Hellmira

Hellmira PDF Author: Derek Maxfield
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1611214882
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Get Book Here

Book Description
An in-depth history of the inhumane Union Civil War prison camp that became known as “the Andersonville of the North.” Long called by some the “Andersonville of the North,” the prisoner of war camp in Elmira, New York, is remembered as the most notorious of all Union-run POW camps. It existed only from the summer of 1864 to July 1865, but in that time, and for long after, it became darkly emblematic of man’s inhumanity to man. Confederate prisoners called it “Hellmira.” Hastily constructed, poorly planned, and overcrowded, prisoner of war camps North and South were dumping grounds for the refuse of war. An unfortunate necessity, both sides regarded the camps as temporary inconveniences—and distractions from the important task of winning the war. There was no need, they believed, to construct expensive shelters or provide better rations. They needed only to sustain life long enough for the war to be won. Victory would deliver prisoners from their conditions. As a result, conditions in the prisoner of war camps amounted to a great humanitarian crisis, the extent of which could hardly be understood even after the blood stopped flowing on the battlefields. In the years after the war, as Reconstruction became increasingly bitter, the North pointed to Camp Sumter—better known as the Andersonville POW camp in Americus, Georgia—as evidence of the cruelty and barbarity of the Confederacy. The South, in turn, cited the camp in Elmira as a place where Union authorities withheld adequate food and shelter and purposefully caused thousands to suffer in the bitter cold. This finger-pointing by both sides would go on for over a century. And as it did, the legend of Hellmira grew. In this book, Derek Maxfield contextualizes the rise of prison camps during the Civil War, explores the failed exchange of prisoners, and tells the tale of the creation and evolution of the prison camp in Elmira. In the end, Maxfield suggests that it is time to move on from the blame game and see prisoner of war camps—North and South—as a great humanitarian failure. Praise for Hellmira “A unique and informative contribution to the growing library of Civil War histories...Important and unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review “A good book, and the author should be congratulated.” —Civil War News

Hellmira

Hellmira PDF Author: Derek Maxfield
Publisher: Casemate Publishers
ISBN: 1611214882
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

Get Book Here

Book Description
An in-depth history of the inhumane Union Civil War prison camp that became known as “the Andersonville of the North.” Long called by some the “Andersonville of the North,” the prisoner of war camp in Elmira, New York, is remembered as the most notorious of all Union-run POW camps. It existed only from the summer of 1864 to July 1865, but in that time, and for long after, it became darkly emblematic of man’s inhumanity to man. Confederate prisoners called it “Hellmira.” Hastily constructed, poorly planned, and overcrowded, prisoner of war camps North and South were dumping grounds for the refuse of war. An unfortunate necessity, both sides regarded the camps as temporary inconveniences—and distractions from the important task of winning the war. There was no need, they believed, to construct expensive shelters or provide better rations. They needed only to sustain life long enough for the war to be won. Victory would deliver prisoners from their conditions. As a result, conditions in the prisoner of war camps amounted to a great humanitarian crisis, the extent of which could hardly be understood even after the blood stopped flowing on the battlefields. In the years after the war, as Reconstruction became increasingly bitter, the North pointed to Camp Sumter—better known as the Andersonville POW camp in Americus, Georgia—as evidence of the cruelty and barbarity of the Confederacy. The South, in turn, cited the camp in Elmira as a place where Union authorities withheld adequate food and shelter and purposefully caused thousands to suffer in the bitter cold. This finger-pointing by both sides would go on for over a century. And as it did, the legend of Hellmira grew. In this book, Derek Maxfield contextualizes the rise of prison camps during the Civil War, explores the failed exchange of prisoners, and tells the tale of the creation and evolution of the prison camp in Elmira. In the end, Maxfield suggests that it is time to move on from the blame game and see prisoner of war camps—North and South—as a great humanitarian failure. Praise for Hellmira “A unique and informative contribution to the growing library of Civil War histories...Important and unreservedly recommended.” —Midwest Book Review “A good book, and the author should be congratulated.” —Civil War News

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five PDF Author: Kurt Vonnegut
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
ISBN: 0385333846
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Get Book Here

Book Description
Kurt Vonnegut’s masterpiece, Slaughterhouse-Five is “a desperate, painfully honest attempt to confront the monstrous crimes of the twentieth century” (Time). Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.” An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it. Authors as wide-ranging as Norman Mailer, John Irving, Michael Crichton, Tim O’Brien, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth Strout, David Sedaris, Jennifer Egan, and J. K. Rowling have all found inspiration in Vonnegut’s words. Jonathan Safran Foer has described Vonnegut as “the kind of writer who made people—young people especially—want to write.” George Saunders has declared Vonnegut to be “the great, urgent, passionate American writer of our century, who offers us . . . a model of the kind of compassionate thinking that might yet save us from ourselves.” More than fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut’s portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.

50 Classic War Novels

50 Classic War Novels PDF Author: Golgotha Press
Publisher: BookCaps Study Guides
ISBN: 1610425944
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 15537

Get Book Here

Book Description
An anthology of 50 classic war novels with an active table of contents to make it easy to quickly find the book you are looking for.Works include:The Airlords of Han by Philip Francis NowlanAlroy by Benjamin DisraeliAmong the Pines by James R. GilmoreBear Trap by Alan Edward NourseThe Big Time by Fritz Reuter LeiberThe Black Arrow by Robert Louis StevensonBreed Nor Birth by Dallas McCord ReynoldsThe Chainbearer by J. FENIMORE COOPERComing Home by Edith WhartonDangerous Days by Mary Roberts RinehartThe Destroyers by Gordon Randall GarrettFinished by H. Rider HaggardFor the Temple by G. A. HentyThe Gods are Athirst by Anatole FranceThe Green Beret by Thomas Edward PurdomGreenmantle by John BuchanThe Highest Treason by Randall GarrettIn the Track of the Troops by R.M. BallantyneJimmie Higgins by Upton SinclairThe Kangaroo Marines by R. W. CampbellLa Vendée by Anthony TrollopeThe Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come by John Fox, Jr.The Long Roll by Mary JohnstonMemoirs of a Cavalier by Daniel DefoeMistress Wilding by Rafael SabatiniMorale by Murray LeinsterMr. Midshipman Easy by Frederick MarryatMr. Standfast by John BuchanOkewood of the Secret Service by Valentine WilliamsOn the Irrawaddy by G. A. HentyOne Man's Initiation--1917 by John Dos PassosOne of Ours by Willa CatherThe Pathfinder by James Fenimore CooperPaths of Glory by Irvin S. CobbPushbutton War by Joseph P. MartinoThe Red Badge of Courage by Stephen CraneRemember the Alamo by Amelia E. BarrRide Proud, Rebel! by Andre Alice NortonSea Warfare by Rudyard KiplingShock Absorber by E.G. von WaldThe Spy by James Fenimore CooperSt. Elmo by Augusta J. EvansSword and the Atopen by Taylor H. Greenfield

The Spectator

The Spectator PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : English literature
Languages : en
Pages : 800

Get Book Here

Book Description
A weekly review of politics, literature, theology, and art.

Fighting for the Confederacy

Fighting for the Confederacy PDF Author: Gary W. Gallagher
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
ISBN: 0807882348
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 693

Get Book Here

Book Description
Originally published by UNC Press in 1989, Fighting for the Confederacy is one of the richest personal accounts in all of the vast literature on the Civil War. Alexander was involved in nearly all of the great battles of the East, from First Manassas through Appomattox, and his duties brought him into frequent contact with most of the high command of the Army of Northern Virginia, including Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and James Longstreet. No other Civil War veteran of his stature matched Alexander's ability to discuss operations in penetrating detail-- this is especially true of his description of Gettysburg. His narrative is also remarkable for its utterly candid appraisals of leaders on both sides.

The Graphic

The Graphic PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Great Britain
Languages : en
Pages : 866

Get Book Here

Book Description


The Hurt Artist

The Hurt Artist PDF Author: Shane Niemeyer
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 125002109X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 255

Get Book Here

Book Description
A gritty memoir that chronicles the author's transformation from a homeless junkie who tried to hang himself in prison to a triathlete competing at the Ironman World Championship. With troubles beginning as early as childhood, the trajectory of Shane Niemeyer's life seemed to have only one direction: down. His struggles with heroin addiction led him to jail, and he eventually hit rock bottom. Soon, his two pack a day cigarette habit was the healthiest thing he did. One dark night in jail, his suicide attempt failed. What happened next transcends the term recovery. The Hurt Artist is the searing yet luminous travelogue of Shane's powerful journey from suicidal addict to Ironman. He vividly depicts the landscape of pain in which he's lived his life—emotional and physical pain inflicted upon him and that he inflicts upon himself, pain that pulls him down, and, in detailing his training, the pain he harnesses to lift himself up. Ultimately, Shane's story is one of redemption and triumph, a lesson in the value of second chances and a clear reminder that nobody, regardless of how seemingly desperate their circumstances, is beyond the reach of salvation. From inmate #71768 to Ironman Triathlon World Championship competitor #1419, Shane paints a stirring self-portrait in this hilarious, horrifying, and hopeful account that is sure to hook readers of edgy sports biographies.

A Job to Do

A Job to Do PDF Author: John Gordon
Publisher: Exisle Publishing
ISBN: 1775591980
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 368

Get Book Here

Book Description
What was it really like for the soldiers of 2 New Zealand Division in World War Two? How did they spend their time and how did they see their lives as servicemen, from training at home and sailing off to war, to setting up camp, relaxing off -duty, fighting in hostile environments and possibly being taken prisoner? This anthology is a personal selection of material describing the experiences of these men, almost all written from within its ranks. Colloquially known to its members as ‘The Div’, it was by far the major part of New Zealand’s Second Expeditionary Force, making it our main contribution to the war. Naturally it had a distinctly New Zealand character, and despite being caught in several difficult situations in its early years – and not necessarily of its own doing – it gained an international reputation for courage, reliability and achievement. In this book John Gordon presents a lively and illuminating selection of the published words of members of ‘The Div’ or those with close associations. The chosen extracts are drawn from memoirs, fiction, verse, news reports and magazine articles penned by soldiers of all ranks. The result is a compilation of the written views and experiences of over 80 insiders, creating an intimate glimpse of life and war within ‘The Div’, supported by a host of photographs and cartoons from the period. From the declaration of war to the return home, this is a sample of the experiences of well over 100,000 New Zealand men who served in the division: how they coped with discipline and disaster, sacrifice and success. They write with the same frankness, humour, wry cynicism and understatement that they used to cope with the challenges of their war.

Fighting for General Lee

Fighting for General Lee PDF Author: Sheridan R. Barringer
Publisher: Savas Beatie
ISBN: 1611212634
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 285

Get Book Here

Book Description
A remarkable biography of a Confederate brigadier general’s experiences during—and after—the Civil War: “Well-written and deeply researched” (Eric J. Wittenberg, author of Out Flew the Sabers). Rufus Barringer fought on horseback through most of the Civil War with General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, and rose to lead the North Carolina Cavalry Brigade in some of the war’s most difficult combats. This book details his entire history for the first time. Barringer raised a company early in the war and fought with the 1st North Carolina Cavalry from the Virginia peninsula through Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville. He was severely wounded at Brandy Station, and as a result missed the remainder of the Gettysburg Campaign, returning to his regiment in mid-October, 1863. Within three months he was a lieutenant colonel, and by June 1864 a brigadier general in command of the North Carolina Brigade, which fought the rest of the war with Lee and was nearly destroyed during the retreat from Richmond in 1865. The captured Barringer met President Lincoln at City Point; endured prison; and after the war did everything he could to convince North Carolinians to accept Reconstruction and heal the wounds of war. Drawing upon a wide array of newspapers, diaries, letters, and previously unpublished family documents and photographs, as well as other firsthand accounts, this is an in-depth, colorful, and balanced portrait of an overlooked Southern cavalry commander. It is easy today to paint all who wore Confederate gray with a broad brush because they fought on the side to preserve slavery—but this biography reveals a man who wielded the sword and then promptly sheathed it to follow a bolder vision, proving to be a champion of newly freed slaves—a Southern gentleman decades ahead of his time.

Johnny Got His Gun

Johnny Got His Gun PDF Author: Dalton Trumbo
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 0806537604
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 289

Get Book Here

Book Description
The Searing Portrayal Of War That Has Stunned And Galvanized Generations Of Readers An immediate bestseller upon its original publication in 1939, Dalton Trumbo?s stark, profoundly troubling masterpiece about the horrors of World War I brilliantly crystallized the uncompromising brutality of war and became the most influential protest novel of the Vietnam era. Johnny Got His Gun is an undisputed classic of antiwar literature that?s as timely as ever. ?A terrifying book, of an extraordinary emotional intensity.?--The Washington Post "Powerful. . . an eye-opener." --Michael Moore "Mr. Trumbo sets this story down almost without pause or punctuation and with a fury amounting to eloquence."--The New York Times "A book that can never be forgotten by anyone who reads it."--Saturday Review