Category: General Sherman

Book Review: Co. Aytch: Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment

Co. Aytch:  Maury Grays, First Tennessee Regiment or  A Side Show of the Big Show
By Samuel Rush Watkins

Most of the books I have read are history book and are specific to a time and location or specific to a particular battle with maps, photos, directions, and land marks.  I decided to take a departure from that and settled upon the memoirs of a foot soldier in the Army of Tennessee.

This was written about 20 years after the war and you are reminded of it regularly throughout the book.  He goes on to say how he is not writing a history of what happened, but is relaying the experiences and thoughts of a Private in the Confederate Army.  He does a very good job of this and covers every thing from the daily life to the thrill of battle and the agony of defeat.  Samuel paints a very horrific picture of the conditions they lived in and of the aftermath of battle.  He served throughout the entire war and saw action in a great number of battles, including the Atlanta Campaign.

I really enjoyed this fairly quick read at only 220 pages.  You can find it free online in a pdf format or on your Nook for a dollar.  It is full of funny tales and interactions and heartbreaking stories from the battlefield.  If you want to know what it was like for the common soldier on the front lines during the Civil War, then this is a must read book.  There are a great may personal diaries and memoirs out there and I think I will be reading some more.  I really enjoy the personal side of it.

Book Review: Crossroads of Conflict, A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia

Crossroads of Conflict, A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia
By Barry L. Brown and Gordon R. Elwell
A publication of the Georgia Civil War Commission
University of Georgia Press 2010

This is a well written guide set up by regions of the state.  It contains a brief history and location directions or an address for each site.  While they did not cover every single historical marker in the state, they sure did come close.  They did an outstanding job of documenting the most significant and important sites to the state.  There are lots of good images and maps.  I really like how they included contact information for site and locations where applicable as well as information for local historical societies.  This has been a very helpful book for me as I have been researching locations for upcoming book. 

Whirlwind Tour

For Spring Break, I decided to take the boys to see the Grandparents, and along the way we scouted out a bunch of locations for the book.  We were able to see the following locations:  Sunshine Church (Where Stoneman was captured), Griswaldville Battlefield, Balls Ferry (where Sherman’s right wing crossed the Oconee River), Buckhead Creek and Buckhead Church, Camp Lawton (prison camp like Andersonville), Ebenezer Creek, Shaw’s Bridge, and Fort McAllister.  We camped at Magnolia Springs State Park (where Camp Lawton is).  On our way home we will stop in Milledgeville to check out the old Governor’s Mansion (where Sherman spent the night) and the old state house.

15 Days to go with Kickstarter

Well, I have 15 days left to raise my funds for producing my War Was Here book.  If you have not looked at my kickstarter page please take time to check it out here:  War Was Here Kickstarter page

I would like to thank all of my supporters thus far and I appreciate your support.

Thanks
Clint

Allatoona Pass location scouting images

Yesterday my friend and I went to Allatoon Pass to scout the location for the shoot in October.  While we were there I made an image from the same general location as a period image made in 1864 by George Barnard.  Make note of the home on the left side of the images.  It has a two story front porch and is still standing today.  The angle is a little off, but the terrain has changed with the construction of the lake.  The home has also been through some repairs or remodels over the years but is essentially the same.  I hope to have similar comparisons in my book.  First will be the period image and mine will be below.

The above image is by George Barnard, circa 1864

This image is one that I made yesterday.

I you have not had a chance yet, please check out my kickstarter campaign to help my fund the book.  Here is the link:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504639503/war-was-here?ref=live

Thanks again for all your support.

Allatoona Pass Battlefield, location scouting

Heading out tomorrow to scout the battlefield at Allatoona Pass.  Hope to find some good locations to come back to in October on the anniversary of the battle.  I will have a sneak peek image of some thing at the battlefield in a day or two. 

Don’t forget to check out may Kickstarter page here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504639503/war-was-here

Pickett’s Mill Location Scouting

Went out to Pickett’s Mill and New Hope Church with a friend today, to do some location scouting.  It was cold!  I’m looking forward to spring.  Here is an image from our walk on the battlefield.  It was taken from the approximate position of the 15th and 49th Ohio as they were facing the Confederate Line across what was once a wheat field.  The Confederate Line was just beyond the tree line at the far end of the field.  There is a road just beyond the tree line down the left of the image.

Even though it was cold, the sun was out and the wind was not blowing so it made for a good day of hiking.  I was able to pick out some good locations to come back and photograph in May.

If you have not had a chance please check out my Kickstarter page here:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504639503/war-was-here?ref=category  

Thanks for your support!

And So It Begins

Here is the big announcement!  As you all know I am working on a book project and in an effort to help fund it, I have created a Kickstarter campaign.

If your not familiar with Kickstarter.com, it is a website for anyone who has some type of creative project that needs help with funding.  It could be anything from a book, to a movie, to a new album for your band.  It is all or nothing funding and after my 30 days are up, I will either be funded or not.  If the project is funded, then I will receive the funds, but if it is not fully funded then I will not get any of the funds and none of the backers or supports will be charged for anything.  So it is very important that I get everyone’s help and support.  Please share with any and all your friends, family, history teachers, and whoever else you think would be interested.

Here is the link:  https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/504639503/war-was-here

I have lots of rewards for backers and supporters of my project.  There are a range of different support levels and all of them have some kind of reward.  The rewards range from a post card image to limited edition prints, copies of the book in Hard Cover or Soft Cover and even guided battlefield tours. All prints and copies of the book will be signed by me prior to delivery.  Some of these rewards could make for nice gifts down the road.

Thank you everyone for your support and please share, share, share with anyone you think would be interested.

War like the Thunderbolt, book review


War like the Thunderbolt

Here is my review of the above book.


War like the ThunderBolt, The Battle and Burning of Atlanta
By Russell S. Bonds
Mr. Bonds has done an excellent job detailing the battle that happen around the City of Atlanta while General Sherman was on his mission to destroy the war resources of the Confederacy.  There are highly detailed descriptions of the battles and of some of the soldiers themselves.  There are also some great maps for the battles that show modern roads in relation to troop movements, entrenchments, etc.  This was a book I could hardly put down.  I really like the personal aspects added to the book that come from diaries and letters of participants and onlookers alike.  I highly recommend this book if you are a history buff and are interested in the actions that took place in and around Atlanta in the summer of 1864. 

Cheatham’s Hill, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park

A pair of cannons on Cheatham’s Hill, Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.