The fight for Little Round Top on July 2, 1863, is forever etched in the annals of America's Civil War. The heroic defense of the high ground by Joshua Chamberlain and the men of the 20th Maine is one of the most famous incidents in American history, made more so by its powerful depiction in the film Gettysburg. There are numerous written accounts of the Union defenders on Little Round Top but considerably less has been written--up to now--about the Confederate attackers who charged up the hill and faced an even more desperate challenge than those who defended it. Unique and colorful,...

Few infantry regiments in the Civil War compiled a more distinguished record than the Fifth Missouri. The unique blending of fiery Irish Confederates from St. Louis with rural pro-Southern Missourians forged an unshakable esprit de corps, making the unit the crack infantry regiment in the western sector. Most of Colonel James C. McCown's troops were young men in their 20s, and their good health and physical conditioning allowed them to carry out their "shock" missions throughout the region. From the perspective of the common soldiers and the unit's leaders the activities and battles of the...

Victor Vifquain's memoir is an engaging, firsthand account of a bold attempt to kidnap the president of the Confederate States of America. Archived for nearly a century, the chronicle of this previously unknown and daring plot has been brought to light by historians Jeffrey H. Smith, Vifquain's great-great grandson, and Phillip Thomas Tucker in a meticulously edited and annotated volume. The plot to ride into Richmond and capture Jefferson Davis was concocted by three brash adventurers, who, using pseudonyms from The Three Musketeers, were soon involved in escapades worthy of Dumas's trio....

Parallels the lives of Bowen and Grant, and argues that Bowen was one of the best commanders of the Confederacy. For Civil War buffs. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

The Civil War continues to fascinate historians and general readers. Contemporary Civil War scholarship has brought to light the important roles certain ethnic groups played during that tumultuous time in our nation's history. Adding to that genre of literature is this brief but informative history of the Irish Brigade. While the famed fighting prowess of the Irish Brigade at Antietam and Gettysburg is well known, in "God Help the Irish " historian Phillip T. Tucker emphasizes the lives and experiences of the individual Irish soldiers fighting in the ranks of the Brigade, supplying a better...

Contemporary Civil War scholarship has brought to light the important roles certain ethnic groups played during that tumultuous time in our nation's history. The axiom that the winners of wars write the histories is especially valid in regard to the story of the Irish who fought for the Confederacy from 1861-1865. Throughout the course of the Civil War, Irish Confederates made invaluable contributions to all aspects of the war effort. Yet, the Irish have largely been the forgotten soldiers of the South. In Irish Confederates: The Civil War's Forgotten Soldiers, author Phillip T. Tucker...

Across black America during the Golden Age of Aviation, John C. Robinson was widely acclaimed as the long-awaited -black Lindbergh.- Robinson's fame, which rivaled that of Joe Louis and Jesse Owens, came primarily from his wartime role as the commander of the Imperial Ethiopian Air Force after Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935. As the only African American who served during the war's entirety, the Mississippi-born Robinson garnered widespread recognition, sparking an interest in aviation for young black men and women.
Known as the -Brown Condor of Ethiopia, - he provided a symbolic moral...

For the first time, the real story of "The Yellow Rose of Texas" is told in full, revealing a host of new insights and perspectives on one of America's most popular stories. For generations, the Yellow Rose of Texas has been one of America's most popular western myths, growing larger over time to eventually little resemble the truth of what really happened on decisive April 21, 1836, at the battle of San Jacinto, where a new Texas Republic won its independence. The real Yellow Rose was an ordinary but also quite remarkable free black woman from the North, Emily D. West. This is the first...

The important roles and contributions of the Irish in the struggle for American Independence has been minimized and overlooked by historians, both American and Irish, for generations. Quite simply, American Independence could not have been won without the vital, widespread, and timely contributions-military, political, and economic-of the Irish from 1775 to 1783. To demonstrate the widespread extent of the Irish contribution and its importance in winning final victory, this work has focused on the long-overlooked achievements of the Irish in such important battles as Trenton, Kings Mountain,...