All for the Union


Book Description

All for the Union is the eloquent and moving diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes, featured throughout Ken Burns' PBS documentary The Civil War. Rhodes enlisted into the Union Army as a private in 1861 and left it four years later as a twenty-three-year-old colonel after fighting hard and honorably in battles from Bull Run to Appomattox. Anyone who heard these diaries excerpted in The Civil War will recognize his accounts of those campaigns, which remain outstanding for their clarity and detail. Most of all, Rhodes's words reveal the motivation of a common Yankee foot soldier, an otherwise ordinary young man who endured the rigors of combat and exhausting marches, short rations, fear, and homesickness for a salary of $13 a month and the satisfaction of giving "all for the union."




State of the Union


Book Description

A political anthology from the front lines of American poetics.




Lincoln's Loyalists


Book Description

With this path-breaking book, Richard Nelson Current closes a major gap in our understanding of the important role of white southerners who fought for the Union during the Civil War. The ranks of the Union forces swelled by more than 100,000 of these men known to their friends as "loyalists" and to their enemies as "tories". They substantially strengthened the Union, weakened the Confederacy, and affected the outcome of the Civil War. Despite the assertions of southern governors that Lincoln would get no troops from the South to preserve the Union, every Confederate state except South Carolina provided at least a battalion of white troops for the Union Army. The role of black soldiers (including those from the South) continues to receive deserved attention. Curiously, little heed has been paid to the white southern supporters of the Union cause, and nothing has been published about the group as a whole. Relying almost entirely on primary sources, Current here opens the long-overdue investigation of these many Americans who, at great risk to themselves and their families, made a significant contribution to the Union's war effort. Current meticulously explores the history of the loyalists in each Confederate state during the war. Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia provided over 70 percent of the loyalist troops, but 10,000 from Arkansas, 7,000 from Louisiana, and thousands from North Carolina, Texas, and Alabama volunteered as well. The author weaves the separate state stories into an intriguing and detailed tapestry. The loyalists served in a variety of capacities--some performing mundane tasks, some fighting with valor. Whatever his individual role, each southerner joining the Unionconstituted a double loss to the Confederacy: a subtraction from its own ranks and an addition to the Union's. Undoubtedly, this played an important role in the Confederate defeat.




Age of Union


Book Description

Age of Union is a compelling guide for igniting today's changemaker—those ready to take action for our planet and its inhabitants. We have seen growing divisions between people on either side of gender, religious, political and cultural borders for too long. Meanwhile, global health crises, environmental degradation, and human-accelerated climate change pose immense challenges to our future that we must now face quickly and cooperatively. Separation has to be confronted head-on. We can do this each and every day with meaningful, impactful acts of union. There is a greater need for unity than ever before. Dax Dasilva presents a guide to take simple measures to promote our collective well-being and union. Grounded in four pillars—leadership, culture, spirituality, and nature—the book advocates that the time for change is now and that our choices are the catalyst. We are all in this together, so let us move toward an Age of Union. May it strengthen your resolve to start building a kinder, greener and more livable world where everyone and everything can thrive. You are the changemaker. For more information visit www.ageofunion.com Reviews "A compassionate call for the cultural revolution needed to take care of each other and our planet." —Marika Anthony-Shaw, Founder & CEO of Plus1.org “Humans are finally evolving and are becoming more aware of the fact that saving the world is a priority for everyone today.’ —Carmen Busquets, WWF Council Member, Humanitarian and FashionTech Entrepreneur (Net-a-Porter, Moda Operandi, FarFetched, and BoF) “This book is a lens that helps focus on what really matters. We get so wrapped up in our daily lives that we forget how our actions affect our environment daily. This book is very relevant today, as it’s time for everyone to become leaders of change and inspire others to do the same. Dax Dasilva portrays that an Age of Union is here and empowers others to rise to the occasion.” —Ekaterina Sky, Wildlife Conservation Artist “Age of Union is the much needed call to action our world needs right now. Dax Dasilva speaks to the inherent leader in every one of us and provides a guide so that the future changemakers of tomorrow can get started today.” —Jonathan Kanevsky MD “The first of its kind, Age of Union brings readers along an intimate journey that perfectly balances spiritual, entrepreneurial, and environmental guidance, all of which got me wanting to take action now.” —Shira Laza, on-air personality and founder, What’s Trending "Now more then ever we need to be more connected and share ideas to collectively save the planet. This book is a great starting point and guide while trying to shift to this new paradigm”. —Seth Troxler, International DJ “Age of Union is a well rounded read for anyone who wants to explore the subject of growth, change and connectedness. Especially in times like these, it gives hope and helps to understand how we can make a difference by transforming our relationship with ourselves and the world around us.“ —Annette & Daniela Fedler, Sustainable Luxury Design Consultants & Eco Friendly Fashion Designers "In Age of Union, Dax Dasilva shares with us a manifesto for the guiding principles that makes him a true leader in the ecological transition and the social evolution for a kinder world that will take us to the next phase of humanity. Age of Union is a mirror to be held for us to become leaders in that transition as well." —Damian Siqueiros, MFA, Artist and Activist




Union Soldier of the American Civil War


Book Description

Through photographs and historical documents, profiles the lives of Union soldiers during the American Civil War, discussing their day-to-day activities, weapons, and equipment.




Faces of the Civil War


Book Description

Archival images and biographical sketches of Union soldiers tell the stories of their lives during and after the Civil War. Before leaving to fight in the Civil War, many Union and Confederate soldiers posed for a carte de visite, or visiting card, to give to their families, friends, or sweethearts. Invented in 1854 by a French photographer, the carte de visite was a small photographic print roughly the size of a modern trading card. The format arrived in America on the eve of the Civil War, fueling intense demand for the keepsakes. Many cards of Civil War soldiers survive today, but the experiences?and often the names?of the individuals portrayed have been lost to time. A passionate collector of Civil War–era photography, Ron Coddington researched the history behind these anonymous faces in military records, pension files, and other public and personal documents. In Faces of the Civil War, Coddington presents 77 cartes de visite of Union soldiers from his collection and tells the stories of their lives during and after the war. These soldiers came from all walks of life. All were volunteers. Their personal stories reveal a tremendous diversity in their experience of war: many served with distinction, some were captured, some never saw combat while others saw little else. The lives of survivors were even more disparate. While some made successful transitions back to civilian life, others suffered permanent physical and mental disabilities, which too often wrecked their families and careers. In compelling words and haunting pictures, Faces of the Civil War offers a unique perspective on the most dramatic and wrenching period in American history.




An Extraordinary Union


Book Description

A former slave finds danger, intrigue, and passion undercover as a spy in first of this Civil War–era romance series from an award-winning author. Elle Burns is a former slave with a passion for justice and an eidetic memory. Trading in her life of freedom in Massachusetts, she returns to the indignity of slavery in the South—to spy for the Union Army. Malcolm McCall is a detective for Pinkerton’s Secret Service. Subterfuge is his calling, but he’s facing his deadliest mission yet—risking his life to infiltrate a Rebel enclave in Virginia. Two undercover agents who share a common cause—and an undeniable attraction—Malcolm and Elle join forces when they discover a plot that could turn the tide of the war in the Confederacy’s favor. Caught in a tightening web of wartime intrigue, and fighting a fiery and forbidden love, Malcolm and Elle must make their boldest move to preserve the Union at any cost—even if it means losing each other. . . An Entertainment Weekly TOP 10 ROMANCE BOOKS OF THE YEAR A Bookpage TOP PICK A Kirkus BEST BOOKS OF 2017 A Vulture TOP 10 ROMANCE BOOKS OF 2017 A Publishers Weekly BEST BOOKS OF 2017 A Booklist TOP 10 ROMANCE FICTION 2017 “Richly detailed setting, heart-stopping plot, and unforgettable characters.” —Deanna Raybourn, New York Times–bestselling author “You should absolutely read this book, immediately, if you haven’t already. . . . This book is a marvelous, intelligent, respectful, breathtaking treat for your brain.” —Smart Bitches, Trashy Books




The Man Who Saved the Union


Book Description

From the two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, bestselling historian, and author of Our First Civil War—a masterful biography of the Civil War general and two-term president who saved the Union twice, on the battlefield and in the White House. • “[A] splendidly written biography ... Brands does justice to one of America’s most underrated presidents.” —Dallas Morning News Ulysses Grant emerges in this masterful biography as a genius in battle and a driven president to a divided country, who remained fearlessly on the side of right. He was a beloved commander in the field who made the sacrifices necessary to win the war, even in the face of criticism. He worked valiantly to protect the rights of freed men in the South. He allowed the American Indians to shape their own fate even as the realities of Manifest Destiny meant the end of their way of life. In this sweeping and majestic narrative, bestselling author H.W. Brands now reconsiders Grant's legacy and provides an intimate portrait of a heroic man who saved the Union on the battlefield and consolidated that victory as a resolute and principled political leader. Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: THE FIRST AMERICAN (Benjamin Franklin), ANDREW JACKSON, TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt) and REAGAN.




Blue and Gray Diplomacy


Book Description

In this examination of Union and Confederate foreign relations during the Civil War from both European and American perspectives, Howard Jones demonstrates that the consequences of the conflict between North and South reached far beyond American soil. Jones explores a number of themes, including the international economic and political dimensions of the war, the North's attempts to block the South from winning foreign recognition as a nation, Napoleon III's meddling in the war and his attempt to restore French power in the New World, and the inability of Europeans to understand the interrelated nature of slavery and union, resulting in their tendency to interpret the war as a senseless struggle between a South too large and populous to have its independence denied and a North too obstinate to give up on the preservation of the Union. Most of all, Jones explores the horrible nature of a war that attracted outside involvement as much as it repelled it. Written in a narrative style that relates the story as its participants saw it play out around them, Blue and Gray Diplomacy depicts the complex set of problems faced by policy makers from Richmond and Washington to London, Paris, and St. Petersburg.




Arms and Equipment of the Union


Book Description

Powerful images and vivid narrative are combined in a unique catalog of Civil War artifacts, tactical maps and other battle accouterments.