The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts by Burke Davis
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Book Reviews of The Civil War: Strange & Fascinating Facts
Book Review: --Civil War Trivia--
Summary: 5 Stars
After a lifetime of reading, Burke Davis put together a book of amazing and interesting pieces of information that don't usually show up in the historical accounts of the Civil War.Here are a few examples of his research:
The Civil War was known by more than twenty-five names. The most unusual: The Brothers War--The War to Suppress Yankee Arrogance--The War for the Union and The War of the Rebellion.
Abraham Lincoln had smallpox when he gave the Gettysburg Address and several members of his wife's family were soldiers in the Confederate Army. Also President Lincoln admitted that one of his favorite tunes was "Dixie."
General Nathan Bedford Forrest, CSA had twenty-nine horses shot from beneath him during the war years. Belle Boyd started her career as a spy for the South when, at the age of seventeen, she killed a Federal soldier. After the war, about 3,000 former Confederate officers left the South and moved to foreign countries. And there's so much more to learn.
Book Review: Fun reading
Summary: 5 Stars
Every Christmas, someone gives me a copy of this book. Even though I enjoyed it, PLEASE do not send me ANY MORE, as I have 9 copies already. This is a fun read, even if you are not a Civil War buff. It's historical trivia that goes a long way to show that people do not change. The ironic twists of fate, coincidence, the stupidty of war and the general folly of human nature. Here are stories of gallantry, humor, tragedy, fatal mistakes, famous onlookers and witnesses and sex, (oooh, hide the children!) From the human side of Robert E. Lee, U.S. Grant, Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln to the "firsts" of the war (balloons used for signaling, underwater mines, large scale use of repeating rifles, telegraphs, etc) the casual reader will find plenty of tidbits to pass the time. I just wish the artwork had been better.Book Review: The stories behind The Story
Summary: 5 Stars
Did you know that the owner of the farm where the first Civil War fighting took place hosted the peace treaty signing in his front parlor in Appomattox? Col Wilmer McClean, seeking to escape the fighting after the First Battle at Bull Run, moved to Southern Virginia and settled in Appomattox. Little did he know the fighting would eventually follow him--and end with the meeting of Grant and Lee in his front parlor. Minutiae and the smaller aspects of the Great War Between the States is all documented in this rather small volume. This is not a stale treatment of those lesser-known facts of the Civil War, but a lively telling of those incidents and thoughts on the Great American Schism. It is hard to put the book down once you start reading it. A must read.Book Review: TEACHERS A GOOD ONE FOR YOU
Summary: 5 Stars
I have started reading military histories again and looking through a box of my own oldies, there was STRANGE AND FASCINATING FACTS by Burke Davis. I must say along with several other books by him. Mr. Davis is an outstanding writer with so many great works of the Civil War. This book is perfect for teacher that wants to add interesting spice to their lectures. My high school students loved trivia like this mixed into the academia. RECOMMENDEDBook Review: A solid look at many little-known aspects of the Civil War.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book was a welcome find when I was pulling together source material for my book, Everyday Life During the Civil War. As Burke Davis says, it is a serious book, and contains a wealth of information not easily gleaned from other sources; it is unfortunate that the words "strange" and "fascinating" seem to have given some the wrong impression of this work. I recommend it for anyone interested in the Civil War.