Absalom's War describes the experiences of the author's great-grand-uncle, a young Ohio farmer who joined the Union army in 1862, was wounded at Gettysburg and was killed at Kennesaw Mountain, GA in 1864. It's format is a unique "imagined reconstruction" of the experiences of an actual person about whom little is know, but much information is available on his family, his home state and counties, and his unit. The book takes advantage of numerous primary and secondary sources to give a vibrant and lively description of what it was like to grow up in Ohio in the 18302-1840s, join the army,...

The McFarlands of the Old West follows Peter McFarland and his wife, Ann Collins, from their flight from the Irish potato famine to the United States, through Peter's service in the Army (1855-1883), as Ann raised their family of eight children, seven of whom survived to adulthood. It describes the life and times on the frontier, from the Yakima wars in the Pacific Northwest through the Civil War and the Indian wars of the Great Plains. Six of Peter and Ann's children were boys: their experiences ranged from Indian scout and witness to the Battle of Wounded Knee to wagon masters and mule...

Everyone who has watched a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) match or tournament has heard of "the kimura," a specialized arm lock that many people try to use, but few are successful in applying. Few, even among jujutsu and MMA aficionados, however, know what the lock called a "kimura" was derived from an early link to karate as well as judo and jujutsu. The story is at once fascinating, inspiring, and tragic. The "kimura" is named after perhaps the best judo competitor who ever lived, Kimura Masahiko (1917-1993). In an age before weight lifting became an integral part of judo practice, Kimura was an...