A Civil War Treasury of Tales, Legends and Folklore

Great book for a U.S. History lover. It's also great to get someone into studying our history.

Prior to 1960, the availability of books regarding the Civil War was a fraction of what it is today. Extraordinary storytellers such as Shelby Foote were not yet on the scene and Hollywood had not yet glamorized the war in such glorious fashion with epic movies and 10-part mini-series'. What I'm getting at is, in 1960, when B. A. Botkin first released his book, A CIVIL WAR TREASURY OF TALES, LEGENDS AND FOLKLORE, he set a new standard in Civil War narration. This 2006 edition is a reprinting of the original save for the addition of new artwork by Warren Chappell, who replaced Stephen Cushman as illustrator in the last reprinting. The stories are the same, so if you're looking for new material, you won't find it, but if you've never read Botkin's compilation of letters in this classic work, you don't want to miss it. Botkin presents over 500 pages of letters, many originals, written by either those who took part directly in the events or who witnessed them firsthand. This is the Civil War without the sugar coating, and without the glamorizing. Some of what you read will make you laugh, some will turn your stomach. Your heart will be ripped apart as you only try to imagine the anguish of Sergeant Driscoll who shot a Confederate Officer in an ambush only to discover a few minutes later that it was in fact, his own son who had gone south before the war. You will feel the devotion of the two soldiers found sleeping next to Jackson's statue after the war, "just to sleep with the old man once more". There are a few accounts of major battles, and a few profiles of individual leaders, but for the most part, this is a collection of stories about skirmishes, many of which you may never have heard of, and about individuals and their happenings during the war. In all, there are six chapters here, one for each year of the war, as well as a brief closing chapter regarding the aftermath. This is followed by an extraordinary collection of over 30 pages of notes, however, sadly, most of the books referenced here are long out of print and nearly impossible to locate. Botkin, himself a professor of history, compiled over a dozen volumes of folklore. I believe this was his best compilation. An outstanding study guide with great merit for students, this is the Civil War as told by those who lived it. Monty Rainey www.juntosociety.com