Instant coffee was invented during the Civil War for use by Union troops, who hated it; holding races between lice was a popular pastime for both Johnny Reb and Billy Yank; 13% of the Confederate Army deserted during the conflict. These are three of the hundreds of bits of knowledge that Mike Wright makes available in his informative and entertaining What They Didn't Teach You About the Civil War, which focuses on the lives and ways of ordinary soldiers and of those they left behind.

Zeroes in on the interesting, irreverent, long-ignored tidbits that shape behavior in all conflicts and important periods of history. TheDenver Post
What made the founding fathers so great (or were they?). And don t forget the founding mothers. We have intrigue and skullduggery with spies from Nathan Hale to Benedict Arnold, with enlightening stops on the distaff side of espionage for Patience Wright (no relation to our esteemed author), Lydia Darragh, and Ann Bates.
Mike] Wright uncovers the gamut of the revolutionary era with a highly readable, breezy narrative...

Packed with personal anecdotes and details you won t find anywhere else, this is the secret history of World War II.
A fast-moving overview stuffed with interesting factoids and historical tidbits . . . Casual readers will find themselves carried along, and hardened military buffs will learn much that is new. Library Journal
It s almost guaranteed to make you so interested in the subject you ll want to learn . . . By including hundreds of interesting anecdotes and facts, Mike] Wright not only piques our interest repeatedly, he also gives areal feel for the war...