Make Me A Map Of The Valley

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Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, the epic New York Times bestselling account of how Civil War general Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson became a great and tragic national hero. Stonewall Jackson has long been a figure of legend and romance. As much as any person in the Confederate pantheon—even Robert E. Lee—he embodies the romantic Southern notion of the virtuous lost cause. Jackson is also considered, without argument, one of our country’s greatest military figures. In April 1862, however, he was merely another Confederate general in an army fighting what seemed to be a losing cause. But by June he had engineered perhaps the greatest military campaign in American history and was one of the most famous men in the Western world. Jackson’s strategic innovations shattered the conventional wisdom of how war was waged; he was so far ahead of his time that his techniques would be studied generations into the future. In his “magnificent Rebel Yell…S.C. Gwynne brings Jackson ferociously to life” (New York Newsday) in a swiftly vivid narrative that is rich with battle lore, biographical detail, and intense conflict among historical figures. Gwynne delves deep into Jackson’s private life and traces Jackson’s brilliant twenty-four-month career in the Civil War, the period that encompasses his rise from obscurity to fame and legend; his stunning effect on the course of the war itself; and his tragic death, which caused both North and South to grieve the loss of a remarkable American hero.

Never did so large a proportion of the American population leave home for an extended period and produce such a detailed record of its experiences in the form of correspondence, diaries, and other papers as during the Civil War. Based on research in more than 1,200 wartime letters and diaries by more than 400 Confederate officers and enlisted men, this book offers a compelling social history of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia during its final year, from May 1864 to April 1865. Organized in a chronological framework, the book uses the words of the soldiers themselves to provide a view of the army's experiences in camp, on the march, in combat, and under siege--from the battles in the Wilderness to the final retreat to Appomattox. It sheds new light on such questions as the state of morale in the army, the causes of desertion, ties between the army and the home front, the debate over arming black men in the Confederacy, and the causes of Confederate defeat. Remarkably rich and detailed, Lee's Miserables offers a fresh look at one of the most-studied Civil War armies.

Stay close to the river, and you cant go far wrong. These were the words that woke Molly from her sleep. They came from the next room, and the voice was strange to her. She crept out of bed and went to the door, which was partly open. Through the gap, she could see her mother huddled over the fading light from the fire in the hearth. She had a shawl wrapped around her shoulders and was listening to someone who had their back to the bedroom door. Molly could tell it was the voice of an old man, he sounded friendly but cautious. It may take a week by foot in this weather, so here is some money to provide food and lodgings along the way. With that, the stranger stood up and wished Mollys mother, Godspeed and may your prayers be answered.

Lee's Young Artillerist looks at Pegram as a case study to explore the worldview of slaveholders in the antebellum South.

For any that think that life in a magical world is all joy and wonder, come find the truth for yourself. It is work. It is need. It can also be dangerous! This is the first book of the, The Valley series. This book will create the foundation for the characters that make up the future of Rightful Magic, as well as give you the purpose and value of those who hold rightful magic as a truth. You will also find those who are of the basis for Dark Magic, and their terrible goals. What are the races of a Magical Valley to do against a beast so driven by the unbelieving outer world, that it must destroy all those of the Valley, and Rightful Magic? They must find Michael, who is of that outside world and can see not just the difference of the worlds, but can also see the value of both. Michael must then fight the battle that the Valley folk cannot, for they do not understand how their world can be hated, or feared. He seeks to destroy the beast that cannot be named and while doing this, he saves the woman who becomes his wife and is as intent on the rightfulness of the Valley, as he is. Their children become not just a part of the Valley, but unknowingly, become the beginning of the power of the Rightful Magic. Cory, the first born, becomes the power that drives the true value of magic, to awareness. DeeDee, his younger sister, gives value to her brother and the Valley. Tom and Sandy, who become Corys wife and DeeDees husband, giving support to them as no others from the outer world could. Come find the truth of a magical Valley and a magical Plain, and all those who are a part of them. Come find what is to be the beginning of the future, for all the magical worlds.

"The eleven essays in this volume re-examine common assumptions about the campaign, its major figures, and its significance. Taking advantage of the most recent scholarship and a wide range of primary sources, contributors examine strategy and tactics, the performances of key commanders on each side, the campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of civilians caught in the path of the armies. The authors do not always agree with one another, but, taken together, their essays highlight important connections between the home front and the battlefield, as well as ways in which military affairs, civilian experience, and politics played off one another during the campaign."--BOOK JACKET.

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.