Summary of Broadus Unbound Called by the famed Charles Spurgeon “the greatest of living preachers,” John A. Broadus left an indelible signature not only on the Baptist denomination but on a generation. Emerging from the US Civil War as a voice of reason and reconciliation, he traveled, wrote, and tirelessly trained clergy for the urgencies […]
“COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War” by Edda Fields-Black
September 11, 2024 by Leave a Comment
It was Edda Fields-Black’s Op Ed in the NYTimes that led me to COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom During the Civil War (Oxford University Press 2024). In the editorial, she describes how the newly digitized US Civil War Pension Files made it possible for African Americans to find information on their […]
“This Republic of Suffering,” by Drew Gilpin Faust
October 26, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Daniel James Sundahl The “Preface” to Drew Gilpin Faust’s This Republic of Suffering begins with a pointed sentence: “Mortality defines the human condition.” True in any and all circumstances, including driving to work in the morning or returning home in the evening. Driving our cars, however, is unlike Confederate and Union soldiers gathered […]
“This Side of the River,” by Jeffrey Stayton
August 24, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Matthew Simmons 150 years after the end of the Civil War, I sit in Columbia, South Carolina. The banner that the local university’s football coach once called “That Damn Flag” has come down, to the joy of some and the consternation of others. In the spring of this year, I worked on a […]
February Read of the Month: “Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War,” by Elizabeth Varon
February 12, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Reviewed by Miles Smith, IV Appomattox: Victory, Defeat, and Freedom at the End of the Civil War offers the first cultural, political, and social history of the Army of Northern Virginia’s surrender at Appomattox Court House. Elizabeth Varon’s elegant narrative, provocative argument, and skillful use of sources make this work an interesting addition to the […]
Meet Tom Carhart, Author of Sacred Ties, Part 2
October 4, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Yesterday on SLR, Tom Carhart discussed his latest nonfiction release, Sacred Ties:From West Point Brothers to Battlefield Rivals: A True Story of the Civil War. Please enjoy the continuation of that conversation with SLR Contributor, Philip K. Jason, posted below. Are there any important distinctions you’d like to point out between a cadet’s West Point […]