidential administration. This resulted, Cheathem shows, in a tense relationship, full of distrust and suspicion, between Donelson and Jackson that lasted until the "Hero of New Orleans" died in 1845. Donelson later left the Democratic party in a tiff and joined the American, or Know Nothing, party, which selected him as Millard Fillmore's running mate in 1856. Though Donelson tried to establish himself as his uncle's political successor and legator, his friends and foes alike accused him of trading on his uncle's name to gain political and financial success. The life of Andrew Jackson Donelson illuminates the expectations placed upon young southern men of prominent families as well as the complexities and contradictions in their lives. In this biography, Cheathem awakens interest in a nearly forgotten but nonetheless intriguing figure in American history.

Download or read book The Mexican War Diary and Correspondence of George B McClellan written by Thomas W. Cutrer and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2009-11 with total page 205 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: George B. McClellan was a second lieutenant in the formation of combat engineers that accompanied Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott's army of invasion during the Mexican War (1846 -- 1848). His diary and correspondence written during this period records a rich record of the campaign and offers unique insights into the character of his fellow Engineers; the friction that arose between professional soldiers, officers and men of the volunteer regiments that made up Scott's command; and much about the character of "the young Napoleon," reflecting the talent, the ambition, and the arrogance that characterized the engineer, businessman, soldier, and future politician.

Download or read book Robert E Lee written by Allen C. Guelzo and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2021-09-28 with total page 625 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the award-winning historian and best-selling author of Gettysburg comes the definitive biography of Robert E. Lee. An intimate look at the Confederate general in all his complexity—his hypocrisy and courage, his inner turmoil and outward calm, his disloyalty and his honor. "An important contribution to reconciling the myths with the facts." —New York Times Book Review Robert E. Lee is one of the most confounding figures in American history. Lee betrayed his nation in order to defend his home state and uphold the slave system he claimed to oppose. He was a traitor to the country he swore to serve as an Army officer, and yet he was admired even by his enemies for his composure and leadership. He considered slavery immoral, but benefited from inherited slaves and fought to defend the institution. And behind his genteel demeanor and perfectionism lurked the insecurities of a man haunted by the legacy of a father who stained the family name by declaring bankruptcy and who disappeared when Robert was just six years old. In Robert E. Lee, the award-winning historian Allen Guelzo has written the definitive biography of the general, following him from his refined upbringing in Virginia high society, to his long career in the U.S. Army, his agonized decision to side with Virginia when it seceded from the Union, and his leadership during the Civil War. Above all, Guelzo captures Robert E. Lee in all his complexity--his hypocrisy and courage, his outward calm and inner turmoil, his honor and his disloyalty.

Download or read book Olive Branch and Sword written by Dean B. Mahin and published by McFarland. This book was released on 1997-01-01 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On May 14, 1846, the U.S. Congress declared that the country was at war with Mexico. Despite protestations to the contrary, the primary purpose of U.S. President James K. Polk in executing the war was the acquisition of California. In 1847, Nicholas P. Trist was sent on a diplomatic mission to deliver Polk's peace terms to the Mexican president, Santa Ana. Angered by the Mexican government's rejection of his terms, Polk issued a recall order in November which Trist chose to ignore. He eventually negotiated a settlement on February 2, 1848, that contained nearly everything that Polk had hoped for. This diplomatic history of America's first foreign war focuses on Trist's efforts and the policies of the Polk administration.

Download or read book Freedom by the Sword written by William A. Dobak and published by Department of the Army. This book was released on 2011 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From late 1862 to the spring of 1865, the federal government accepted more than 180,000 black men as soldiers, something it had never done before on such a scale. Known collectively as the United States Colored Troops and organized in segregated regiments led by white officers, some of these soldiers guarded army posts along major rivers; others fought Confederate raiders to protect Union supply trains; and still others took part in major operations like the siege of Petersburg and the battle of Nashville. After the war, many of the black regiments garrisoned the former Confederacy to enforce federal Reconstruction policy. This book tells the story of these soldiers' recruitment, organization, and service.

Download or read book Grant Invades Tennessee written by Timothy B. Smith and published by University Press of Kansas. This book was released on 2021-10-29 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When General Ulysses S. Grant targeted Forts Henry and Donelson, he penetrated the Confederacy at one of its most vulnerable points, setting in motion events that would elevate his own status, demoralize the Confederate leadership and citizenry, and, significantly, tear the western Confederacy asunder. More to the point, the two battles of early 1862 opened the Tennessee River campaign that would prove critical to the ultimate Union victory in the Mississippi Valley. In Grant Invades Tennessee, award-winning Civil War historian Timothy B. Smith gives readers a battlefield view of the fight for Forts Henry and Donelson, as well as a critical wide-angle perspective on their broader meaning in the conduct and outcome of the war. The first comprehensive tactical treatment of these decisive battles, this book completes the trilogy of the Tennessee River campaign that Smith began in Shiloh and Corinth 1862, marking a milestone in Civil War history. Whether detailing command-level decisions or using eye-witness anecdotes to describe events on the ground, walking readers through maps or pulling back for an assessment of strategy, this finely written work is equally sure on matters of combat and context. Beginning with Grant's decision to bypass the Confederates' better-defended sites on the Mississippi, Smith takes readers step-by-step through the battles: the employment of a flotilla of riverine war ships along with infantry and land-based artillery in subduing Fort Henry; the lesser effectiveness of this strategy against Donelson's much stronger defense, weaponry, and fighting forces; the surprise counteroffensive by the Confederates and the role of their commanders' incompetence and cowardice in foiling its success. Though casualties at the two forts fell far short of bloodier Civil War battles to come, the importance of these Union victories transcend battlefield statistics. Grant Invades Tennessee allows us, for the first time, to clearly see how and why.

Download or read book The American Civil War written by Steven E. Woodworth and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 1996-12-09 with total page 769 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The single most important volume for anyone interested in the Civil War to own and consult. (From the foreword by James M. McPherson) The first guide to Civil War literature to appear in nearly 30 years, this book provides the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and informative survey and analysis of the vast body of Civil War literature. More than 40 essays, each by a specialist in a particular subfield of Civil War history, offer unmatched thoroughness and discerning assessments of each work's value. The essays cover every aspect of the war from strategy, tactics, and battles to logistics, intelligence, supply, and prisoner-of-war camps, from generals and admirals to the men in the ranks, from the Atlantic to the Far West, from fighting fronts to the home front. Some sections cover civilian leaders, the economy, and foreign policy, while others deal with the causes of war and aspects of Reconstruction, including the African-American experience during and after the war. Breadth of topics is matched by breadth of genres covered. Essays discuss surveys of the war, general reference works, published and unpublished papers, diaries and letters, as well as the vast body of monographic literature, including books, dissertations, and articles. Genealogical sources, historical fiction, and video and audio recordings also receive attention. Students of the American Civil War will find this work an indispensable gateway and guide to the enormous body of information on America's pivotal experience.

Download or read book An Immigrant Soldier in the Mexican War written by Frederick Zeh and published by Texas A&M University Press. This book was released on 1995 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Frederick Zeh, a young German immigrant, had hardly arrived in the United States when he was caught up in the war fever that swept his new homeland. He joined the Mountain Howitzer and Rocket Company of the U.S. Army. His impressions of the siege of Veracruz, the long march to Mexico City, the bloody battles that occurred along the route, and the occupation of the capital provide a vivid and unusual account of the Mexican War from an enlisted man's point of view. Although Zeh held the lowly rank of "laborer" in the army, he was well-educated and an astute observer, and his story is both lively and well-written. Besides the horror of battles, he tells about relations between officers and enlisted men, military punishment, and the day-to-day life of the soldiers. Numerous anecdotes and personal stories enliven his narrative. He is unusually candid about abuses that occurred in the American army and toward Mexican civilians. His is also the first book-length account written by a German-American participant - a significant contribution, given that nearly half the regular army was made up of immigrant recruits.

Download or read book The Art of Command in the Civil War written by Steven E. Woodworth and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 1998-01-01 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The military history of the Civil War has tended to focus on such issues as tactics, courage under fire, and which leader was capable of the bold stroke (Lee) and which one wasn?t (McClellan). Overlooked in these important issues is the matter of command itself: mastery of the resources required for successful military action. Inøthis work seven experts examine particular instances of command problems?such as supply, military discipline, and effective relations with subordinate commanders?and show how a general?s handling of the problem illustrates an important feature of Civil War leadership.

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of the Mexican American War 3 volumes written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2012-10-09 with total page 1159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This user-friendly encyclopedia comprises a wide array of accessible yet detailed entries that address the military, social, political, cultural, and economic aspects of the Mexican-American War. The Encyclopedia of the Mexican-American War: A Political, Social, and Military History provides an in-depth examination of not only the military conflict itself, but also the impact of the war on both nations; and how this conflict was the first waged by Americans on foreign soil and served to establish critical U.S. military, political, and foreign policy precedents. The entries analyze the Mexican-American War from both the American and Mexican perspectives, in equal measure. In addition to discussing the various campaigns, battles, weapons systems, and other aspects of military history, the three-volume work also contextualizes the conflict within its social, cultural, political, and economic milieu, and places the Mexican-American War into its proper historical and historiographical contexts by covering the eras both before and after the war. This information is particularly critical for students of American history because the conflict fomented sectional conflict in the United States, which resulted in the U.S. Civil War.

Download or read book Freedom by the Sword written by William A. Dobak and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-02-01 with total page 616 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Civil War changed the United States in many ways—economic, political, and social. Of these changes, none was more important than Emancipation. Besides freeing nearly four million slaves, it brought agricultural wage labor to a reluctant South and gave a vote to black adult males in the former slave states. It also offered former slaves new opportunities in education, property ownership—and military service. From late 1862 to the spring of 1865, as the Civil War raged on, the federal government accepted more than 180,000 black men as soldiers, something it had never done before on such a scale. Known collectively as the United States Colored Troops and organized in segregated regiments led by white officers, some of these soldiers guarded army posts along major rivers; others fought Confederate raiders to protect Union supply trains, and still others took part in major operations like the Siege of Petersburg and the Battle of Nashville. After the war, many of the black regiments took up posts in the former Confederacy to enforce federal Reconstruction policy. Freedom by the Sword tells the story of these soldiers' recruitment, organization, and service. Thanks to its broad focus on every theater of the war and its concentration on what black soldiers actually contributed to Union victory, this volume stands alone among histories of the U.S. Colored Troops.